Making the transition to tubulars

[natefontaine]

Hi guys, I just moved to tubulars and I got a pair of Continental Competition 25mm that have specified pressure range of 8-12 atm. My first ride was with 7 atm and felt great so I would not want to increase it, is this safe, might be any problems ? I weight around 81kg...

FWIW on 25mm competitions im at 3.5/4 bar for training and spirited group rides. Ill go up to 5/5.5 for smooth crits and road races. 63-70kg

[ncrider]

I'm anxiously waiting for my first carbon tubular wheelset to be delivered. I've read (or in the process of reading) all the tubular threads I can find. As a total newbie, does it make sense to jump straight in with a highly recommended tub (Arenberg, Corsa CX III) or try a more robust option like the Sprinter Gatorskin? I rarely flat with clinchers but I have no idea how fragile a tubular may or may not be on my normal routes. My LBS isn't a fan of tubs. Spent more time trying to steer me towards tubeless. How have other newbies approached this?

TIA

[KCookie]

Hi ncrider,
I'm in the same boat as you, been riding Clinchers with GP 4000s for 18 months without a puncture, now moved to Tubulars two weeks ago. Was so worried about the thought of a puncture being so new to tubulars I went with Conti Comps, both came in under weight which was good.
I've also received two Vittoria Corsa CX III tyres today, but unfortunately way over weight at 280g and 283g, stated at 255g. Until I get more confident I'll stick with the Conti's.

[ncrider]

Thanks, KCookie.

I'm trying not to overthink this. No substitute for putting in the miles myself. Did you find yourself modifying your riding style after switching to tubulars? I do my best to avoid debris in the road but I'm in a heavily traffic area that sometimes makes that difficult. I find that "gliding over" debris works well on clinchers.

Interesting to hear about the true weight of the CX IIIs. Appears to be a common theme.

[KCookie]

I just went out and rode as normal, did keep thinking what if I get a puncture. I have stans sealant in each tyre plus I carry a can of espresso. Worst case scenario I'll call the wife or a cab. !!

Wish I knew about the weight of the Corsa's I wouldn't have bought them.

[Kayrehn]

I don't see a point in putting sealant beforehand unless you're in a race and hope you don't have to stop even in the case of a puncture. Putting it in after a puncture works as well. I never want to use those canned sealant, they work on and off without being a long-term patch solution.

[are]

If you don't put sealant in beforehand, and you don't like the canned sealed, do you carry a small amount of liquid sealant with you? Or, do you simply change the tire and deal with it when you get home?

[sungod]

i carry a bottle of tufo extreme, works well with veloflex tubs

it's small/light and is enough for about 3 uses, though once opened it tends to set in a few months, so lifetime is limited, even unopened bottles can go off after a couple of years

if a cut is too big, i don't bother trying sealant as the latex tube forces out and blows again, just fit the spare (a lightweight tufo)

[tigoose]

i'm thinking of building a set of tubular wheels to change from clincher. 1 question, when my front clincher tire pressure gets a little low the steering seems to have a certain amount of under-steer to it, around 85psi (gp4k 25mm on h-plus son), do tubulars feel like this at similar pressures ?
thanx

[sungod]

as pressure falls any tyre will deform more, but i'd think the actual effect on steering is going to depend on many other factors not just clincher/tub

fwiw i corner ok at 6bar on tubs (front is a veloflex carbon), don't notice understeer

[svennn]

Orange Seal saved me today.

I punctured my rear veloflex arenburg in a RR today. It sealed after a loss of maybe 20psi. I would have been completely out of contention, but ended up 2nd.

Highly recommend.

He probably used orange sealant as a preventive measure as it is a race situation, and in this case it works perfectly without slowing him down. I would use it only after an initial puncture though, as Calnago.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

An old comment but I have a question....

How do you use the Orange Seal roadside? Do you inject it with the valve core in place?

[sungod]

i've not used it myself, but from reviews i believe you remove the valve core (same as with tufo extreme)

[beatle]

Orange Seal saved me today.

I punctured my rear veloflex arenburg in a RR today. It sealed after a loss of maybe 20psi. I would have been completely out of contention, but ended up 2nd.

Highly recommend.

He probably used orange sealant as a preventive measure as it is a race situation, and in this case it works perfectly without slowing him down. I would use it only after an initial puncture though, as Calnago.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

An old comment but I have a question....

How do you use the Orange Seal roadside? Do you inject it with the valve core in place?

I remove the valve core, always assumed it was necessary. I inject sealant when I put on a new tire and add a bit every so often.

[Wingnut]

I haven't ridden on tubulars for over ten years. I removed some older handmade Gommitalia singles off a pair of Record hub/Ambrosio Nemesis wheels and glued up some 25mm Vittora Rally's to train on.

One layer of glue on rims, let dry for an hour then a coat on tyre and a second coat on rims before fitting. So much less mess than I remember...

Rally tyres are so cheap no need to repair and i ride on about 90-100psi so rarely puncture...

Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

[mellowJohnny]

I used to think the same thing - use Rally's for training. Why not? They are cheap, and essentially disposable. But they ride like shit. If you are going to spend the time and effort gluing up some tires, even if it's just for training, make it worth your while! Use something like Conti Sprinters - durable, cheap enough, and offer a decent ride. And there are a bunch of others in this category.

If you rarely puncture what are you actually saving? Put a decent set of tires on!