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I thought i’d stick with clinchers…some tubular advice neede

Sorry for the duplication if your on the BCTTT forum as well.

I’m guessing this is a topic that’s been brought up a thousand times before but looking at the Planet-X website and there selling there 50mm tubular wheels for £400. Which to me (compared to all the other wheels out there) seems like some pretty damn good value!!

It brings up a number of questions though…

1. You have to carry a spare tyre with you – which is going to weigh something…
2. I’m guessing there’s a weight saving on the clincher option (the planet-x’s weigh 1627g) Is that high?
3. Can you get the tubular tyre in a normal saddle bag?
3b. Do you need glue or tape as well. (feels like i need to take a rucksack compared to clinchers!
4. If your out and get two punctures is it a long walk home?
5. Are tubulars totally unrepairable?
6. Why are these wheels so cheap – i can only find good reviews?


Cheers guys,
Will

Comments

  • ironkavironkav Posts: 259
    Sorry to hijack. Just wanted to add another question..

    What is the story with tubular and turbo trainers... Im selling my road bike, so should I be buying a spare wheel just for turbo training?
  • agent_tiagent_ti Posts: 306
    1) Yes you do have to carry a spare tyre with you, but its only about 200g, not much in the grand scheme of things.
    2) There is usually a big weight saving with tubs as they dont have to make a nice lip on the rim for the clincher to hold onto. In terms of weight for the Planet x's it all depends on how deep they are. Obviously the deeper they are, more carbon, more weight, but more aerodynamic... For comparison, zipp 808 wheelset is about 1400g I think, so not a massive difference given the huge price saving
    3) You can't really get a tub in a normal saddle bag, I tend to either put it in a pocket if I'm training on my race wheels, or tape it to my seat post with a CO2 pump and 3mm allen key to change valve extenders in case of a flat. For IM or long distance, I have a xlab under seat thing, which has a pouch for a tub and other tools etc.
    3b) For a spare tub, you should always take an old tub that is not worn out. This means it will have a bit of glue or old tape on it, and will be stretched so you can actually get the damn thing on if you flat! Even then you don't really want to be cornering a la Tour de France style to be safe.
    4) Depends where you are compared to home. But in all fairness you flat a lot less on tubs as you dont tend to get pinch flats as there is nothing to pinch. So as long as your tyres are in good nick and youre not cycling over shards of glass you should be fine. I take 2 tubs for long races though, better to be safe than sorry.
    5) You can repair a tub, but this involves carefully undoing the stitching, taking out the inner, patching it, then sowing it up again. Some firms will do this for you, but given you tend to flat when the tyre is worn out and stuff can get through to puncture it, you're best off replacing it.
    6) End of season, new model coming out, all I can think off??


    IK - You can cycle on a turbo with tubs, though just like a normal clincher you will wear the tyre down fairly quickly. Always best using a specific turbo tyre if you are doing lots of work on the turbo, which will generally mean a new wheel ass you cant get a tub turbo tyre. But a new cheap wheel is about the same price as a new tub...
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
    Cheeers agent_ti.

    Tubs it is!
  • agent_tiagent_ti Posts: 306
    One thing I forgot to mention, which I saw Conehead had on BCTTT, was practise, practise, practise with them until you are perfectly comfortable with how much force is needed to get a new tyre onto the rim, and you know how to change them. After all, while it is possible to change a flat tub far quicker than a clincher, if you're running around like a headless chicken trying to work out what to do in a race, you will lose any time benefits of tubs straight away.

    But have fun with them! I remember the first time I used my race wheels, boy they were fast
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