Those that have made the move from Clinchers to Tubs

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

nibby
Posts: 159
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:31 pm

by nibby

Hi everyone, sorry I know lots of posts on tubs etc but I cant find a thread specific to those that were thinking of going tubs and real world experiences if they have made the move etc.

For those people that have been thinking of going to tubs from clinchers, and have made the move, especially for things like flatting/fixing and general perceived faff of this over a normal clincher can I ask what you think?

Are you happy you did?

What’s it like compared to a clincher when you puncture?

The weight saving and what most people say is a better ride appeals over the clincher for me. Especially for the hills.

I’m about to order my first set of Tubs and whilst I wont be using them on my daily commute for example but I will want to use them for fast club rides/training/café runs etc, not racing yet but might start soon so also for that, but at the moment just for the above.

So for those that have always ridden clinchers and have moved to tubs what are your real world experiences please?

cheers

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



bikewithnoname
Posts: 1733
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:29 pm
Location: Paris

by bikewithnoname

I tend to run clinchers in London and the South East and tubs when abroad. The terrible road surfaces, broken glass and general crud on the UK’s roads does mean you tend to puncture more than riding in the Alps/Pyrenees/Vosges etc. That said I did use tubs for UK weekend rides for about 6months last year and only got one flat.

Punctures on tubs are a pain, if you’re lucky a can of Pit Stop will sort you out, if not changing the tyre (if you brought a spare) does take more time and is a lot more faff than riding clinchers. They are also expensive to replace and beyond most people’s skills to repair so a puncture ends up costing you 50quid!

The ride quality is so, so much better though, it is almost night and day to be honest.
"We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities." Oscar Wilde

nibby
Posts: 159
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:31 pm

by nibby

@bikewithnoname, cheers for input. Did or do you run Stans or similar in your tubs?

I've also seen a few vids on yt about fixing a puncture with a patch/superglue, does that work?

I know everyone is different and will all have various skill levels and "cant be ar**" levels so just looking for real world use at the moment and not what people think etc.

Interesting re ride quality.

cheers

davidalone
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:27 pm

by davidalone

You didn't search hard enough.

there are 25 pages of changing from clincher to tubular over at the 'everything wheels' subforum

viewtopic.php?f=113&t=113082

User avatar
MJB
Posts: 173
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:17 am
Location: bottom edge of Australia

by MJB

I'm a comfort seeker. All of my road riding is recreational and all done on tubular tyres.

I moved from clincher to tubular because the pressures I want to ride on attracted regular pinch flats. I tried fat clinchers with slipery latex tubes, with thick butyl tubes but they all pinch flatted on the rural roads that I ride on given the low pressures that I desire to ride with.

Tubular tyres have remedied this. I ride a variety of 24mm and 25mm tubulars on very rough textured, chip seal rural roads - after a few years I'm yet to cop a pinch flat despite accidentally pounding the front end into some pothole edges and countless chuncks of broken road shoulder.

I'm 80kg and typically inflate to 75psi up front and 85psi in the rear - quite low - but with no perceptible rolling resistance at these pressures. I prefer the way these roll compared to clinchers and i buy some of my tubulars on special from retailers like Ribble who occasionally discount tubulars to ball park prices with equivalent clinchers, so tubulars need not always be significantly more costly than clinchers to buy.

I qualify all of this by adding that over X thousands of miles riding since I returned to cycling in 2007, I am yet (touch wood) to pick up a penetration puncture. I am fortunate to ride on country roads, most of which are quiet back roads with very little puncture debris on the riding line. If I was to pick up regular / consistant penetration punctures, then I'd be thinking twice about riding all my miles on tubular tyres.

drchull
Posts: 376
Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:38 pm

by drchull

MJB, I have the exact opposite issue. When went to tubs for race wheels flatted all the time, pitstop never fixed it and ended up just adding to expense.

For training I ride wider rims (Hed Belgium) with 25C Micheline pro4SC. I run 80 psi all the time. Regular butyl tubes. Haven't had a flat in 4 years of rural roads, chip seal and some truly awful train tracks as well as tour of Flanders and Roubaix cobbles. They eat the chip seal like not even there and I am closer to 100 kg than 80.

The tubs are saved for race day and only because I have the wheels. Now I do ride my tubs harder and the wheels are stiffer so hard to compare the difference in feel.

sawyer
Posts: 4485
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 7:45 pm
Location: Natovi Landing

by sawyer

You have to accept some puncture/inconvenience risk ... pittstop + Co2 + debit card is usually enough. Next step up is spare tub.

Choose where you ride carefully and ride decent condition tyres
----------------------------------------
Stiff, Light, Aero - Pick Three!! :thumbup:

Monkeyboy3333
Posts: 632
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:41 pm

by Monkeyboy3333

I made the addition of tubs to my garage as it were a few years ago, Conti Sprinters. Ran thousands of miles around Bristol and mendips on them, on v profile planet x 50mm l tubs. I punctured for the first time 3 weeks ago due to a sharp shard of glass penetrating what's been clearly a worn out tyre that's done thousands of miles. This shard would have punctured any similar tub / clincher setup. I have always carried at spare Vittoria Rally tub. I mounted this in 10mins and inflated with a co2 cannister; it was cleaner and easier to change than a tube, tyre combo. I've since taken off the other sprinter and glued two vittoria rallys. Now I know these get bad rap, the grip is mediocre at best but the ride is far superior to the conti sprinters which ride like garden hose at the same pressures, 100-110psi for me. If money were no object I would ride Corsa tubs/veloflex tubs but I have to balance this with the normal family expenditure. If I could ride tubs all the time I would defo, I fancy some non carbon tubs with something like a Vittoria pave for the winter bike to see how those fare as I run them as clinchers on the winter Kinesis currently.

I was sceptical about tubs, I don't race and am recreational only but I love them, honestly. They feel faster, ride better and mile for mile I've had less punctures than clinchers. There's something very therapeautic about gluing them and the labour of love too. My 2p worth mate..

nibby
Posts: 159
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:31 pm

by nibby

Cracking thanks for the replies and info. I need to try them don't I. My only concern is holding up the group rides but hopefully with a mixture of some practice, sealant and a spare tub I'm covered. Anyone used the superglue and patch method to repair on the road?


Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Lafolie
Posts: 662
Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:12 pm

by Lafolie

I love tubs. Both my Lightweight wheels are tubs. Its a bit like sex with and without a condom on I feel. That's tubs v clincher. I can never get my head around why someone would spend mega $$$$$ on a wheel-set for maximum performance to stick a rubber tube in half a tyre. Just makes no sense. Tubs seem to be rounder when you spin the wheel. More comfortable and have find of a silky road feel. Better performance I feel. Here in the UK people are petrified to run tubs. But on the continent and the USA it's more accepted.

nibby
Posts: 159
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:31 pm

by nibby

Ha ha. Nice example :) - yes I know what you mean :)
Last edited by nibby on Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

nibby
Posts: 159
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:31 pm

by nibby

Sods law on after a coffee and reading the thread I punctured on the way home!! which got me thinking about tubs again in the real world, still I've 90% decided to try them so will suck it and see.

Any decent how to's online that people can recommend



Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

User avatar
53x12
Posts: 3708
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:02 am
Location: On the bike

by 53x12

I use tubulars for racing, training and just general riding around. Won't go back to clinchers. They last longer from my experience, are more flat resistant, ride nicer and overall I just prefer them.
"Marginal gains are the only gains when all that's left to gain is in the margins."

964Cup
Posts: 195
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:31 am

by 964Cup

I use tubs for everything, including commuting, apart from one bike which is on tubeless. In three years (and 21,000km), I've had four punctures that couldn't be fixed with Pitstop (actually I use a Velox equivalent which is cheaper), and three of those I fixed with tubeless sealant once I got home. The other tyre was properly wrecked, but a clincher would likely have been too.

I use Challenge Strada, Specialized S-Works Turbo, Schwalbe One, Vittoria Pave and Vittoria Corsa Evo CX across various bikes. 24c seems to me to be the magic number (the Challenge are nominally 25c but come up small). 100-ish PSI for commuting (I'm 80kg), 130 for fast rides.

Use tape (Jantex 14 is stickier than a very sticky thing) and practice changing. I can change a tub faster than I can change a clincher, allowing for proper flint checks and all (which you don't need, since you're replacing the whole tyre).

User avatar
nickf
Posts: 1427
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:34 pm

by nickf

I made the switch around 6 moths ago. So far so good. I do make sure and watch where im riding more than i did with clinchers. I have had one incident so far. Hit a glass bottle that cut clean though the sidewall and tread. I would have been screwed even if i i was on clinchers. One phone call got me home. I carry a pitstop and a CO2 with me. I also have a spare tub ill carry if im traveling. The cornering grip and ride quality is great. I run bontrager R4 25c tires. Ill never go back.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply