I’ve been pondering a return to road tris in 2012 (been doing just Xterra since '03). When I raced in the past, I always used tubulars, but never liked the idea of swapping tires during a race, or caring spares tubulars (My only flats were when I lost both tubulars at Mike & Robs in 1997, and a flat on a test ride in Kona 2 days before the race).
That said, the new carbon clinchers are a bit heavier, and I’ve read that the tires can blow out (but I assume only under extreme conditions).
Please share your opinion (or abuse :-)), are the clinchers worthwhile, or do tubulars still rule?
On a related note, I’m now riding tubeless on my road wheels. I don’t suppose anyone has tubeless race wheels? They never seem to flat.
performance wise it is pretty much a toss up these days. more important to pick a good wheel and good tire than worry about whether it is a tubular wheel or a clincher wheel.
remember that a carbon clincher is only really a useful feature if they use it to shape the brake track as part of the overall aerodynamic shape of the rim.
will you notice the 100 gram difference in tris?!? I am a guy that would be ok with it on some courses… but I’m mainly a roadie and I value every gram of rotational weight for the climbing.
also… I never really liked the idea of tubulars for training. only on the race wheels. I have bad luck with flats:(
will you notice the 100 gram difference in tris?!? I am a guy that would be ok with it on some courses… but I’m mainly a roadie and I value every gram of rotational weight for the climbing.
also… I never really liked the idea of tubulars for training. only on the race wheels. I have bad luck with flats:(
As a former pro cycling team mechanic for Lance Armstrong and a number of pro cycling teams I have had my fair share of experience with both, and have always preferred tubs for competition. That said, with recent advancements in tire and wheel technology I would have to give the nod to clinchers. The difference in performance is marginal and believe the ability to change tires quickly in both racing and training give clinchers a slight advantage. I spoke with a guy at an event last week who had trained for 2 years for his first Ironman and DNF’d because he got 2 flats with tubs and only had one spare. He was heartbroken…all that time, effort, and money…poof. The bigger question that should be asked is what type of wheel and tire combo makes the most sense for you. 808’s, 404’s, disc w/1080, HED Jet 9/6…etc.
BTW, if you have any old wheels we are offering a free $500 gift card or $300 cash for trade ins when you buy a new pair of wheels, here: http://www.thetrishop.com/
The bigger question that should be asked is what type of wheel and tire combo makes the most sense for you. 808’s, 404’s, disc w/1080, HED Jet 9/6…etc.
That’s what I want to know…(Mainly for the Jet 6/9).
a. I am not afraid of handling issues in the wind! I will get a zipp 808 or Jet 9 or similar
b. I am afraid of handling issues in the wind because I am tiny, or plan to race long, windy races like kona! I will get a zipp 404 or Jet 6 or similar front
thats all you gotta do!
That’s what I want to know…(Mainly for the Jet 6/9).
Check out the Reynolds 66 Clincher
Rim Depth:66mmSpoke Patterns:Radial Front/2x-Radial Rear 16/20Weight:1669gHubs:DT 240SFront Spokes:DT AeroliteRear Spokes:DT AeroliteBrake Pads:Reynolds Cryo Blue
That said, the new carbon clinchers are a bit heavier, and I’ve read that the tires can blow out (but I assume only under extreme conditions).
Will not happen
*Please share your opinion (or abuse :-)), are the clinchers worthwhile, or do tubulars still rule? *
Reynolds backs up their 32,46& 66 wheels,they come with a 1yr Reynolds Assurance Progam.
Sorry for not being clear. Zipp and Hed do not permit discounting of their product and the promo does not apply to these brands, but anything else in the store.
I appreciate the response, but perhaps I wasn’t very clear in my question. My plan is the Jet 6/9 combo with a disc cover, but I wanted to know which tire to use for both wheels. I know they’re 23mm wide, so I’m assuming something in that range. I’m 155lbs and I’m running 19mms on my wheels right now, which don’t scare me, but for the best aerodynamic effect, I’d go with a wider tire. I’m sure there have been tons of discussion on this, but I figured I’d ask since this was a new topic…(not trying to thread-jack either).
To the OP, I’m nowhere near the experienced rider you are, but I’ve done a ton of reading in this forum as well as independent searches on Google. Based on the ease of installation, uncertainty of life of CC brake surfaces, and relatively low weight disadvantage, I’m going with clinchers.
I have HED Jet 6 C2’s and when I was looking Show Pony told me to check out this site / list and get something from the top of this list. I’m currently running on GP4000S’s which will become my training tires after winter when I put the Vittoria Open Corsa Evo 320 tpi CX (23)'s which I’ve ordered from overseas on.
I’ve been pondering a return to road tris in 2012 (been doing just Xterra since '03). When I raced in the past, I always used tubulars, but never liked the idea of swapping tires during a race, or caring spares tubulars (My only flats were when I lost both tubulars at Mike & Robs in 1997, and a flat on a test ride in Kona 2 days before the race).
That said, the new carbon clinchers are a bit heavier, and I’ve read that the tires can blow out (but I assume only under extreme conditions).
Please share your opinion (or abuse :-)), are the clinchers worthwhile, or do tubulars still rule?
On a related note, I’m now riding tubeless on my road wheels. I don’t suppose anyone has tubeless race wheels? They never seem to flat.I mirror much of your prior experience. Raced sew ups for 20 years in tris, but when it came time to get new race wheels for a newer build I thought back on how much effort the tubulars take, what they cost or more specifically what it costs to get a flat ease of a flat change and the fact that there is almost no performance difference in most situations and decided carbon clinchers are the way to go. I now have two sets on both my tri bike and road racer and have logged more than 4000 miles of racing and training (including a flat change during a tri) and would not go back. The clinchers are just easier to live with. As for a tire blowing off I think that is highly unlikely unless you are doing something like a long mountain descent in which case you risk tire failure/roll off with any wheel tire combination tubular or clincher it is just a matter of not allowing excess heat to build up from braking.
Don’t let anyone fool you…
hed stinger 9 is faster than a jet 9
or zipp 1080 tub is faster than a 1080 clin.
that’s a fact.
However, tubs can be a pain in the ass if you’re not versed in changing them.
Clinchers are the easy out which is what I use these days.
But they are a disaster on Belgian cobbles…too many pinch flats.
or if you want super fast and light for race day only - the supersonic 23 is tough to beat, but not very durable or puncture resistant. way fast though.