Thank you to everybody, if I won’t see much difference performance wise I think I will stick with my clinchers. It will be a lot easier than buying and selling a bunch of wheels and then worrying about getting tubulars glued on.
Thank you to everybody, if I won’t see much difference performance wise I think I will stick with my clinchers. It will be a lot easier than buying and selling a bunch of wheels and then worrying about getting tubulars glued on.I think you are making a wise choice. I still have several tubular race wheels that are now retired. Though you reached a decision one other thing that I forgot to mention is glue aging on a glued wheel. The glue hardens and has to be re-glued. A real pain and just one more thing that is not needed in the care and feeding of clincher tires.
I use tubulars (aka sew-ups) and never flatted on a Tufo. I’ve never flatted on a Vittoria (CX or CG). I’ve gotten 2 flats with the only 2 Conti tires (GP19s) I’ve owned, and flatted with Panaracers. Regardless of rolling resistance studies, if you don’t want to flat I’d suggest Tufo–go with the wider 22 size (or 21 whatever they are). I replace my tubulars each season (1x only) unless they have no cuts & are absolutely pristine condition.)
No I wasn’t pinch flatting, The roads around Boise have glass and rocks all over the bike lanes. Also we have things called goatheads that are thorns that puncture tires all the time. A lot of the local shops pull them out of the tires people bring in and collect them, usually filling up a small mason jar by the end of the year, Thats why I switched to tubeless MTB tires because they are such a problem riding in the foothills around Southern Idaho.
I think that it is important to point out that if something is puncturing a clincher tire that it will most likely puncture a tubie too. So, you won’t be getting less flats with a tubie under these conditions.
Any feedback would be much appreciated it!
As already mentioned, for the most part if it will cause a tubular to go flat, it will also cause a clincher to go flat - maybe even more so since clinchers are more pront to suffer pinch flats. If you want to know how durable tubulars are going to be, then I suggest you consider equipping a training wheelset with some very high performance open tubulars (ie clinchers like Challenge Criterium, Veloflex Record, Vittoria Evo CX 320) and latex tubes which I think will give you a pretty good idea of the durability and wear patterns.
Bottom line, flat tires are hit or miss and are more a result of road conditions and how well you care for the race wheels. I got ~2-years racing from a set of Veloflex Record tubulars used on my time trial bike but in terms of distanct, this only equates to ~650-700 total miles after which I replaced the tires because the houndstooth pattern on the rear tire had became difficult to distinguish. ironically, my first race on the new tires was the state time trial championships and half way through the 40K event, I managed to find some razor sharp needle like bits of steel from the remains of a radial tire resulting in a flat on a 1-day old rear tubular tire.
I have the Vittoria 320 tpi on all my race wheels and I can tell the difference in feel and durability compared to a lower tpi tire. If running that kind of tire is similar to the durability or puncture resistance to tubulars then I know I don;t want to deal with that much hassle, for the exact reason you give below, I don’t want to be dropping $100+ for a one day use on a tubie when I can one day on an $11 dollar tube.
Vittoria Pit Stop is about 10-12 bucks at your LBS and takes care of most punctures on a tubular. You just shove it on your tire valve and it reinflates your tire while sealing the leak. Less than a minute for the whole process and you don’t even have to take off your wheel. That’s way more convenient than changing out a tube on a clincher and the fix lasts.
do they make it in a portable size? Is this something you can use while out on the road after flatting on a tubie? I ask only because I just got a new set of carbon tubular wheels and am a bit nervous about riding on them having never rode tubies before. I will be bringing a spare with me but need to know if there is a quick fix if i flat “out in the field.”
Secondly, are tubulars repairable or is it just easier to mount a new one and ditch the old one?
I have the Vittoria 320 tpi on all my race wheels and I can tell the difference in feel and durability compared to a lower tpi tire.
I just got those and flatted in my first ride with them (I had great hopes that the higher TPI was going to make it rock in that regard). So YMMV. Maybe it’s because I do not have race wheels though 