There is this Cult of Tubular and its adherents will tell you that changing a tubular is easier than changing a clincher tire. They could not be more full of shit. First of all, you have to carry this huge tubular around with you instead of just a tube. With a tube, you can carry one tube or two, or add patch kits if you are really paranoid or have bad luck. And you can borrow a tube from a buddy or a good samaritan. Try that with a tubular.
If you've glued on your tubular well, it's a bitch to get off. Then you have to take your spare folded up tubular, get it on your rim, straighten it out, all while trying not to get glue all over your hands... For me, in my tubular days, it was a minor shitshow in my garage, everything is more of a shitshow on the side of a road.
And I don't even run clinchers anymore, having gone completely to tubeless. But seriously, clinchers are a LOT easier to deal with than tubulars.
Add to that the fact that clinchers (and for this purpose, we include tubeless) tend to have better rolling resistance and aerodynamics and there is very little place for tubulars left in the Rational World. Those places are as follows:
- Professional racing with support cars: You can ride a flat tubular while you meet up with the support car. Huge for pro racers. I wouldn't do this as an amateur who pays for equipment, since there is a decent chance you will damage your rims doing this, but hey for a pro this is not a concern.
- Track racing: On a smooth surface (e.g. indoor velodrome), you can lower rolling resistance by pumping up your tires to something like 200 psi. Not something you want to do with clinchers.
- Cyclocross: Some will run tubeless, but if you want to run really low pressure, you want tubulars.
Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152 https://vimeo.com/user11846099