Sorry if this has been asked before, but what would be a good choice for some fast clincher tires? Next year a set of tubular aero wheels are in the budget, so I have to stick with clinchers this year.
any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks!
- Veloflex
- Michelin race pro2
If you want to be fast, use latex tube.
Do a search on the Bike Tech Review forum. Somebody posted a neat chart showing rolling resistance. If I remember right, one of the Veloflex models and Michelin Pro2 came out on top, especially with the lightweight (and less reliable) tubes.
http://ddata.over-blog.com/xxxyyy/0/02/72/10/clincher-specs.html
dont forget to account for the fact the first two have low resistance to punctures (bad). the michelin pro race 2 are much better against punctures. if you are going to use latex tubes, then you want to have the tires that are more resistant flats.
I remember seeing a picture of new Pro3’s at the TDF. I wonder when they are going to be available for public purchase
that’s a good chart, esp. since it includes puncture resistance. would be nice to see where the veloflex paves fit on it.
As the others have said, the Veloflex record clincher tests best (all BTW with a latex tube), they are paper thin 290tpi cotton casing and are “likely” more flat prone. The ProRace2s and Vittoria Evo Corsa CX test about the same with the ProRace2s better for puncture resistance, but the Vittoria more “aero” (in 20mm size) as the Michelins run wider than their diameter says (they come in both 20 and 23mm, but run about 1mm widers).
I’ve been combing over this data for a while now and what I’m doing this year after much debate 
Front: Hed Jet 90 clincher (deepest clincher for now) with Vittoria Evo CX 20mm with Michelin Latex air comp
Rear: Renn disc clincer with ProRace2 in 23mm with Latex tube as well or possibly a butyl tube
Since most flats tend to be on the rear, I went for the Michelin and wider for more comfort. Aero matters more up front, so 20mm and the latex tube actually gives a pretty nice ride (inflated to about 120 front with the 20mm and 115 rear with the 23mm)
rroof,
That is almost the same exact combo I run, a hed 90 front and renn rear with but I run pro2’s all around and have never (let me go knock on some wood) have had a flat with about 400 race miles on them.
I would not trust Bike Tech Review since they didn’t follow the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. That negates their test results.
very simple, the new zipp clincher is slithly better for RR than michelin pro2 race and vittoria evo cx, puncture resistant for someone doing long course triathlon and is aero to match there rim, 21mm.
Plus they have dimples! 
Biketechreview.com did test Tufo as well as Vittoria tubular tires at higher pressures. Perhaps you refer to an older test.
are their clinchers Vittoria Tires as well? the puncture resistance is not that same as the open corsa?
yes…we are talking clincher only here… i didnt mention any tubular.
i guess there is faster tire… like the vittoria crono but to try finishing a ironman on something this thin might be a bad idea…
i think zipp is the best bet follow very closely by vittoria evo cs and michelin pro2 racer… all clincher
I am sure the Zipp’s are fastest but $75 each? Yikes that is a lot of money for a clincher tire. I am running the Race2 with Michelin latex tube. Only downside of that set up is that the Michelin tubes don’t come with removable valve cores. If I was as fast as you Jonnyo, I guess I would spring for the more expensive tires but I have a hard time justifying it to myself.
And size wise we are talking about 21mm?
i understand and i m pretty sure you get 95% of the zipp with michelin, the hard part is the michelin is harder to find in 21mm, it s always 23mm and if you mesure it, it s actually 24mm so not very good for aero purpose if you match with wit zipp wheels or most wheels on the market.
as for price, well, i m use to ride tubular race wheels with expensive veloflex or duguast so for me to swtich to clincher is a good news and even the most expensive clincher is still pretty cheap!
depend of your your race wheels, need to match the rim width…
yes…we are talking clincher only here… i didnt mention any tubular.
i guess there is faster tire… like the vittoria crono but to try finishing a ironman on something this thin might be a bad idea…
i think zipp is the best bet follow very closely by vittoria evo cs and michelin pro2 racer… all clincher
i know…clinchers here. josh at zipp has mentioned the zipp tires are manufactured by vittoria. my concern is that the vittoria open corsa evo cx tests very well in terms of rolling resistance; however it does not test well in terms of puncture resistance. i would certainly consider the zipp tires; however, i would not want to use them if they are as prone to punctures as some other vittoria clincher tires…
Any data on how much faster a latex tube is vs a conventional tube?
Thanks