Help needed Clincher or Tubular

steelem

i have always been a clincher man - never tried tubular but am now thinking should i now get into the tub world - as i see it the advantage is having lighter wheels ??? my clinchers previous have been kysrium ES - R-sys & finally Zipp 404 all of which have been great.

as i have just sold my Zipp - if i go clincher again ill either go with the shimano cl - r-sys premium or fulcrum zero??

if i go tub ill probaly go with zipp 202 or zipp 303 or mix a 303 front 404 rear

what do you think??

Anonymous

What are you going to be using them for?

If it's mostly racing then tubs are great, not just for the weight advantage but also the tyres roll better and 'feel' fantastic!

If not then, well, it's not as clear cut. The ride on good tubs is amazing and for me, worth the mither every once in a while but repairs/replacements can be pricey.
There is a big difference in weight between Zipp tubs and clinchers and the tubs are also stiffer. If getting Zipps I would definitely go tubular. I have 404 front 808 rear and find them tremendous!

If for normal use you need to take a whole replacement tyre out with you and either pre-glue it or take some spare tape and PTFE tape for the valve extenders which, again, doesn't bother me.
Changing tubs is a doddle BTW.

There is stuff like Vittoria Pit Stop which can be used in the event of a puncture but I have no experience of this.

steelem

i dont race - i use my bike to & from work - its all country roads - i also use for sportives & leisurely rides

im just building a specialized SL2 with SRAM red Groupset - im bearing weight in mind this time - the wheels will be the finishing touch..

I suppose the only think worrying me with the tubs is the puncture part.

Anonymous

steelem wrote:

i dont race - i use my bike to & from work - its all country roads - i also use for sportives & leisurely rides

im just building a specialized SL2 with SRAM red Groupset - im bearing weight in mind this time - the wheels will be the finishing touch..

I suppose the only think worrying me with the tubs is the puncture part.

Well, that's the main sticking point! I definitely wouldn't get tubs to be honest. Something like Reynolds Attack or Assault carbon clinchers are a good compromise.

They look like tubs, are fairly light but use clinchers.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=40319

If you want light weight for what you use them for I would look at either the Dura Ace Carbon Laminate clinchers or some IRD Cadence Road rims built up with Extralight Hubs and CX Ray spokes from Derek at www.wheelsmith.co.uk. The latter built up with 20/24 spokes would be sub 1300g.

I have one of these as front wheel from wheelsmith and it's fantastic!

dennisn

I don't remember who said it but it sure rings true. "If you have to ask then it's clinchers".

steelem

thanks for your response - looks like clincher it is then - i have a budget of 700-00 - i will definatley not go down the deep rim again as my legs cant take the extra weight - those DA CL look like a good choice although the rsys premium with 350 quid off could also be an option -just sent derek an email at wheelsmith - see what he comes up with - any other suggestions would be g8.

jibberjim

dennisn wrote:

I don't remember who said it but it sure rings true. "If you have to ask then it's clinchers".

I think it's more, look over your shoulder - if there's a guy with a car with wheels on the roof behind you, it's tubular...