I’ve had very bad experience with tubulars in the past, but am now thinking of using an aero tubular wheel in the front as I think the chance of it going flat during the race is significantly less than in the weight-bearing rear
what’s the ST’s crowd wisdom re: ratio of flats on the front vs rear wheel in your own experience?
50/50 and/or random.
5 to 1 rear to flat is a conservative guess for me. It’s probably closer to 8-10.
Almost never flat - Less than once per year.
I don’t ever remember having one on the front.
5 to 1 rear for me too.
jaretj
Rears definitely more than fronts
What tire do you plan to run? I ask because some of the best known tire aero+crr combinations are all clinchers.
So a clincher might make a better performing choice. You will notice that Tony Martin chose a clincher front when sponsored by Zipp and by HED for World TT Championships, and 2012 Taylor Phinney 2nd place did as well.
It is a pretty huge advantage too, to be able to swap on a fresh tire whenever you need to. Less chance of flatting with a fresh tire, and a fresh tire is more aerodynamic (surprisingly big deal that)
I’ve had very bad experience with tubulars in the past, but am now thinking of using an aero tubular wheel in the front as I think the chance of it going flat during the race is significantly less than in the weight-bearing rear
what’s the ST’s crowd wisdom re: ratio of flats on the front vs rear wheel in your own experience?
What tire do you plan to run? I ask because some of the best known tire aero+crr combinations are all clinchers.
care to elaborate / advise?
The continental clinchers, both Attack (22mm) and 4000S (23mm) are both good rolling resistance an amazing aerodynamically. This has been found on Zipp, HED, and Flo wheels. There is also the super sonic which is very very fast but a bit delicate.
I don’t know if the tubular versions have the same aerodynamics, but the tubular versions definitely lack the same good rolling resistance. (no latex in conti tubulars)
Other known good options include the Bontrager R4 Aero clincher, and the specialized clinchers.
I just don’t know if anything as good is currently available for tubies. The Vittorias have great rolling resistance, but are a bit delicate and have bad aerodynamics. The Schwalbe Ironman tubular might be good, but I’ve not seen it’s aeroness measured. It does have very good CRR in 22mm
What tire do you plan to run? I ask because some of the best known tire aero+crr combinations are all clinchers.
care to elaborate / advise?
On my road/tt bikes I race and train on tubbies, the last flat was about five years ago on the rear. 40-50% of my training miles are on dirt or gravel roads too. Just can’t see ever using anything else.
Mtb is a diffrent story 
Oddly, I think I’m close to 50/50 front to rear and actually, I might have had more front flats lately. Some of that is tire choice however. I’ve been consistently running a 25mm Gatorskin in the rear for a while now and I tend to put more worn tires in front that rear.
With an aggressive aero position, I’d think the weight distribution is probably closer to something like 40/60. But I’ve never put it on a set of scales. However, in terms of tire wear, all the power goes through the rear tire, and while not a lot, over time I think that adds up a little.
I am thinking of trying latex this season. Why leave anything on the table. Many of the comments say punctures are no less frequent than rubber.
What tires do you use? I flat my cont comp tubies way more than my 4000s clinchers.
My flats are 98% rear! I can’t remember the last front flat I had.
Always the Rear for me. Can’t remember the front ever to be honest. I’m hoping for neither in the future!!! HAHA
Continental 4000 love them
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Used to be about 10:1 rear to front. Switched to a 28mm Schwalbe Marathon on my rear and haven’t had a puncture since, but didn’t have enough clearance at the front for a 28mm, so still running a 23mm Gator there which has nowhere near as much puncture resistance so since the switch my ratio has been 0:2. Am sure that running a different tire front and rear is breaking some cycling code somewhere, but it’s working out fine…
Thorns and stones are more likely to puncture my front. If I roll over that shit the front will pick it up before the rear. I’m more likely to pinch flat the rear because I can easily wheelie over that pothole but may not have the time to set up an adequate bunny-hop.
I usually only have one or two flats a year. The vast majority are on the rear. The only front flat that I can remember was a pinch flat that was my fault.
Fortunately, I’ve only had one flat during a race. That was on my Renn 575. I was less than a 1/4 mile from T2, so I just jogged it in rather than attempting to change it.
Mark