Tubular vs tires in road bikes.

Solanog

Be sure to follow the instructions on the tubular packing. It's something like glue the tubular let it set for about ten minutes. Also if the rim is new use some sandpaper to make the surface rough and better for adhesion glue the rim and I think before attaching the tubular to the rim you need to reglue the rim. If done properly then the tubular is really hard to take off, after the recommended 24 hour waiting time.

Solanog

BTW a spoke broke when I was begining my "tubular test drive" so yesterday I went to the BS for a replacement, while there I asked for tubulars but they had only pretty expensive ones which are not on my list! They also showed me some "new" tires which are like a tubular but made to be mounted on regular rims, they were pretty expensive too. They have not tried them but they said they are supposed to perform as tubulars and they were rated 200psi! I cant remember the brand, anyway they were way expensive too. The valve is designed so it can be removed for a liquid to be added so they are self healing tires-tubular. I thought about just buying the liquid so I can add it to any tire (tubular, both MB and road clinchers). But I don't know how difficult would it be to get that stuff into the tire with regular valves.

daveryanwyoming

The brand is Tufo and I'd stay away from them like the plague. For starters they have insanely high rolling resistance compared to high end clinchers or even good tubulars. They're a halfway to nowhere solution. Either bite the bullet and start dealing with tubulars for the great feel and handling, light weight, and pinch flat resistance or go with high end clinchers for their ease of maintenance and low rolling resistance and relatively low cost.

FWIW I raced tubulars for many years and there's nothing like the way a good sewup feels in a crit corner. But all my bikes(except the track bike) are now equipped with high end clinchers.

-Dave

Solanog

Yes, Tufo is the ones that were shown to me, very expensive BTW.
BTW, how can you inflate tires up to 220 or above 150psi. My foot pump won't be able to do it neither my compresor.

oldbobcat

For you, Pete, and for anyone else who likes old iron. I'm sorry it's been repainted, but the original paint was rubbing and flaking off so badly, and the underlying steel rusting, that I had to have it repainted after only four years.

In fact, after a while nobody I knew had a Gios in its original finish. We had white ones, burgundy ones, and one that Betsy Weigle sprayed in fiesta red. That one was a beauty. Peter Ouellette of East Longmeadow, Mass., did mine. I was so angry about the original paint, though, that I didn't bother with the decals. Peter had also replaced the seatstays on a Roberts that were finally shearing from the seat lug after we had taken a ride on the hood of an Oldsmobile. Peter was a true artisan.

Someday I will have it painted again, with decals, but I can't promise it will be blue.

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pato123

Hi Dave, wich tubular tires would you recommend? thanks
Pato

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Gil

Powerful Pete

Thanks for the picture. Beautfiul frame.

Sacrilege! On the color...

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De Rosa Planet
Campagnolo Per Sempre!
PAOLO BETTINI CAMPIONE DEL MONDO x 2!

Peter@vecchios

I'm not Dave but only ride tubulars. Like Conti Sprinter for their durability. Like Vittoria for their suppleness. Generally have a Conti on the rear, Vittoria on the front.

Solanog

Me, for a while rode on a Vittoria tubular in front and clincher on the rear. Seems like the front tire last forever and seldomly punctures. At least that's my case.

oldbobcat

Wish my front tires lasted forever. On return from my second ride on new tubulars my front went spongy. My first flat in well over a year. Hmm.

pato123

I've never punctured my front tire in three years using tufo's s3 lite, s33 special and high composite models. I use s3 lites for for my racing wheelset and s33 special for training, but i've gotten a few sidewall cuts on my rear tire for hitting pot holes at high speed. Anyway I think tufos are very reliable and durable and somewhat affordable at biketiresdirect 50-65 usd. What I didn't know was the high rolling resistance they have as Dave said. Does it matter that much? I mean, for a recreational racer like us.

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Gil

oldbobcat

For anybody who's still watching this thread, I used a shot of Tufo sealant to fix the small puncture in my front tire (after removing the thorn that caused it). I'm so happy to have avoided pulling base tape and stitches to fix it the old way. This stuff is terrific!

alienator

...until it can't fix the leak, in which case you'll have a green, gooey mess.

Have you tried Vittoria's Pitstop or any of its analogues from other companies?

oldbobcat

This is the white stuff. Squeezing it past the presta valve stem was a bit of a trick, resulting in a little leakage around the valve that cleaned up with soap and water. The hole was small. This was my first experience using anything besides patch-and-sew.

If I see Pitstop I might give it a try.