Originally Posted by Doug Fattic

When I started riding good bikes in the 60's tubulars are what everybody rode if they were riding a good bike. It wasn't until the 70's that 700C clinchers became available. I still prefer the ride of a tubular on my go fast bike. I can certainly tell the difference. There are several things to keep in mind. In the C&V era, tubular aluminum rims were much lighter than clincher aluminum rims. I usually rode rims that weighed less the 300 grams. Clinchers were more than 400. That is rotating weight. The little hooks that come out of the box section of the rim is what causes the extra weight. They also prevent the side walls of the tire to defect as much.

Another thing is that good tubulars ride a lot nicer than cheapies. It is a matter of thread count. Those exploring the option often try to pay as little as possible just to see if there is a difference. That is understandable but it is like someone wanting to try bicycling and getting a cheap Huffy to find out.

Tubulars are not that difficult to glue on. I first like to put a tubular on a spare wheel and pump it up and let is sit. Then I like to use Continental glue that acts like contact cement. I coat both surfaces and let it dray and then put the tire on the rim starting at the valve. This way I don't end up with messy hands.

Talking about gluing a spare on the road is just silly. If you get a flat, a tubular is so easy to take off and put the spare back on. There is enough glue already on the rim to hold the tire firm enough until you get home and can glue it properly. Of course you don't want to corner at speed but it is unlikely you will continuing a Crit race after your flat.

On average I got one flat a year or less riding on average about 3500 miles. I never bothered to fix them because they were probably well worn by that time anyway. I thought that was a reasonable cost for their superior ride.