Hello Sweet and All, Tubulars are faster than clinchers. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/...il.asp?articleid=979 Member question: "What is the difference? Benefits? Hard to change a flat? Reason being: Renting a pair of Zipp 404's, and they are asking what I want, Tubular or Clincher? How does a tubular attach and what does sew-up refer to? It seems that high end equipment tends to be tubular - what are the benefits?
Answer: The tire that most of us are familiar with is the clincher which consists of an inner tube and a tire. I won't go into how that works because I'm pretty sure everyone understands this. The tubular, or sew up, is glued directly to a rim that is specifically for tubular tires. The glue is basically a contact cement. The tube is sewn up inside the tire making it a single piece system. You can get to the tube if necessary but it is time consuming and many simply discard it and replace the whole tubular...costly.
Most manufacturers recommend that you let the glue dry for 24 hours before riding on the newly mounted tire, though the tire can usually be ridden lightly immediately. Note that the wheels and tires for clinchers and tubulars are not interchangeable.
Which is better? It depends on your preference and what's important to you. I'll list some of the beliefs that are out there and comment on a few.
Tubulars Those who prefer tubulars often note that the tires have lower rolling resistance due to a higher inflation limit. They often have a higher tread count and can wear extremely well and ride better than a standard clincher. Some claim it's faster and easier to change a tubular than a clincher and you get fewer flats because you don't get pinch flats. These could all be great reasons for choosing tubulars. I can't disagree with any of these except the changing part.
While a tubular might be easier and faster to mount on a rim, there's a couple small problems. First is that the tough part of changing a tubular is getting it off of the rim. Because tubulars might not flat as often, and you might only use the wheel set with the tubulars for racing, there's a good chance that when you do flat, it'll be during a race.
Ironman AZ was an excellent example of this. I asked one of our sponsored athletes prior to the race if he was fast at changing his tubular on the course. He said he was but didn't want to brag. He also added that he hadn't had a flat on his race wheels in an awful long time. Jinx. Needless to say he flatted on the 3rd loop. When we finally saw him again he had fallen from the top ten to hundreds behind. He was out for 45 minutes trying to get the tire off of the rim. The glue had cured and would not release. His thumbs had dime-sized blisters on them from working on the tire for so long. Many of the pros do ride tubulars so maybe there's something to it.
Now for clinchers Most of the guys who read this have changed a clincher tire. Even if it was on a BMX bike in middle school or Jr. High. Nothing has changed. If you did it then, you can do it now. Local bike shops often offer flat tire clinics to show tips for a fast change. If you are worried about speed, you can practice over and over and get fast unlike with a tubular where the glue is a factor. Why shouldn't this be part of your training? You will flat eventually.
Clinchers have a wider range as far as price and level. You can get a decent clincher for $35. Not so with a tubular. If you spend the same amount of money on a high end clincher as you would a tubular, you should be able to get a comparable tire
($100++
) rolling resistance, wear and all. Probably not true ten years ago.
You can always find a clincher tire where ever you are and have several choices. Not so with tubulars. Most shops only carry a couple choices. In some small towns you might be out of luck all together. Same with tubular replacement rims. There are far more choices for clincher wheels and tires. Tubular wheel/tire combos are lighter, but this is BeginnerTriathlete.com, not Tour de France.com. You're probably not climbing huge mountains. Weight should not be your number one concern.
Final thoughts It's not that the higher-end equipment seems to be for tubulars, it's that there aren't any, or very few, less expensive wheels for tubulars. Nearly all of the high-end wheels are also available as clinchers.
If you train for a race for 6 months and then rent a set of wheels, then flat, is your race over? Have you learned how to change your tire whether it's a tubular or a clincher?
Use what you are comfortable with. Borrow a friends tubulars, experiment if you are interested. This is the first step in helping you make an educated decision by giving you a few things to think about.
=======================================================
And ...... Your seat is too high .. http://www.bicycling.com/...-5-30-7462-1,00.html Adjusting your bike seat position sounds so simple, yet most of us struggle with it. About the time some of us finally get truly comfortable, our bikes are worn out, and we have to start over. Here are some tips on
bike seat adjustment that will get you comfy in a few rides, rather than a few months.
The muscles that move our hip and knee joints are fairly fussy about the angles that they operate through. If your
bike seat is too low, your knees and hips will be operating through a range close to "fully squatted." This is bad for two reasons. A fully bent knee joint is in a weak position, and it's easy to damage the structure of the joint by trying to push hard just then. This is mainly a problem with deep knee bends, the kind where your heels touch your butt, so you probably aren't riding with your saddle that low. At least, not while sitting on it. The second problem is more realistic-fatigue. Excessively low
bike seats make your legs tired prematurely. Your leg muscles aren't good at putting out power with that much knee angle. You can train them to accommodate this position, but why?
If your saddle is too high, the penalties are even steeper. First of all, a too-tall seat will inhibit your bike handling. If you're bad at the technical stuff, a big part of the problem may be that your
bike seat is so high that you get whacked whenever you try to ride an obstacle. Worse, if your saddle is so high that you have to reach down with your toes to keep your feet on the pedals (roadies call this "ankling"), you can damage your Achilles tendons or knees. Severely.
So how high should your saddle be? With your bike in a doorway (so you can lean against the frame with your shoulders), put your heels on the pedals, and pedal backwards. You should be able to complete the pedal stroke without rocking your hips. If your hips rock, the saddle is too high. If they don't, raise it until they do. Call this the "ideal road position." I prefer a mountain
bike seat position about a half-inch lower than the road position for buff trails, especially those with a lot of aerobic climbing. I find my leg strength to be optimum in this range. I go about an inch lower than the road position for mixed technical/fast riding. If anything, I err on the low side. Tired, I can handle. Injured? I reject the concept. For extreme or totally technical riding, my
seat is all the way down, and I don't think about sitting on it.
Once the height is right, adjust the fore/aft position. Too far back, and you'll have to bend over too far to reach the bar, and climbing will be one long wheelie into the weeds. Too far forward, and you'll feel a bit scrunched. Start with the
bike seat centered-if you are convinced that you need to have it at one end of the rails or the other, your bike or stem may be the wrong size.
How about
saddle angle? If the nose is too high, your Precious Bits will go to Numbsville, and your genetic string may end prematurely. Too low, and you'll get tired holding yourself back. Each saddle is different, because they all have a different shape. Start by slapping a level on the saddle's front and rear high points, and adjust your seatpost clamp to level the saddle.
On your next ride, be sensitive to pressure points. If the nose of the saddle presses on the base of your thingy, or crushes your little boat, as it were, lower the nose just a bit, like one click, or a few bolt turns. This is a science of small
bike seat adjustments.
When all is well, dot a bit of red toenail polish (which I always carry) just above the seatpost clamp. Now you'll be able to lower your seat for the fun stuff, and get right back to your perfect position afterwards.
Cheers,
Neal
Cheers, Neal
+1 mph Faster