Road Cycling - Tubular vs. Clincher

I am looking at a new pair of wheels and can not decide whether to buy the tubular or the clincher version. Any thoughts?

here we go again!

Tubulars:
Always lighter than clinchers (both wheels and tyres)
Always ride better
Has greater range of pressures available
Costs more
Hassle to mount
Usually flat less frequent, but are a @^#$%ing pain in the @r$e to fix
Quicker to change on the road, but requires a complete spare unit.

Clinchers:
Less mess, quicker to do a permanent mount
Can be mounted even in the pouring rain
costs less, and greater choice of tyres
rides harsher
weighs more
can't take higher/lower pressure
pinch-flats easily

D*Alex, getting more specific which would you go with?

Bike: Trek 5200
Rider Weight: Woman, 5'10, 140lbs, 3 years riding
Race: 20 to 50 mile triathlon bike courses in mixed terrain
Possible Wheels: Zipp 404 or Mavic Cosmic

Thanks

I would use tubulars. I like them. i think that the better ride and lighter weight is worth it. I also don't need to count on them asfor daily use.
The deciding factor should be this: Are you willing to put up with the hassles of tubulars, and are you physically capable of mounting them yourself?
Only you have the answer to these questions.

As far as the wheels go, I'm not a fan of botique wheels. I'd rather build a set, or have one professionally built.

My retro ride (mid-80s Basso) has a set of clinchers and a set of sew-up wheels. Wheels themselves are comparable quality and I do like the ride of the sew-ups. I have to admit though that the clinchers spend alot more time on the bike than the tubulars.

:beer:

Truth is that some of the better clinchers [Conti GP300s, Vredestein Fortezza Tri-Comps] ride almost as well -- maybe even better -- than tubulars. IMO, the only real advantage to tubulars these days is weight. If you race crits or have a support car, then they're great; if you don't, clinchers are somewhat easier.

clinchers moller, without a doubt. i'd recommend michelin 'axial pro' clinchers. although michelin are phasing out the axial pro now anyway for a new clincher called the 'pro light' and 'pro race' (two models of the same clincher). available here in the uk from around january. the new tyre will have a good tpi (thread per square inch) of 127, ie, more puncture proof due to density of the nylon polyamide casing, as well as thinner side walls for a more plush, smoother ride. they've improved the rubber too making them more grippy, as if they needed improving on that score already!? more and more pro riders and teams use clinchers now than tubs, much to the delight of the mechanics! they're easy to use, if you become good at replacing a tube, it can be done in under a minute using a CO2 cartridge. as for lightness comparison, yes a good tub will be lighter but only by a few grams, which doesn't make up for their awkwardness of application and removal, not to mention their repairal. don't even mention tub glue! for time trialling go for a 700 x 20 mm tyre, for road racing go for a 700 x 23 mm. i would go so far as to say tubs will be a thing of the past the way things are going.

cabledonut.

FWIW, my Tufo belts are 305 tpi, which is probably why they never flat. There certainly are a lot of garbage tubulars out there (which I wouldn't buy for a garden cart), but with 95% of the peloton in the Tour de France riding tubulars, I doubt they are going to become a thing of the past.
People said that tubulars were a thing of the past in the 30's, in the 60's, in the 90's, and yet they are still around, even after at least 125 years!

As a former pro rider using tubulars in 70', it was fine, but I find present clinchers technology are more advanced. My choice Michelin Axilal Pro Light, sure they don't last too long but o boy they have good rolling and grip. And I don't have mechanic working on my bike anymore ither.

I ride tubulars on the track (and for flat road time trials) and state of the art clinchers on the road. Upshot: clinchers clinchers, clinchers. The Conti Gran Prix supersonics at 150 psi "hum" and handle like (better than) the best Conti tubulars. And with latex tubes they weigh less! And they're rounder. I've glued on maybe 50 tubulars and never gotten them perfectly round and true. And the gluey mess sucks. And who wants to blow out a $70 tire when they could replace a $10 tube? Downside: the supersonics don't last--I weigh 180 lbs and the most I can expect from a rear supersonic is @ 2000 miles. So I ride a Gran Prix 3000 on the back, unless it's a hill climb TT or hilly stage of a stage race in which case I'll use a supersonic rear and a Veloflex Record (130 grams) on the front. And there's another plus for clinchers--it's easy to change out your tires to suit the kind of riding you're doing--with tubulars they're such a pain to change that the tires generally stay on there until they crap out.

To off set the high cost of the tires I ride during the season--in the off season for high mile weeks I ride $7 tires from WalMart. Really. 26mm tires inflated to 90 psi. They're comfortable, durable (as long as you never over-inflate), cheap--and when you switch them out with supersonics you feel, well, supersonic.

Another thing about tubulars... Say you're out on a 180 km ride and you shred your tire. Even if you have no trouble gluing and setting the new tire, you have to be VERY careful on the way back while the glue sets. No quick turns, and take it easy on the climbs. Doable, but no fun... and IMO, the potential advantages of tubulars aren't worth it.

True, but you've touched on the one reason that tubulars will always be around. And it isn't because they're still ridden in the Tour de France. Triathalons. Where the clock is ticking while you're replacing your flat. There's nothing faster than ripping off a dead tubular and popping on a (pre-stretched, pre-glued) spare and filling it with a co2 cartridge. And you don't have ride that carefully (I've ridden over 50 miles on a dry tubuar) maybe just on the descents and sharps turns.

Not really a defense of tubulars, just saying let the tri-geeks have them.

Originally posted by erblackiv
Where the clock is ticking while you're replacing your flat.


Since when you change tire during the race? Only when you are so behind all service vehicle....

Uh, did you miss the word triathalon? Helps if you read the whole post. That's the way it's done in that sport. Whether your first or last. No support vehicles.

Ok, so what do you do when you have more then one flat? How many tubulars you cary with you? I have one tube and patch kit, maybe is taking longer but I can finish the race....

If you pre-glue your spares, you won't have to worry about a spare rolling off.
For long rides, I often carry 2 spares (altough I have never needed it), the second spare a lightweight clement latex-tubed thing I bought cheap somewhere. I used to carry a tubular patch kit, too, but my Tufo's won't ever need that, so I stopped.
If you are really worried about spare adhesion, my local Pep-boys store has small tubes of Fastack available-that will set up firm in about 1 hour. I wouldn't use fastack as a general glue, but it would be OK for a spare.

After reading all of the previous posts, I have one question floating through my head: What exactly does it mean for a tire to be a tubular or a clincher?

From Sheldon's glossary:
"Tubular
A type of tire mainly used for racing. A tubular tire has no beads; instead, the two edges of the carcass are sewn together (hence the term "sew-up") with the inner tube inside. Tubulars fit only on special rims, where they are held on by cement.
Tubulars use Presta valves. You should never use valve caps or other screwed-on valve accessories with tubulars.

Most people find expensive tubulars too expensive for recreational riding...but cheap tubulars are distinctly inferior to good clinchers, particularly in that they tend to be lumpy and crooked.

Comparing high-quality tubulars with clinchers, including the rims, tubes, etc, tubulars save about 50 grams per wheel...but your bike winds up heavier, because you really need to carry a complete spare tubular, as opposed to a tube and/or a patch kit. This doesn't apply if the team car is carrying spare wheels/bikes for you.

If you don't glue your tubulars on properly, they can roll off, causing you to crash.

Tubulars are fairly immune to "snake-bite" rim cuts, and may offer slightly better "suspension" action than comparable clinchers. "

Thank you. :)

My vote would be for clincehr tires, I don't know the reason but I find it very convinience when you have flat you can fix it right on the road, I presently using a Michellin Axial pro 700 x 20 mounted on a Mavic Cosmic Elite....

Gee, whenever I've had a flat on the road with a tubular, I've always fixed it without any problem.

So have we been able to reach a consensus yet?

You win the "thread resurrection" award of the day! :) Do think that after 9 years, that this thread is relevant anymore?

You win the "thread resurrection" award of the day! :) Do think that after 9 years, that this thread is relevant anymore?

You win the "didn't get the joke" award of the day.

its only the first page. addiction is trying to reach a consensus and it is on page 1811