I don’t want to initiate a heated debate about tubulars vs clinchers, but I would like to know if someone has any experience with those products.
Are they a good way to have the advantages of tubular without gluing ? What about their weight ?
Thanks for your input.
I ride the Tufo’s. They are simply awesome. Weight is OK, but the biggest benefit is the tire construction and puncture resistance. In my opinion, Tufo makes the best tire/tube combination in the market right now. I train with them, and will be racing with them as well. I don’t bother carrying a spare, I just use the sealant. I have had two slow leaks in 1 year of riding them - the sealant fixed them both without a problem.
Prior to these, I was getting probably one flat every 4-6 weeks.
I rode the Tufo Tubular Clinchers and they were great. The great thing about the Tufos are that you can pump the tire pressure up high. As long as you are not on a bumpy course, it “seems” to make you roll better and smoother.
John,
Which model exactly are you going to race on? Do you carry the sealant with you? What psi do you run on?
I’m gonna try these!
Thanks!
Why don’t you use them anymore ?
Same question, which model ?
I just orderered 4 of the Tufo Jet Special Tubular clinchers myself. You can’t beat the quality for the price you pay. I raced on a set for approx. 6 mos. and they were great—hardly any wear. I’ll probably never go back to messing with tubes again.
I train on the CS 33 Specials, preloaded with sealant, and I carry more with me - though I have never had to use it.
I am planning on racing on the Elite Road tires, 23mm. I am racing long - 56 and 112 miles - so comfort is important, and I think the wider tires will be a bit more comfortable.
I run them at a pretty low PSI - more for comfort than anything else. I tried 120PSI last weekend, and it was to firm for the road conditions around here. I normally ride 105 front, a little higher in the rear.
I just hate flats, which is why I love these tires.
The TUFO tubular clinchers are the worst of both worlds - the extra weight of a clincher system coupled with the high tubular-esque cost of replacement when you get a flat. Also, TUFO’s use a vulcanized casing rather than a sewn casing so the tube cannot be patched or replaced. (Some would argue that you can use the sealant to save the tire, but my personal experience is that the sealant only works on very small punctures and is a PITA to use)
IMO, you’re better off with a regular clincher set-up or a regular tubular set-up.
Actually, tubeless bicycle tires and tubular clinchers are different animals. Tubeless tires are what you would find on MTB’s, etc, and require a rim with no rim-tape. A tubular Clincher is a tubular tire that traditionally has a tube in it, that can be reparied if you un-sew the casing and patch it - tubulars are also commonly referred to as sew-ups.
Tufo’s are really different - there is no “tube”. This means it can’t be repaired in a traditional way, but it also means it doesn’t puncture in a traditional way. The sealant works on these tires because the way they are constructed - it would not work on a tubular that actually had a tube in it - like most do.
D’oh!
Yeah, you’re right, they are Tufo Tubeless Bicycle tires. When you said Tubeless, I just assumed you had no bloody idea what you were talking about. So, yeah, the first part was mis-directed at you. My bad.
Interesting thing about a sealed tire - mine simply refuse to lose pressure. I pump them weekly, but that’s more out of habit than anything else.
JA
“…you’d at least know they do not have a tube at all …”
Okay, you are correct in that the TUFO’s do not use a tube in the traditional sense. The air is held by a rubber bladder inside the casing. But the difference is semantic in nature, the bladder functions just like a tube.
“…whether the casing is vulcanized or sewn is of no interest.”
Well it was of interest to me when I found out my essentially new $60 tire (less than 100 miles) punctured and was not repairable and now bound for the garbage heap. The original poster asked about the merits of the tires and I was just trying to give him the whole story.
I maintain that the TUFO tubular-clinchers give you the worst of clinchers and the worst of tubulars with none of the benefits.
John
Thank you for the input as I wanted to have the pros and cons, I’m satisfied.
Anyway, those tubular clinchers seem to be expensive compared to a standard clincher - tube combo.