More help on tubulars...

[Loro_tomas]

Thanks for all the opinions on which wheels to get. I am going to buy the neutrons. I now need to get some nice tubbies. It is IMPOSIBLE to get them here in Costa Rica. NO ONE sells them. This is 100% clincher country. I will love to try dugast, but where can I get them? Is gommitalia any good? some help please.


Loro.

[BdaGhisallo]

Go for Veloflex. I use both the criterium and the carbon and both are very nice and quite durable. I believe they make most of the tubs used by a lot of the pro teams sponsored by tire companies that don't make tubs. Those companies simply hot-label their labels onto veloflex tubs.

[Too Tall]

Nice taste in tires my friend. Send a PM to "jerk" for Dugast. Why can't you buy the Vittoria's and Veloflex tires from mail order?

[CalfeeFly]

What do you see as the advantages/disadvantages of the carbon vs. crit? I can't decide which do get. They will be for all around riding and no racing. I like smooth rolling low resistance but still practical.

Thanks.

LON

[BdaGhisallo]

To be perfectly honest, the original reason I went with the carbons over the criteriums I had been using up to that point, was that I wanted the look of the black sidewalls!

I don't notice much of a difference in road feel between the two. If anything I prefer the tread on the crits. The carbon has raised circumferential lines/ridges that look kind of daft and likely aid traction little, while the crit has the more typical cross hatch tread.

If they made the crit in all black I would go for that - vanity is getting the better of me at this point!

[Too Tall]

I'm curious too. Based on technical info. the all black versions are identical. I can tell you from experience the crits are off the hook. Amazing grip, feel and quality. I've raced the same set of crits all last season and this season and am going to finish them off on the track! It appears the only diff. is the tread.

[Fixed]

E-bay baby.Cheers

[saab2000]

I have been riding a set of Criteriums for the past couple of months. the rear one is getting a bit thin, but so far, so good.

Like my Veloflex clinchers, the tubulars have shown themselves to be very good at not picking up grit or cutting. I have had to remove grit and tiny pieces of sand/glass/stuff from other tires FAR FAR more than from my Veloflexes.

I am not paid to say this, but I really like my Veloflex Criteriums.

I will be moving back to Washington DC soon and am worried about increased road grit out there though......

[Too Tall]

Stop the presses. Did you say you ARE moving back here fer sher? Cool. I've got a winter riding pal and I assume you ride from espresso to espresso non? I do.

Clinchers Suck.

[zap]

OT-Veloflex clinchers suck. Well, I've had bad luck with mine so far. My All Black(s) Pave clincher cuts and flats pretty fast. First "other" tire I buy and pssssssssssssssssssssssssssstttttttttttttttttttttt tt.

Now if I can just find some original Conti GP's, I'll be happy.

Probably will stick with Tufo tubulars as well. Far to reliable to switch.

saab-when your back in town, lets get together and ride or whatever. Unlike Too Tall, I don't have to wait for winter.

[saab2000]

Here's the story.

I am being "displaced" to Philly as of the first of September. That is airline lingo for not being senior enough to hold onto my current base of Chicago. We are opening up Washington National as a base starting in November.

I am planning on slowly migrating back east in a month or so, and will probably be staying initially with my brother. He lives in Arlington. I will be commuting to Philly. BTW, commuting in our world does not involve driving. I am hoping that there are a lot of flights from DCA to PHL.

Anyway, yeah, I am leaning towards DCA (Reagan National) as a base. I can still change at any time. I am very hopeful that you guys can show me the good places to ride, especially on the Maryland side. It is my goal, though, to live in or near Alexandria.

That said, I am fairly flexible. When I come out there sometime soon, I will be sure to post that I am coming and get out for a ride with you guys and also to look for an apartment.

I really want in near a Metro stop. I don't want to be car dependent. But I do wish for parking for my future Ducati!!

[CalfeeFly]

Thanks for all the opinions on the Veloflex.

Have any of you ridden both the Veloflex and Tufo? Is there a truly superior ride difference? Do the Veloflex roll better?

Thanks again.

[Too Tall]

Yes, I've used Turo Elite Road for commuting and they are a bit clunky but than again they are very durable. No comparision to Veloflex Crits infact not a fair comparision. Many of the fellers on my race team use the S3s TUFOs for criterius and RRs and love them...I have not used these.

[11.4]

For what it's worth, the Tufo Elite Road tubulars are pretty durable, but they're also one of the worst feeling tubulars around -- a tire designed by an engineer, not by a racer. The S-Lite 215 gram tire from Tufo is less expensive but a much better tire for road use, and effectively as durable. The S-3 Pro is their budget road/track training tire, but as was pointed out above, it's actually got a very nice ride, it sticks much better than the other two on track bankings, and it also lasts really well.

All of these still offer far less quality of ride than the Veloflexes. I'd say the Veloflex Criterium is head and shoulders the best ride out there (virtually on a par with the same diameter in a Dugast). The Veloflex Carbon is a bit stiffer (because the rubber coating on the sidewalls takes away a lot of the elasticity in exchange for a little more protection) but still awfully good. The Vittoria Evo CX tubular is a step down but not by much, and that's mostly because it has a better anti-puncture layer. If I'm riding where there are thorns and that kind of stuff, the Evo CX's do handle it a bit better (for glass and such, the Criteriums aren't a problem for me). I have mixed feelings about the Conti Competitions -- they actually stick to the road well and are durable, but they offer a harsher ride and I still find that their base tapes separate after a while.

All these comments have to do with 21-22 mm tires. Veloflex has a Paris Roubaix, which is about 24 mm diameter, which on rough roads or chip-seal really does a great job. Vittoria's Evo Pave tubular is heavy and clunky, but it also sticks to the road in all conditions and makes for a good winter training tire. It's overkill in racing for anything but gravel roads and serious wet cobbles. The old Pave tubulars actually had great suppleness; the new ones are pretty stiff and count on diameter and moderated inflation pressure to do their job. It's too bad they had to change a great tire like that.