What tubular tire should I go with?

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

by nelsonivan

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.
Pinarello Dogma F8 / DA Di2 / Zipp 303 Tubulars / ee cycleworks Brakes /

Racer7
Posts: 58
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2015 11:18 am

by Racer7

I have ridden with, continental sprinter and gatorskin, vitoria corsa cx, and veloflex criterium, and for me the best one, is the veloflex with difference....

pd: my english is not very good im spanish hahahaha
~NEVER GIVE UP~

by Weenie


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Johnnysmooth
Posts: 180
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 4:56 pm
Location: Beantown

by Johnnysmooth

try the search function as this topic has been discussed countless times before
It only hurts if you think.

stormur
Posts: 1173
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:50 pm
Location: FIN

by stormur

like any other topic on this and all the other forums.

since there's no conti 4000s2 23-25mm tubular , there's chance you will get real answer, not sponsored by Conti :mrgreen:

I'm clincher guy, so not much help here, BUT if new SchwalbeONE tubular rides the way as clincher does - I would give it a chance.
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
Mark Twain


I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that ;)

kevhogaz
Posts: 232
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 5:18 am
Location: Arizona

by kevhogaz

You're gonna have to experiment. I live in AZ. Half of our roads are meticulous, and the rest are pure crap.

I tried several different brands, and have settled on Kenda Domestique for training/crap roads, and Continental Sprinter Gatorskins for everything else. I put a couple of ounces of Orange Seal in each wheel. So far, I haven't been left stranded on my tubs.

joosttx
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 6:50 am

by joosttx

If you want the best I suggest FMB carbones

jlaitinen
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2013 7:24 pm
Location: Jyväskylä, Finland

by jlaitinen

My old tubs (maxxis forza) ripped on my last ride so I had this same problem earlier. After a long googling I decided on veloflex arenbergs. I can give impressions on them when they arrive. I will be mounting them on enve ses 6.7.

phollingswo
Posts: 77
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2015 12:40 pm

by phollingswo

+1 for Veloflex Arenbergs. Mounted to my 2015 campa bora 50s, they are incredible. Very supple, fast, and no punctures as of yet. Just make sure you take care of them, give them an inspection after every ride to make sure there's no little bits embedded.

Don't ruin your lovely wheels with conti gatorskins. May as well strap hosepipe to them.

tinozee
Posts: 764
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:53 am

by tinozee

Arenbergs are fantastic.

josephtroppo
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:18 am

by josephtroppo

And if you want to go with the 23mm the veloflex carbon are also highly recommended.

Justus90
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2015 9:17 am

by Justus90

@phollingswo: what do you mean with your sentence "Don't ruin your lovely wheels with conti gatorskins. May as well strap hosepipe to them" ??

thanks in advance

racingcondor
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 4:22 pm

by racingcondor

Conti's have a reputation for not being very supple. Vittoria and Veloflex are the opposite.

As a rule everyone on here seems to prefer Veloflex. I run Vittoria because in the UK they're about 30% cheaper and still very nice to ride. On the 303's I'd probably put some Vittoria SC's for the tan sidewalls or Pave Black if the roads are covered in sharp debris.

dha
Posts: 163
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:40 pm

by dha

Arenbergs here too. Love them

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Stolichnaya
Posts: 2621
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:55 pm
Location: Vienna, AUT

by Stolichnaya

I actually ride the Arenbergs on one set of tubular wheels and some Conti's on another.
As the OP states he's riding in Puerto Rico on rough roads, I would have to err on the side of the Continentals for the conditions.
They really are a faithful tubular in bad conditions and roll acceptably well.
The Veloflex ride better for sure, but if protection is your key goal, go with the Contis.

by Weenie


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MJB
Posts: 173
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:17 am
Location: bottom edge of Australia

by MJB

Try a 24mm or a 25mm tubular. Less pressure, more give in the carcass = more comfortable ride and less puncture pick up. I believe many tyres are over inflated (like rock hard) with any sharp object encountered more likely to pierce the tyre. So my suggestion before you consider any brand is to select a tyre width based upon your requirements.

I have some experience with multiple brands / models and widths of tubular tyre on widely varied wheels. I am 80kk weight and ride all my bikes now with 75psi up front and 85psi in the rear and ride mostly on crappy, pock marked gravel strewn chip seal rural roads and have found FMB tyres the most comfortable.

The FMB Paris Roubaix cotton case 25mm is the most comfortable of all. The FMB Competition CX 24mm cotton case are also very comfy and a tad faster than the PR's at same pressures......... for some reason I don't quite like my FMB 25mm CX Comp silk case tyres as much as the cotton case tyres.

The Vittoria CG Pave is another favorite (much cheaper than FMB) and is the tubular I have ridden the most miles on. I have the older 24mm version fitted and will switch to the newer 25mm version once these wear out. The Vittoria CG Pave is the only Vittoria tubular that I like at my desired low pressures. I found both the Vittoria SC and Vittoria CX both felt doughy when rolling and heavy on the steering given my desired low operating pressures.

I've also tried Schwalbe HT in 25mm and found them also much better suited to higher pressures than I want to run. Also rode a set of Conti Gatorskin Sprinter tubulars for a short time and found them diabolically uncomfortable compared to all previously mentioned tubulars and lacked grip on damp roads but their wear rate is glacial compared to any of the afore mentioned tubulars and will last considerably longer than the aforementioned tyres.

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