Tubular Tyres Puncture Resistance v Weight

bianchibob

Hi, having just bought a set of carbon tubular wheels for my Specialized Venge I am now looking to source some tubular tyres.
Almost all my riding is done in rural Hampshire and the back lanes have more than their fair share of road debris including fine gravel and flints.
I am concerned about punctures so was wondering if anyone can recommend a quality tubular tyre that is puncture resistant yet reasonably light and with good performance characteristics.

I am sure this question has been asked before but I could find very little on the search section of this forum.

sloppyschleckonds

Vittoria Corsa, pre-filled with sealant should do the trick

dastott

Continental Sprinter have served me very well. Come in both 22mm and 25m although the 25mm are harder to find. Quite cheap and very durable from my experience. Of course the 22mm is lighter.

thegreatdivide

Vitoria Corsa Elite 25mm are down to 20 quid at Planet X. At 230 tpi they're not as supple as a 320 tpi top end Corsa or a Veloflex carbon, but they're a solid choice for a best of both worlds training tyre.

trek_dan

Tufo? I'd rather carry some pit stop around then a full spare tub.

DeVlaeminck

Sealant is never 100% if you have a decent gash in the tyre though. OK a clincher will fail if the hole is big enough but a tyre boot will almost always fix that and it's usually possible to improvise if you don't carry a purpose made boot. Either carry a tub or save them for racing would be my advice.

mamba80

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19754644#p19754644]bianchibob[/url] wrote:

Hi, having just bought a set of carbon tubular wheels for my Specialized Venge I am now looking to source some tubular tyres.
Almost all my riding is done in rural Hampshire and the back lanes have more than their fair share of road debris including fine gravel and flints.
I am concerned about punctures so was wondering if anyone can recommend a quality tubular tyre that is puncture resistant yet reasonably light and with good performance characteristics.

I am sure this question has been asked before but I could find very little on the search section of this forum.

i ve ridden alot with Conti competitions with no punctures, on a variety of cornish & devon lanes and roads. i dont see the point in pre filling with sealant, as it means you cant repair or rather no one will do it for you! easier just to rip of tub and fit a spare.
Veloflex Arenburg in 25 with a V. carbon 23 on th front is a good combo but i ve only used that abroad but they dont seem to cut up, so i reckon they are good too, again no punctures.

earth

I second veloflex. The only tubular I have used is the carbon but I would recommend it because they are puncture resistant. Although I've had two punctures I could seal them both, pump the tyre to full pressure and continue to use it as normal. They don't cut and wear very slowly.

cycleclinic

I only use sealant in tubs I use regularly as the sealant will gum up the valve in the end so I want the tub to wear out before that happens.

Carry a spare tub. I always do even when I have re filled tubs. Conti comps or sprinters for training. Vittoria Pave's too for training. Vittoria corsa or veloflex for fast rides on dry roads. Use them in the wet and you will ruin them if there is sharp debris on the roads.

iron-clover

+1 for Conti Sprinters. Cheap, not that heavy and fairly tough. When I rode on them they also felt really nice- far superior to clinchers and also my Vittoria Corsa Evo II tubs, but I haven't yet tested 'normal' Corsa tubs yet.

Vittoria Corsas may feel more supple but are best for dry racing (I find they cut up quite easily) and avoid the Vittoria Corsa EVO II tyres like the plague- they really do come up narrow at 21C (Conti sprinters are 22C but come up wide) and they don't really like corners. There is a reason why they are so cheap!

There are always the Gatorskin tubs as well, but then you'd be starting to wonder why you went with tubs in the first place.