Clincher vs tubular, Cycling News
Last Post 09/29/2021 03:18 PM by Orange Crush. 5 Replies.
Author Messages
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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09/29/2021 11:59 AM
Zach Nehr of Cycling News clearly didn't ride when I raced!  He sees tubulars as tires that cannot be changed on the road so flats mean wheel changes or taxi rides!  I guess he never saw those old photos of TdF racers wearing their spares like backpacks.  Or the neatly folded sewup tucked under the seat with a toestrap.  Or lived my 15 years of 2-3 bikes, no car and not a single clincher wheel.  (I commuted on sewups until 2000 because with them I knew I could always change the tire in 5 minutes.  In the rain and snow, in the dark, in bad neighborhoods.  And know that tire was good to ride immediately, even if mounted totally crooked.  See "bad neighborhoods".  Now, inebriated and after dark might take a little longer but I never had to walk.  Another blessing - no small parts to lose.  Black tire irons.)

I'm betting that author has also never seen a tube of Tubasti.  The great glue for those of us without support vans or willing spouses.  He also says that tubulars do not have tubes.  News to me.  I thought that was what I was gluing my patches to.  In fact, the name comes from them having a tube inside a tube or in fairly recent slang,"totally tubular!", shortened to just tubular.

A year ago I "Duck Duck"ed Tubasti.  Appears Velox still makes it just like it has for eons.  Same tubes, same jars.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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09/29/2021 12:33 PM
The comparison is made from a modern (current era) perspective and there isn't much wrong with it.

If someone in this day and age wants to monkey with glue on side of road, well good luck to them. Even at a racing level, sounds like DQS is pretty much full-time on clinchers. With that I think tubulars will properly become a thing of the past.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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09/29/2021 02:43 PM
Tubeless, I assume. OC our spares had enough glue on them that no additional glue was required. It’s rubber cement, apply to both surfaces, let dry before mounting. We were poor and rode cheap tires with plenty of roadside tire changes. We’d take it a bit easier but Never rolled a spare.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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09/29/2021 03:02 PM
I’ll add: tire changes took only seconds, plus pump time.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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09/29/2021 03:06 PM
No, with latex tubes and Asgreen won Flanders on them:
https://cyclingtips.com/2021/04/the-tour-of-flanders-was-won-on-tubed-clinchers/

Obviously its been Specialized pushing this transition:
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bora-hansgrohe-and-deceuninck-quickstep-looking-to-ditch-tubular-tyres-entirely/

A good friend is a top end Master's racer and he always swore by tubulars; I remember the ins and outs and sketchy moments haha.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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09/29/2021 03:18 PM
As a bit of an aside, on my gravel bike the clincher/rim combination is so perfect (both WTB) I basically do not need tire levers. Must admit that is a first though that I've encountered such as smooth combination.


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