veganbikes

Okey doke. So one has to ride one to know something about them? That is a new one. I certainly will stop talking about heroin being bad because I haven't taken it. Sure I know a decent amount about it and had a friend die from it and other friends who did it but you are right I should try it first and then give opinions.

I am sorry in advance if I sounded nasty not my intention just had a long day at work on what was supposed to be my normal day off! I have no quarrel with you!

tcarl

I'm a recreational rider, have used tubulars for years and love them. I can feel a difference between them and clinchers. I've been riding either Continental or Tufo tires and use the Tufo gluing tape. If I get a flat I use a sealant (I like Flat Attack brand). I won't give advice as to what another should do, but am reporting what works for me.

Lazyass

It can take a few days but if you're lucky enough to get tires that go on easy you should be able to mount them one day and ride them the next. This comes from someone with actual real world experience who followed the exact instructions from the tire manufacturer, who I'm sure took liability into account when producing their instructions.

Dave Mayer

The basic question in this thread is misguided. Tubular tires are no better than clinchers, in terms of quality of construction or weight or flat resistance.

The (substantial) benefits of the tubular system is in the rim. The tubular rim is lighter than the clincher by about 100g per. It is also stronger. Clincher rims feature the insurmountable disadvantage of having two hooks pointing outwards that are required to keep the tire bead on. These are heavy and easily damaged in road impacts. Plus they cause pinch flats.

Tubeless systems are simply clinchers, with the same rim disadvantages. 'Open tubulars', a bit of ridiculous marketing speak, are just clinchers too.

Lazyass

Yes but no. The only clinchers I buy now are Vittoria "open tubulars". Obviously they're clinchers, but they're constructed exactly the same as tubulars. They fold completely flat, they don't have a sidewall. They are amazing tires.

https://www.vittoria.com/technologies/road-technology/

The open tubular has exactly the same production process and properties as the tubular, except for the sown-in inner tube. Open are handmade with Aramid folding bead for optimal clinching.

Dave Mayer

Um.. yeah, this is what I said: that clincher tires can be as good as tubulars.

I also made it clear that the insurmountable disadvantages of clincher-based systems (including tubeless, and Tufo's ridiculous tubular-clinchers) is the rim.

The rim.

So if you could figure out a way of mounting your Vittoria tires onto superior tubular rims, you'd be gold. Perhaps if you sew the ends of the tire casing together, after installing an inner-tube, and then glue this sausage shape to the rim.

Wait....

Trakhak

I used to have a flier from the 1964 edition of a hilly bike race that used to be held annually in New Haven. The picture on the flier was of a pack of riders going around a steep downhill hairpin turn. A rider in the middle of a pack is looking down at his front wheel, where the tire is in the process of peeling away from the rim. The rear tire is peeling away, too. They're clearly both about to jam in the brakes.

Back when tubulars were king, race promoters would routinely check tires before the start of a race, attempting to peel the tire off the rim. You'd be surprised at how many tires used to fail that test.

Lazyass

You said calling them open tubulars is "ridiculous marketing speak". It's not. They are not constructed like regular chinchers, they're different, so obviously they have to be called something for marketing purposes. That's just business. Since they're constructed like tubulars the term "open tubular" is appropriate in my opinion. Since they're, like, a tubular that's opened up and has beads attached.

There's no need for all that.

Dave Mayer

If not 'marketing', then it is deliberately misleading. It implies to prospective wheel buyers that a clincher-based system can offer the same safety and performance benefits as as tubular system.

Due to the inherent, unsolvable disadvantages of clincher rims, this is not possible. There will always be a significant gap. BTW: carbon increases the gap.

Lazyass

It's not misleading when they describe exactly what it is on their website lol. I mean if someone can't understand that then there's no helping them.

daviddavieboy

For sure. 1- Get it on the rim, pump it up to 40 PSI to get it round, make sure it is straight, Inflate fully and ride the next day.

Waiting for the tire to pre-stretch was a pain for me as I am impatient by nature.