arimajol

i was all set to get out for a nice long ride on the lakeshore path in chicago. right as i was getting on the path i hit a big chunk of glass and the conti sprinter on the front wheel got a half-inch tear in it. i looked around and it wasn't the only hunk of glass in the area. why is there glass on the path? ON THE PATH! come on.

i am so frustrated. i think i'm done with tubulars. either they are flat or i'm worried about them becoming so! and all it takes is someone carelessly leaving shards of glass lying around and i'm out another $70 for a new sprinter. come on. (i know there are cheaper tubular options out there but i think that is beside the point)

so the question is, what to do with these wheels? they are mavic gp-4 rims laced to sealed hubs, i think they are specialized hubs, but i'm not sure what exactly. i'm not a wheel builder, so keeping the hubs (which i like alot!) and lacing them to clinchers is not really an option. am i right i thinking old tubular rims aren't exactly in high demand? could i possibly trade them for ma 40s? (possibly in a "is this realistic" as well as a "anybody interested" kind of way) or am i just going to have to bite the bullet and buy a new wheelset on ebay?

what do you think? what do i do with these nice wheels that just aren't for me?

jeepr

I wish I could give you some good advice, but I'm a saver.. They would go in my attic.. lol..



I mean you never know when you may want to go for a cruise on a set of sew-ups, right??

Bianchigirll 

welcome to tubular Hell LOL!! was this your trip on tubulars? I don't know if I ever had a brandnew Conti Sprinter. I go for the cheap Vittoria Rallys and back in the day it was their Formula tire. most of the guys here ride those $50 pair and spare tires from Yellow Jersey and seem to have good luck.

your right there is not a huge demand for older tubulars esp. with FW hubs. what kind of shape are they in? post in the ISO/Trade thread you are looking for a swap.

it is a bit early in the season, do they sweep the path? I usually find the risk of flats from glass on the roads diminishes after a few good rains and more bike traffic. glass on a heavily used multi use path does not suprise me. perhaps the local clubs should start an adopt a path program.

sced

I'm getting to where you are. My wife and I each have a classic with tubulars and now we just ride them around the neighborhood for fun and exercise. Last week she cut a new tire on some kind of shard and the bike fell to the rim. The tubular was instant toast. We have other bikes with clinchers that we actually take out of the neighborhood.

As far as what to do, buy some clincher rims that can be swapped for the tubular rims and just swap them out. The right rims could let you use the current spokes and lacing pattern. As for truing, learn to do them yerself or take them to a shop.

big chainring 

I just bought two sets of tubular wheels from ebay. I was looking for some time for something period correct(120mm spacing) for my vintage bikes. I think you will find a buyer quite easily if you list them on ebay or CL.

arimajol

that's heartening, big chainring. chicago is probably a decent market to try to sell them compared to, say, oshkosh.

the glass was right at the start of the path, which is short of a transition area from alley to path. it seemed like someone had some drinks and smashed the bottles. i tried to kick the shards off as best as i could...but then as i walked the bike 3 miles home i kept seeing other people riding and was like "why me and not them?!"

i just don't think i can enjoy this bike with these wheels! too high maintenance! and this is my "go fast and have fun bike," not the daily commuter.

zandoval 

OH how I miss my tubulars...

Collin2424

arimajol - I can't comment on tubulars because I haven't ridden them (yet). I have four bikes with tubulars, but I haven't gotten any of them on the road yet. What I can tell you is this: unless those rims are in perfect condition, you won't get crap for them. They're awesome tubulars and people love them, but the percentage of people who are willing to build a wheelset (or pay to have it done) is very small. Add that to the amount of people willing to ride tubulars and you have an extremely small market. Where I live, you could say it's a "hot" bike market. My Mavic GL330 rims that were in perfect condition sat on craigslist for over a month at $15 for the pair without a single email. Now I'm not that great a marketer, but I know what I'm doing and I finally threw them away in the recycling pile. I kick myself now, because I've learned that I need rims to stretch tubulars prior to installation, but that's neither here nor there.

What I'm getting at is, maybe keep them and just use them with the cheaper Yellow Jersey tires. At least then you're only out $20 instead of $70.

I can't wait until I'm in the same boat. My 1986 Peloton is almost done and it will have tubulars on it. Joy.

Cheers,

-Collin-

RobbieTunes

Oshkosh
B'Gosh

I like my tubulars, though yours is the 2nd problem story with them in as many days.
Pastorbob had one come off the rim on his mountain trip.

How many holes in them thar rims?

arimajol

i think they are 36, but i'm not positive. i'll check on them when i get home this afternoon.

DiabloScott

Tubular tires fit just fine on clincher rims for stretching purposes. Slip it on, press it to max for a few days, won't twist and the valve sticks out plenty far for the pump to grab.

ScottRyder 

Life is good, I rode my Dugasts yesterday.

Seems to me the tubulars are getting all the blame rather than the shards of glass.

Scott

dbakl

Well, haven't ridden tubulars probably since 1978... but just bought 4 on ebay, just so I don't have to build yet MORE wheels. Finished one pair, still 3 more pair to build.

Doohickie

I never started with 'em. They seem terribly impractical for little or no discernible benefit.

Put them up on CL for twice you think they're work, and go down 25% on your price.

Doohickie

Well, I ride over shards of glass frequently with clinchers and don't get flats. If glass is a concern I can put on Schwalbe Marathons or something similar and ride over glass with impunity. I take it they don't make tires like that for tubular rims?

tiger1964 

I realized about 15-20 years ago. I had had several flats recently, one morning I got a call to go riding and did't have a tube handy. So, I dragged out my old racing wheels, had been sitting around for years, swapped the wheels onto the bike I wanted and away I went.

No problem except later, I guess the fabric was getting rotten, and the tire had a catastrophic blowout. The good news has I was not on the bike at the time. The bad news it was 2AM and the bike was in the basement directly under our bed...

Chombi

A half inch tear on a clincher might have left you stranded too unless you find something to maybe "boot" the clincher tire from the inside, but a spare tubular strapped to your seat that you could have mounted would have kept you going. Yes, if you blow the spare tubular you would be in bad shape, but as long as you carry a pre-glued spare, it's not neccessarily as bad as one puncture = stranded. although you will have to take care not to push the newly mounted spare too much.
Maybe you should not abandon tubulars for good and just have a clincher wheelset for thos long rides where you think you might encounter more road debris on the particular route you are taking.

Chombi

DiabloScott

This is C&V - the benefit is period correctness and nostalgia for vanishing art forms.

ScottRyder 

The Vittoria Rallys are pretty tough, they've got a Kevlar compound built in.

Scott

Mike Mills

This is why slightly used tubular rims and weels are available so inexpensively on ebay.

The thing is, if someone has thrown beer bottles onto the bike path (often on purpose), no tire will survive. A 1/2" gash in a clincher is just as deadly as a 1/2" gash in tubular. The cords are cut and the tire is trash. The tube is cust and is trash. You are flatted and have to stop. Get off. Walk around the hazard. If there's no end in sight, go someowhere else to ride.

arimajol

don't get me wrong, i'm not blaming the tubulars for the flat...just for how much of a pain in butt they are to change!!

and the only real reason i had them is they came on a bike i bought, an early 80s gios torino super record.

dbakl

When you ride tubulars you watch the road ahead like a hawk and hold a gloved hand to the tires if you ride through any debris. I still do that with my clinchers.

What? Easy to change, harder to repair!

PDXaero

easy to change, but I never carry a spare.

Still I think the best method is to choose your favorite tire and just ride it. Conti sprinter gatorskins are my go-tos for race training and my hillclimb wheelset (lots of side to side motion).

abarth

With clincher you can put a folded dollar bill between the tube and the tire. You will be able to ride a short distant back to your car or bike shop.

repechage

Clinchers are not allowed on Gios bicycles.