Discussion
I've been thinking about new lightweight road wheels for a while, and most of the ones that I prefer are generally tubs rather than clinchers. I've been riding on the road for nigh on 20 years but never used tubs so am unsure of their benefits and worry about what happens when you get a puncture.
Does anyone have any experience or tips that may assist my decision?
Ta.
Does anyone have any experience or tips that may assist my decision?
Ta.
Advantages are lower weight (rims and tyres) and better ride for a given profile and PSI than clinchers as there is more give in the sidewalls so narrow profile tubs tend to feel a little more supple & less draggy on harsh roads.
Problem is the expense/inconvenience when you puncture as you have to peel away the backing tape and unstitch the carcass, repair the puncture then restitch and re-glue the backing tape & reglue the tub to the rim. Changing to your spare tub when out on the road is quick & easy though (so long as there is still a little tub glue on the tub and/or rim) there used to be a couple of firms in the back of cycling weekly who would repair your tubs by return post for a very reasonable amount.
More expensive & less convenient but lighter and feel nicer to ride. Good option for your best competition wheels.
Problem is the expense/inconvenience when you puncture as you have to peel away the backing tape and unstitch the carcass, repair the puncture then restitch and re-glue the backing tape & reglue the tub to the rim. Changing to your spare tub when out on the road is quick & easy though (so long as there is still a little tub glue on the tub and/or rim) there used to be a couple of firms in the back of cycling weekly who would repair your tubs by return post for a very reasonable amount.
More expensive & less convenient but lighter and feel nicer to ride. Good option for your best competition wheels.
Your other option is to go tubeless on the Shimano Dura Ace tubeless wheelset. They are meant to give the advantages of a tubular ride but with some sealant goo inside you can reinflate from apuncture and it is supposed to reseal easily. If you get a big hole you can of course remove the valve and slip an inner tube in there and carry on as if it were a normal clincher.
I've not used tubeless myself and whilst it's been around on MTBs for a while it's relatively recent for the road. Perhaps MTB riding PH'ers can talk more to experiences using tubeless.
I've not used tubeless myself and whilst it's been around on MTBs for a while it's relatively recent for the road. Perhaps MTB riding PH'ers can talk more to experiences using tubeless.
Rich_W said:
Justayellowbadge said:
To date, all the punctures I've had on the road bike have been of the pinch variety, which I presume don't affect tubs.
Pinch punctures are 99% of the time due to underinflation.Have learnt the points to avoid on my route now.
markcp said:
I've been thinking about new lightweight road wheels for a while, and most of the ones that I prefer are generally tubs rather than clinchers. I've been riding on the road for nigh on 20 years but never used tubs so am unsure of their benefits and worry about what happens when you get a puncture.
Does anyone have any experience or tips that may assist my decision?
Ta.
I've ridden tubs for years now as I prefer the ride quality. Generally speaking, the wheel/tub combo is lighter than the equivalent price clincher as well, but that's not my primary reason.Does anyone have any experience or tips that may assist my decision?
Ta.
Good:
Ride quality, weight, easy to change on the road when they puncture as you take a spare. And reliability, I have fewer punctures on tubs than clinchers and I'm such an anorak that I actually logged mileage/punctures to find out.
Bad :
A new set of skills required to handle them and often that appears complex if you're used to clinchers. Once punctured, repairs take longer and aren't roadside jobs. Expense - on the face of it more expensive but personally I end up spending more on clincher tyres than I do on tubs.
If not glued on properly they can rotate on the rim under heavy braking. I'm talking mountain descents here & not normal UK racing/riding. When I've experienced it, it's been over several days riding and very easy to spot.
Tubs are certainly old school and the general PR is all clinchers, but if they are so outdated, why do the majority of Tour riders use them ?
I use tubs on my 'race' bike because the only aero wheels I could afford are for tubs.
Once you have demystified the art of changing them then the only real concern is multiple flats on longer rides: Tufo make some that fold up small enough to carry a couple on the bike if you want to - and they're not massivly heavier than spare tubes would be.
I had a huge delay on the L2B beacuse of a flat, but that was down to my reluctance to start taking an apparently perfectly servicable tyre off the rim before I checked the valve - and I had left behind the spare valve core that I usually carry: once I'd figured out that the valve was fine and that the problem lay with the tyre I changed it for my spare in a few minutes.
There's a lot to be said for triathlon tyres, which, in theory, combine race weight rubber with training tyre levels of puncture protection: a lot of IM triathletes use tubs and rely on goo of one kind or another as backup - they may also carry a spare tyre as a edge against a split that the goo can't handle, but many do not.
Once you have demystified the art of changing them then the only real concern is multiple flats on longer rides: Tufo make some that fold up small enough to carry a couple on the bike if you want to - and they're not massivly heavier than spare tubes would be.
I had a huge delay on the L2B beacuse of a flat, but that was down to my reluctance to start taking an apparently perfectly servicable tyre off the rim before I checked the valve - and I had left behind the spare valve core that I usually carry: once I'd figured out that the valve was fine and that the problem lay with the tyre I changed it for my spare in a few minutes.
There's a lot to be said for triathlon tyres, which, in theory, combine race weight rubber with training tyre levels of puncture protection: a lot of IM triathletes use tubs and rely on goo of one kind or another as backup - they may also carry a spare tyre as a edge against a split that the goo can't handle, but many do not.
Edited by Nick_F on Friday 23 July 09:57
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