I’ve kind off followed the whole tubular debate. I have trained and raced on clinchers for over 10 years and never had a problem. But this made me interested. I have switched from Conti grand prix 3000 to open corsa’s and the difference is huge! So if it makes yet another step in the same direction to go with tubulars I’m all for it.
By the way, this is from duathlon.com on Dave Scott’s Wildflower performance:
"Dave Scott did flat near the end of the bike, and Inside Tri writer Tim Carlson reported that it took Scott about 13 minutes to change the flat. "
Hmmmm, I’m sure Dave knows what he’s doing, right? How the hell will I get this thing changed, maybe in 30 min?
Ok, no jokes, tell me what I need to know if I switch to tubulars:
What is the best tubular out there?
Where can I find information about mounting, fixing, etc. tubulars?
My primary reason for using tubulars is flat resistance. My secondary reason is speed in changing a flat in the event it happens.
That said, I have had best luck with TUFO and Continental- anything with a synthetic or partially synthetic casing.
The cotton casing tires do have a noticeably softer, more absorptive ride but don;t seem to have the durability of the synthetics. They also seem to fit looser on the rim and stretch easier making changing a flat in race conditions and then riding on the unglued spare a somewhat dicier proposition.
It take me longer to change a tubular than a clincher. A combination of insect like weak cyclist forearms and a heavy application of glue. I’ve seen so many tubulars fall off in races because of improper glue jobs that I tend to be a maniac when gluing them on.
Dave Scott is NOT a mechanic. I went to one of his camps a number of years ago. It amazed me that as scientific as he is about training, eating, etc that he is quite a poor mechanic. Maybe just not his interest. Maybe he is good enough that someone else usually changes his tires.
How long does it take to change a tubie? Who knows, because they don’t flat :-). Seriously, with a spare and a CO2 (and a bit of Knowledge) it can be done in 60-90 seconds. In the old days, before marraige, etc, I trained on tubies and NEVER had a flat until they got to the point where the cords were showing. I have primarily used Conti’s. Tried Tufos but I didn’t think they “felt” as good.
I have always raced on Conti Comp GP and have never had a flat i a race in 135 Tri’s. I do make sure to keep very good tires on the race wheels and rotate the semi used tires to other wheels. For me it is worth it just to keep the odds of a race flat as low as possible. I only carry one spare (CO2 and adaptor rolled up inside) at IM distance and no spare at anything shorter. I have always found good prices for tires at www.worldclasscycles.com.
I think Enduro Sports might have tubular mounting guidelines on there site, but I’m not sure. Once you do it a few times it is pretty easy albeit sometimes messy. I personally don’t find it any harder than clinchers.
I’d stick with the clinchers. I have both and actually started riding the vittoria open corsa’s clinchers last year. Your not going to find a tubular that rides better than that tire and that includes the vittoria tubulars which are hard to mount squarely and have a reputation for not holding their pressure for long periods of time. That’s not to say they won’t hold air for a race but when you get up the next morning you’re probably going to have to pump them up again. I’ve had this happen with two of the vittoria tubulars. Could have just been coincidence but I’ve heard others talk about the same issue. The tufo’s are much easier to mount, set up better and will hold air forever but you’ll never get the ride that you are enjoying on your Vittoria clinchers. The vittorias allow me to decend like I’m on rails. The tufo’s and some of the others feel much more like continentials to me in that they are just hard tires. They will probably last forever but the ride quality is never going to be there. As far as the debate goes on Tubular’s vs. Clinchers I’m not one of these that believe you gain any advantage with either. I think it’s just like bikes, seat angles, aero bars, head tube length, etc, etc it’s all what your comfortable with. No one knows how you ride or what you like or what makes you go fast except you. Stick with that and stay away from the marketing hype.
All things being equal, i.e. not flatting, If you can win a tubie, you can win on a clincher tire. Ride what you like or are comfortable wth and ignore the bleatings of those who proclaim one is superior to the other. I prefer tubies for racing but that’s me.
As far as Vitoria tubies losing air, they have latex tubes. Latex tubes do not hold air as well as buytal. I’ve riden Vitoria’s on all day excursions and never needed to add air along the way. I always check my tires before each ride so pushing the pump handle up and down a few times isn’t a deal breaker for using Vitoria’s to me.
I have to add a comment to an earlier post somewhere with regards to most all recent TDF TT’s being one on tubulars…Almost all high zoot aero wheels are carbon, hence tubular. There simply wasn’t alot of choice for racers to make.
Except for Zipp and Renn there haven’t been any aero wheels that are clincher. Today there is Spinergy, Zipp, Reynolds, Campy and Renn. There may be a few more I’m unaware of.
for patching (which I’ve never tried) the rec.bicycles.tech FAQ has a detailed instruction list. Frankly I’ll just buy a new tire, I don’t have time for this nonsense…
My guess his problem was too much of the wrong glue on a carbon wheel. I flatted once riding a Zipp wheel that had been glued up by a local bike shop. I had to use a stick to pry the tire off. That is not how it should be. I use 3M Fast Tack Trim Adhesive (and have since 1984 without ever rolling a tire off the wheel, and I can descend with anybody!) Just apply an even coat to the tire bed (the wheel surface) then leave it alone for 5 or 10 minutes. Take your (prestretched) tire, insert the valve stem in the hole and (with the wheel on the floor) slide your hands down the tire VERY FIRMLY as place the tire on the rim. When you get past the halfway point hold the wheel and tire with both hands and kinda squat down, placing the wheel on your quads. Then just work your tire onto the rim. It is a little tricky the first time but it is pretty easy. Do it a few times with out glue to get the hang of it. Once you get good you won’t even end up with glue on the brake surface. The beauty of this glue is it stays tacky forever, so if you flat and put on a spare, the glue will re-adhere the tire.
Also, the key to making this easy is pre-stretching the tires. Inflate them to normal pressure and put em in direct sunlight. Warm tires mount easy.
