Drag

More specifically, are they really worth the trouble?

Do tubulars really make THAT noticeable a difference with the ride (if we can ignore the weight savings)?

So what happens when you flatten? I figure you'd need to have an extra tire, but also some rim glue right?

Thanks gang.

merlinextraligh

For Flats, spare tire, preglued, and a can of Vittoria Pitstop, but I've just about given up on Pitstop because it hardly ever works.

Is it worth it? IMHO, tubulars corner better than clinchers. Thus I race on them. Without a wheel pit or a follow car, I rarely bother with them.

umd

I use them racing, but IMO not worth it for regular riding. One nice advantage in racing is that they are easier to ride on flat than clinchers, so that you can get to the pit for your spare wheel (for crits) or wait for the wheel truck (in road races). Otherwise yeah you have to rip the flat tire off and put a spare on. I've never been able to successfully remove the flat tire on the road, but I've also used sealant with varying degrees of success.

pelikan

They do ride better, but I only use them for the track these days. On the road, just too high maintenance.

krusty

This is a frequent topic of debate here. I believe currently that modern high end clinchers are every bit as good as high end tubulars. It's really a personal choice. At the moment, I have one of my road bikes and one of my track bikes set up with tubulars and the other one of each set up with good clinchers, and I really can't tell any difference in handling or ride. The only thing I have noticed with the tubulars is that on my last really hot ride day (36degC), the tire shifted slightly due to the glue getting soft from the heat.

briscoelab

Race on tubulars, but not train.

challaday

+1

thefsb

i really like riding tubulars. i've yet to flat on them so i take a spare with me and i don't worry about it.

jgg3

I have ridden tubulars for 30 years. I would not, however, recommend them to someone just starting, unless maybe they want to be serious racers.

In my case, it is more inertia than logic that keeps me on them: I know how to deal with them, I have good luck with them (usually wear them out instead of flatting), I am not heavy, and I build my own wheels. I ride Continental Sprinters almost exclusively, and ride more than 6k miles per year. I have a lot fewer problems than my riding partners, and a lot fewer problems on my racing bike with tubulars than my tandem with clinchers. But I still would not recommend them.

Drag

FWIW, these DURA ACE deep-v carbon tubulars are on sale at Performance for a seemingly great price:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5320

patentcad

Correct. If I didn't race, I wouldn't bother.

KendallF

Ever notice how the same guys answer every time the topic of tubulars come up, both pro and con?

I ride tubulars a lot, training and racing, largely because I picked up various tubular wheels for a good price or with bikes I bought. I just carry a spare tire, they're easy enough to change on the road, and I have less incidence of flats with the tubulars as well.

FWIW, I'm no lightweight (180 lbs) and I ride on some fairly bad roads..no big deal.

umd

Cause there aren't very many of us who run tubulars at all... what's your point?

merlinextraligh

The price is enticing. But those are heavy wheels for a carbon tubular.

Zipp 404 clinchers are only 90g heavier (and 8mm deeper), Zipp 404 tubulars are 300 grams lighter. I would save my money.

Drag

Thanks Merlin. Much appreciated.

carpediemracing 

I race tubulars almost exclusively. I like the light weight because it lets me accelerate much harder (or quicker, or to the same speed with less effort, depending on the situation). I like the strength of the tire and rim, and how they are independent of one another. I like the lack of pinch flats. I also like how they corner, although that may be just a mental thing for me.

I do crits and bring spare wheels (tubulars or clinchers, depends on what I toss in the car) or a bike for the wheel pit. If it's neutral support, I leave my stuff in the car.

I occasionally train on tubulars. Since I know that it takes me 15-30 minutes to take a well-glued tire off a rim, I need some decent tools to do it, and it also kills my fingertips, I know that if I flat I won't be replacing a tire. Therefore when I train on tubulars I leave behind my pump and a spare tire. I'll ride the flat home, if I have a flat.

I decided to post a post I had on hold (waiting to take some pics) because it addresses a lot of these things:
https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...-tubulars.html

cdr

SushiJoe

Yes.

But not all the time.

umd

My experience has been the same as CDR's. Kendall, how are you easily getting your tires off on the road?

Nate552

Same here. I train on clinchers, and race on tubulars. I've had multiple set of carbon tubulars but only raced on them. Too much of a pain for training purposes.

saintx

ride them everyday

Falchoon

Thanks for the link, interesting reading.
So you say you can still ride them flat but risk damaging the rim, if you take it easy (avoiding potholes, rocks etc) could you make it home without damaging the rim? I've been thinking about getting tubulars (probably Zip 404s) for a while but road races here are unsupported .

umd

I believe that the biggest risk to the rim is from impacts, since there is no tire with air to take the hit. Avoid potholes and such and it should be ok. I've ridden a few miles on flats and I've never liked it but it's better than walking...

KendallF

No real point; I was just wondering to myself why I was posting on yet another of these threads.

I don't know if you both glue your tires MUCH better than I do, or if I have gorilla thumbs, or what. I use multiple coats of glue, I have good adhesion, but with a bit of work (usually less than a minute) I can strip the tire off the rim, no tools needed. FWIW, I've done this with "professionally glued" tires as well.

umd

Hmm, well CDR and I are both "little people" if you get my drift.

I was at a race last weekend and while I was registering my teammate who I drove out with took my bike out of the truck and put the front wheel on. When I got back I noticed it wasn't centered so I went to release the QR and recenter it... but I couldn't. The big oaf clamped the thing down with so much force I could not for the life of me open it. But it's ok, it was a climbing race, and he got dropped much sooner than I

It takes me at least 15 minutes and a screwdriver to remove a tire from my rims.

TruckerMike

To the guys stuggling to remove glued tires on side of road: consider the Tufo tubulars and carrying their sealant. Short of a big gash, you can fix this type since the internals are sealant-friendly(most tubulars aren't). So now the weight savings are even more, as you merely carry tube of sealant (good for 2 repairs) and valve core removal tool in place of the clincher guy's tube, patch kit and tire levers.

For routine training rides, I carry sealant. For longer riders on non-race weekend in area w/o cell coverage, I definitely bring a spare tire for the catastrophic failure.

Last thought - not sure why guys spend big bucks on carbon clinchers. If weight is the priority, the tubulars win. If weight isn't the main priority (ie you're not racing), but convenience is key - just go aluminum clincher and call it good.