I hate clinchers

[oldguy00]

Long time tubie user, less than one flat every 2 years. Decided once again to try clinchers. Nice to have the convenience of cheaper tires, easier to swap tires for races, etc.
Quick 5km test ride to make sure mounted well, no prob. Club ride today, inflated to 110, nice clean roads. Flat tire 10km in. I hate clinchers. I hate clinchers. I hate clinchers.
rant over.
:mad::banana::butt::bike:

[dave thompson]

This was the clinchers fault?

[old_fat_and_slow]

.

[oldguy00]

this was the clinchers fault?

absolutely!!! :)

[oldguy00]

Go Conti clinchers and flats will be a vague memory.

Who knows. This was a new Michelin Pro 4.

[FlashUNC]

I've had nothing but bad luck with Michelins as well. Conti have given me years of flat free riding.

[fourflys]

Who knows. This was a new Michelin Pro 4.

well if the Pro4's are anything like the Pro3's, I have no desire to try them... I LOVE my Pro2's in 25mm, so cush! I'm currently also riding a set of the newer Clement Strada LGG in 25mm and those have been great in ride and durability...

someday I might try tubies, but I'm satisfied with clinchers for now...

[AngryScientist]

the good news is a $4 tube gets you rolling again, good as new, not quite the case with the tubies.

[fourflys]

I've had nothing but bad luck with Michelins as well. Conti have given me years of flat free riding.

I did with Pro3's as well... at the shop I pimp the Vittoria Rubinos as I think they ride as well as Pro3's and are lot cheaper (and more durable) unless you find the Pro3's on sale (which we always have it seems)...

[fourflys]

the good news is a $4 tube gets you rolling again, good as new, not quite the case with the tubies.

I think that's the reason I've stayed with clinchers for now... same reason I tried speedplays and quickly went back to SPD-SLs... too high maintenance for me... I like easy and simple I guess... trust me, the equipment is NOT what's holding back... I have no problem riding slow (ref to other thread) :D

[phoenix]

[QUOTE=FlashUNC;1110808 Conti have given me years of flat free riding.[/QUOTE]

Tried and true!

[pdmtong]

Pro3/Pro4's flat easily. I havent had good luck with open corsa evo cx either.

Conti 4000s? last seemingly forever. Did gash one last summer, but that would have taken out any tire. Otherwise no flats in a loooooong time on those.

[fourflys]

Pro3/Pro4's flat easily. I havent had good luck with open corsa evo cx either.

Conti 4000s? last seemingly forever. Did gash one last summer, but that would have taken out any tire. Otherwise no flats in a loooooong time on those.


are the 4000's as narrow as the Gators? I know the 25mm Gators seemed to be closer to 23mm...

[pdmtong]

are the 4000's as narrow as the Gators? I know the 25mm Gators seemed to be closer to 23mm...

chris...not sure since never ridden the gators. only problem with the 4000s is harder and harder to get a good price on them. last big batch I bought across various bikes I was down in the $32 range now its hard to get $40-45ish....oh well thats life. Many people over inflate them. 120psi is too much. they feell better at 100-110psi...also, folks think they are toast as they square off. not true. one look at the wear indicators (two dimples) along the tread centerline and you will see you still have a loooong way to go. paul

[alancw3]

switched years ago to clinchers. past 7 years conti 4000. only one flat (staple) in 15000 miles. i'd never go back to tubies. just saying!

[Joachim]

My third day on trainng tubulars, Conti Sprinters on FIR ST120, 32h, DT Comps and I have a hard time going back to clinchers.. Except to try Campy Neutron Ultras I got yesterday.

[Fixed]

Long time tubie user, less than one flat every 2 years. Decided once again to try clinchers. Nice to have the convenience of cheaper tires, easier to swap tires for races, etc.
Quick 5km test ride to make sure mounted well, no prob. Club ride today, inflated to 110, nice clean roads. Flat tire 10km in. I hate clinchers. I hate clinchers. I hate clinchers.
rant over.
:mad::banana::butt::bike:

life is to short to ride anything other than what you love
cheers
you know that ;)

[Ken Robb]

chris......also, folks think they are toast as they square off. not true. one look at the wear indicators (two dimples) along the tread centerline and you will see you still have a loooong way to go. paul

I'm sure that's true but I don't like riding squared-off tires because they no longer roll smoothly into a lean for cornering. They resist rolling in and then as I get past the square edge they fall into more lean than I would prefer. I can anticipate this behavior and compensate for it but I lose that "swoopy flying" feeling of riding on tires with nice round profiles. This phenomenon is even more pronounced on motorcycles.

[fourflys]

life is to short to ride anything other than what you love
cheers
you know that ;)

too true... ride what makes ya happy!

[pdmtong]

I'm sure that's true but I don't like riding squared-off tires because they no longer roll smoothly into a lean for cornering. They resist rolling in and then as I get past the square edge they fall into more lean than I would prefer. I can anticipate this behavior and compensate for it but I lose that "swoopy flying" feeling of riding on tires with nice round profiles. This phenomenon is even more pronounced on motorcycles.

very true...I guess you found me out...too cheap to replace that early on.

[fogrider]

My third day on trainng tubulars, Conti Sprinters on FIR ST120, 32h, DT Comps and I have a hard time going back to clinchers.. Except to try Campy Neutron Ultras I got yesterday.

yeah, its just like crack, campy and tubies...expensive and addictive habit. and yes, live is too short not to ride what you love.

[biker72]

I've got Continental Grand Prix 4-Season tires on three bikes. The 700/25's are actually 25mm wide.

No flats no problems.

[Jaq]

It's all relative. Last few years I've had tremendous good fortune on my tubies. Now, within the last two months, I've had 4 flats. 2 were fixable with goo, 2 were irreparable and required new tires.

Luck comes and goes. The only thing I've decided to change is getting rid of CO2 for a good, small pump. CO2/Pit Stop is finite; pumps go forever.

[Louis]

I've had good luck with the Michelin Pro series and with Contis (gave them up for a while due to sidewall susceptibility to cuts, but haven't had that problem with the 4000's).

I'd bet all my $640 million lottery winnings that if you did an objective Michelin vs Conti test to see which was more likely to flat you'd find that they are identical.

[mgm777]

my two cents...

PR3s&4s - supple, grippy, cushy ride, but prone to flats, relatively speaking
Conti 4000s - stiffer ride, not as supple or grippy, but lasts forever

You can't have it all. Have to choose... better ride vs. durability.

Life is all about compromises and tradeoffs.

[oldguy00]

....
You can't have it all. Have to choose...



Sure can - tubies.. :) ;)

[azrider]

Hey oldguy.....if i were to try riding tubulars more often and carried a spare tubular with me, would i have to keep a layer of glue on that spare for it to be considered a usable replacement while on a ride?









...........serious question.

[Fixed]

Hey oldguy.....if i were to try riding tubulars more often and carried a spare tubular with me, would i have to keep a layer of glue on that spare for it to be considered a usable replacement while on a ride?









...........serious question.
use a old tub. that you know holds air and use as spare
old glue holds well enough if you are not racing
imho
cheers

[azrider]

use a old tub. that you know holds air and use as spare
old glue holds well enough if you are not racing
imho
cheers

never knew how that worked....thanks.

[oldguy00]

Hey oldguy.....if i were to try riding tubulars more often and carried a spare tubular with me, would i have to keep a layer of glue on that spare for it to be considered a usable replacement while on a ride?









...........serious question.

IMHO, no. If your spare happens to have some old glue on it, it may stick a little better, but you are gonna have some old glue on the rim anyway. Keep in mind, you are really just using the spare to finish your ride. It'll be fine, and then you replace it properly at home.

[azrider]

Keep in mind, you are really just using the spare to finish your ride

see now, not having any glue (or residual glue at best) would have my butt puckered too much to even attempt it.

[fuzzalow]

see now, not having any glue (or residual glue at best) would have my butt puckered too much to even attempt it.

No worries, tire pressure will hold it on the rim until you get home. Even if you are strafing descents on the way home, you have 2 bits to keep aware of:
- the bad news is leaning the bike over like running Parabolica on a MotoGP bike is not recommended and could roll an loosely glued tubular
- the good news is you can ride the brakes as much as you like to stay more upright and the heat is a non-issue

Either way with tubular or clincher, punctures are random events and to me, occur equally between tubs and clinchers, purely the luck of the draw. But IMO the rate of punctures increase significantly in the wet & damp so on those days I only ride clinchers so to save on the heartache.

PS Re the OP, the genesis of your distasteful experience on the clincher centers around the number 110.

[54ny77]

yep.

might as well ride a rounded 2x4.

unless the op is 250-300lbs and needs that kind of air pressure to keep from pinch flatting?

i sport, ummm, some xtra poundage and never go past 100.


PS Re the OP, the genesis of your distasteful experience on the clincher centers around the number 110.

[Peter P.]

Your problem is your tire pressure.

110psi. tires aren't going to have a chance to conform to any road imperfections or debris, including glass, greatly increasing your potential for cuts. I don't care if you pumped your tubulars to the same psi. without a problem; I truly believe overinflation is the cause of your flats.

If you can't ride lower psi. because you're a big guy or fear pinch flats, then start riding fatter tires so you can take advantage of lower pressures.

[Viper]

Your problem is your tire pressure.

110psi. tires aren't going to have a chance to conform to any road imperfections or debris, including glass, greatly increasing your potential for cuts. I don't care if you pumped your tubulars to the same psi. without a problem; I truly believe overinflation is the cause of your flats.

If you can't ride lower psi. because you're a big guy or fear pinch flats, then start riding fatter tires so you can take advantage of lower pressures.

+1/"Like"

The first tires made for bikes were wooden.
Then metal tires were the next great invention.
Clinchers versus Tubulars...clinchers were around a lot longer than 1978. I crack up when peeps who roll on frames, rims, seatposts, stems, handlebars and saddles made of carbon fiber talk about "tradition" when it comes to using tubular tires:

http://www.everybicycletire.com/Encyclopedia/History.asp

Box rim, 32 spokes, tube and tire; 99% of the cyclists out there aren't in a stage race today and won't be tomorrow.

:beer:

[beercan]

i stick with the conti 4 season or gp4000 in black, michelin tires cut up too easily and i rather not worry about my tires generally. no problems with the continentals in my book

[bironi]

Tubular tires do ride nicer. They absorb the road shock better which also allows for faster descents over crappy road service. If you have not tried them, perhaps borrow your buddy's sometime. You will notice the difference.

I ride clinchers because I lean more to the lazy side. I love the Vittoria EVO CX, but only use on dry roads and do my best to stay away from road debris. This tire even recommends avoiding gravel.

I totally agree with those who said it is all about compromises. We all make the choice based on our own criteria.:beer:

[wallymann]

Pro3/Pro4's flat easily. I havent had good luck with open corsa evo cx either.

Conti 4000s? last seemingly forever. Did gash one last summer, but that would have taken out any tire. Otherwise no flats in a loooooong time on those.

i like my vittoria evos clinchers and use them as training-tires. i didnt like the michelin pro3s, felt dead and seemed to flat easily.

for tubies i like my conti sprinters, though i'd like to try vittorias some time.

[ultraman6970]

Have not read any of the other comments but, with tubulars you can get away just fine with 25ish bucks a pop with tubulars. A 30 bucks clincher is a real POS that from staring at it, it will blow up.

With clinchers you have to spend money, and i dare to say that the good stuff starts like at 60 to 75 bucks a pop, all the other stuff is just garbage.

Another issue since you are/were tubular user, you will feel a slight difference in how the bike take the corners, handling usually gets CRAPtastic compared with tubulars.

Tubular user for years here, when i got to the US a few years ago had to start using clinchers because was the only thing available, then a few months ago just swapped 100% to tubulars, got feed up with stupid flats like you, and with the price of them. At 80 dollars a pop i can get like 4 tubulars and even have the luxury of just throw away the ones with flat right away because as you say, when u get a flat the thing is like a year old and is time to change it anyways.

Is not that I dont like clinchers, i was very happy with schwalbe but the price is just stupidly high, same with continentals, more cost efficient to use tubulars. I dont get messy or anything installing them, probably 20 years doing it helps.

[oldguy00]

I think you can get high end clinchers for good prices, around $40 each, if you order from UK.
Not sure I really agree that $25 tubies are that nice to ride.
However, I don't really care about pricing, good or bad, if I constantly have my group training rides ruined by flats. I'm OK with paying $55 - $75 for good tubies from the UK if it keeps me riding.

And to the guy who said I got a flat because I used 110 psi... Really?! Geez, I though 110 was perfectly normal in clinchers.
another guy in our club ended up in the hospital with his lower leg ripped open due to a crash when his front clincher blew off his rim. Let me guess.....user error, right? Even so, user error with tubies usually only results in a wobbly tire.. :)

Oh, come on folks, bit had been too long since we had a good tubie vs clincher thread. :banana:

[gomango]

Tip of the week. :)

Try Veloflex Master 22 clinchers.

Probably the best tubular-like "feel" I've ever had for a clincher.

Solid durability as well, and on sale for only $39 at Westernbikeworks.

http://static1.westernbikeworks.com/productimages/images450/vfmas4-1.jpg

and...

As far as tubulars go, I use these on my Extreme Power and love them.

Veloflex Criteriums.

Fabulous road feel and not so bad durability considering they are probably not designed for our pothole infested roads here in the Twin Cities.

http://static1.westernbikeworks.com/productimages/images450/vfcri-1.jpg

[terry]

i'm a tubular fan and have been for 35 years-i haven't ridden a clincher that can compare to a good tubie & i haven't tried the real expensive stuff either. years ago clement made some real nice silks and their cottons were good too. what i don't get is how many people have 4-5-6-7 or more $5K+ bikes (clincher carbon wheels make absolutely no sense to me) and bitch about the cost of tubies. flats are so infrequent, & i do 5K+ miles a year, that i just chalk it up to the cost of riding-just throw it away and put a new one one. average one & at most 2 flats a year. a good tubie will last me over 2k miles on the rear and lots more on the front. you owe it to yourself to at least try 'em.

[gomango]

i'm a tubular fan and have been for 35 years-i haven't ridden a clincher that can compare to a good tubie & i haven't tried the real expensive stuff either. years ago clement made some real nice silks and their cottons were good too. what i don't get is how many people have 4-5-6-7 or more $5K+ bikes (clincher carbon wheels make absolutely no sense to me) and bitch about the cost of tubies. flats are so infrequent, & i do 5K+ miles a year, that i just chalk it up to the cost of riding-just throw it away and put a new one one. average one & at most 2 flats a year. a good tubie will last me over 2k miles on the rear and lots more on the front. you owe it to yourself to at least try 'em.

Agreed on the cheapo tubs.

I have some nice bikes, maybe not worth $5k, but still nice.

The last thing I want to do is throw on cheap tires.

I really don't mind shelling out for an excellent tire.

[oldguy00]

i'm a tubular fan and have been for 35 years-i haven't ridden a clincher that can compare to a good tubie & i haven't tried the real expensive stuff either. years ago clement made some real nice silks and their cottons were good too. what i don't get is how many people have 4-5-6-7 or more $5K+ bikes (clincher carbon wheels make absolutely no sense to me) and bitch about the cost of tubies. flats are so infrequent, & i do 5K+ miles a year, that i just chalk it up to the cost of riding-just throw it away and put a new one one. average one & at most 2 flats a year. a good tubie will last me over 2k miles on the rear and lots more on the front. you owe it to yourself to at least try 'em.


Agree!

I've also had really good luck on veloflex carbon tubies. Surprisingly long wearing!

[oldpotatoe]

I think you can get high end clinchers for good prices, around $40 each, if you order from UK.
Not sure I really agree that $25 tubies are that nice to ride.
However, I don't really care about pricing, good or bad, if I constantly have my group training rides ruined by flats. I'm OK with paying $55 - $75 for good tubies from the UK if it keeps me riding.

And to the guy who said I got a flat because I used 110 psi... Really?! Geez, I though 110 was perfectly normal in clinchers.
another guy in our club ended up in the hospital with his lower leg ripped open due to a crash when his front clincher blew off his rim. Let me guess.....user error, right? Even so, user error with tubies usually only results in a wobbly tire.. :)

Oh, come on folks, bit had been too long since we had a good tubie vs clincher thread. :banana:

I'm with ya brother. clinchers are for nancys. I only ride clincher when it's raining cuz can't really get a wet tubular spare to stick on a wet rim.

I also 'Stans' all my tubies and clincher tubes..

[dustyrider]

What do these do to Tubies?

They are everywhere here and they certainly flat clinchers all the time!

[oldguy00]

What are the options for 25mm tubes?
I have a pair of the Vittorias, and am aware of the Conti competitions but they seem very hard to find. Does veloflex offer any of their road tubies in 25mm?

Main reason I'm wanting them is for a pair of HED C2 stingers, 23mm doesn't really fill the rim well.

[Joachim]

The 2012 Veloflex Roubaix is 25mm.

[Viper]

What do these do to Tubies?

They are everywhere here and they certainly flat clinchers all the time!

The tubies feel better as you are flatting. :)
LOL, the issue of Tubes vs Clinchers is akin to the most primal silliness...Steel vs Aluminum...Carbon vs Steel...Titanium vs Carbon and Scandium vs Boba Fett.

I rode tubes for late 80's early 90's. I rode wire bead clinchers and every clincher around. Veloflex and Vittoria have some clinchers that feel great, roll sweet, combat flats very well and look awesome, too.

The trend of 22's might make one feel Pro, but we ain't 142lbs and 25's have their role/roll.

[ultraman6970]

Years ago i was using a set of ALVAREZ (aregentinian made) tubulars in 25 mm... 320 grams i believe. i used one pair maybe 3 years in a row just for training, had to stop using them because the sides and the rubber was dried and burnt. I even used them as spare for 3 more years after than and the suckers still were able to hold air. Never a single flat on those ever.

Put them in storage in moms house and after 15 years when i went to see mom i just put air to them because were like paper dried, mom did not touch them because were mine.. :D 100 pounds and still holding just fine. Then to the trash can.

Wish that company were still in business because they made one of the best tubulars in the market IMO. The rubber was recycled from old jumbo planes wheels so the rubber was extra durable, if good for a plane in a bike was going to last forever.

I weight like 220 pounds and 19 to 22 mm are ok, I put 100 to 110 in the back and 80 in the front. When i get home i take the pressure off the tubulars until the next ride (half of the air out). That's why they last me so long. Besides the gluing, the inflation/deflation of the tubulars in a daily basis (if you ride daily) scare the guys because are just lazy, 5 extra minutes before going to ride is not waste of time specially when you are sure you are taking care of your stuff. Had a friend that in every ride back home besides taking the air out he was cleaning them with a wet rag to catch any junk that is still stuck in the rubber, personally unless were my track TT wheels with 90 grams tubulars I never did that with the wet rag.

[Jaq]

What are the options for 25mm tubes?
I have a pair of the Vittorias, and am aware of the Conti competitions but they seem very hard to find. Does veloflex offer any of their road tubies in 25mm?

Main reason I'm wanting them is for a pair of HED C2 stingers, 23mm doesn't really fill the rim well.

Tufo does the Tufo Elite Ride 25 (they also do one in 23).

[earlfoss]

I have been training on the Tufo S33PRO tires for the last few years and have been amazed at how long they last. They don't cost any more than a lower to mid range clincher. I have gotten 2 seasons out of a front mounted one, and the rears stand up to a lot of abuse. The only downside is that they don't ride like a super nice tubie should, but for training and occasional racing it's still very good.