Tubular Tires or Not?

Tubular tires are really no harder to deal with than clinchers, and maybe easier! Once you learn how to deal with them! They are easily lighter than clincher/tube combos by 30+gms. Our experience is less flats and a smoother ride than with clinchers, although not all agree. After practice, you can change a tubular and re-inflate it with CO2 in about a minute. Try that with your clincher wheels!

1. Do not listen to road bike ”experts” and most bike shops about mounting your tubular tires if you are a triathlete or just do time trials …IF you follow the most common set of instructions, you will likely not be able to get the tire off the rim if you have a flat! Coat the glue strip on the tire except about a 10 cm space directly opposite the valve, likewise for the rim. Wait till they are dry to the touch then mount the tire on the rim, inflate. If this is the first time the rim has had glue applied to it, wait at least 6 hrs before riding. We have over 1000 mi of race and pre-race riding with this method, and have never had a tire roll off the rim. This method should not be used for criterium racing!

2. Carry a pre-glued spare with you, BUT put small ½" wide strips of the stiff, clear plastic cut from report covers to protect the glue before folding the tire up to stow behind your seat.

3. Always use a used tubular for your spare, and always check and reapply cement to spares and mounted tubular tires at least yearly. The used tubular will stretch just a little from being on the rim, making it much, much easier to mount with your bare hands on the road.

4. Tubulars are more expensive than clincher tires and inner-tubes. No question about that for high end racing gear. However, the inexpensive tubulars sold by Performance Bike such as the Continental Giro and Vittoria Rally provide an excellent cost competitive source of tubulars. These sell for $20-$25 each. Since a tube costs $5 - $7 and good clincher tires are $35 - $50, there really is not much of a price differential.

5. Tubular tire/tube combos are also called “sew-ups”

6. If you travel outside the USA to ride and/or race, and if you use 650 wheels you should always carry plenty of spares with you as the only tubulars, clincher tires, spokes, and inner tubes generally available overseas are for 700C wheels. We rode in Spain out of Hotel Giverola in 2005. In April and May, this place on the NE coast is almost exclusively devoted to cycling. There were about 350 bikes in the parking garage (and no cars). There was not a single 650 wheel in the whole lot. The bike mechanics on duty confirmed this fact. SO if you want to travel and ride in Europe, better to go with 700 wheels. However, in Europe, you are more likely to find a tubular tire for sale in a small city bike shop than in the 'ol USA. Small town USA is almost exclusively clincher tires and inner tubes.

The following chart is informative as it dispels some myths and confirms some facts about the difference in these two types of bicycle tire/tube combinations.

Sample Size Mean (miles) Confidence Interval of Mean (miles)

Do tubular tires last longer than clinchers? (Wornout and Mishaps) - It looks like tubular tires last longer.
Tubulars 59 1143 { 586., 1701.}
Clinchers 389 754 { 638., 869.}

Do clinchers get more pinch flats than tubulars? - Sample size is too small yet to draw any conclusions.
Tubulars 2 124 { 124., 124.}
Clinchers 32 657 { 328., 986.}

Do tubulars have more miles between mishaps than clinchers? (not wornout) - It looks like tubulars have fewer mishaps than clinchers. You might want to select your favorite brands and models and see if that makes any difference.
Tubulars 38 2643 { 1248., 4038.}
Clinchers 324 585 { 489., 681.}

Do clincher tires wear longer than tubulers? (Wornout) - It looks like they do.
Tubulars 21 1143 { 586., 1701.}
Clinchers 66 1574 { 1123., 2026.}

Do front tires last longer than rear? (All mishaps) - Front tires seem to last a little longer than rear. This could be because front times wear longer than rear but they both have about the same number of non-wear mishaps.
Tubulars 341 789 { 658., 919.}
Clinchers 108 852 { 542., 1162.}

Do front tires wear longer than rear? (Wornout) - Front tires wear longer than rear tires by about 2 to 1.
Tubulars 71 1554 { 1108., 2001.}
Clinchers 16 3065 { 1401., 4729.}

Do front tires have more mishaps (other than wear) than rear? - No, both seem to have the same number of mishaps.
Tubulars 271 586 { 480., 691.}
Clinchers 92 467 { 322., 612.}

 

 
   
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