Given that everything seems to be going tubeless and disc brakes, is buying a tubular rim brake disk wheel a worthwhile investment or will it just wind up becoming a coffee table?
If you have a bike to put it on, then it should be just fine. I think disc brakes are great overall, but my rim brake Cervelo TT bike is going to be with me for a few years at least.
Tubular tires going away may be a bit of a worry, but for now Vittoria, Schwalbe, Veloflex, Conti and others still put out really good tubular tires. You won’t get nearly the rolling resistance of top clincher/tubeless tire (unless you go to a track tubular), but close enough that it’s still “really fast.”
What kind of wheel, and what is the incremental cost of an equivalent modern clincher?
Nothing wrong with tubular. But tube and tire R&D is all about clincher. So you don’t gain as much performance as you used to. If it is a disc and a high relative incremental cost to go clincher, I would go for it. But if it is an ordinary deep section rim, then I would probably stick with what I had.
It’s a borderline obsolete technology (tubie) mounted on a borderline obsolete technology (rim brake rim) , which means you should be able to get a screaming deal on it. If anyone gives you any grief, you can always challenge them to a weigh-off as your setup will be about 1.5 lbs lighter than their tubeless + disc setup,
It’s a borderline obsolete technology (tubie) mounted on a borderline obsolete technology (rim brake rim) , which means you should be able to get a screaming deal on it. If anyone gives you any grief, you can always challenge them to a weigh-off as your setup will be about 1.5 lbs lighter than their tubeless + disc setup,
It is old technology, but it’s still widely used on the pro circuit and is not going to be overtaken by tubeless anytime soon. Out of all the teams in last years TDF only 2 rode tubeless and that was thought to be because of marketing as opposed to performance reasons:
3 rode Conti Comp tubs
8 rode Vittoria Corsa tubs although tubeless available none chose to ride tubeless
3 rode Pirelli Zero tubs
2 rode S-works Rapid Air clinchers
1 rode Goodyear Eagle tubeless
1 rode axxis tubeless
Lots of tubeless threads here and there seems to a small minority that swear by them, but the majority seem to agree they are not suited to triathlon, especially long course triathlon.
So I would say stick with tubs. They’re easier to change than a clincher and you can run flat on them at least 30km/hr.
I have a Zipp Tubular rear rim disc I still race with. My bike is 2010 so the ride is actually very nice (I like it better than the modern clincher / tubeless ones I’ve test ridden)…call me old school but it just feels like a nicer ride. To the point some will make about the technology advancing and tubulars phasing out–I get that & products may be harder to come by (although a ton of them out there now.
If it were me doing it all over again, just because I can see the market moving in that direction & yes, tubulars are not seemingly as frequent as they used to be in shops I’ve been in–I would move to the new disc/tubeless if I were purchasing a larger priced item like a bike or wheelset. The wheels would move me to buy a bike, or the bike would move me to buy the wheels.
Sell the old stuff to pay for part of the newer gear. That’s how I’d likely do it. But yes, I do like the tubulars best to race on–it’s not a coffee table. However, Tim O’Donnell has turned one into a wall clock in his house–or he had it given/or bought it (saw it on YouTube).
, is buying a tubular rim brake disk wheel a worthwhile investment
NO
most manufacturers stopped designing wheels around tubular tires > 8 years ago. everything was designed so that it was optimized for a clincher tire.
If you do a crap glue job you might as well be riding gatorskins.
Friends only let frienemies, racing buddies and those in their AG ride tubulars
Too add to this DO NOT ride Gatorskin Tubulars because you are afraid of a flat either… Just saying as I was that guy in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
, is buying a tubular rim brake disk wheel a worthwhile investment
NO
most manufacturers stopped designing wheels around tubular tires > 8 years ago. everything was designed so that it was optimized for a clincher tire.
If you do a crap glue job you might as well be riding gatorskins.
What do you mean “stopped designing wheels around tubular tires”? Tubs are still the tyre of choice for most pro cycle teams, lots of elite amateurs still using them and as far as I know, no one goes for clinchers on the track. Tubs are here to stay until there is a better alternative and tubeless isn’t it.
And it’s not rocket science gluing a tyre. Perhaps someone new to tubs might not glue them right, but they would soon learn when they can’t get the tyre off (Norm Stadler).
It’s 2022 and I just doubled down on both rim brakes (on a new bike) and tubular wheels (killer deal). My road and CX bikes are disc, it absolutely makes sense for those bikes but really not necessary for triathlon. As far as tubulars go, I’ve been glueing them for decades. I enjoy it. I don’t see the need to stop. Ultimately I’m lighter on the bike and heavier in the pocket.
Given that everything seems to be going tubeless and disc brakes, is buying a tubular rim brake disk wheel a worthwhile investment or will it just wind up becoming a coffee table?
As it’s a rim brake AND Tub, it will be hard to sell in a few years. I would only buy it, if you can get it for a bargain.
It is old technology, but it’s still widely used on the pro circuit and is not going to be overtaken by tubeless anytime soon. Out of all the teams in last years TDF only 2 rode tubeless and that was thought to be because of marketing as opposed to performance reasons:
Lots of tubeless threads here and there seems to a small minority that swear by them, but the majority seem to agree they are not suited to triathlon, especially long course triathlon.
So I would say stick with tubs. They’re easier to change than a clincher and you can run flat on them at least 30km/hr.
Most pro riders keep using tubs because of the run-flat ability (you can keep going until the team car/neutral service catches up with you) than for performance reasons. I’ll be interested to see how many teams choose to go tubeless at this year’s giro and tdf.
Given that they eliminate an entire category of puncture (pinch flats), significantly reduce the probability of the next category (pin-hole punctures), you can quickly fix the next category with a tire plug, and it will only have you inserting a tube for that rare tear so large you would likely have to boot anyway, tubeless should be an attractive option for tri. Of course, many triathletes prefer to run 23 or 25mm tires - and at the pressures you have to run these at, sealant doesn’t work as well as it does with lower pressures typical of 28 or 30mm tires.
Tubs are still the tyre of choice for most pro cycle teams, lots of elite amateurs still using them and as far as I know, no one goes for clinchers on the track. Tubs are here to stay until there is a better alternative and tubeless isn’t it.
I think this year might be the turning point for pro teams and tubeless.
According to this account, nine of the top 10 at Parix-Roubaix were on tubeless. And I don’t think the other races are any different.
Also more and more clinchers on aphalt/concrete track. Wood will always be tubular because of benefit of massive tire pressure on really smooth surfaces.
Tubs are still the tyre of choice for most pro cycle teams, lots of elite amateurs still using them and as far as I know, no one goes for clinchers on the track. Tubs are here to stay until there is a better alternative and tubeless isn’t it.
I think this year might be the turning point for pro teams and tubeless.
According to this account, nine of the top 10 at Parix-Roubaix were on tubeless. And I don’t think the other races are any different.
Also more and more clinchers on aphalt/concrete track. Wood will always be tubular because of benefit of massive tire pressure on really smooth surfaces.
Yes, and these are different applications for road race or TT and triathlon. You don’t have a team car following in triathlon, you have to repair it yourself. So a clincher makes most sense IMO, or a tubeless you can get a tube into if it won’t seal. A tubular is a DNF unless you glued it SO freaking loose you can get it off with your hands and put a pre-glued spare tire on it.
Tubular for time trial? As long as it’s a modern tire size for crr/aero combo and comfort that should be fine. A flat in a TT for a non-pro is pretty much a DNF anyway. Given there’s no chase car, no amount of riding a flat tubular for miles will help your finish time salvage the day.
Tubs are still the tyre of choice for most pro cycle teams, lots of elite amateurs still using them and as far as I know, no one goes for clinchers on the track. Tubs are here to stay until there is a better alternative and tubeless isn’t it.
I think this year might be the turning point for pro teams and tubeless.
According to this account, nine of the top 10 at Parix-Roubaix were on tubeless. And I don’t think the other races are any different.
Also more and more clinchers on aphalt/concrete track. Wood will always be tubular because of benefit of massive tire pressure on really smooth surfaces…
And none of us can get the same tires the pros are riding…
And none of us can get the same tires the pros are riding…
Sure we can. The last two winners of P-R have been on the Conti GP5000TR. And I’ve seen nothing to indicate Van Baarle or Colbrelli used a different version in any way from what we get retail.
As a side note, I just noticed that Van Baarle was using those Dura-Ace wheels, two of which failed catastrophically at Roubaix. And maybe it’s just paint delamination shown here, but whatever’s going on with those wheels looks terrifying! You can see the savagery of P-R in the frame and crankset too.
Oh man, I would not want to ride that wheel back to the team bus…
I wonder if they just have a big dumpster at the end of the race, and the riders all just get off and throw their bikes in the dumpster. Saves a lot of space on the transport back.
“A tubular is a DNF unless you glued it SO freaking loose you can get it off with your hands”
A properly glued tubular tire can be cut off the rim with a razor blade and removed in about 20 seconds.
Oof that’s brutal. Does show pretty well though that carbon fiber isn’t as prone to sporadic explosion as some people think, unless you crash that is.
Unless they have a tubular gp5000 that I’m unaware of though, I would like to point out that the wheel you’re showing is the new tubeless wheel and the ones that failed were actually the old tubulars.