Racing on Clinchers. Which tires and tubes?

[fdegrove]

Hi,

I got a call from them <Enve> today stating that they had ordered the same tube and tire and would be doing tests on Wednesday. After I told them that some research revealed that latex tubes and carbon clinchers might not be a good match, I was told that they were interested in seeing what the tests proved because "THEY HAVE NEVER TESTED LATEX TUBES WITH THEIR CLINCHERS BEFORE!!!!"

Kevin led us into the product testing room, where ENVE’s rims, handlebars, stems, seatposts, and all the newest prototypes are smashed, heated, exploded and otherwise abused in order to expose failure types and fashions under the most extreme conditions.

Maybe latex tubes aren't considered to be extreme conditions?

Since when?

Ciao,

[strobbekoen]

Under the conditions stipulated, there is no way a properly installed tube will blow, it is either a bad tube, or a bad install.
It seems to me the tube blew, deflating the tire instantly, and the damage in the pics is from riding on the rim ?

[bc909]

Realistically hard braking will cause problems with carbon clinchers. Then again hard braking will cause problems with carbon tubulars as well, for different reasons but problems still the same. Just ask Beloki. You don’t hear the alarm bells ring when someone rolls a carbon tubular. Also, and this is anecdotal, except for guys that put in latex tubes (which are very easily pinched by the tire bead on install) I haven't heard of blowout issues.

Where I see a material problem with carbon clinchers is riding on the rim once the tire is flat. Riding on the rim pretty much destroys the carbon clincher. Another question I have is after 10 years of use how does the resin in carbon clinchers and the brake surface hold up? I don’t know that anyone knows the answer to that. I’ve been riding them for almost two years and they seem fine, though I run through brake pads a lot faster than alum rims.

So for me, as long as I am willing to replace brake pads often (same with tubulars), willing to pay $ for a cab ride if I run out of tubes to get me home some day (as yet never happened but have ridden damn far on a flat tubular), and willing to replace them within a couple of years (maybe earlier than tubulars), then carbon clinchers for me are fine. They provide a lot of convenience in terms of maintaining, and on the road flat changes etc. If I find some other major issue in the next couple of years that make them a deal breaker, then it’s pretty easy for me to go back to tubulars. Which as I said at the beginning have their own set of issues.

[bc909]

Sorry wrong thread. No sure how I got in this one??

[emorydptt]

I actually use Tufo Elite C tubular clinchers.