Tyres. Newbie Question.

davidmiddleton

Hi all,

Picked up my new Trek Madone 3.5 last week and am looking at purchasing some replacement/spare wheels. At the risk of sounding dim, what are the benefits/disadvantages to tubular/tubeless tyres. Also, I assume you need different rims for each type. Not really sure what I should be going for.

Cheers in advance

danlikesbikes

Never sound dim when asking a genuine question.

Tub tyres stick to the rim either by tape, glue or a combination of both & run on different rims which can be lighter and thinner as they do not need to take the pressure of a bead as a clincher tyre/wheel. They are generally lighter, roll smoother and when deflating after a puncture are more stable and you tend to be able to ride on them, though not hard into a corner or they will role off the rim. Can be quite expensive to buy, plus you need glue etc and takes a bit of practice to get use to fitting them.

Tubeless tyres are similar to clincher's but as the name states they do not need a tyre and inner tube. They also have their own rims, but there are kits you can purchase to convert a standard clincher wheel rim to fit a tubeless system. They are slightly lighter but main advantage is they are less prone to pinch punctures as you can get in a clincher tyre where the tyre can role over & pinch the inner tube. Again you need a sealant and a bit of practice to get used to them.

Not sure what you want the wheels for unless it is an upgrade, but you might want to consider just changing the current tyre & tube to a better one than is fitted.

Monty Dog

Tubulars are high performance tyres only really suitable for racing. Good tubs cost lots of money so unless you're flush, best to keep them as a pair of race-only wheels.
Tubeless are a type of clincher where a specially-designed rim and tyre interlock to create an airtight seal. Whilst it's possible to convert some normal HP rims as tubeless, you can only use tubeless tyres with higher pressures (>40psi)as regular tyre beads aren't designed to take the strain. No inner tube reduces rolling resistance plus you can use a liquid sealant which helps with puncture protection. Tubeless tyre choice is pretty limited at present.

skyd0g

If you need to ask the question, then the simple answer is 'clinchers'.

...unless you have a support vehicle following you with spare wheels.

davidmiddleton

Cheers guys, thanks for clarifying that, helped a lot.

I think what I'll do is get a new set of all weather/hard-case Bontrager clinchers for the rest of the winter to help get me started and give me a spare. From there I'll see how I'm getting on with the wheels in the summer and if I'm entering any races by then. The guy at my LBS said it would be the best upgrade for the Madone as it's the only area that's really been compromised at that price (carbon fibre frame & Ultegra component set).

I like the look of the Shimano 6700's. But probably not completely necessary!!

simon_masterson

You could do better than the Ultegra wheelset. A set of handbuilt wheels would be the obvious choice.

Don't worry about adequacy (tyre type or wheel) for racing though; people in low level races win on cheap aluminium with clinchers and expensive carbon with tubs alike. If anything you might want to be concerned about the possibility of your bike being written off by some idiot(s) misjudging a bend!

davidmiddleton

Simon Masterson wrote:

You could do better than the Ultegra wheelset. A set of handbuilt wheels would be the obvious choice.

Don't worry about adequacy (tyre type or wheel) for racing though; people in low level races win on cheap aluminium with clinchers and expensive carbon with tubs alike. If anything you might want to be concerned about the possibility of your bike being written off by some idiot(s) misjudging a bend!

I've seen a guy mentioned on the forum a few times regarding custom built wheels, so that could be the way forward. Like I send I've only just splashed the cash on the bike so wont be upgrading the wheels just yet but something I'm already looking into. I will order some new tyres over the weekend though, not having a spare isn't very sensible.

Just need to get out, train and get comfortable, enter a couple of races and see if any upgrades are beneficial from there on.

I'm loving it all already!