Clinchers or Tubulars?

[pinkychique]

Hey Ladies! I really haven't been on in a long time, last fall was an INSANE semester for me, and so I felt guilty when I would hang out online for a while, thinking I should do homework.

But I have a dilemma: I am getting race wheels sometime soon, but before I can I need to decide if I want to do clinchers or tubulars. So ladies who race, what do you ride and why? I'm racing mainly in the southwest where there are many little devils called goatheads!

Thanks for the input!

[DebW]

Hey Ladies! I really haven't been on in a long time, last fall was an INSANE semester for me, and so I felt guilty when I would hang out online for a while, thinking I should do homework.

But I have a dilemma: I am getting race wheels sometime soon, but before I can I need to decide if I want to do clinchers or tubulars. So ladies who race, what do you ride and why? I'm racing mainly in the southwest where there are many little devils called goatheads!

Thanks for the input!

If you race in really hot conditions (like Texas in the summer) there is some danger of melting glue on tubulars and hence rolling tires. I don't race, but have ridden tubular recreationally for 30 years. They have their advantages: supple, smooth rolling, less chance of pinch flats, safer if they flat. The disadvantages are mainly price and prep time (at least 24 hours for safe glue-setting). You can repair them if you like to sew, but it's quite the bother.

[smilingcat]

was going to say bit of a loaded question...

It used to be that the "performance" is better on a tubular. lower rolling resistance, smoother, better cornering, lighter...

But like DebW says, its a royal pain in the ar*e (PITA). If goathead is a problem, constant worry of flat(s), clincher may be a better bet.

I'm pretty good at fixing flats and all but its not something I look forward to doing. For that reason, actually the trouble of fixing a sew-up versus clincher, I stay with clinchers.

Clinchers I think are bit cheaper anyway.

just my 1 cent opinion (yes zen ;) )

[DebW]

was going to say bit of a loaded question...

It used to be that the "performance" is better on a tubular. lower rolling resistance, smoother, better cornering, lighter...


Yes, clinchers have improved quite alot in 30 years. Some people will still claim they prefer the performance of sew-ups, but that's an individual preference these days. Sew-ups don't necessarily flat more often than today's high performance clinchers, and you can get them with kevlar belts. But glue is messy, and stretching the tire before you mount it will challenge you in interesting ways.

[Andrea]

If you're comfortable w/the mounting process and only using them in races, go for the tubulars. If you lose a race by a wheel, you won't have an excuse other than your legs.

[Kiwi Stoker]

DH used to ride tubular clinchers (Tufo??)- tubular tyres that have the ridges to mount on clincher rims.

Rode very nice but there came a puncture in which the tyre deflated and he had to call the sag wagon (his Dad in this case). Although the tyres fold up, its definitey easier to ride with a tube and a CO2 cartridge.

He's back to clincher tyres now. I think unless you are riding at elite level and can have a spare wheel in the chase car, stick with the easier to change clinchers.

[Mr. SR500]

Tubulars seem to be very popular right now. They offer great ride, higher pressures, and a lighter weight wheel, but flatting can be a problem, and expensive. Clinchers have offer nearly as good a ride and don't break the wallet if you flat. I guess it comes down to budget and desire. Since your still in school I would lean toward clinchers.

[aicabsolut]

was going to say bit of a loaded question...

It used to be that the "performance" is better on a tubular. lower rolling resistance, smoother, better cornering, lighter...

But like DebW says, its a royal pain in the ar*e (PITA). If goathead is a problem, constant worry of flat(s), clincher may be a better bet.

I'm pretty good at fixing flats and all but its not something I look forward to doing. For that reason, actually the trouble of fixing a sew-up versus clincher, I stay with clinchers.

Clinchers I think are bit cheaper anyway.

just my 1 cent opinion (yes zen ;) )

I agree with this, but I want to add that most of the time, tubular wheels will weigh less. So if weight is a huge thing to you, then that's another factor to consider. Say you want some sweet aero carbon wheels. Clinchers are a ton of money if you get full carbon with comparable weight to tubulars. Or you can get a slightly more durable set with an aluminum rim and carbon fairing, but that tacks on a good amount of weight.

I don't want to deal with tubulars myself, and I also wanted my race wheels to be something I could train in if I wanted. So I went with an aluminum/carbon clincher.

If you're just going to race on them and weight is important, then there isn't a lot of reason not to go with tubulars unless you never want to deal with changing the tire (or paying for a shop to do it).

[Andrea]

Aica brings up a good point- if you're going to be climbing or riding in races that will include a lot of repeated coasting/accelerations (like criteriums), then the lighter tubular will almost always be superior to a heavier clincher. If you're focusing on triathalons or time trials, then you won't notice the extra rotating weight as much.

[pinkychique]

I'll basically be doing all Tri's, but there's still some pretty hilly races, so weight can be a slight issue in climbing. These wheels are going to be used exclusively for racing, and I'm leaning towards tubulars. I've never used them, and I'll get to try them before I make a definite decision either way.

Thanks for all the input!

[aicabsolut]

Actually, for tris, I'd go with clincher. In a tri, you get to fix a flat if you need. In other races, there's usually a wheel pit / wheel car where you could put a spare, but not so much in a tri. So, if you blow a tubular, you're out. If you'd just resign anyway, then that doesn't matter so much I guess, but if you'd like to take your chances with a spare tube and CO2 cartridge, then clinchers are the way to go. Plus, you will really benefit from a deep rim if not a rear disc too. So you're already looking at some weight there, but the aerodynamics will make up for it most of the time. What I mean is that they aren't really going to be much of a climbing wheelset anyway. So with that, I don't know how much you'd notice the added weight of a clincher, particularly when you're not going to be doing many accelerations along the way but rather trying to maintain a constant effort (like Andrea said).

[SheFly]

As a bigger racer (I am 5'10" and 150 lbs), I race on clinchers and do NOT have an issue with the wheel weight. And FWIW, I race road races and crits on these wheels (they are carbon Zipps, however). As others have said, for the PITA work with a tubular - stretching, gluing, etc., I wouldn't worry about it.

I have a teammate who is significantly smaller than I (108 lbs, and probably about 5'3") who I just talked out of tubulars for the same reason. The weight difference wasn't going to make that much of a difference to her, even at an elite level of racing.

If you are primarily doing tris, I would look at a clincher before a tubular.

SheFly