Corsaire

I just learned about these tires.

Are these the best tires there is? By the descriptions, sound like the best tires to be on, however I've noticed that they're all 28C, how about 23C ?

Have anybody tried them and know what's the deal with these "tubulars" ?

What gives?

Corsaire (!)

velocipedio

i have a pair on my cyclo-cross bike. they are, without a doubt, the best cyclo-cross tires i've ever run. i can run them at insanely low pressures without risking a pinch flat and the ride is soooooooooo smooth.

they're pain to get on the rim, though. they're essentially tubies with a moulded rubber bead, and you have to fight to get the bead set. on the other hand, when they're on, they're on.

pinky

well I've got an S33 Special hanging in my closet thats a 23 or a 20

Brett 12

s22 and s33 are the lower end models and I think they are only 21mm.

Their best tire is the Elite. It's 23mm and rated 220 psi.

They are expensive, but my personal favorite tire.

55/Rad

I have a set of Road Elite C's. I've had them for exactly 4 rides and find them to be all that and more. Fabulous tires - better than anything I've ever ridden including Michelin Pro Race and Michelin Carbon's. Unfortunately, I nailed a screw on the road earlier this week and destroyed the rear. Would have happened to any tire. So, I bought another. $55 each at www.biketiresdirect.com

55/Rad

Chongo

I'm using the S3 Lite 215 gram glue-on tubulars. I imagine they're like the tubie clinchers except that the clinchers weigh a little more. My experience is that they're better than anything else I've used. They ride, roll and corner great and I rarely flat since I use the sealant. They're kind of a well-kept secret since Tufo doesn't have the money to advertise much of sponsor a big-name team. The quality is also tops with a lot of their tires having 400+ thread counts.

mrballistic

but, unlike any tire, you were pretty much sol when it happened. with any other tire you could have replaced the tube (and shoved something inside of the tire to keep the tube from popping out of the hole). with the tufos, you had'ta walk.

just something to keep in mind when doing long rides.

Corsaire

How about durability, if bought as trainer tire ? and How do you fix the flats ?
Would you get good mileage out of these?

Thanks
Corsaire

lotek 

Corsaire,
The Tufo's are not repairable. Tufo does have a tire sealant that you
squirt into the tire via the valve stem (like slime). You can either use
it all the time (and it seals small punctures before you know they are there)
or use it after you flat. If the sealant doesn't work you get a new tire.
Milage reports from Tufo's are excellent.
I use the Road Elites (glued tubular version) and really like them.
I think they'd be very durable as a trainer.

Marty

55/Rad

Tis true and a calculated risk one must consider. In my entire life, I've had hundreds of flats but only "destroyed" 2 tires. Now, I may feel differently if it happens again in the very near future but the odds are pretty good that the sealant will handle whatever "normal" puncture comes up. Without having to strip the wheel of anything.

As for long rides, a cell phone and credit card are pretty good insurance.

55/Rad

operator

The flat dealy alone means no thx to tubulars.

Chongo

I use my Tufos for training and racing. When I'm on training rides, I carry an extra tubular tire. Over the course of 15,000 miles, I've only had to use it twice. It's really not that big a deal to carry an extra 200-300 grams. By the way, the sealant will seal cuts up to 2 millimeters in diameter so it covers goathead thorns, and glass slivers no problem. They are amazingly durable.

Brett 12

I got really good mileage out of mine. I didn't start having problems with mine till they started wearing thin.

Now I'm on Vredestein fortezza's and they just aren't the same.

lotek 

What?
Mick, Speak english . . .

Brett 12

Sorry bad typo.

Corsaire

No, piano, piano va lontano, avanti!

Corsaire

jmlee

True, but only if the tire was really shreaded (a rare occurrance with any tire). After all, you can ride a flatted tubular--Tufo's clincher-tubular's included. Try that on a clincher and you'll be buying new rims to match the new tires. Granted, it's not wise to go too far that way on tubulars, but it is possible.

The main reason that the pros still ride tubulars has mostly to do with this flat-tire rideability, which is also a safety issue in a peloton. Weight and ride-quality do play a role, but so does simply tradition.

This thread is making me pine for a pair of Tufo's. Yes, you do hear the sound of a wallet being checked for cash or credit card.... Fortunately, I can get them a bit cheaper here than in the States.

Cheers,
Jamie

Brett 12

As expensive as they are I do feel much safer on them. Unlike true tubulars, they can't come unglued or roll off (chance of that happening is very remote anyway.....might as well be struck by lightning).

If I had a choice of my Tufo tubular/clincher going instantly flat at high speed or a clincher going flat at high speed? I'd take that Tufo in a heartbeat. You just can't beat a tire that is continous all the way around rather than one that is an open design. Besides a flat tufo grips the clincher rims much better than a flat clincher.

Something to think about. As expensive as those Tufos are I think they could save you medical bills and bike repair bills in the event of a serious blow-out.

lotek 

Tufo's are NOT expensive.
Dugast Tubulars are expensive 140g Silk casing 21mm tire $194

Corsaire

Wow ! all this raving...I guess I'll be giving them a try sometime. Funny you can't find them at any LBS, at least my local LBS'.

Corsaire

telenick

Anyone can do a road side replacement with a tubular spare faster than a clincher (way faster)....and it's very easy to do. I'm talking regular tubular rim and not tufo clincher style. For that you'd need arms of steel.

Before you say it ...a road side replacement won't roll off the rim. That's my personal, real life experience.

telenick

Gee, that's less than 4 campy carbon bottle cages!

lotek 

And worth every penny of it.

operator

I was just about to say it...

roadbuzz

I had something similar happen, only on a cheap-o model road tire. I think it was an S22. I was riding too fast on a hard dirt road and punctured on a piece of gravel. The hole was too big for the sealant to fix.

I really liked the ride and the handling. There's just something about a tire with a nice, round cross-section... On the other hand, I found the extra weight of the additional clincher rubber very noticable.