pungee

At the end of the season I picked up a pair of Easton EA70x with Challenge Grifo tubulars. I had the chance to run them for 2 races and they made a huge difference. I was wondering if anyone trains on their tubulars or do most guys train on beater wheels.

sherbornpeddler

do you attribute difference to wheel weight, pressure and rolling resistance or some other factor. Compared to what?

I run clinchers with the belief they are more puncture resistant and long wearing, maybe a little more fool proof on-the-road repair. It even seems clinchers are lower cost or ownership.

pungee

I think weight and pressure are the two biggest factors. This setup is a vast improvement from my old wheels and clinchers. I did train on the tubulars for those two weeks but I am worried about flatting with them. I think I will just use my old rims and clinchers to train on but I hate to see my new rims collecting dust for the next 8 months.

jonestr

I train on clinchers as tubulars glued for cross will be extremely hard to get off trail or roadside

BrianN

NO. Killed a tire on a training ride and walked seven miles back to my truck. $120 later (Grifo), I decided to train on clinchers. Sew-ups are amazing.....ly expensive, and a pain to repair on the trail. Race, absolutely. Train? Not on yer life.

-B

Schiek

Nice thing about the Grifos is you can buy a set of clinchers without breaking the bank. Granted the ride is completely different, but you are able to test the limits of the tread in training on the clincher and know how far you can push the tubulars in a race.

ronbridal

I will occasionally ride my tubulars at our local practice race in a park near my house. But mostly I train on clinchers. The cost of replacing a tire due to a flat during a training ride would be aggravating.

sherbornpeddler

Out of curiosity, what tubulars do you ride and what do they cost?
To compare to clinchers, can you estimate the miles per rear tire?
I ride clinchers now but just uncovered my last pair of sew up Mavic-Campies. I lost both to an over-achiever street drain (parallel to the curb) and was just considering rebuilding them.

ronbridal

This year I rode the Tufo Flexus as my race tires. Tufo Elites were on my pit wheels. I paid about $60-$70 for each tire, getting them off ebay when I could find them that cheap.

I can't give you a real good estimate on mileage when you compare the tubulars against the clinchers though. I've used different clincher tires each of the last two years and haven't even come close to wearing either pair out.

nitropowered

Even working at a shop getting tires at cost and EP, I don't train on tubulars. ITs a waste of money if something does go wrong.

acorn_user

Well, I don't and wouldn't routinely train on tubulars. But at some point, you do need to get used to them . You'll also want to try out different pressures etc. That time is definitely not during a race

DM4

I train and race on tubulars. I use good quality tubulars and typically get a full season from a set. I go for years between getting flats. The last time I flatted a tire was more then 4 years ago. I am also obsessive about running my hand over the tire tread after riding through patches of debris and crap on the road