Clincher Tires on Tubular Wheels??

[Mr. Bloom]

My new ebay auction wheels that were billed as Clinchers...have a Tubular sticker on them. If this is a problem...I'll return them.

Does anyone know if you can put Clincher tires on Tubular wheels?

Here they are:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Bontrage-Race-X-...QQcmdZViewItem

[SadieKate]

Do you have them in hand? A clincher rim must have a hooked edge to hold the bead of the tire. See the profile in this link.
http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=583

Now look at this link. Same rim only in the tubular version.
http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=588

[Mr. Bloom]

SadieKate: they do have the "hook" implying clincher. But the tag on them says "tubular".

But get this: We bought Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX tires that are described on the box as "Open Tubular", but they're clincher tires...we even asked the LBS expert who clarified.

I wonder if there is some ambiguity evolving into the use of the word "tubular"???

[DebW]

Maybe they are compatible with the new tubular-clinchers. Those are a clincher-mounted tire that is supposed to offer the advantages of tubulars. See http://www.tufonorthamerica.com/whattype.php and http://www.tufonorthamerica.com/tiretypes.php. I've heard they are very hard to mount and generally not worth it. There are also "open tubulars" that are basically tubeless clinchers that are supposed to ride like tubulars. A rim designed for them would need to be leakproof for air, or designed to hold a leak-proof liner. I'm guessing you've got a rim designed for one of these new styles.

[Mr. SR500]

Mr. S.

They are clinchers, Bontrager's do not come as tubulars until you get into the RaceXXXLites and above, even then you can go tubular or clincher.

Vittoria Open Corsa are great tires, super ride, and decent life. Years ago, tubulars had a great advantage over clinchers in ride quality, but clincher technology (thread count, rubber compounds, flat resistance) has made them hard to beat. Tubulars are still typically lighter, but for cost and ease clinchers are the way to go.

You can't mix and match, tubulars are glued on the rim, and you know how a clincher works.

The term tubular seems very trendy now, but mostly marketing. I would stay away from tubeless tires, etc...

The new wheels look great, lets see a pic of them installed!

[OakLeaf]

Bontrager's do not come as tubulars until you get into the RaceXXXLites and above

According to their website the RaceXLites are available either way.

We're going to have to go back to saying "sew-ups."

[aicabsolut]

Open tubulars are just really soft racing tires that have the feel of tubulars (light weight, very soft, high psi usually) but they are actually clinchers (hence "open").

You cannot use a clincher tire on a tubular rim.

[Mr. SR500]

Wow, I stand corrected. Mr. S. maybe you did get tubulars?

[Mr. Bloom]

According to their website the RaceXLites are available either way.

We're going to have to go back to saying "sew-ups."

This is what has us confused...but we can't find a diagram of their profile.

But these wheels clearly have a hook...

I think we're going to simply try mounting the tires tonight. If they turn out to not be clinchers, the ebay seller is being very very flexible...he'll get great feedback regardless of how it turns out.

[Mr. Bloom]

Got the VIttoria Open Tubular clincher tires installed tonight. So, the wheels are clincher.

I think the conclusion is:

The word "Tubular" is becoming meaningless

I agree that they should start using Sewn and Glued as descriptors for truly tubular tires...

[PinkBike]

bicycle semantics (sigh)
maybe the term "tubular" now just means there's a tube inside (whether clincher or sew-up/glue-on)?
as if "clipless" wasn't a confusing enough name for a pedal that you clip into . . .

[VeloVT]

bicycle semantics (sigh)
maybe the term "tubular" now just means there's a tube inside (whether clincher or sew-up/glue-on)?
as if "clipless" wasn't a confusing enough name for a pedal that you clip into . . .

But don't tubulars **NOT** have tubes?

[DebW]

But don't tubulars **NOT** have tubes?

Tubulars do have tubes. The tube is just hidden inside the tire. To patch a tubular, you cut the stitching that holds the tire together, patch the tube, and sew the tire back together. The tubular-clinchers seem pretty close to sewups except that they mount on a clincher rim (but maybe there is no sewn seam). The open tubulars seem to have nothing in common with sewups and everything in common with clinchers.

[Kano]

all right. I love to sew, but no WAY am I going to sew tires...

Karen in Boise