First time tubular rider

Dick Scruttock
Dick Scruttock Posts: 2,533
edited July 2013 in Road buying advice
Decided to listen to people on here and go for some carbon tub's instead of carbon clinchers. I dont think I will have any issue gluing them up, but I am after some advice on what tubs to go for. I was thinking of some 25mm wide ones but what brands would people recommend? They will be used occasionally but I want something thats going to be durable.

Comments

  • overlord2
    overlord2 Posts: 339
    Just bought some myself. I use them for speed so went for the Corsa evos in 21mm. If you are going for durability you probably want 25's.

    I think the tyres make a bigger difference than the wheels themselves they seem to roll without my pedalling. Sticking them on is pretty easy if you take your time and stretch the tyres for a few days before mounting, just dont do it anywhere near carpet.
  • Dick Scruttock
    Dick Scruttock Posts: 2,533
    My reasoning for the 25mm's is that I have done a lot of reading that with the newer wider rims you can get away with the wider tyre with little or no disadvantages and it improves the ride comfort slightly. If this is not the case then I would like to hear other views.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,435
    if you're running tubs for occasional use, then imho you fit tyres to enjoy the occasion, rather than stiff ones that'll ride more like clinchers (conti, tufo etc.)

    for a 25mm giving a combination of nice ride but with extra rubber for protection, consider veloflex roubaix/arenberg (the difference in name is simply sidewall colour), or vittoria pave cg (a bit lighter than the veloflex)

    not sure about vittoria, but the veloflex rubber does toughen up a bit with age, so given the choice of 2013 or earlier production, go for the earlier (year and month are printed on the basetape)

    last time i checked, bike palast were the best price for veloflex (good service, standard delivery to uk 2-3 days), i stocked up on carbons from them recently

    http://www.bike-palast.com/en/Racebike/ ... ubulars/3/

    btw veloflex tyres are repairable by hand, i've seen comments that vittoria aren't as easy since they changed how the basetape is glued, but still can be done
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Overlord2 wrote:
    Just bought some myself. I use them for speed so went for the Corsa evos in 21mm. If you are going for durability you probably want 25

    Schoolboy error - evidence demonstrates that wider tyres are faster, grip better and are more comfortable but don't let facts get in the way of your thinking. Decent tubs are from Veloflex, Vittoria and Challenge.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Mindermast
    Mindermast Posts: 124
    wider tyres are faster until you hit the wind wall. Grip is higher with lower pressure, if you ride off-road. On the road, the main factor is the material mix. If you are interested in things like rolling resistance, tyre pressure and speed and the like, you need to dig deep and read a lot. It is a very complex matter. And so far, nobody has won the Tour de France, because he used wider tyres.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Mindermast wrote:
    wider tyres are faster until you hit the wind wall. Grip is higher with lower pressure, if you ride off-road. On the road, the main factor is the material mix. If you are interested in things like rolling resistance, tyre pressure and speed and the like, you need to dig deep and read a lot. It is a very complex matter. And so far, nobody has won the Tour de France, because he used wider tyres.

    Not sure I (or maybe you) know what you're talking about. None of that makes any sense.
  • jordan_217
    jordan_217 Posts: 2,580
    I was in the same situation a few months back. I decided to go for some Conti Sprinters, why?:

    1. They aren't very expensive. If I decided that tubs weren't for me then I hadn't lost too much money. I also bought three (one spare) and with a voucher code, I paid £75 from Ribble.
    2. They are regarded a great do-it-all tyre. I use mine for racing and faster training rides, no problems so far but I haven't ridden on them when there's heavy rain. I'm more 'concenred' about the braking performance of carbon rims rather than the tyres themselves.
    3. Decent protection. I didn't want to discard using tubs because I got a p******* on my first ride and then worry about them (tubs in general) being too delicate and a PITA.

    I'm really pleased with them so far and the difference in ride between the Sprinters and GP4000S clinchers is amazing. The high end tubs must be sublime to ride on and given my initial experience I would defo consider buying some of these when the Sprinters need replacing.
    “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Monty Dog wrote:
    Overlord2 wrote:
    Just bought some myself. I use them for speed so went for the Corsa evos in 21mm. If you are going for durability you probably want 25

    Schoolboy error - evidence demonstrates that wider tyres are faster, grip better and are more comfortable .....

    I'm thinking that you might want to qualify that statement amd make it read "yesterdays evidence shows narrow tires to be the best, todays evidence shows wider tires to be the best, tomorrows evidence shows??????". On top of that some of this, so called, evidence comes from the tire manufacturers themselves. That alone should raise a few alarm bells. Or not, if you believe all you're told.
    In any case this so called width difference is 3 to 4 mm at best. Hardly the "big difference" that people seem to think it is.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Mindermast wrote:
    wider tyres are faster until you hit the wind wall.

    Are you trying to say that a rider would notice the aero difference between say a 700x22 tire and a 700x25???? That's pretty gullible thinking. :roll:
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    Continentals generally 'feel' a bit dead compared to some. I THINK it may be down to not just to the thread construction but that they don't use latex in the tube part of it (I could be wrong here, but reasons aside, they do feel a bit dead compared to other top-end Vittorias and Veloflex). This doesn't mean they're not fast though, just that they 'feel' a bit less tub-like than some others.
  • LegendLust
    LegendLust Posts: 1,022
    mfin wrote:
    Continentals generally 'feel' a bit dead compared to some. I THINK it may be down to not just to the thread construction but that they don't use latex in the tube part of it (I could be wrong here, but reasons aside, they do feel a bit dead compared to other top-end Vittorias and Veloflex). This doesn't mean they're not fast though, just that they 'feel' a bit less tub-like than some others.

    That's my experience of them. Easiest way to tell is blow up a Conti tub and a Veloflex to the same psi then check next day. Chances are the Veloflex will have lost more pressure because of the latex tubes. Always happens with mine.

    I have Conti's on my 2nd TT wheels that I use on SpoCo courses - they ride well but not as nice as the Veloflex I have on my Disc and deep front. And I always take all 4 wheels to events and pump them up to the same pressure. Next day the Veloflex are nearly flat!
  • buckles
    buckles Posts: 694
    Dugast.
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  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,172
    23-25 makes no significant difference. If you plan to repais your own tyres, bigger tyres are easier to repair than smaller ones
    left the forum March 2023
  • on-yer-bike
    on-yer-bike Posts: 2,974
    Conti Competition are durable and repairable. Vittoria Evo Corsa are nice but too delicate for the roads where I live and need to be inflated before every ride. I switched from Vittoria to Conti so that I felt I could use the wheels more often. The Vittorias might get tougher with age but Im not sure if thats an urban myth these days.
    Pegoretti
    Colnago
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  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    Tyre sealant and a superglue pen will repair most punctures without removing it from the rim. The how to is on YouTube.

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wsgHNA5Nuv ... sgHNA5Nuvw
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,435
    Conti Competition are durable and repairable. Vittoria Evo Corsa are nice but too delicate for the roads where I live and need to be inflated before every ride. I switched from Vittoria to Conti so that I felt I could use the wheels more often. The Vittorias might get tougher with age but Im not sure if thats an urban myth these days.

    one of the guys on ww did some long term durometer testing, i think these are the pertinent postings...

    http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 15#p924344
    http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 15#p924501

    essentially...
    veloflexes get tougher
    vittoria evo cx don't change, but some others do
    conti don't change

    whether it's enough of a difference to really matter i have no idea, but my older veloflexes do seem to get fewer nicks than fresh ones
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • If durability is one of your main criteria, then I'd avoid the likes of The Corsa Evo's. Lovely tubs- great feel and compliance, but the trade-off is short life span....
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    Vittorio pave and conti sprinters/gatorskins are favourites for different reasons. both are durable, one is cheaper though and suits day to day riding the other is perfect for long rides.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.