General Cycling Discussion - Not Your Typical Clincher vs. Tubular Question...

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ctimrun2012
07-06-12, 09:46 PM
Hi, new here. Just purchased a '12 Madone 5.9 that came with Ultegra 6700 tubulars. I have absolutely no experience with nor knowledge of clinchers. I had planned on recycling either my lighly used Ksyrium SR's, or a bit more used SL's, but then I read about the bennies of tubulars. Obviously, the price point between the Mavics and Ultegra's aren't even close, and the Ultegra's are 200 grams heavier, but would the bennies of tubulars over clinchers outweight all of that? TIA

fietsbob
07-07-12, 01:34 AM
Sponsored racer or privateer?
DCB0
07-09-12, 10:43 AM
I have absolutely no experience with nor knowledge of clinchers.

Did you mean 'no knowledge of tubulars'?

DieselDan
07-10-12, 07:56 AM
Clinchers are much easier to change a flat on the road then a tubular.
Tubulars use glue to hold them on.
Glue them wrong and they roll off.
fietsbob
07-10-12, 12:21 PM
Its the traditional Race tire, for top levels.. the team support vehicles
have spare wheels . glued tires

wire bead tires /clincher rims are more practical for the Lumpen Prolo's ..
kevlar bead tires save some weight,

and fold . to have tire spares like sew up tire users ,
strapped behind the saddle..
DCB0
07-10-12, 01:49 PM
Advocates of tubulars love the smoother ride, which allows less energy lost to bouncing off small road irregularities. But some clinchers actually have less rolling resistance on a smooth surface, I think.

THe solution, since you already have both sets of wheels - keep the tubulars for 'event day' wheels and ride with clinchers all other times.
CraigB
07-10-12, 07:12 PM
It's been a long time since I used tubulars (mid '80s) but one other difference I recall is that tubulars were much more expensive than comparable quality clinchers. For the price of a good quality clincher I could only afford the cheapest Vittoria Nuovo Pro tubulars, and their non-aged rubber was so soft they picked up all kinds of debris and flatted constantly.
dwatson
07-10-12, 08:33 PM
I believe you are mistaken. The 2012 Madone 5.9 came with tubeless rims not tubular rims, big difference. The tubeless tire is a clincher without a tube, tubulars or sewups have the tube sewn into the casing and are glued on.
Homebrew01
07-11-12, 11:33 AM
I believe you are mistaken. The 2012 Madone 5.9 came with tubeless rims not tubular rims, big difference. The tubeless tire is a clincher without a tube, tubulars or sewups have the tube sewn into the casing and are glued on.

That sounds a lot more likely. I was surprised in post #1 that a bike would come with tubulars.