Tubular Dilema

bianchibob
bianchibob Posts: 306
edited December 2015 in Road buying advice
Hi All, have just purchased a set of carbon wheels for my best summer road bike, Specialized Venge.

They are matt carbon 38 mm deep and will take either a 22 or 25 mm tubular tyre.

I intend to glue the tubs on.

All my other bikes are running Continental 4000 GP clincher tyres and I have been very happy with their grip, wear and durability.

Most of my cycling is on back roads around Hampshire so road surfaces are very variable and there is quite a lot of road debris gravel small flints etc.

I have a preference for Continental as a make but I am unsure of which type to go for. durability is a concern as is price linked to durability. From limited research I am inclined to go with Continental Sprinter tyres as they are competitively priced and seem to be reasonably durable regarding cuts and punctures.
Other Continentals are a lot more expensive but do not claim to be any more durable or puncture resistant.

Do any of you out there have experiences that can help with this decision.

Thanks

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,560
    as long as you avoid really lightweight tyres i think it's then largely down to luck

    if you want to stick with conti, the sprinters are ok, not especially supple, but the black chilli compound is grippy and they've got some protection, i think they're traditional construction so can be repaired if necessary (there is a tub gp4000 but i think the construction prevents repair)

    use vittoria mastik one glue, it's better than the conti stuff
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Conti tubs (aside from the Podium TT) are terrible and an absolute pain to mount. I'd look to Schwalbe or Vittoria and use sealant.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • use vittoria mastik one glue, it's better than the conti stuff

    The Vittoria stuff is terrible - like sticking tyres on with chewing gum! Conti stuff is much better :D
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Magic Mastik is awesome, you just need to make certain your rim is 100% clean of other glue first.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    Conti tubs are not that difficult to mount. They are harder than Vittoria or veloflex for example but they are are also more puncture resistant.

    The sprinter is a training tub for wet whether. I use the 25mm gatorskin version and while the ride is O.K grip is quite good and they are reliable over crappy roads. In the summer I competition tubs and on the TT bike I use the GP4000s tubs which have traditional construction (at least the pair I have do). I do use vittoria tubs as well (corsa CX) but given they are more prone to cutting these are nice dry day tubs only. I quite like Vittoria Pave's too and now have several Veloflex tubs (old that sungod found on a german site) but again I will not be using them until the roads are dry and alot cleaner.

    Alot of people complain about conti tubs and while I can understand that view subsribing to it would mean only using tubs on dry days or clean roads. I personally ride my tubular wheels every week come rain wind or shine so having a tub that can cope with it all is good. Conti are the only tyre manufacturer that measure up for me.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    I've used Sprinters for years for commuting, training and racing: never had a problem with mounting, punctures, grip - anything really.

    Used in the UK and Italian Abruzzo mountains, so all kinds of road surfaces.

    Very recommended for a well priced no thrills do anything tyre.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Conti tubs are not that difficult to mount. They are harder than Vittoria or veloflex for example but they are are also more puncture resistant.

    Ever mounted Sonderklasse II's? Couldn't use my hands for a week...

    Podium's are easier.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • I'd go for Sprinters for general use.
    They seem very grippy at 22C compared to my 21C Vittoria Corsa Evo 2's (seriously avoid that edition like the plague- when it's wet they slide like there's no tomorrow, and even in the dry they're not that good!) and are also tougher.

    One day I might try the new 23C corsas but I expect they'll cut up fairly quickly. I'd be loathe to pre- treat tubs with sealant in case it balls up in the tube, and as the Corsas have latex inners I would hate to think what would happen when they inevitably deflate.
  • as the Corsas have latex inners I would hate to think what would happen when they inevitably deflate.

    You pump them up again.
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    Magic Mastik is awesome, you just need to make certain your rim is 100% clean of other glue first.

    as in the new glue from Vittoria? what about a pre glued spare?
    i ve some new carbon hoops that i m going to try this stuff on.

    as for tubs, as i said in the OP's previous thread asking the same question (do you think the answers will change???) ..... get some Veloflex tubs.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,560
    edited December 2015
    Magic Mastik is awesome, you just need to make certain your rim is 100% clean of other glue first.

    as in the new glue from Vittoria? what about a pre glued spare?
    i ve some new carbon hoops that i m going to try this stuff on.

    as for tubs, as i said in the OP's previous thread asking the same question (do you think the answers will change???) ..... get some Veloflex tubs.

    i was tempted to try it, but decided to wait and see what the feedback from others was, i've gone right off the idea after seeing a couple of reports of failure after riding in the wet, using a pre-glued tub with it seems to be out as well

    http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f40/vittoria-magic-mastik-anyone-40786.html
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • What about this as an alternative?

    https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/just-in-effetto-mariposa-carogna-tubular-tape.html#ZZ4y71ROKQoPLJbF.97

    I'm going to use it. I've used tub tape for years without any problems. Less messy!
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,560
    What about this as an alternative?

    https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/just-in-effetto-mariposa-carogna-tubular-tape.html#ZZ4y71ROKQoPLJbF.97

    I'm going to use it. I've used tub tape for years without any problems. Less messy!

    for road, you get lower crr and better adhesion with glue, and after a bit of practice there shouldn't be any mess with glue

    but i vividly recall my first efforts which resulted in glue everywhere - and insane amounts of white gas to clean things up before it occurred to me that maybe i ought to move outside and away from sources of ignition :D
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Magic Mastik is awesome, you just need to make certain your rim is 100% clean of other glue first.

    as in the new glue from Vittoria? what about a pre glued spare?
    i ve some new carbon hoops that i m going to try this stuff on.

    as for tubs, as i said in the OP's previous thread asking the same question (do you think the answers will change???) ..... get some Veloflex tubs.

    i was tempted to try it, but decided to wait and see what the feedback from others was, i've gone right off the idea after seeing a couple of reports of failure after riding in the wet, using a pre-glued tub with it seems to be out as well

    http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f40/vittoria-magic-mastik-anyone-40786.html

    I’ve read that thread before…

    Firstly nowhere is it mentioned that the tyre came off in the rain. A guy in New Zealand says ‘some bloke’ had post fitting issues which may have been down to humidity but nobody is sure – sounds like a botched application job.

    Secondly there’s a guy that mentions it not working when he (stupidly) thought it was ok to apply it to old Mastik – a second botched job.

    So that’s two ‘issues’ which, when you read between the lines look like user c0ck ups.

    Grill’s used it – and I’ve just fitted two Corsa SR tubs to brand new 404’s with it and the bond is rock solid. I’m very impressed and because I use (without any issues) Tufo Extreme sealant I don’t ride with a spare tub – even on epic rides.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I always used tub tape with no problems.

    I had bad experience with the GP4000S tubs. I love the tyres and swear by them but I had two flat tubs on one ride and they aren't repairable. Id avoid.
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    Glue does not cause mess I leave the glue on theron and tub for a few hours overnight until it is dry and then mount. The bond bonstrong and there is no mess. Rush it and there is mess. The trick with tubs is prepare in advance. Keep a spare ready to mount with glue on it and then all you have to do is put a layer of glue On the rim and mount the replacement. It a tyre has air in it then you can have bad experiences. I have good experiences with GP4000s tubs and if they flat put some sealant in the tyre and watch it fix itself probably.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    What about this as an alternative?

    https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/just-in-effetto-mariposa-carogna-tubular-tape.html#ZZ4y71ROKQoPLJbF.97

    I'm going to use it. I've used tub tape for years without any problems. Less messy!

    it may be fantastic stuff but its £26 for 2 modern rims, magic mastik is about £10 or less, so a bit more than 2 tubes of mastik one.

    i dont believe vitt would release a glue that was water soluble but the issue with using a pre glued spare was some thing i emailed them about and their reply was along the lines of "we ve not tested your idea, so cannot comment if it would work or not"
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,560
    I’ve read that thread before…

    Firstly nowhere is it mentioned that the tyre came off in the rain. A guy in New Zealand says ‘some bloke’ had post fitting issues which may have been down to humidity but nobody is sure – sounds like a botched application job.

    Secondly there’s a guy that mentions it not working when he (stupidly) thought it was ok to apply it to old Mastik – a second botched job.

    So that’s two ‘issues’ which, when you read between the lines look like user c0ck ups.

    Grill’s used it – and I’ve just fitted two Corsa SR tubs to brand new 404’s with it and the bond is rock solid. I’m very impressed and because I use (without any issues) Tufo Extreme sealant I don’t ride with a spare tub – even on epic rides.

    fine, i really hope you have no problems with it, but your characterization of the vs thread seems misleading, i can't find the phrase "some bloke" anywhere in it, you ignore plenty of other valid concerns raised, 11.4 is a professional chemist, not given to posting nonsense, he's not impressed either

    aside from not being able to fit a spare, the apparent incompatibility with other glues is an issue too, i've got a bunch of repaired tubs, no intention of binning them to use an inferior glue

    there's no way i'll use the stuff, as i've also read other reports which do not inspire confidence, for instance the one on weightweenies, clean rim, applied per instructions, ridden in wet, peeled right off

    it just doesn't look as reliable as mastik one, for the sake of an extra 20 minutes gluing every few months, i'll happily stick with a well tested solution
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    The thing last summer i need to mojnt a tub quickly on a new wheel. Did it in a day by only leaving the glue to dry for a couple of hours rather overnight as i do normally. Mounted the tyre and rode in the evening the tyre was secure when attempted removal after the rkde to check if it fine to continure to use.
    I would not do that normally but it does make the magic mastik look pointless.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.