fastest clincher

markwalker

So Im now in hot pursuit of time trial PBs.

I opted for clinchers not tubs for all round practicality. Is there any real information about the fastest clinchers available?

Does tyre pressure make a real difference?

has anyone measured rolling resistrance for common brands and the actual aero benifits of different widths? i.e. 23mm versus 21mm and the actual number of watts required to rotate at a given speed or speeds given constancy in other factors such as temperature, humidity, road surface, rider weight etc And finally if the answer is yes to both those, have they mixed both sets of results to come up with a definative answer on the fastest clinccher and where can i find it?
Phewhope that makes sense.

Mark

redddraggon

An open tub with a latex tube is your best bet. So something like a Vittoria Open Corsa

sylvanus

Here's some test results:
http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/rolres.html

So get Prorace or Evo CX

Anonymous

From 2006 but interesting...


http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-1503651.html

Chip \'oyler

Any Veloflex clinchers would fit the bill. They're the nearest thing to tubs IMHO

Anonymous

I love the look of the Veloflex Pave tyres.

Classic...

Poor puncture protection though

markwalker

this is all very geeky but the results if to be believed are quite startling!

Chip \'oyler

I feel a lot better after forking out for a pair of Veloflex Carbons

To be honest I didn't need to see that report to know they are a fantastic tyre

Anderl

You will find a fair few tests coming to almost completely opposite conclusions. I wouldn't pay too much attention to industry sponsored tests.

oldwelshman

I am not convinced by those sites either.
I read some, but don't have the link, done by british cycling and some other independent studies which cam up with the fact rolling resistance is hardy changed for increase in air pressure.
I cannot believe there are such differences in power requirements for different tyres, especially as the othe site states rolling resistance has a lesser overall effect at higher speeds.
Basically you will get what you pay for anyway

Tom Butcher

The Conti Supersonic is generally seen as a very fast clincher for time trials - never used them myself mind.

SBezza

I have Veloflex Record clinchers with latex tubes on my deep section clincher rims. Very fast rolling, though might be prone to punctures, though not had one myself yet. Very light at 130gms per tyre, I have been told they will be the closest to tubs you are likely to get.

I only use my for TT's though, as they were a pig getting on, and I wouldn't like to think about getting the tyre off by the roadside.

Gav888

Sorry, going to sound think but what is a clincher and why are they so special? Ive looked at the 'clincher' wheels and they look the same as any other??

alfablue

There are two types of wheels/tyres: Clinchers are what most people have, the tyre bead is "clinched" by the rim. Tubulars or "tubs" are closed tubes and they are glued to a rim that doesn't have the profile to "clinch" - these are really road racing tyres.

Kléber

Top clinchers can have lower rolling resistance (RR) than top tubs, something that was not the case until the last 3-4 years. The tubs are still lighter owing to the rims but the bump in the valve still causes a dip in the RR.

Still RR isn't everything. Rim profile and spoke count matter a lot, so the whole wheel choice is important. You also need aero tyres, so a 20mm one can be more aero but a 23 section has lower RR. Don't think more pressure = faster as the tyre needs to roll over the road surface, not bounce over.

Differences are small though.

andrewgturnbull

Kléber wrote:

Top clinchers can have lower rolling resistance (RR) than top tubs, something that was not the case until the last 3-4 years. The tubs are still lighter owing to the rims but the bump in the valve still causes a dip in the RR.

Still RR isn't everything. Rim profile and spoke count matter a lot, so the whole wheel choice is important. You also need aero tyres, so a 20mm one can be more aero but a 23 section has lower RR. Don't think more pressure = faster as the tyre needs to roll over the road surface, not bounce over.

Differences are small though.[/quote

Agreed and you also need to be able to corner fast too - a 23 will corner better than a 20.

Cheers, Andy