big roubaix style tubulars [Archive]

bicycletricycle

06-02-2011, 09:17 PM

i have been riding tubulars for 5 years now on a few of my bikes. I mostly ride tufos but i have used conti sprinters and vittoria corsa cx. I have been thinking of trying some bigger comfier tubulars for the crappy new england roads i now find myself on. Something like a 700x25 or 27. Some searching has revealed these options-

Vittoria Pave Evo CG 27mm
FMB Paris Roubaix/Paris Roubaix Pro 27mm
Dugast Paris Roubaix/Paris Roubaix Silk 27mm
Challenge Parigi Roubaix 27mm
Challenge Strada 24mm
Tufo Pro Ride 25mm
Veloflex Roubaix 24mm

I am not very interested in finding the lightest tire but i am much more interested in durability, flat resistance and ride quality. I also don't really like gumwalls but i might get over that for this choice. I have been getting 3000 miles plus out of my tufos s33 tires and rarely get flats and when i do the sealant has worked super well.

Questions.

are there options left out?
does anyone have any strong feelings about any of these tires?
does anyone have a pile of these tires that they are selling for 50% off?

thanks in advance

markie

06-02-2011, 09:34 PM

I had the same dilemma. I ended up getting some diamond pattern Tufo Cyclocross tires. Mine are 32 mm, but I think this year they are only 30 mm.

They worked great, but I wore out the rear in under 2000 miles, but I guess that included a bunch of trail use and skid stops. :)

bicycletricycle

06-02-2011, 09:38 PM

i had a set of those and they wore out real quick, plus the max pressure was really low because they were built for cross use, i guess.

BillG

06-02-2011, 09:42 PM

I currently ride the FMBs on my SS. They are far and away the nicest tubies I've ever ridden. Magic double pile plush carpet. I've had no flat problems at all, but I have a friend who got some flats on his set.

markie

06-02-2011, 09:45 PM

My front one looks hardly worn. The rear is done. I thought it might have been from skidding, I guess not then.

I am sure I got 80 psi in mine which was enough on such a big tyre even with my prestigious girth. I liked them enough. was thinking about getting a new rear...

Climb01742

06-03-2011, 05:19 AM

i'm in the same boat. could our new england roads get any worse? do 27s ride that much differently than 25s? i'm not sure any of my frames could run 27s.

dancinkozmo

06-03-2011, 05:31 AM

....ive been riding vitt. paves for a few month and am very impressed...on dirt roads and rough pavement they are great, and so far seem very durable.
im using the smaller size so i imagine the 27 would be even cushier .
unfortunately , they aint cheap. i picked up a few from PBK a couple of years ago for 45 bucks apeice, theyve doubled in price since :(

merckx

06-03-2011, 05:39 AM

If you want plush, avoid Tufo. As a matter of fact, avoid Tufo all together if you ride tubs. I have found the Pave EVO is very durable and supple in the 320 tpi. I've used 24c and 27c and prefer the 24's. They roll a bit better and are supple enough.

jpw

06-03-2011, 05:49 AM

Just go for the fantasy of riding FMBs like Cancellara and Boonen.

Monsieur FMB has confirmed to me in the past that his tires are precisely the size they nominated to be. That fact is itself a good enough reason to choose them. There's no need to be concerned about whether or not they will clear the stays and fork crown.

BillG

06-03-2011, 05:51 AM

i'm in the same boat. could our new england roads get any worse? do 27s ride that much differently than 25s? i'm not sure any of my frames could run 27s.

27s do make a large difference -- or my FMBs do. When I ride my FMBs I can ignore most road conditions. On the other hand, when I ride my Big Apples I can pretty much ignore all road conditions!

happycampyer

06-03-2011, 05:59 AM

The Dugast's and FMB's are very nice and, yes, there is a difference between 25's and 27's. Note that the P-R 25's are still more plush than 25's in a standard road tire. Great for gravel roads.

jroden

06-03-2011, 06:26 AM

the 25 paves are real nice tires, I imagine the 27's would be great also. I have been using a 23 sprinter 250 with stans sealant as low as 75 psi in the spring and with the low pressure it rides nice and is an inexpensive way to go. at 75 i do not ever bottom it out on our roads, which look like post war Germany in the spring. Is there a gatorskin in 25? That's a slug of a tire, but it does hold up.

I have a set of the 25 size hutchinson tubeless waiting at the shop, I am going to set them up with the stans strips and sealant on some roval pave rims. I'm curious if they will make a nice training tire for similar usage to yours. Some of the other riders here were using them last winter for rough service training tires and found them very effective and durable.

FastVegan

06-03-2011, 06:58 AM

At PR Lars Boom rode custom Dugast 30mm castings with road tread. You should get those :D http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/photos/pro-bike-lars-booms-rabobank-giant-tcx-advanced-sl/168604

jpw

06-03-2011, 07:09 AM

At PR Lars Boom rode custom Dugast 30mm castings with road tread. You should get those :D http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/photos/pro-bike-lars-booms-rabobank-giant-tcx-advanced-sl/168604

Didn't win it though. ;) :)

What was JVS riding on?

BillG

06-03-2011, 07:12 AM

FMB PR 27s like almost every other contender (some of them rode 25s):

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/race-tech-paris-roubaix-van-summerens-winning-cervelo-r3-29858/

[and you know they really like them because they have to pay for them themselves]

FastVegan

06-03-2011, 07:14 AM

He did finish with a punctured rear tire. http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/04/bikes-and-tech/behind-the-scenes-riding-in-a-garmin-cervelo-car-during-the-2011-paris-roubaix_168422/attachment/img_0674

Boom finished with 2 full tires, just sayin

redir

06-03-2011, 07:16 AM

WOW you get 3000 miles on the Tufo's? That's impressive. I have not ridden all the tires in your list but I'll vouch for the FMB's as far as ride quality goes they ride like soft butter. BUt they do have gum walls and you won't get nearly that many miles on them.

BillG

06-03-2011, 07:16 AM

Tim Porter

06-03-2011, 07:16 AM

I have a lot of miles on FMB P-R 25s and on Vittoria Pave 24s. Both sets are on old school Nemesis rims. They both ride very smoothly, though the FMBs definitely seem cushier. I'd imagine the 27s would be like riding on marshmallows in the best possible way. The FMB 25s on my Kirk bike seem to be able to go anywhere and take wheels out of equation, in the sense that you worry about the riding and not whether your wheels can take it. Again, I haven't used the FMB or Pave 27s, but bet they'd be great. They're on my short list for a winter tire; I just have to confirm the clearances. Both tires have worn well. As expected the rears are losing their center section of tread after about a 1000 miles and the fronts still look like new. Lots of life still left in them after approx. 1000 miles. Good luck, Tim

R2D2

06-03-2011, 07:25 AM

I have been using Continental 25mm Competitons. Work very well.
They are fast enough and very durable.
I'll spring for some FMB's and try them out if and when the Continental's wear out.

bicycletricycle

06-03-2011, 07:59 AM

why always the tufo hate?

merckx

06-03-2011, 08:53 AM

why always the tufo hate?

They are not at all supple and ride accordingly. Why use tubs if they don't exhibit an improvement in ride quality?

bicycletricycle

06-03-2011, 08:58 AM

they ride pretty supple, maybe not maximum supple but i dont get flats or tears.

Fixed

06-03-2011, 09:24 AM

you will like the fatter tires the ability to ride on all road conditions is great on a bike imho
cheers

Fixed

06-03-2011, 09:26 AM

all tubs are round clinchers are not

phcollard

06-03-2011, 10:36 AM

I want large tubies as well and I came up with the same list as yours. But have you seen the price of these things! Project postponed as far as I am concerned.

Hardlyrob

06-03-2011, 10:45 AM

Vittoria Evo Pave 27 - the green ones!

I normally ride Veloflex Servicio Corsa - little tiny 19mm ones. I like the crispness in handling and the road feel. I put the Vittorias on for D2R2 - and didn't want to take them off. I've ridden all kinds of crap New England roads on them - no flats.

Cheers!

Rob

phcollard

06-03-2011, 10:46 AM

Vittoria Evo Pave 27 - the green ones!

Yes they look awesome and they must ride the same. I'd suggest a group buy :cool:

rustychain

06-04-2011, 07:16 AM

FMB's in 25 are an outstanding choice. They will handle very very bad roads yet still feel like a quality race tire. They can corner very fast BTW. Mine are mounted on Major Tom rims. I have a set of FMB 27's and frankly I have found little conditions were I need something that big. Durability is better then my 22's I assume because the wear is spread out over a larger area. I have not had a flat on any of these tires as of yet. The whole big tire thing has opened up lots of new places to ride, as I tend to avoid dirt roads when I'm on high end carbon wheels. I can also put these wheels on my cross bike (saving my even more expensive cross tires for cross).

jpw

06-04-2011, 07:52 AM

So why don't frame builders make road frames with enough stay and fork crown clearance for these fatter tires?

merckx

06-04-2011, 09:01 AM

So why don't frame builders make road frames with enough stay and fork crown clearance for these fatter tires?
They will if you ask.

jpw

06-04-2011, 09:18 AM

They will if you ask.

...but as stock.

bike22

06-04-2011, 09:29 AM

So why don't frame builders make road frames with enough stay and fork crown clearance for these fatter tires?
plenty do

off the top of my head, past and present production bikes

the steel lemonds (zurich, buenos aires, etc) could take a 28c front/rear WITH a fender
cannondale caad10 will take a 28c rear
gary fisher presido will take a 28c rear

edmoses

06-04-2011, 12:41 PM

Pinarello KOBH
Specialized Roubaix

To name another two stock bikes that take big tyres.

My Otrott wears a pair of Dugast Roubaix 27mm on Mavic Reflex/Dura Ace and it rides sooooo nice on bad (cr*p) roads. I have used these tyres/wheels on my cyclocross bike on the Paris Roubaix Audax and you can see why they are used by the quick men.

Regards,

Ed

jpw

06-04-2011, 12:49 PM

edmoses

06-04-2011, 12:57 PM

Is that the Ottrott you were waiting for the London snow to melt before taking out for its debut spin? Did you post pictures?

Yes that is the one - I need to post more pics with the big tyres to the thread - will do so in the morning.

Ed

jpw

06-04-2011, 01:11 PM

Yes that is the one - I need to post more pics with the big tyres to the thread - will do so in the morning.

Ed

Yes, that would be good. I'd like to see an Ottrott with fatties - 27mm?

Lionel

06-05-2011, 02:41 AM

If you go FMB, Dugast or Veloflex you will see a vast improvement on Tufo who have a horrible ride. If this is the only thing you have been riding you are missing out. Note that for best puncture resistance the nice tubular above need to be aged minimum 6 months. A good alternative are the green Vittoria (and yes they do exist in black too).

Climb01742

06-05-2011, 05:02 AM

Note that for best puncture resistance the nice tubular above need to be aged minimum 6 months.

just curious: how does aging a tubular help? what happens to the tire while aging? i remember reading/seeing that pro mechanics age tires for years. but i've never known why it helps. thanks!

Lionel

06-05-2011, 05:16 AM

The natural rubber gets harder with time. This helps puncture resistance a lot.

JonB

06-05-2011, 06:01 AM

tv_vt

06-06-2011, 03:29 PM

After riding 215 miles Saturday and Sunday in the Tour de Kingdom in northern Vermont, the thought of big fat tubulars sounds really nice to me! God, the roads really beat me up. Used Shimano DA7850 SL scandium wheels with Corsa CX 23c tires - maybe too much air pressure in them, though. The 700x24 Pave clinchers that were left in the garage should've been put to use. I'm thinking about rebuilding some hubs with the Hed Belgium C2 rims. Doubt I'll ever actually use 'em at this point, but a pair of 700x27 tubies would've been really nice yesterday on Day 2. My backside paid the price...

djg

06-06-2011, 07:55 PM

Folks have mentioned some good options already. For hard wearing tires that still offer good grip and a pretty good ride, Conti Competition in a 25 is worth a look. I don't know if they still offer the "pro-tec" version, but even the standard comp is a long wearing tire.

I've only had one set of the Veloflex roubaix -- nice tires for a 24 width and I wouldn't say fragile, but I don't recall thinking that they were any sturdier in construction or longer wearing than their other tires.

bicycletricycle

06-06-2011, 08:24 PM

i am going to use some other wheels and i ordered some vittoria rubino pro tech II's in 700x28. Ill save up for some vittoria paves .

teleguy57

06-07-2011, 09:15 AM

FYI, I bought a Rubino Pro 28 to get more width, and on a 19mm XR270 it measures our exactly at 25mm wide -- the same as the Rubino Pro 25 I had on before it. YYMV...

I love my Open Pave CGs (24). Just wore thru the green center tread on the rear after 2800+ miles -- and I go over 200 lbs. Just reordered from Ribble and it was <$50 per tire.

Just built up some A23s 32 3x on Ultegras, and have a pair of 32 hole Hed C2 clinchers waiting for hubs. I'm tempted to go back to tubies (last time I was on them was in the mid 80s) on some C2 tubular rims with 27mm Pave CGs. That should be one sweet ride!

oldpotatoe

06-07-2011, 06:54 PM

So why don't frame builders make road frames with enough stay and fork crown clearance for these fatter tires?

For the same reason the trekspcializedgiantcannondale on the bike shop floor has 175mm standard cranks, 53/39 and a 11-25. Cuz it ain't 'racey'!!

Fat tires are for nancy's along with reasonable gearing.