Which tubular tyres & which sealant?

petemadoc

Going to delve into the world of tubulars

Will be used for good weather rides, crits and the odd TT.

Must have a tan wall... because they look cool. Don't really want to spend more than £40 per tyre

Vittoria Corsa Evo CX looks good for £39.99 at planet x but no tan wall

ugo.santalucia

For tan walls you have to get the Vittoria SC, which are equally good, if a bit less robust. Otherwise Veloflex.

I have a can of Vittoria pitstop sealant but I have never used it... it is an emeregency thing I carry in addition to a spare tub. if you use sealant the tyre becomes pretty much impossible to repair permanently. I would avoid... the chances of having a puncture on good days and good roands are pretty slim and when it happens, just carry a spare tub and get the punctured one fixed or learn the DIY of it

petemadoc

ugo.santalucia wrote:

For tan walls you have to get the Vittoria SC, which are equally good, if a bit less robust. Otherwise Veloflex.

I have a can of Vittoria pitstop sealant but I have never used it... it is an emeregency thing I carry in addition to a spare tub. if you use sealant the tyre becomes pretty much impossible to repair permanently. I would avoid... the chances of having a puncture on good days and good roands are pretty slim and when it happens, just carry a spare tub and get the punctured one fixed or learn the DIY of it

I'd love Veloflex but they're sooooo expensive!!!

I'll have a look at the SC

Why are you so against sealant? I've read that you can ride a good 1000 miles or more with a sealed tyre.

ugo.santalucia

PeteMadoc wrote:

Why are you so against sealant? I've read that you can ride a good 1000 miles or more with a sealed tyre.

And then what do you do? You throw it away and buy a new one?

petemadoc

ugo.santalucia wrote:

PeteMadoc wrote:

Why are you so against sealant? I've read that you can ride a good 1000 miles or more with a sealed tyre.

And then what do you do? You throw it away and buy a new one?

good point

markos1963

For tan(ish) walls and cheap how about Conti Giro? Usually about £16 a throw, not the fastest tyre but easy to use and I had three seasons racing on them without any punctures.

thegreatdivide

Bit of a thread hijack but tubs vs. clinchers is currently making my brain hurt.

The long drawn out process of claiming for an accident that saw me having two painful operations and having my right radius rebuilt after being knocked down is almost at an end. Even though I’d previously decided to get some hand built carbon rims from wheelsmith I’ve now decided that I’m going to really treat myself and get a pair of Zipp 303 FC wheels then lock the rest of the money away in the building society so I don’t end up buying more and more kit. Anyway, the problem I’m having (and I admit that it’s a nice problem to have) is do I get the 303’s as tubs or clinchers?

Pros for the clincher – easy to change a flat and with latex tubes and Open Corsa Evo CX tyres it’ll be a quality ride.
Cons for the clincher – approx 400g heavier than the tub version once fitted with tyres and tubes.

Pros for the tub – 400g lighter than the clinchers due to overall rim weight reduction and using tubs, plus the ride quality will be better.
Cons for the tub – changing the bloody things if I flat. The idea of carrying a spare tub all the time and having to change it on the roadside is bit meh. Can you ride with just a can of Stan’s? I guess I can’t take them to sportives to show off (hey, I’m being honest here) because of the punc7ure risk.

ugo.santalucia

thegreatdivide wrote:

Bit of a thread hijack but tubs vs. clinchers is currently making my brain hurt.

The long drawn out process of claiming for an accident that saw me having two painful operations and having my right radius rebuilt after being knocked down is almost at an end. Even though I’d previously decided to get some hand built carbon rims from wheelsmith I’ve now decided that I’m going to really treat myself and get a pair of Zipp 303 FC wheels then lock the rest of the money away in the building society so I don’t end up buying more and more kit. Anyway, the problem I’m having (and I admit that it’s a nice problem to have) is do I get the 303’s as tubs or clinchers?

Pros for the clincher – easy to change a flat and with latex tubes and Open Corsa Evo CX tyres it’ll be a quality ride.
Cons for the clincher – approx 400g heavier than the tub version once fitted with tyres and tubes.

Pros for the tub – 400g lighter than the clinchers due to overall rim weight reduction and using tubs, plus the ride quality will be better.
Cons for the tub – changing the bloody things if I flat. The idea of carrying a spare tub all the time and having to change it on the roadside is bit meh. Can you ride with just a can of Stan’s? I guess I can’t take them to sportives to show off (hey, I’m being honest here) because of the punc7ure risk.

Be honest with yourself... you want them for the looks, then get the clinchers and tell people they weigh 1200 grams, you want them to get the most out of your speed, get the tubulars. Changing a tubular is not as daunting as people think.
Last option, get some chinese wheels, add some Zipp stickers and lock another thousand pounds away

petemadoc

@thegreatdivide

I'm new to tubs so I've been doing a lot of research. I think if you're the type who can deal with a bit of fettling and likes to to their own maintenance then tubs aren't a big a deal as some people make out. You should really carry a spare tub in case of a puncture, just use a cheap light one or an old one I guess. Some people only carry sealant. Each to their own and as ugo says you're potentially ruining the tyre with sealant but then again you can pull the tube out or send it off for a repair and lots of people ride for many miles with sealant in anyways.

After umming and areing I went for some tubs, they're lighter, the ride is meant to be better and changing a flat might even be quicker than a clincher. Plus there's the whole issue of heating up carbon clinchers etc etc . . . too many compromises. And it's what the pro's ride init!!!

I'll ride the tubs whenever there's no rain or salt on the roads, otherwise I'll just ride the winter bike.

@Marko I have an irrational hatred of continental. Whenever I've ridden conti they feel hard, harsh, just not nice and I've seen loads of torn sidewalls. I do understand the people rave about them but they're just not for me.

Current favourite is the Veloflex criterium, ribble doing a further 10% off at the moment making them £56.56

I found them here for 55 euro so that's 120 euro for a pair delivered (10 euro postage)

http://www.velo-motion.com/Race-Compone ... r::31.html

Still over budget. . . .

I could ask my wife for a Christmas present..... Not sure what she's think about £100 for some rubber?

thegreatdivide

Anyone who says that looks don’t count is fibbing, but I’m also after wheels that will give me an edge on the flats and an extra wee edge on the hills. I got down to 64kg this summer and I think if I put the effort in I could get down to 62kg next year, but after that the only weight saving can come from amputation or making the best bike lighter – it’s currently weighing in at about 6.5kg.

I don’t really want to race thanks to a fear of busting myself up again, but I’m going to be doing all the club time trials and hill climbs next year - and I want to get the edge on the bigger faster boys on the flats during the Sunday club rides. There’s also the issue of taking back a few Strava segments too ;-)

Anyway, tubs are definitely on the up. I just need that little bit extra convincing...

ugo.santalucia

thegreatdivide wrote:

Anyone who says that looks don’t count is fibbing, but I’m also after wheels that will give me an edge on the flats and an extra wee edge on the hills. I got down to 64kg this summer and I think if I put the effort in I could get down to 62kg next year, but after that the only weight saving can come from amputation or making the best bike lighter – it’s currently weighing in at about 6.5kg.

I don’t really want to race thanks to a fear of busting myself up again, but I’m going to be doing all the club time trials and hill climbs next year - and I want to get the edge on the bigger faster boys on the flats during the Sunday club rides. There’s also the issue of taking back a few Strava segments too ;-)

Anyway, tubs are definitely on the up. I just need that little bit extra convincing...

Not interested in lower profile V shaped carbon tubulars? I have built a few at under 1200 grams... it seems to me that at your weight high profile wheels are more a hindrance than an advantage. Incidentally they also come as clinchers and even these are light... easily build at 1400 grams... enquire within, as they say...