What tubular tire should I go with?

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mrgray
Posts: 775
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:56 am

by mrgray

i've tried:
schwalbe one 24 mm
vittoria pave 25 mm
vredestein fortezza 21 mm
veloflex arenberg 25 mm

schwalbe last best but are awful hard. schwalbe has great grip.
vredestein nice
veloflex and vittoria very comfortable and nice. feels good. great grip and big volume.
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emcardle
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by emcardle

Speculation is that Sky have switched from veloflex to continental after all of the wet weather crashes they seem to have.

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huddini
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:33 pm

by huddini

IMO riding anything tubular from Continental completely eliminates the benefits of a tubular setup. Go for something with a latex innertube, which is great for comfort and rolling resistance.

mr4fox
Posts: 276
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 2:01 pm

by mr4fox

for a nice ride id suggest vittoria corsa CX III (iso grip) or Veloflex's in 25mm. for puncture protection maybe the Schwab ONEs or Conti competitions.

Ive ridden Veloflex extremes and carbones and they're proper sexy tyres but i did have a few punctures on them, but only in the wet and mostly on the rear. I have used the Schwalbe ONE HT on the rear after i punctured the V'flex Carbon twice.

The Schwab ONEs aren't quite as smooth as the V'flex but they're tougher. I only punctured the schwabs when they were really worn out, I could see cotton casing the first time and knew it needed to be changed but wanted to see how far i could push it. It was winter so was only training close to home when outside. The second Schwab was punctured by what looked like a staple gun staple which probably would have punctured anything. I trust the Schwabs for puncture resistance.

Ive just about worn out my first set of 25mm Vittoria Corsa CX III's. They have been fantastic. I haven't punctured them yet (3000km rear, just about time to change it, and a bit over 4500km front which still has some life left in it but i'll change it at the same time anyway). To me they are equally smooth as Veloflex, the 25mm is about 10 lighter than the equivalent v'flex Arenberg and they're just comfortable and fast tyres...which i haven't yet punctured! Ive been super impressed with them. Having said that i have a Veloflex Carbon/Arenberg set ready to replace them. The only reason being that i like trying different tyres and i couldn't find FMBs in all black (tan walls look a bit crap on black and red BMCs).

A mate and i swapped wheels to try each others tyres. His wheels are 56mm carbon tubs with FMBs. I forget the actual models of the tyres he has but the rear is 25mm the front is 22.5mm silk version. My wheels are 60mm deep carbon tubs with the same hubs and spoke/lacing (we built them ourselves with Chinese wide toroidal tubular rims). He even mentioned after that mine were smoother and more comfy. But that was likely just due to the 25mm vs 22.5mm front tyre on mine...So FMBs arent so much better that you can expect the same comfort with a narrower tyre.

In 30000kms over the last 2.5 years i think ive punctured 6 times on tubs. IME they often deflate quite slowly. I think 3 of the punctures i didnt notice until after i got home or the following day. nothing liquid or aerosol latex hasnt been able to fix....except one - I tore the sidewall of an Extreme open on a rock and had to wait, sweaty and freezing, in 1C temp for 45 min for a lift. that sucked.

fogman
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Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:36 pm

by fogman

I have been happy with my Vittoria Corsa CXIII Isogrip 25mm tubulars mounted to Bora Ones so far. Only about 120 miles on them so no long term report yet.
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albertop07
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2015 10:09 pm

by albertop07

Anyone using Tufo Elite Ride tubular 25?

elSid
Posts: 254
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 6:59 pm

by elSid

I've had Tufo Elite Ride 25s on my commuter bike. In terms of ride quality, they don't come close to Vittoria, Veloflex, or FMB. Also, rolling resistance tests - at least the ones I've seen - indicate that Tufos have among the highest rolling resistance for tubulars.

However, Tufo Elite Ride 25s have proven to be very flat resistant, and also long wearing. For me, they've been fine as commuter and long training tires. In this application, I think they ride better than comparable tires, such as the Continental Gatorskin tubulars.

nelsonivan
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 9:28 pm

by nelsonivan

Thanks to all for the help

I was between the Schwalbe One's and Vittoria Corsa SL's but fear the SL's will last very little in the PR roads.

Any feedback on Conti Competitions? i have read good reviews about them.

And since reading your post about veloflex and FMB I need to read more and make a decision

:(
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albertop07
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2015 10:09 pm

by albertop07

elSid wrote:I've had Tufo Elite Ride 25s on my commuter bike. In terms of ride quality, they don't come close to Vittoria, Veloflex, or FMB. Also, rolling resistance tests - at least the ones I've seen - indicate that Tufos have among the highest rolling resistance for tubulars.

However, Tufo Elite Ride 25s have proven to be very flat resistant, and also long wearing. For me, they've been fine as commuter and long training tires. In this application, I think they ride better than comparable tires, such as the Continental Gatorskin tubulars.


Thanks. :D

lannes
Posts: 418
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:51 pm

by lannes

nelsonivan wrote:Thanks to all for the help

I was between the Schwalbe One's and Vittoria Corsa SL's but fear the SL's will last very little in the PR roads.

Any feedback on Conti Competitions? i have read good reviews about them.

And since reading your post about veloflex and FMB I need to read more and make a decision

:(


Conti Comps, ride like "wood", I'd go for something with a high tpi, e.g Veloflex extreme etc.

Ginsterdrz
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:16 pm

by Ginsterdrz

I'm on Conti Comp 22mm's for my first tub experience. I went with them for there low puncture reputation. We'll see!

Friend had terrible problems with Vittoria Corsa's - 3 punctures in a short space of time then leaky valves/extenders. Gave up and went to Comps.

lannes
Posts: 418
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:51 pm

by lannes

Ginsterdrz wrote:I'm on Conti Comp 22mm's for my first tub experience. I went with them for there low puncture reputation. We'll see!

Friend had terrible problems with Vittoria Corsa's - 3 punctures in a short space of time then leaky valves/extenders. Gave up and went to Comps.


You need to age the vittorias, they don't age them in the factory, I think they will be more durable after aging

reippuert
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:18 am
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

by reippuert

nelsonivan wrote:Im getting some 303's this week and wanted to know your opinion on what tubular tires should I go with. Vittoria, Schwalbe, Continental? any other brand?

based solely on your experiences. I live in PR with not so good roads and a lot of hills so a good puncture resistant will be beneficial.


Dont know where PR is - i ride tubular i Denmark where we use flint in our tarmac. In france, italy and spain it is not an issue - even our neighbouring country sweden has found a better solution than flint.

The result is that you have 1-10 chance of punktion when raining if you ride nice conton tires like Veloflex or Corsa's or Challange even with 20-30ml sealent.

The only tubular i have tried that can survive a rainshower on tarmac with flint is Continental Sprinter Gatorskin. The next best thing is Continental Competition and Vittoria Pave. I would assume that Tofu's will do ok as well.
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mattiTWOROADS
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by mattiTWOROADS

+1 on the FMB carbones!

If money is not a real concern, I have experienced none better. Veloflexes are damn nice as well, but I'll go FMB before Veloflex now considering they are usually close in price.

For a good ride you can get considerably cheaper, vittoria cxIII are the way to go.

I tried contis and ripped them off after a few rides. Of course, the front punctured by then anyway. And they are a royal pain in the ass to get on.
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109er
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2008 5:08 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

by 109er

Everyone says Tufo's ride like garbage, which isn't really true. They don't ride nice, sure. They don't roll very well, sure. They corner well though and they're super durable. I would equate them to a pair of Sprinter Gatorskins. Which, to me, Is not a knock against the Conti's. There's a reason people still run the Tufo's. They're actually pretty ok. Would I pay full price for a pair, heck no. In a pinch if there was a good deal on a pair, yeah I would buy them as a spare set or as a set to have glued on a spare set of wheels. I liked the Elite Ride. I could feel a slight difference in rolling resistance at 100 psi. But here's the weird part....pump them up to 150-180 psi, and they were, what felt like, faster. They didn't ride as harsh as you would expect to either. And they still cornered really well.

Anyway, if you find a good deal on a pair, maybe go for it.

Otherwise, Vittoria Corsa CX III 25mm is my favorite. Really any tubular that is another brands "equal" will ride really well.

I loved the Schwalbe Ultremo HT. If the One is better, I would recommend that one.

As for "boutique" tubulars, like Veloflex, FMB, Dugast, etc....they do ride very well and you are buying something that is truly handmade. But, in my opinion it's not worth the money over a Vittoria Corsa or a Schwalbe. I could tell a difference, no doubt. It just wasn't justifiable.

Cheap tubulars, go for the Conti Sprinter. It punches well above it's weight.
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