new wheelset - tubs - yes or no

robbie the roadie
robbie the roadie Posts: 423
edited July 2008 in Workshop
Hello I'm thinking of getting a new wheelset. I've had my eye on some planet x 50 carbons for a while now and last night after the race was chatting to a bloke who had some. He seemed really impressed with them and in the flesh as it were they looked really smart. HOWEVER the tub versions come in £170 cheaper than the clincher versions.

If I were to buy a pair I would probably save them for racing and nice dry summer evening training rides. And keep my curerent wheels (fulcrum racing 5's) for wet rides and club runs. So my question is should I shell out the extra £170 :? for the clincher versions or live with the slight impracticality of the tubs?

As a side note will I need to swap brake pads over all the time or will carbon specific pads work OK on an alloy rim?
Cycling - The pastime of spending large sums of money you don't really have on something you don't really need.

Comments

  • Mog Uk
    Mog Uk Posts: 964
    I had the same dilemma a month back and this is what I learnt......

    If the wheels will only be used for racing / time trialling > Tubs

    If the wheels will be used for training rides / Sunday runs > Clinchers
    Manchester Wheelers' Club
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,551
    Tubs aren't as impratical as they used to be, i.e. when glue was your only option. Tub tape and the various sealants on the market make them much less hassle than before.

    Go for it.
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    Full carbon clinchers don't sound like a spectacular idea to most people, reason being that if you get a puncture, it's very easy to ruin the wheels.

    Tubs are abit of a hassle though, and bear in mind the cheap ones are s***e
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    My neighbour has these wheels and he found that without carbon-specific brake pads he was getting nasty scores and scratches on his rims - bot sure of the cause/effect relationship but he thought it was worthwhile changing them.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • robbie the roadie
    robbie the roadie Posts: 423
    Jez mon wrote:
    Full carbon clinchers don't sound like a spectacular idea to most people, reason being that if you get a puncture, it's very easy to ruin the wheels.

    How come?
    Cycling - The pastime of spending large sums of money you don't really have on something you don't really need.
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    robbie the roadie wrote:
    As a side note will I need to swap brake pads over all the time or will carbon specific pads work OK on an alloy rim?

    Yes - carbon specific pads will work on an alloy rim, but the rim will deposit small metal shards that embed themselves in your brake blocks. These will then scratch the carbon rims as has been pointed out above. Separate blocks is the best way.

    (Actually, the best way is to get another bike for using with the carbon wheels!)
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • Mog Uk
    Mog Uk Posts: 964
    robbie the roadie wrote:
    Jez mon wrote:
    Full carbon clinchers don't sound like a spectacular idea to most people, reason being that if you get a puncture, it's very easy to ruin the wheels.

    How come?

    If you get a puncture with a clincher the tyre can fold over / come off the rim...
    Manchester Wheelers' Club
  • Pirahna
    Pirahna Posts: 1,315
    Mog Uk wrote:

    If you get a puncture with a clincher the tyre can fold over / come off the rim...

    Also you get the added bonus of smashing the sides of the rim with a pinch puncture.
  • Bugly
    Bugly Posts: 520
    tubs can be a good ride but be preapred for an expensive one. Cheap tubs are not wonderful to ride on, so if you buy good wheels then be prepared to spend the money on good tubs.

    It may be easier to mount tubs with tape now ,but they still are a pain in the arse to repair.

    Remember you have to
    1) find the leak
    2)) remove the tape
    3) cut the stitches
    4) patch the tube
    5) NEATLY sew up the tub
    6) glue on the tape

    before you can remount the tub, Honestly I put up with it for racing but you end up with a reasonable number of tubs to patch which means you end up buying several to keep you riding.

    So if you have the dosh and are prepared to put up with the repairs (or toss the tubs) then go for it, for me its not worth the effort. Nobody in the family races anymore so no more tubs. And that is a relief

    Bugly

    PS Cheap tubs are rubbish to ride
  • andrewgturnbull
    andrewgturnbull Posts: 3,861
    Bugly wrote:
    tubs can be a good ride but be preapred for an expensive one. Cheap tubs are not wonderful to ride on, so if you buy good wheels then be prepared to spend the money on good tubs.

    It may be easier to mount tubs with tape now ,but they still are a pain in the ars* to repair.

    Remember you have to
    1) find the leak
    2)) remove the tape
    3) cut the stitches
    4) patch the tube
    5) NEATLY sew up the tub
    6) glue on the tape

    before you can remount the tub, Honestly I put up with it for racing but you end up with a reasonable number of tubs to patch which means you end up buying several to keep you riding.

    So if you have the dosh and are prepared to put up with the repairs (or toss the tubs) then go for it, for me its not worth the effort. Nobody in the family races anymore so no more tubs. And that is a relief

    Bugly

    PS Cheap tubs are rubbish to ride

    Alternatively:

    1) Send it off to the guy who advertises in the back of the comic with a crisp £10 note

    Cheers, Andy
    http://www.andyturnbull.co.uk
    http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk
  • Bugly
    Bugly Posts: 520
    @Andy thats true - but that doesnt change the fact that tubs are an expensive alternative to clinchers unless you NEED tubs as for racing or someone else (sponsor) is paying for them or you have no respect for money :D . I like riding on good tubs but am happy enough personally not to deal with the hassle

    Cheers

    Bugly
  • andrewgturnbull
    andrewgturnbull Posts: 3,861
    Bugly wrote:
    @Andy thats true - but that doesnt change the fact that tubs are an expensive alternative to clinchers unless you NEED tubs as for racing or someone else (sponsor) is paying for them or you have no respect for money :D . I like riding on good tubs but am happy enough personally not to deal with the hassle

    Cheers

    Bugly

    Hi there.

    I kinda agree with you, and these days there seems to be no performance advantage of tubs over clinchers, so why do I race on tubs? The reason is that the best wheels (at least in terms of TT or track wheels) are tubular. Invariably the clincher versions of these wheels are inferior. Tub tape is no hassle, and £10 to fix a £45 tub isn't a disaster.

    My road-race wheels are clinchers though!

    Cheers, Andy
    http://www.andyturnbull.co.uk
    http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk
  • Bugly
    Bugly Posts: 520
    @Andy no disagreement from me quality tubs on qualtiy wheels are fantastic - but for day to day riding modern clinchers are the go for me.

    I misread the first post - agree with you if you are serious about racing good tubs can make the difference at the fnish line.

    Cheers

    Bugly
  • aracer
    aracer Posts: 1,649
    Current clinchers are actually faster than tubs - the issue being wheel availability - top end carbon wheels tend to be heavier in a clincher version (if one is available).

    Just to throw a cat amongst the pigeons I was ogling a nice pair of Corima tubeless wheels in Echelon the other day - as I said to Tim, when Michelin bring out tubeless road tyres then I might get convinced.

Categories