Tubulars

[bike_dude]

Finally I got myself a set of carbon wheels, Reynolds Cirro to be more specific. Then I'll also need some tubulars. As I'm new to tubulars, I would be glad to hear some advice from you guys on what to buy. I will use the wheels mostly on races, but I'm not interested in superlight tubs that needs to be replaced every 1000km. Are tufo the brand to go for?

[toko]

I have a LEW KOM(king of mountains) 1050 grs set and have a Continental Competition 19 with very very great results.

[Bed4d SL]

I dont' have tubulars, but from what I hear, the Vittorias are also very nice (as well as the tufos). The Corsa CX is a very nice tire- light, with good puncture resistance and hardly any rolling resistance. Their Lance Armstrong's tire of choice, if that means anythign to you..

[campyman099]

Currently I'm running the Clement Criterium Setas and I like them really well, although I'm interested in the durability of the Tufo Elite 120. Does anyone have an feedback on these tires?

[marko]

I really love the Gommitalia Platinums I picked up and will easily get 5k miles on them. At 220g they remind me of the old Vittoria CX. The Vittoria CX are really now Veloflex as Vittorias are made in Thailand, which should make the price of them at about 5 bucks. See what a name can do for you. The Tufo's are really a good way to go for miles. Carefull on the tread compound as the colors can be good for anything but crits where the hard compound is slippery. I'm sure the Clements are still fine tires. I hate Continentals with all my might. How can a 100buck tire be made with a hump in it? Continentals have had that annoying hump since the beginning of time. The podiums are OK but can be prone to flats, and the Sprinters will last a long time. I had a friend give me some old Competitions ($100 a piece) and they had very good wear, just cant get over the hump.

[hottessa]

apparently the new 2005 Schwalbe tubulars are totally different and much improved. I will hopefully try some out in the next couple of weeks.

[mzagorski]

Retail on Conti Comps might be $100.. but if you hop on over to www.biketiresdirect.com you'll get them for a steal ) IMHO, they don't last too long... show signs of wear fairly quick - and thats coming from a 140lb rider.

[Michiel]

With tubulars (for clincher also) there are a few things to consider when making your choice:

is weight important
is rolling resistance important
is punctureproof important
is loss of air important
is durability important
is comfortability important
is 'roundness' important
is ease of repair important

If you make your mind up about these items and set them in a listing of importancy then you can make a choice. Otherwise you may choose whatever you want and it will be allright

[ultimobici]

I dont' have tubulars, but from what I hear, the Vittorias are also very nice (as well as the tufos). The Corsa CX is a very nice tire- light, with good puncture resistance and hardly any rolling resistance. Their Lance Armstrong's tire of choice, if that means anythign to you..

I think Hutchinson Tyres might be a bit miffed if Armstrong didn't use their tyres as they sponsor him! Plus Vittoria tend to be a little optimistic with their weights. Tufo produce the Lite range which all have a specified maximum weight as opposed to Vittoria's average weight. Plus Tufo are easily repairable.

[JTC]

I really love the Gommitalia Platinums I picked up and will easily get 5k miles on them. At 220g they remind me of the old Vittoria CX. The Vittoria CX are really now Veloflex as Vittorias are made in Thailand, which should make the price of them at about 5 bucks. See what a name can do for you. The Tufo's are really a good way to go for miles. Carefull on the tread compound as the colors can be good for anything but crits where the hard compound is slippery. I'm sure the Clements are still fine tires. I hate Continentals with all my might. How can a 100buck tire be made with a hump in it? Continentals have had that annoying hump since the beginning of time. The podiums are OK but can be prone to flats, and the Sprinters will last a long time. I had a friend give me some old Competitions ($100 a piece) and they had very good wear, just cant get over the hump.

I would have to agree completely. Conti's are awful. Never had one that was round. I use Vittorias, Veloflex and Tufos mostly. My favorite is the Tufo Elite Road. Not there lightest, but rides great and has great wear. Some of there lower model tires (S33 special) wear great, but have a ver hard tear compound. The Veloflexs probably ride best, but I like the high pressure and low rolling resistenace of the Tufo's.

Hey Marko, where do you get your Gommitalia Platinums, I'd like to try them.

[Joel]

Vittoria Corsa CX will last 1500-2000km in the rear the front tubular much longer during races. They roll very good, good puncture resistent and enough grip. If you want more grip in the wet you can go for Conti Competitions, but they don't last that long, I did 1000km with my rear tubular last summer. If you want the best buy some Dugast

[marko]

I actually got the Gomitalia's off Ebay at an absolute steal. That same retailer is doing them at a pricey "buy it now" from time to time. If you do a search for Ambrosio rims they have a link to the US carrier for these tires. They also offer some super light clincher tires as well.

[520 Dan]

the more expensive contis mount up round. Sprinters, Comps etc have ALWAYS been round in my experience. Their training tubs (giros) are horrible thought.

[bike_dude]

Perhaps I'll go for the Vittoria corsa cx. They seem to be a fair compromise between wear, rolling restistance and weight. And they are not that pricey. I guess you always can get lighter tubs, but then again they will wear much quicker.

Anyway, thanks for all help folks

[JTC]

ProBikeKit has them on sale now for $40 I think, but cheaper if you buy more. Otherwise I buy most of my tires from www.sdeals.com. By far the cheapest, especially for Tufos.