I am back to training on the C S33 Specials - just finished putting them back on five minutes ago. They are pretty much bullet proof - get the tufo sealant, it really works. I had one slow leak in six months of training - sealant fixed that in no time.

I am thinking of racing on the Tufo Elites this summer. Even more durable, but more $$ too.

www.GloryCycles.com has a pretty good deal on them.

Andy, you must be telepathic... saw those in a catalog today and am wondering the the same thing.

A tubular - clincher combo... seems practical.

Joe Moya

I purchased the Tufo S22's to test out and have been so happy that I am now considering riding them exclusively for road, tri and cyclocross. Truly the best of both worlds and then some.

The downside that traditional tubie riders state is additional weight in clincher wheel+clinchular weight.

I second the choice of glorycycles.com. Great prices, great service and FAST shipping via USPS (even Saturday!). Also, be sure to mention Slowtwitch.com. Let Clive (owner of glory cycles) know you heard about him here. Maybe he'll start to stock the Tufo Jets for cheap as well.

---

Sean

Lemond,

I snagged a pair of the Elites for Cross and I am somewhat happy with them. I love the ride in the mud and they were great on the maiden race venture last week. They do require patience and tolerance getting them on. I have a slow leak in one after two weeks, but I was flatting once a week training on clinchers for cross.

I am off to get slimed at the auto store to fix the problem. I am going to try a pair of the road tires over the winter to find out how tough they are. I would not normally use them as a training tire since they are a tubular and when you trash the tire well, off to the store you go for a new one. Also, they are a pain in the ass to carry on the bike as opposed to a tube in the pocket. Clinchers are still an economical way the train while tubies are "better for racing".

See you tomorrow for the mini-you's B-day party. Call me if I should get there early to ride. I have a hankerin' to kick some tri geek butt......(Grin).

Your roadie scum in law!!!!!

Leaving aside cross-riding (which is harsh stuff on wheels), if you already have wheels with tubie rims, time to suck it up and jump straight to tubies for both.

I'll ride Tufo's true tubular, the Hi-Composite Carbon all winter. It's bomb-proof and self sealing -- nothing worse than a flat in 33 degree rain miles from home.

Then switch to the awesome Veloflex Record tubular -- 130 grams of pure speed -- come racing season.

personally i love the tufo clinchulars. i have been on a pair of hi carbon content (HICC) clinchulars for about 7 to 8 months now, and they are showing little wear. However, i do agree that it is a pain to carry a spare on the bike as opposed to an inner tube and i didnt feel very confident using the tufo sealent on long rides at first. But i have never flatted, never had any slow leaks, and am just overall happy with the way they have performed so far.

I'm not suckin' anything!!!! I have toyed with a set of tubies for racing. Currently all my wheels(5 pair) are clinchers. I know only if you want to be a true bike racer, you "have to ride tubies". Maybe I'll make the make the leap to a tubie race set when I get a new set of wheels.

If I were to make the jump though, I would glue up Vickies. I race a lot of crits and I can say this, I love the way the Corsa's grip in the turns. It would take me a long time to trust any thing like I trust them. I must say though the set of Verndenstiens that I have been trainig on the past 3 months are right up there in quality and grip.

The cross tubies were for lowering tire pressure in racing. You can't run 40 to 45 lbs in a clincher and have faith that you will make it to the end of a 50 minute race without a pinch flat. The float better than the clinchers I was riding.

HHHHHMMMMMM......King Hubs and Mavic ceramic Reflex rims......Vickie tubies......I have to go!!!!!!