Veloflex Criteriums... only for tubular lovers

[terrytnt]

Quick question for those of you who ride Veloflex Criteriums or Carbons. The new Veloflexs I got over the winter months NOW show inflation ranges from 7-10 bars.

That's quite a wide range and I was curious where most of you inflate your tubulars along with your rationale? For instance, do you keep them in the 7-8 range for comfort or inflate at the higher end 9-10 for better rolling resistance?

thanks guys... man was it terrific today in the NE for riding this morning! :banana:

[saab2000]

8 Bars

Best tubular tires ever. Period. Well, 'cept the old CXs which were the same I guess.

I don't think much is to be gained by pumping them up to 10 bars. Except a hard ride.

[Jack Brunk]

I run 100-115 psi in both the crits and the carbons. I like the ride quality of the carbons much better than the crits.

[saab2000]

I have only one Carbon and got it by accident. Not arguing with Jack, but I have not been able to feel the difference.

I can imagine the sidewall of the Carbon model being less susceptible to latex rot than the Criterium model.

Anyway, I run 8 bars, which comes to about 110-115 PSI.

BTW, did I mention that these tubulars are the best ever? Seriously folks. Those who don't ride tubulars need to get a good set of tubular wheels and try some. You'll never look at good clinchers the same way again. Because at the end of the day, compared to good wheels with Veloflex tubulars, "good clinchers" is an oxymoron.

[Too Tall]

I use them for crits and sometimes on the track...altho I regret that as they literally spit rubber.

The crits are sensitive to pressure to say they require fiddling to find the right pressure for what you are doing. For crits I've found that more than 115 psi is harsh. The grip and ride quality is the bestest :)

[justinf]

8 bars here too on the Carbons.

Although, I gotta say I like my Pro Race 25s equally, or certainly close enough. Heresy!

[BoulderGeek]

I used to use Vittoria cotton cased tubulars on my Wolber Super Champion rim and Weinmann large flange hubs.

I hated tubulars. Just detested Tubasti, trying to repair punctures (as a kid who couldn't afford to just throw the tire away after a puncture), the whole ordeal just sucked.

And I never bought the whole "tubulars ride so much better" mystique. I don't know, perhaps I was never sophisticated enough to tell the difference, or the roads I was on were just too bad off. But, I can't detect a discernible difference from good clinchers.


I know , I'm a Luddite, a neophyte and a Philistine. Totally against the grain of the common wisdom. "They" have been saying that tubulars rule for the last thirty years, and I need to accept it.

But, I don't.

[Blastinbob]

While I had them I ran 120-130, which was good for me. I'm about 25lbs heavier then Jack.

[djg]

I used to use Vittoria cotton cased tubulars on my Wolber Super Champion rim and Weinmann large flange hubs.

I hated tubulars. Just detested Tubasti, trying to repair punctures (as a kid who couldn't afford to just throw the tire away after a puncture), the whole ordeal just sucked.

And I never bought the whole "tubulars ride so much better" mystique. I don't know, perhaps I was never sophisticated enough to tell the difference, or the roads I was on were just too bad off. But, I can't detect a discernible difference from good clinchers.


I know , I'm a Luddite, a neophyte and a Philistine. Totally against the grain of the common wisdom. "They" have been saying that tubulars rule for the last thirty years, and I need to accept it.

But, I don't.

Now this I really don't get at all. Clinchers have come a long way over the last decade and the best of them are really pretty good. Unlike another poster here, I prefer Veloflex crits hands down over Michelin Pro Race clinchers (which I've tried in 23 and 25). Basically, I just prefer good tubular tires. Still, I think that the Michelins are actually pretty good tires and that they're not the only ones. I can understand why folks who don't want to bother with tubular tires (or don't want to bother under certain circumstances) are glad to ride some of what the clincher market has to offer.

But thirty years ago? In the days of those super champion rims? What the heck existed at the time, in a clincher, that you could compare to a good Vittoria tubular of the day, much less a Clement silk? I mean, I switched when I started racing around 1980. Seems like forever, but it's less than 30 years ago. At that time, I sorta thought the differences were shocking. I mean, I guess personal preferences are just that, but I thought that '80s clinchers kinda rode like rocks. To each his or her own, I guess.

The tubasti ... that, I understand (there's a reason they called it tube-nasty).

[wasfast]

I don't believe that comparing tubulars from the 70's to clinchers of that era are fair at all. I switched my training wheels to clinchers around 1978 just because of the hassle issues for regular riding. The best clincher then was the light versions Specialized came out with. From a pure performance standpoint, tubulars like Clement Criterium Seta's (250 gram) or the Seta extra's(195 grams) were night and day better.

Alot has changed since then. I only ride clinchers these days but I no longer race so there's no point for me. While the gap is probably pretty small between the 2 types, for those looking for the extra edge (feel or handling), tubulars are likely the way to go.

I really like the Veloflex Pave' clinchers. I suspect their tubulars are equal or surpass the best silks from years past.

[djg]

I don't believe that comparing tubulars from the 70's to clinchers of that era are fair at all. I switched my training wheels to clinchers around 1978 just because of the hassle issues for regular riding. The best clincher then was the light versions Specialized came out with. From a pure performance standpoint, tubulars like Clement Criterium Seta's (250 gram) or the Seta extra's(195 grams) were night and day better.

Alot has changed since then. I only ride clinchers these days but I no longer race so there's no point for me. While the gap is probably pretty small between the 2 types, for those looking for the extra edge (feel or handling), tubulars are likely the way to go.

I really like the Veloflex Pave' clinchers. I suspect their tubulars are equal or surpass the best silks from years past.

I wasn't trying to be unfair ... I just thought that the poster to which I was responding suggested that he gave up on tubulars decades ago, not noticing a qualitative difference. That seemed surprising to me because the differences I noticed back then (or after, really) were, as you say, like "night and day." Folks should ride what they like, of course.

As for the initial question, I go for about 110 psi in the criterium tires, although maybe up or down a bit according to conditions.

[terrytnt]

I had NO intention for the discussion to degrade to tubulars vs. clinchers. This was only for tubular riders... we know who we are and what it means to ride in this fashion. I've been doing it for 20 years and have NO reason to change.

Regarding my question, special THANKS for everyone's comments. The consensus appears to be 8 bar or 110-115 lbs. That's where I'm going to keep them. Only exception is on my rollers where I find that due to the very fine construction and positioning of the tire on the roller (I have TT Rollers) I must inflate on the high side 9.5 bar so as to avoid any aberrations in the tire or rim.

No big deal. Again thanks everyone.

[Mud]

We were just getting back from a wonderful ride on Ergott's finest wheels and brand new CX Tubulars. I was 200 feet from the car when I nicked a piece of metal at the front of the parking lot. It put a slash in the tire. I am sending it to FL for Ron to take a look at but I think it is a goner. Looks like this one had a life expectancy of 50 miles. :crap:

[terrytnt]

That's precisely the reason I purchased a back-up set of tubular wheels. If one goes down, I can rotate to my alternate wheel set repair my tubular at my convenience. :)

[sspielman]

I use about 100 PSI in my Criteriums most of the time. If the roads are rough surfaced, I like a little less 90 PSI or so. As others have said, you can bump up the pressure to 120 or so to decrease rolling resistance, but there seems to be diminishing returns, and above 110 or so, you lose most of the sweet ride quality that they offer...and that is borderline criminal...Veloflex is the king of tires for certain...