Originally Posted by
VegasJen
Interesting. For a tube/clencher wheel, is there a type that's faster than others? (I've heard something about latex or silicone or something, but don't remember the details.) Or do you need to switch out to tubeless or glue or some other kind of magic? I've been playing with the idea of upgrading a wheelset, but if I can find a tube/tire combo that will give me roughly equal or better performance for a fraction of the cost, I would rather do that.
If you are interested in speed then the only way to go is to check out the rollingresistance website and see what the top tires are for your bike, those with the least rolling resistance. They list the top tires for road bikes, gravel, MTB and maybe some others. I am an old weak man so it is a waste of time for me to worry about having the fastest tires there are, but I did check the website out and found that for my 27" clincher road bike the tires with the least rolling resistance are the Continental UltraSport IIIs. So I bought a set because I found them on sale for $25 each, a recent Bday present to myself. I don't think there is a big enough difference between tubless, tubular or clincher to make a difference to anyone but a pro, so I would just buy whatever the fastest rolling tire is for whatever rims are already on my bike and be done with it. If I start to age backwards and civilization is still recognizable in 30 or 40 years I will do some pro racing and start worrying about what type of rim my sponsor will buy for me next.