Tubulars with puncture protection for a 475m charity ride

jonmack

I'm going to be riding to Bordeaux in May, covering about 475m in 4 days. I'll be on my race bike which is fitted with a set of Vittoria Corsa Evo CX's on at the moment, but as I've no idea what kinda surface the roads are going to be, I was wondering if there are any tubular tyres I should be looking at in particular?

I'm probably gonna be carrying a can of pit stop as I've read some good things about it, and I'll also have my clincher training wheels just in case (as the ride has a support crew they can just go with them), but ideally I don't wanna be messing around with punctures, so... gimme some advice?

Obviously for races such as Paris - Roubaix almost everyone is seen on Vittoria Pavé's, so would it be worth grabbing a set? I currently use Gatorskins on my training wheels, so I've looked at the Conti Sprinter Gatorskin but haven't really read very good reviews of them...

Hit me up with some suggestions!

Monty Dog

Firstly, I'd avoid the Conti Sprinter Gatorskins - a club mate bought some for this season - 3 race starts, 3 punctures! They ride dead too - FWIW I was racing on a pair of Corsas all season with no problems. By all accounts, Veloflex Carbons are the best riding, but at a price. The new 320tpi Corsas are meant to ride very well too - haven't tried any to comment. Paves are obviously more durable - but they're not bomb-proof either. A final option is to use Tufo or Stan's sealants, or carry some with you. Tufo tubs with sealant are very durable, but handling and feel isn't the best - but probably a lot better than the Contis.

jonmack

That's good to know that the current Corsas are still a decent tyre, I guess I just get paranoid, my commuting run on my training bike sometimes has lots of glass and stuff, not that I'll be riding my race bike through there, but there's still the possibility that there will be glass and crap on the roads I end up riding on, especially from Bristol to Portsmouth on day 1.

I've read good things about the new 320tpi Corsas. I guess no tyre is going to be bomb proof, but something that will put up with a bit of stick would be good. I'd love to have a set of Veloflex but I don't think I can afford them really, I think I'll ride the Corsas for a while, see how they hold up, then look at getting a set of Pavés or 2010 320tpi Corsas, and worse comes to worse I'll whack some Tufo in there too, for extra peace of mind, I don't mind the weight penalty if it's the difference between finishing a ride or having to stop to change wheels.

Thanks!

dennisn

jonmack wrote:

............ I think I'll ride the Corsas for a while, see how they hold up, then look at getting a set of Pavés or 2010 320tpi Corsas, and worse comes to worse I'll whack some Tufo in there too, for extra peace of mind, I don't mind the weight penalty if it's the difference between finishing a ride or having to stop to change wheels.

Thanks!

I don't think Tufo sealant is going to work in anything but Tufo tires. I could be wrong.
Anyone??? I use Tufo's and their sealant, works fine, but Tufo's are tubeless tires and that's why I doubt that their sealant will work in a tire with a tube. Once again, I could be wrong.

Monty Dog

Tufo sealant is designed for butyl inners, so is not so effective for latex inners - but I have used it with latex tubs with some success.

dennisn

Monty Dog wrote:

Tufo sealant is designed for butyl inners, so is not so effective for latex inners - but I have used it with latex tubs with some success.

Interesting. I haven't tried it on anything other than Tufo tires. I guess I felt that it wouldn't work on other tires because Tufo's are tubeless and that it was specifically designed for Tufos only. Thanks for setting me straight. I'll give it a shot on a Conti(butyl) that needs help.