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tubs or not

kurtkurt Posts: 18
hi to all
i'm toying with the idea of upgrading my wheel set to a pair of planet x 82/50's
but i've never used tubs so are a the difficult customer? eg changing a flat, breaking et
the flip side is very fast and light wheel set!
any advice/experience please!
cheers,
kurt

Comments

  • LancsRiderLancsRider Posts: 205
    I suspect that this topic has been through the forum many times, but as relativly new contributor here is my opinion to get the topic going.

    In the good old days this would have been a bit of a no brainer as tubs were the only way to go for racing as the performance of an average tubular was so much better than even the best clinchers. The truth is that whilst tubulars have improved a little with better lighter materials and the introduction of puncture resistant membranes, clinchers have improved at a far greater rate. Today the diferences in ride/race quality are a lot closer with tubulars still having a slight edge in three main areas.The first is in rotational weight which is more important than any static weight on the bike, and secondly on their ability because they are a sealed unit tubs can be inflated to higher pressures reducing rolling resistance. When it comes to wheel design it is easier to design a light weight wheel to take tubulars than it is for clinchers.

    In answering what is the best option for me it is I feel useful to work through a number of questions. As a rider have I got the skills and bottle to ride on very high pressures or will I forgoe one of the advantages of tubs in favour of feeling a bit more secure. Secondly how important is it to me to save a bit of time on the bike leg, am I really competitive and so will look for any gains. And finally will I use a set of wheels for race days only or will I want to feel their benefit whilst out training?

    In truth changing a tub is quicker than changing a clincher as long as you have previously had it on the rim before and it has got cement or adhesive tape 'already on the inside of the tub, in effect this tacky surface will mate up with the tack on the outside of the rim once you have ripped off the punctured tub. It is then a case of centering the tub and inflating with a gas canister. A puncture on a tubular should be a lot safer in that the tub shouldnt roll off the rim and so you should retain grip.

    My personal reality of tubulars is and my partner will verify this that there are many lying around the house with punctures which I have never got around to sending off in the post for repair. You can repair them yourself but this is not easy. What I am saying is that if you ride wheels with tubs a lot it can become an expensive route which may not be an issue for some. For this reson I would personally opt for clinchers knowing I would want to train on my wheels for some of the time. If however I could really afford a race only set of wheels then I would go for tubulars for thier increased performance and in the ease of changing a punture so long as the tub had been properly prepared. If I was to puncture in a race I know the next day I would be ordering a brand new tub even though the punctured one had little in the way of milage on it, I suspect this wouldn't be the case with the majority of punctures to a high quality clincher.

    Hope this helps a little with your decision making, am interested what others think.
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    I timed myself changing a tub the other and I did a complete change using the following method in 6mins 42secs...

    1) rip old tub off wheel complete with old tub tape
    2) put new tub tape on the rim
    3) put new tub on wheel
    4) check tub was even on both sides
    5) slighly inflate tub (30-50psi)
    6) remove backing tape on tub tape
    7) check tub was even on both sides again
    8) inflate tub to 140psi

    JOB DONE

    Easy peasy
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Hussler -
    I did a complete change using the following method in 6mins 42secs...
    A typo I hope
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