What tubular with great puncture resistance ?

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muntos
Posts: 247
Joined: Wed May 29, 2013 5:41 pm
Location: Romania

by muntos

Hi,

I'm new to tubulars and for the beginning I'm searching for a very good puncture resistant tubular tire as I'm a little bit afraid of making flat on a tubular (or at least I want to avoid it as much as possible) with decent/good rolling resistance and weight (under 290 gr).
My choice would be 25mm wide.
At this moment I found Vittoria Pave CG, Veloflex Arenberg and Continental Gatorskin...

What are your recommendations ?
Last edited by muntos on Tue Nov 03, 2015 7:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Marin
Posts: 4035
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Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

If clinchers are an indication, anything from Conti. Ride won't be as good as the alternatives though.

My recommendation would be to use a light clincher :D

natefontaine
Posts: 249
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 3:37 am

by natefontaine

I've found the regular Sprinters to be better than gatorskins, Competition also has been doing well. I prefer the extra grip for some light service road rides with the Competition up front. I'm ~65kg, run 60f-75r on 25mm with the Sprinters and 50 mL of OrangeSeal in each tire. I just retired the rear with over 6000 km and not once did it ever go flat on a ride. The front had one puncture flat because I forgot to add sealant after 2 months of summer use, added sealant and it's still going strong after 4000 km. I've got a Corsa CXIII on the rear now, we'll see how that goes.

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kgt
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Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

Conti Sprinter gatorskin @ 25mm.
The ride quality is almost... bad but at lower pressures it's tolerable.

russianbear
Posts: 683
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:40 am

by russianbear

Vittoria Corsa Elite in a 25 perhaps? Good price, butyl tubes, decent ride according to the internets.

Spincycle
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Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2015 7:29 pm

by Spincycle

Vittoria Pave CG is a good tire

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boysa
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by boysa

kgt wrote:Conti Sprinter gatorskin @ 25mm.
The ride quality is almost... bad but at lower pressures it's tolerable.


^What he said.

They aren't the smoothest or most supple, but they are durable. I think it will also depend on what wheels you are gluing them on. I have a set of 25mm glued to some HED Belgiums and I run them 85R/70F. The ride isn't too bad at all. Since I'm putting in serious training miles, and doing a lot of interval work, it's more important to me to avoid punctures than a slight drop in ride quality (at least for this particular set-up).

FWIW, I also find the tubular version to be a much better tire than the clincher.
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

muntos
Posts: 247
Joined: Wed May 29, 2013 5:41 pm
Location: Romania

by muntos

Well I do look for a quality ride as much as possible as I understood that with Scott Foil frame the ride is quite harsh and I don't care so much for durability. The wheels will be Bontrager Aeolus 3 D3

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boysa
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by boysa

Vittoria CG are not a bad option. You won't get as many miles as the Gatorskins, but ride quality is improved. Might look for them now, though, as I'm not sure if Vittoria is continuing the model. I haven't studied their new line, so perhaps they have something replacing it...
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

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boysa
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by boysa

In addition, I have found their SR to be a nice tire. MUCH better grip than older versions, 24mm wide, decent lifespan.
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

ultyguy
Posts: 2332
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:35 pm
Location: Geneva

by ultyguy

If puncture resistance is your no 1 goal, there is only one option, Gatorskin. The other upside is that they are super grippy. The ride quality is ok as long as you're not expecting 25mm latex tube plush.


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lannes
Posts: 418
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:51 pm

by lannes

Aging will help the durability of tyre like the vittoria and challenge brands

http://www.cxmagazine.com/buying-tubula ... -explained

superdx
Posts: 524
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:27 pm

by superdx

Give Michelin Pro4 tubulars a try. The compound material is pretty much what's in the Service Course tires, and those have been consistently reviewed as having great puncture resistance along with low rolling resistance.

Conti Competitions are quite reliable but the ride is beyond harsh. I've punctured those too. After I use up my last backup tire, I will be switching permanently to Michelin.

Jmdesignz2
Posts: 272
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 2:27 am

by Jmdesignz2

I mentioned in another thread that tubular punctures can be mostly avoided by periodic brushing and inspecting tires for debris. Also being vigilant and aware of road debris :)

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mrgray
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by mrgray

in my experience veloflex and vittoria ride like pillows but offer almost zero puncture protection. but if you brush the tyres as per above and get lucky, it can work out. sealant (tufo extreme) is a must have. or improve chances of no puncture even further my sabotaging ride quality and use schwalbe ones, or sprinters etc.

and always carry sealant, a pump and a spare.
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