Thoughts on tubulars for a longer ride

[moose8]

I have a sweet tubular wheelset (ambrosio nemesis/king) I got here that I only ever use on shortish rides because I'm always kind of afraid of the hassle of changing the tire if it flats, as I have very limited experience with tubulars having only mounted like 3 tires myself. I'm doing a ride this weekend of a little over 130 miles and I've done the ride many times and never flatted on it with my clinchers and I'm thinking it would be even more pleasant on my tubulars. I'm using tape currently and am thinking I would bring a little stans in the event of a puncture, and then a spare tire and an extra thing of tufo tape. My tubular tires are practically brand new, so I doubt they'll flat, but my inexperience has me giving pause. But then again the only way to get experience is to actually try something.

So I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has a viewpoint on the way to go or thoughts or whatever. Does the sweet ride of the tubulars outweigh the hassle of changing the tire in a worst case scenario kind of situation?

[pbarry]

Tire changing is quicker than replacing a tube on a clincher. Bring two pre-glued spares to put your mind at ease. Depending on road conditions, you might not need one. And bring sealant. Easy peasey and worth the ride quality.

[teleguy57]

[QUOTE=moose8;1801031Does the sweet ride of the tubulars outweigh the hassle of changing the tire in a worst case scenario kind of situation?[/QUOTE]

Yes. I am exclusively on tubs except for winter riding where I want a fatter, bulletproof tire on my CX/rain/fender bike.

My experience is fewer flats on tubs than when I was on clinchers. I carry Stan's (will change that to Orange Seal based on OldPotatoe's recommendation) along with a valve core remover. With the very few flats I have over several seasons (poor QC on Challenge tubs mostly) the Stan's has gotten me home or even let me ride the tires a while more. I also carry a small flat-bladed screwdriver with the tip rounded off to use if/when I have to pry off a well-glued tub.

For belt and suspender rides I carry the sealant equip, plus two spare tubs in a Jandd Dual bag. Most of the time a single tub rides in an Arundel Tubi bag -- unused, but there just in case.

Go for the tubs, man, especially on Nemesis/Kings -- life's too short not to enjoy them!

[john903]

Hello I have ridden many long rides and mixed pavement and gravel rides on my tubulars (60-80-100mi) if anything I feel more comfortable/confident riding tubulars then clinchers. I know one of the game changers for me is/was the advent of stans or orange seal sealant. I carry a small 2oz bottle and valve core remover and have used it once on the road in no big deal. I still carry a used but good pre glued tire under the seat but have yet to use it.
Have a great day.

[rwsaunders]

If your tires don't have removable cores, then ditch the sealant and stick with a spare. You might want to transition from tape to glue at some point as glue is a little easier to deal with when changing a tire imho. Enjoy the ride!

[merckx]

In the future don't tape. Glue is a much better product for a field change. Don't be afraid of your tires. They are just tires. Enjoy them.

[lhuerta]

If you have no confidence in your equipment, then how can u enjoy your ride?...ditch the tape, learn how to glue, thus building confidence in your tires and increasing the pleasure of your ride!!!; Bontrager TLR sealant, tiny 2 oz bottle (this stuff is amazing); one pre-glued spare tubular hog-tied under my saddle; valve core remover; two CO2 cartridges; Leyzne micro pump

[oldpotatoe]

If your tires don't have removable cores, then ditch the sealant and stick with a spare. You might want to transition from tape to glue at some point as glue is a little easier to deal with when changing a tire imho. Enjoy the ride!

Or Pre treat the tubies with sealant(I like OrangeSeal) including the spare, and carry a preglued spare. Carry 2 if that will make you more comfy but I have ridden probably 10 times that 130 miles w/o a flat.

[moose8]

I'm convinced. Tubulars it is. If you see a slow dude rolling from Boston to Provincetown on Saturday on a wheels and a frame bought off the forum, say hi.

[Neil]

I used to feel the same way so I put tubs on my commuter- 120 miles per week through central London (where some areas seem to be paved with glass) will remove fear and ensure that dealing with a flat holds no fear.

That said I found that pre-treating with sealant (I used Revo) meant that the only sign I had encountered a bit of glass that had pierced the tube was a small white star of sealant on the surface of the tyre when I arrived at work.

I ran the tubs down to the cords, around 3,000 miles for a rear and twice that for a front.

[Splash]

I inserted Stan sealant in my rear tubular tire 2 years ago and still ride the same tire today. I think I inserted this sealant into this tire by mistake because the valve stem was loose at the time (I think).

Would this stan sealant impact on wheel weight and rolling momentum?

Would cold temps (between 0 and 5 deg C) impact on the fluidity of this sealant inside the tire?

How long should sealant be allowed to stay in the tire for?

Splash

[marciero]

Love it. Have been on the fence. It's been sort of addressed by teleguy andin other threads, but what about multiple flats? Two spare tubs? Is it one 2oz bottle of sealant per flat? I do a lot of long distance solo rides in remote areas. With clinchers I feel comfortable with two tubes and patch kit. Could fix ten plus flats. (I have gotten four before) I would think would need multiple bottles of sealant to be comparable. Or maybe I stick to clinchers for the solo car camping/ riding trips. I want to be able to continue the ride, not simply get me home or back to the car/campsite.

[Jeff Borisch]

Where do you find a good bottle for carrying 2oz of sealant?

The closest thing I can think of is a baby animal feeding bottle but those come with nipples.

[malcolm]

It's really not that long ago that everyone remotely serious about bikes rode tubies. Just fold one up that has been pre glued and you are good to go. Now granted I don't ride them anymore, but from what's left of my memory I always thought it was much easier to change one out than glue it up in the first place and on the side of the road maybe even easier than a clincher. As others have said bring two if it makes you worry less, but I think you are over thinking it. If you glued it up in the first place you should have no trouble changing it.

As others have mentioned now with sealant it should be even better.

[FlashUNC]

Ride them without fear.

[redir]

I never have any luck with the sealant and I've tried many different kinds. I just flatted a new tubular the other night and tried Cafe Latex to no avail, I am officially done with that messy crap. I have a box full of about 20 tires which I am sending to Tire Alert soon.

Tubulars are the best no doubt but I'll use clinchers for some rides still. Especially if they are long and have gravel and bad roads. It's much easier to cary one tube and a patch kit then two tubluars just in case and again like I said the sealant in the field sucks, I'm surprised to hear that anyone has had good results with it.

If you pretreat your tires you may be in luck if you get a flat otherwise you end up spraying the field with sealant and it gets all over your shiz. It's just not worth it to me. Been there done that. But changing a flat on the road is easy and if you have glue on your spare you would be surprised how well it sticks. You still want to take it easy in the corners but in reality you could probably rail them. I know this because I once road a bike like a maniac having forgot that I had put a spare on it the last time I used it. No problems. And when you go to remove your spare it's still very difficult provided you freshen up the spare with glue at least a couple times a year.

Use Mastik One, no better glue IMHO.

[cv1966]

Where do you find a good bottle for carrying 2oz of sealant?

The closest thing I can think of is a baby animal feeding bottle but those come with nipples.

I think you can get Stans in 2 oz bottles.

[Kirk007]

Stans and orange both come in 2 oz bottles. Orange has a little plastic tube to ease putting g it in after valve removal. Redir - have you used the liquid sealant poured in or are you referrinto the aerosoled seala ts?

[lhuerta]

Where do you find a good bottle for carrying 2oz of sealant?



The Bontrager TLR sealant comes in a tiny 2 Oz bottle....all u need is half a bottle to treat one tire. As I indicated above, this stuff is amazing...my last puncture was caused by a wire (about the thickness of a large paper clip wire) that came through top of the tire and exited through the sidewall. This stuff sealed both holes right up after pulling the wire out, and I have done another 1K miles on the tire since then. I don't pre-treat my tires but there was already sealant in the tire from my last puncture (only 1 oz) and that was sufficient to do the job. Lou

[earlfoss]

I like to train on tubulars but this area is blessed with some pretty smooth roads so I'm not too worried about flats. I don't carry a spare and I don't fool with sealant. I live dangerously!

The tires I train on are usually the FMB P-R, Vittoria Pave, and Conti Competitions. They all are pretty durable. Definitely not super light race only tires.

[moose8]

The wheels worked great through a mix of road, dirt and sand. No flats and a very comfortable ride. The tires were Schwalbe Ultremos and seem nice to me.

[thwart]

The wheels worked great through a mix of road, dirt and sand. No flats and a very comfortable ride. The tires were Schwalbe Ultremos and seem nice to me.
Not surprised. I know that many folks pooh-pooh the notion that you flat less with tubulars as an old cyclist's fairy tale, but that's certainly been my experience...

... knock on wood. :D

[fogrider]

I like to train on tubulars but this area is blessed with some pretty smooth roads so I'm not too worried about flats. I don't carry a spare and I don't fool with sealant. I live dangerously!

The tires I train on are usually the FMB P-R, Vittoria Pave, and Conti Competitions. They all are pretty durable. Definitely not super light race only tires.

ok, you live on the edge! I've been riding on tubulars for over 20 years and carry a single spare. there has been a total of three times when I've had more than one flat and had to call someone for a ride home. So, since 85% of all my rides are over three main routes with variants with lots of overlap...so I'm thinking of stashing three or four tubulars along my routes. then if I get a flat and have to mount the spare that I'm carrying, I'm going to be within a four miles of a stashed tubular!

[cv1966]

ok, you live on the edge! I've been riding on tubulars for over 20 years and carry a single spare. there has been a total of three times when I've had more than one flat and had to call someone for a ride home. So, since 85% of all my rides are over three main routes with variants with lots of overlap...so I'm thinking of stashing three or four tubulars along my routes. then if I get a flat and have to mount the spare that I'm carrying, I'm going to be within a four miles of a stashed tubular!


That is an awesome idea. Geo cache-ing spare tires.

[teleguy57]

That is an awesome idea. Geo cache-ing spare tires.


Think of the possibilities. Include a CO2 cartridge with the tire. Set up a subscription service where you pay to have access to a spare on the road, and download coordinates to your Garmin. Auto alerts when a tire is used and the srevice replaces within a specified window. Users have to scan box to get access to the tire, and their pre-registered credit card is charged for the tire....

ah, the possibilties..... :)

[Ralph]

Long ride as in a long one day ride? Or several day ride?

Like most on here, I'm a fan of tubulars for hi performance riding. And to me.....changing one on side of road is a piece of cake....assuming I have a tire to put on.

But for long rides, especially if I'm away from my garage (my shop), or out of town, etc, I prefer clinchers. No real performance difference at touring speeds, and far less hassle, more reliability, easier to fix, and more likely to find a tube than a tubular tire, at a bike shop along the way. I "get" tubulars, been riding them since 1973, but for everyday riding, I'm long past wanting to fool with them. You younger guys haven't got to that point yet.

[merlinmurph]

Sounds like Cape in a Day. You had gorgeous weather to do it this weekend.
Glad it worked out.

[hida yanra]

Ride them without fear.

bang on.
I ride them for all my long rides - even ones in the middle of nowhere w/ no cell service or hope of rescue.

[Anarchist]

My commuter and around town bike has tubulars. Last two sets of tires have gone to the cords without ever flatting.

[moose8]

Sounds like Cape in a Day. You had gorgeous weather to do it this weekend.
Glad it worked out.

The weather was amazing. We rode from the South End to Provincetown. Then we had beer. And a boat ride. It pretty much captured most of what I like about life.

[onomic]

This may be a stupid question, but after a tire swap on the road with a preglued spare how likely is it to roll off the rim with hard cornering? I live in CO with lots of twisting descents and I've always been held back by the thought of a spare rolling off the rim in a switchback. Is this just fearful ignorance or should you slow down a bit when riding a preglued spare? Thoughts?

[oldpotatoe]

This may be a stupid question, but after a tire swap on the road with a preglued spare how likely is it to roll off the rim with hard cornering? I live in CO with lots of twisting descents and I've always been held back by the thought of a spare rolling off the rim in a switchback. Is this just fearful ignorance or should you slow down a bit when riding a preglued spare? Thoughts?

It'll get ya home but it's not glued like you would(hopefully) at home but sure, take it easy. Why wouldn't you? Not racing.

[onomic]

Thanks for the thought, I think I'm going to dust off my old 330's and take them for a spin. I do love the way they ride and lately I agree with the statement that life's too short... I'm not a racer so why hurry, good point. I have a speed problem but I think I can keep it in check when running a spare.

[shovelhd]

Don't corner hard.

My training clincher rear has a slow leak so I threw on the Stinger 3's for today's ride. There is simply nothing like riding a light high quality tubular wheel. The aero is a bonus.

[happycampyer]

Think of the possibilities. Include a CO2 cartridge with the tire. Set up a subscription service where you pay to have access to a spare on the road, and download coordinates to your Garmin. Auto alerts when a tire is used and the srevice replaces within a specified window. Users have to scan box to get access to the tire, and their pre-registered credit card is charged for the tire....

ah, the possibilties..... :)maybe call the company Tuber

[fogrider]

It'll get ya home but it's not glued like you would(hopefully) at home but sure, take it easy. Why wouldn't you? Not racing.

Yeah, take it easy. but glue is only part of what is keeping the tire on, 100 psi of pressure goes a long ways in keeping the tire on.

[fogrider]

Think of the possibilities. Include a CO2 cartridge with the tire. Set up a subscription service where you pay to have access to a spare on the road, and download coordinates to your Garmin. Auto alerts when a tire is used and the srevice replaces within a specified window. Users have to scan box to get access to the tire, and their pre-registered credit card is charged for the tire....

ah, the possibilties..... :)

so how much would folks pay, $5.00 per month? $10 a month seems high. even $5 a month would be $60 a year. but if you use one a year, it may be a deal.

[happycampyer]

Better yet, instead of stashing spares have a drone drop it off, or just have a drone follow you around with a spare.

[reggiebaseball]

Better yet, instead of stashing spares have a drone drop it off, or just have a drone follow you around with a spare.

You calling my wife a drone?

[teleguy57]

so how much would folks pay, $5.00 per month? $10 a month seems high. even $5 a month would be $60 a year. but if you use one a year, it may be a deal.

Better yet, instead of stashing spares have a drone drop it off, or just have a drone follow you around with a spare.

And I thought I had too much time on my hands when I did my original post... :)

[happycampyer]

You calling my wife a drone?

[x] like

[Tony]

Those that use sealant in their tubs, do you just keep adding sealant as the old dries out? Depending on conditions three oz of Orangeseal dries out in my 27.5s (650b) X 2.2 in three months or less.
Removing the old dried sealant from the tire ( tire inverted, sealant pulled off as a sheet of rubber) and rolling it up to the size of a golf ball, weight maybe 30+ grams. Say two oz of dried sealant weighs 20+ grams, over nine months, two more applications of sealant and you've added 120+ grams to your tires rotational weight that can't be removed. That's like having an extra latex tube in your tires. Also, if your not riding and bike is sitting the sealant dry's much thicker on the bottom, making for a unbalanced wheel.

[fogrider]

Those that use sealant in their tubs, do you just keep adding sealant as the old dries out? Depending on conditions three oz of Orangeseal dries out in my 27.5s (650b) X 2.2 in three months or less.
Removing the old dried sealant from the tire ( tire inverted, sealant pulled off as a sheet of rubber) and rolling it up to the size of a golf ball, weight maybe 30+ grams. Say two oz of dried sealant weighs 20+ grams, over nine months, two more applications of sealant and you've added 120+ grams to your tires rotational weight that can't be removed. That's like having an extra latex tube in your tires. Also, if your not riding and bike is sitting the sealant dry's much thicker on the bottom, making for a unbalanced wheel.

this is why I don't run sealant in the tire...you can carry it with you, but using the sealant on the road is a pain.

Today was hot! and I needed tow water bottles, been testing a new way to carry the spare: https://instagram.com/wmlarch/

[Scuzzer]

you can carry it with you, but using the sealant on the road is a pain.https://instagram.com/wmlarch/

I've never found the small bottles of Stans to be a pain to use. You gotta shake them up really well before using, the first time I did it I didn't shake it up and put everything but the rubber bits in the tube, it didn't work. Other than that, rotate the core to 7 o'clock, squeeze the contents in, pump it up a bit to find where the stans is leaking out and put that spot at 6 o'clock to let it do it's job. Once the sealant stops coming out pump the tire up to pressure and go. Wheel doesn't even leave the bike and it only takes a couple of minutes. Usually takes longer to find the valve remover than the rest of the process.

I flat so infrequently that I don't put sealant in until it's needed.

[Neil]

Had a flat today, stripped the tub off and got a new one on and inflated in less time than another guy took changing his inner tube.

Tub success!

[ntb1001]

I just started riding clinchers again...2 flats out if last 3 rides. When I ride tubulars, I never got flats..I can't even remember last time. I'm a little frustrated at this point.

[beeemmjay]

hit those tubulars heavy!
grab a vittoria pit stop and stash it in your jersey.
lower psi, higher comfort, fewer flats all the way!