Recommended Tubulars

bobgfish

Any one have some good recommendation?

Coming from Continental GP 4000s and GP4 Seasons clinchers

Does anyone user milk in them and if so how much. Lastly glue or tape?

Thanks

DHA987S

Haven't tried tape, but many warn off it. But have yet to find any internet stories of death by tape, maybe because they can't write them....?

No milk as it can stick the inner latex tubes together in the more expensive ones. I run veloflex carbons, they are meant to be on the more fragile end of the market but are very nice to ride, but are pricey.

Continental ones run butyl tubes and aren't meant to be as nice a ride, but I haven't used them so again only going on what I have read.

foggymike

Yes to glue, no to tape. No to sealant (Carry a lightweight tub as a spare). Veloflex Carbons for feel/ride quality at a price, Conti Competitions for puncture resistance and longer life in the middle, Conti Sprinters for something tougher and cheaper. There, that saved you half an hours googling

sungod

^^^this

vittoria mastik one glue

veloflex carbons are lovely, tbh i ride them year round, can't be bothered changing over

only use sealant for repair of small punctures, 10-15ml of tufo extreme is all that is needed, a few g of dried sealant makes no difference to ride, just don't overdo it

if you do get a flat needing a patch, fit the spare and fix the flat at home, the carbons are easy to open, repair and restitch

herzog

bobgfish wrote:

...Lastly glue or tape?...

I've used both tape (Tufo) and glue (various brands) on alu and carbon rims for a few years now with no problems (warm, cold, wet, dry conditions - inc. racing). I'm sure others will come along detailing horror stories about tubs coming off the rim, but I'm yet to have any problems/meet anyone whose had a problem with tape.

bobgfish

Thanks all

I haven't used Tubulars in 25 years. Used to use glue that many years a go and swapping with a new tubular was easy. The glue was always rough enough to hold the spare quite well.

Only difference now is carbon rims and the fact that I now ride in the alps. Planning an 8000 metre climbing day and slightly worry about effect of a puncture and how well glue will hold vs tape. Hence the planning to add say 10-20ml of sealant as a safegaurd.

I'd always carry a spare tubular and depending on distance (the above ride is 320KM) maybe even two...If you can't ride and fix it yourself you don't finish. Not enough people ride tubulars to blag one of someone...

StillGoing

Veloflex Extreme all year round and Conti glue for me. Pre-glued folded Tufo spare carried just in case and sealant for any small punctures.

petemadoc

Veloflex criterium here

Sealant in the *cough* saddle bag along with a spare tub.

smoggysteve

I found Vittoria Corsa cx iii best balance of rolling resistance and puncture resisistance with Good life out of them too without being too expensive making them probably the best all round tubular tyre on the market in my eyes.

petemadoc

This looks like a good deal

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TBVICESCIS ... bular-tyre

I used the Vittoria SC last year and it punctured pretty quickly but I'm willing to give it another go, most likely just bad luck.

e999sam

It's a long time since I used tubs but I always used tape both on the road and on the track and I never had a tub roll off.

ongej

I got a pair of vittoria SC tubs (25mm) for my planet-x 50mms. They are very nice, feel great, esp when cornering. However, I had to "trim" some of the basetape around the valve area, as the valve hole on the wheel was a bit too small to accomodate the bulge in the basetape there (I figured it was safer than expanding the valve hole on the rim!). After that, it was good, but had to use Vittoria Mastik 1 glue. Conti glue didn't really work with this tubs for me (most probably my skill level being too low).

sloppyschleckonds

SmoggySteve wrote:

I found Vittoria Corsa cx iii best balance of rolling resistance and puncture resisistance with Good life out of them too without being too expensive making them probably the best all round tubular tyre on the market in my eyes.

+1

cycleclinic

vittoria Pave tubs for me nice and comfy. I have tried tape ad glue. No issues with tape but I prefer gluing as removing old tape is a right pain. I can leave the old glue on the rim.

Light weight tub as a pare means risking a puncture. I carry the same tub as is on the bike well 2 of them just in case so when the pucture happens I can just replace the tub at the roadside and leave it there and when the pucntured tub is repaired it becomes the spare. Other wise you the have to chage tubs over when you get home. I have better things to do at home.

gotwood25

I run these, http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TBVICOEVSL/vittoria-corsa-evo-slick-ii-tubular-tyre and I absolutely love them. My first foray into tubs so have nothing to compare them against but would highly recommend them.

dennisn

SmoggySteve wrote:

I found Vittoria Corsa cx iii best balance of rolling resistance and puncture resisistance with Good life out of them too without being too expensive making them probably the best all round tubular tyre on the market in my eyes.

How, exactly, did YOU measure this "rolling resistance"? Or are you simply quoting something you read somewhere? :roll:

smoggysteve

dennisn wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

I found Vittoria Corsa cx iii best balance of rolling resistance and puncture resisistance with Good life out of them too without being too expensive making them probably the best all round tubular tyre on the market in my eyes.

How, exactly, did YOU measure this "rolling resistance"? Or are you simply quoting something you read somewhere? :roll:

I have ridden lots of different tyres. clinchers and tubular. I always keep the same pressure in my tyres regardless of brand and I can tell if a tyre feels quicker than another. I can feel which ones seem grippy or slippery. After lots of years riding I have tyres I feel are better than others. Ultremo ZX clinchers and Corsa tubs. Some may have other preferences but I ride what I feel is best. and these for me are. I have used Tufo tubs which always felt sluggish and I used to love vredestein but are too flimsy for a tubular unless you are racing where a spare is always on top of a team car.

Here is your "measure" - Does it feel like I am going fast or like I am riding through treacle? Do they feel grippier in the corners? Can you feel them sliding under heavy braking or in the wet? If you ride alot you can tell the difference from a good tyre and a poor one. maybe you cant but some of us can thanks.

Velonutter

For the track I use Conti glue and will always glue on tubs for that and if I was racing, but now when I ride tubs I use Jantex Tape, I've never had a tub roll and I'm quite a quick descender, it comes off easily and leaves a nice clean rim for putting new tape on if you puncture.

I carry a spare lightweight tub if I puncture and some Pit Stop for emergency repairs, for very long rides then between a mate and I we manage and worse case Taxi!

Velonutter

BTW, for Clinchers I love the Pro 4's (Black Only), has anyone used the Michelin Pro 4 Tubulars, if they ride anything like the clinchers then they will be superb.

cycleclinic

"feeling" one tyre is quicker than another is not a controlled test. There are so many variable on the road, wind, temperature, road surface how you feel to make any comparision difficult. For example I seem to be faster on my training loop at present on Open Pave tyres than my conti gator skin hard shell tyres but is that down to the fact the training is paying off it is hard to say exactly. The difference in rolling resistance are real but I don't think I can rank tyres just by riding them on different days under different conditions. I say this as science geek. This is why the "unrealistic" tests are performed with tyres on steel rollars as that is at least a controlled comparision.

If you were to do the comparision on a tarmac ramp (-4% gradient) which is inside a hanger with no air flow and measure the distance rolled until a set low speed is reach say 5 mph without pedalling after passing the start line at a fixed speed (say5 mphthis is the hard part to acheive) then you will have a controlled test of rolling resitance. The reason why it has not been done is the practical difficulties in doing it.

There will be differeces but trying to quantify them based on feel is hard. Grip is another matter you either have confidence in ther corners and go faster through them or not that is a bit more clear cut and the GP4000s wins there for me, weather it is faster than a vittoria tub is another matter.

meesterbond

Ignoring all the x is faster than y stuff, the only comment I would make is the Conti Competitions are a right royal PITA to fit. Stretching them has no effect whatsoever and I got glue everywhere trying to seat the damn things.

Veloflex Carbons on the other hand practically fit themselves. With latex inners though, they do leak a lot more air. They seem to lose 10-20 psi overnight. No biggie but something to watch if you like to just grab the bike and head out. I don't have any sealant in the tubs as a rule, but it does work to seal small holes so I tend to carry a small container with me.

Semantik

Ok, I'll be the first one to say it...save your money, just ride with quality clinchers and latex tubes. Ride quality will be near as dammit as good as those tubs and a LOT less hassle.
I have raced on tubs and the psychological advantage may be relevant there but would never use them for training or non competitive use. BTW, if you can rip your tub off the rim easily by the roadside after a puncture then it wasn't glued on properly in the first place.
FWIW, for past 3 yrs I have used Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubs in 21mm width and have not yet experienced any problems of the deflating kind. They are not THE lightest tubs but have latex inners are 320tpi and are plenty fast enough.

smoggysteve

Semantik wrote:

Ok, I'll be the first one to say it...save your money, just ride with quality clinchers and latex tubes. Ride quality will be near as dammit as good as those tubs and a LOT less hassle.
I have raced on tubs and the psychological advantage may be relevant there but would never use them for training or non competitive use. BTW, if you can rip your tub off the rim easily by the roadside after a puncture then it wasn't glued on properly in the first place.
FWIW, for past 3 yrs I have used Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubs in 21mm width and have not yet experienced any problems of the deflating kind. They are not THE lightest tubs but have latex inners are 320tpi and are plenty fast enough.

And what do you suggest he does with his tubular rims in the mean time? Or should he go and buy some expensive carbon clinchers just to save a few quid on some tyres?

Semantik

Where does he say explicitly he has BOUGHT any carbon rims?

smoggysteve

I would think from the OPs second post where he mentions carbon rims and riding in the alps and worries of punctures NOW may have been a hint. towards the fact he has. if you really need things to ne spelled out for you thsts your problem

Semantik

SmoggySteve wrote:

I would think from the OPs second post where he mentions carbon rims and riding in the alps and worries of punctures NOW may have been a hint. towards the fact he has. if you really need things to ne spelled out for you thsts your problem

Yes, I CAN read, thank you and did in fact read his post. I interpreted it differently to you however. Neither of us can be certain he already has the wheels. Don't understand your aggressive tone at all.

smoggysteve

not been aggressive, just yet again we have a post where someone asks a question and gets a reply which offers up an answer to a question no one asked. guy asks about tubs and you go on about clinchers. Post title reads Recommended Tubulars.

cycleclinic

I quite like conti tubs but they are a pain to fit eve stretching them for 3 days barely has any effect.

Semantik

SmoggySteve wrote:

not been aggressive, guy asks about tubs and you go on about clinchers.

As you did yourself in your earlier post.

Or perhaps you'd forgotten :roll:

smoggysteve

I mentioned them in passing, I wasnt telling the op to buy them. poor effort that try again

Semantik

SmoggySteve wrote:

I mentioned them in passing, I wasnt telling the op to buy them. poor effort that try again

So you make up the rules, do you ,and we have to follow them?

Nah, I'm not in the mob, pal, though you are, it seems. So it's you that needs to follow rules, not me.

Now, go and polish all those Walt medals you're so proud of. They're nowhere near shiny enough.