I see pictures of high-level 'cross racers, and they’re frequently running deep dish tubulars- why is that? I’m figuring a structural carbon rim is stiffer, so better for the hard accelerations. As for tubular, is there better protection for the rim vs clincher?
In crit racing, is there much worry about the tubular rolling off in hard cornering? Tubies are usually lighter, so that’s a help w/ the accelerations, but are they ever worried about a tire rolling off?
Finally- do they still do crit nationals in Downer’s Grove, IL? That’s close to home, so it would be cool to watch.
Yes, definitely tubulars for cross - lower pressure without flatting as was mentioned.
For crits, tubies spin up faster since they are generally lighter out where it matters and you are constantly slowing, spinning up out of corners etc. Many feel that tubulars ‘grip’ better as well with the rounder profile and slighly lower pressure if need be. Aero profile for when you are hammering down the straights As for rolling off? Not a very common occurance, but a possibility I suppose. I see more tires coming off in CX races though.
I guess that’s where I’m scratching my head- I used to MTB quite a bit, and would run clinchers converted to NoTubes with 25 or so PSI. I know a CX tire is narrower, but not THAT much. Does anyone in CX run NoTubes?
Definitely no argument on better traction w/ lower pressure- in my very early days, I’d jack up the pressure for “lower RR” and pinball all over the trail. Guy I knew showed me the light on that one!
Sounds like a tubular rolling off is about as common as a clincher then. Maybe it’s one of those things I hear about but have yet to see in 10 years of bike addiction- kinda like breaking a chain. I know it happens, but not worth worrying over.
Well, not sure about breaking the chain part. I’ve done that twice, Jeremy Powers did right before a finish CX last year I was at, and another friend during a crit this year. I’d take that one more serious
Well there’s a couple reasons you’d run tubies for CX, but most people covered the whole handling thing below. The reason you run deep dish carbon (as opposed to a shallow Ksyrium tubular rim for example) is actually because the deeper rims shed mud better.
I’ve only rolled a tubular ONCE. It happened because I thought it would be a good idea to use Tufo glue tape on CX tubulars, and then run them at 32psi. Obviously, if you’ve ever read the instructions on the box, or know that Tufo tape sucks no matter what, it served me right.
I guess that’s where I’m scratching my head- I used to MTB quite a bit, and would run clinchers converted to NoTubes with 25 or so PSI. I know a CX tire is narrower, but not THAT much. Does anyone in CX run NoTubes?
I have a friend who converted a set of Ksyriums to NoTubes.... kind of a crazy story as to how he did it, but it worked eventually. Now of course, you can buy tubeless road wheels, so no worries. They worked okay, but they don't work as well as tubulars... they're still "clincher" by nature and because of that, they don't have a completely round surface to flex on the off-cambers... and they're a bit narrower than MTB tubeless, they don't get as much of a benefit. They are better than regular clincher tires though.
“Proper glued cross and road tires will not roll off. If you see a rolled tubular, something is not correct in the setup.”
If only that were true…
If you haven’t seen a “properly glued” tire roll off in a cross or road race, you haven’t watched much cycling… or you’ve somehow deluded yourself into thinking that all those Belgian 'crossers don’t know how to glue tires…
There are plenty of ways even a “properly glued” tire can come off, and I’ve probably figured out about 1/2 of them myself over the years - the hard way.
But hey - I’m sure you know better than all those belgian guys who have lost WCs over the years due to rolled tires. Where do I sign up for your newsletter?
Well there’s a couple reasons you’d run tubies for CX, but most people covered the whole handling thing below. The reason you run deep dish carbon (as opposed to a shallow Ksyrium tubular rim for example) is actually because the deeper rims shed mud better.
And it never ceases to amaze me how much mud weighs!
As for rolling off? Not a very common occurance, but a possibility I suppose. I see more tires coming off in CX races though.