Originally Posted by
L134
Though my suggestion will not answer the original question as stated I think it may address your goals as I understand them:
Ditch the gators, pick up a nice, used set of tubular wheels off craigslist and mount a pair of Veloflex Vlaanderen tires.
I've been researching my foray into tubulars in conjunction with this question. My only long-term concern is the cost of replacement tires and the annoyance of fixing flats... I live in an agricultural heartland where goat head thorns are extremely common on roadsides for much of the year, and when I'm not running tough tires it's a drag...
So far research indicates that the most puncture-proof tubulars don't ride much better than clinchers due to the extra mass put into the Kevlar belts. But still, I can only imagine an improvement going from gatorskin clinchers to gatorskin tubs... Is that probably true?
EDIT: According to a conversation I found on the Roadbikereview forum it is probably not true. If you're going to go tubular then you might as well get some nice, lightweight ones to make it worth the hassle... Right? I don't think I can afford the possibility of flats on expensive tires in the terrain I typically ride over, especially since I'm just moseying around the countryside and not necessarily training or doing group rides.
-Gregory