Tubular Tyres - Which One

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Wookski
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by Wookski

sungod wrote:
Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:55 pm
Wookski wrote:
Tue Mar 06, 2018 10:25 am
I must have missed something- is the British Gov imposing an import tax on Tubulars?
the pound took a dive after the 2016 brexit vote, this also triggered inflation going from near zero to c. 3% in about 12 months (and way outstripping earnings growth), stuff costs more
I’m fairly certain Tubular Tyres aren’t included in the basket of 700 items used to calculate CPI. The FX point is interesting however prices are still within 10% of mainland Europe’s best prices- indicates that the online retailers have taken some margin to remain competitive as even the largest retailers FX/ grade finance hedges will be maturing. This doesn’t explain the 40% price swings which must have been due to other factors such as manufacturer oversupply.

Let’s face it- tubs are a niche item and are being priced accordingly.

Nice try with the charts :thumbup:

sungod
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by sungod

you asked why, i gave some easy to demonstrate reasons, as i'm sure you know there're plenty more, uk energy costs have increased faster than overall inflation, it all has an impact on retailers' costs/pricing

there also seem to be fewer places selling tubs, it is undeniably a nich market and i'd guess a shrinking one

lower volumes increase cost of manufacture, reduced competition allows retailers to increase prices/margins, albeit at the risk of losing custom and further reducing any incentive to carry stocl

but if you shop around, you can still find deals on tubs, i tend to buy from europe, even with fx impact (which has reduced), prices there are often way better rhan the uk

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2old4this
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by 2old4this

bm0p700f wrote:
Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:03 pm
I must have the knack as i find a conti comp fairly easy to mount (I push the slack round the rim I suppose I might create slack). I dont even bother stretching them any more just glue and mount. Other tyres like dugasts are easier though. I have mounted comps tyre and gatorskin tubes in the wild quickly. getting the the flatted tyre off though that the hard part (the glue bond with a 23mm wide rim is abit too strong), corsa's are easier to mount but they are coming off alot sooner generally when you show them a bit of rain and they pre puncture all by themseleves (thats an exageration but you get the point)

the ride on the comps is not bad not pave like (this is my favourite tubular for grip but not durability). veloflex tyres as nice as they are are just too pricey well actually there not compared to the comps now - trade price is mush closer than it was.

The cheapest tubular tyre for me is the IRC formula pro team. I have yet to try them though. hopefully spring is round the corner and I will.
I have to agree with Colnago above. I always pre-stretch competitions. When I need to put them on, I stretch them again for a week. That is the only way I can put them on, the way I like...
Once I had to change both tires (double flats, courtesy of Vittorias) and had only one pre stretched conti. 2 days of stretching was not enough...

Geoff
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by Geoff

It is always a good idea to pre-stretch tubulars. As it is also a good idea, in my opinion, to 'age' the treads, it makes good sense to install the tires on an old rim and inflate them to stretch and age, storing them until you need them. Conti Comps will go on like butter if they are prepared appropriately. In my experience, Dugasts require a fair bit more work to make instalation reasonably simple. I have a set of Dugast Seta 27s that I need to glue-up in preparation for a new arrival. They have been curing and stretching for a few seasons and are going to glue-up really cleanly.

Sorry, forgot your question! I have found the Conti Comps to be really durable. While they are even more 'hose-like', the Conti Sprinters are even more durable. My wife rides Sprinters and she is a magnet for every pothole and piece of road debris out there. Damn near invincible. I have had great luck with Vittoria All-Weathers, sadly now out of the line-up (I'm down to my last few). The Corsa Control has a similar sort of tread and looks promising.

Good luck!

sawyer
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by sawyer

Have to say the question is a good one as there have been relatively few good new tubs coming on the market over the past 5 years. Maybe one could count the new Vittoria Graphene tubs (I haven't ridden them), but generally things have been pretty barren

I really like the Conti Pro LTD Competitions, but that is obviously a hugely expensive item that is hard to acquire.

Beyond that I would second the Veloflex Carbon / Arenberg as the nicest riding mainstream tyre. It falls a bit short on puncture resistance and durability where the Conti Comps / GP4000 / Sprinters make up ground. If you have widish rims, then Conti Comps or Sprinters in 25mm size is not a bad way to go for an all rounder, but ultimately you are sacrificing a few watts and some smoothness

Vittoria QC/roundness lets them down IMO generally IMO.
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ak47
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by ak47

I like how sturdy Continental tires are. Yes, they do not have butter like ride, but you can find them sometimes as pro ltd versions with latex inner tube and they ride pretty much like any sort of italian or french top tier tubular tire.

BTW I have a pair of Competitions pro ltd listed in sale section :thumbup:

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PinaRene
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by PinaRene

Squashednuts wrote:
Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:20 pm
I'm going to buy some tubular wheels for my disc brake bike. Which tubular tyres are the best compromise between low rolling resistance and puncture protection?
I'm riding Michelin Pro 4 service course on my clinchers.
I'm a big fan
Continental Competition 25mm - Veloflex Arenberg - Vittoria Crapheen + 25mm. And maybe there are two to four other brands that make good tubular tires ( Challenge - Vredestein )

As to speak for myself I use some Continental 25mm ( FFWD F4R ) - and on my other wheelsets ( Bora and Hyperon ) I have some Vittoria Grapheen + 25mm. Although the Campagnolo rims are 20,5mm the tires suit well en they ride great.

kgibbo1868
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by kgibbo1868

Has anyone had much experience with FMB tyres? I was considering some Paris Roubaix for my next set of tyres but have not seen much feedback on them.
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Geoff
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by Geoff

Really? I know that the Veloflex get a lot of love on WW, but the only handmade tires that I want to run are FMB and Dugast.

I like the old FMB Competition CX tread pattern, but the Service Course are a really traditional road race tire. The 22.5s are really 23s.

For the Paris-Roubaix-style of 'apocalyptic'-conditions tire, I personally like the Dugast Seta 27s the best. The FMB are similar in construction, but I prefer the Dugast tread pattern (file-pattern centre section, versus herringbone). Honestly, though, you cannot go wrong with either. One of the deciding factors is that it is easier to order the Dugast at the same time the 'cross order goes-in...

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cveks
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by cveks

any new review of newest models of Tubulars ?

How new Vittoria Graphene 2.0 ride ?

Boshk
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by Boshk

I got myself some Vittoria corsa g+ 25mm, think they are 'old version'. very easy to install, just 'stretching' them now on bora 50s before glueing.

Don't have anything really to compare it to though, only gp4000 clinchers on bora 35s.

Alexandrumarian
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by Alexandrumarian

Just ordered a pair of 2.0 tubs in 28. I have a short ride on the 25mm clincher version, they felt ok and got very good speed for the power (as expected) but the real test is in the hills. I might report more in about 1 week.

Edit: first look doesn't makes me too happy. They are porks at 345 and 355g and also not that wide, stretching on the rim I measure 26.5 to 27. They better ride amazingly....

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cveks
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by cveks

I got clincher version of Vittoria Corsa 2.0 they were pain to fit on rim so hard . Thought to get some tubs and I wanted to get first time experience before I order. I ordered Continental Sprinter's because I got them very cheap for just 34 euro each thats like half price of Corsa 2.0 tubs.

Alexandrumarian
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by Alexandrumarian

The tubs mount very easily, same goes for Veloflex. Continental are reputed to be a pita - personally I didn't buy any yet because of this rep and because butyl.

Boshk
Posts: 462
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by Boshk

I purchased a pair of Vittoria Corsa G+ 25mm, tanned wall, wasn't quite as easy to fit without getting glue on the sides,
Its very easy to fit on dry, and I think with tub tape.

It doesn't keep air though, if you ride everyday, you WILL need to inflate each day.

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