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Just managed to pick up a pair of old but very lightly used Zipp 303's at a great price with the intention of using them for my CX bike.
However it seems a waste to have them sitting around for the next 6 months or so. Hence I've been looking at 27mm Pavé tubs.
How do you find tub use? Do you carry a little Stans sealant on rides?
I'm generally of the opinion that if you don't puncture much on clinchers then you won't on tubs, and visa versa.
I mostly use mine for racing but otherwise just carry a little pitstop aerosol thing with me if I'm taking them out for a wee spin.
Have only punctured them once but it was the kind of puncture that sealant wouldn't touch bt a new tube would have sorted. The hassle of having to call the cavalry and then replace the whole tyre after that has put me off using them outside of races. I mean they're nicer than clinchers, but not *that* much nicer.
Thanks, that's kinda my worry too, as well as the valid point of just how much "better" are they than a good clincher.
I use Tubs everyday .
I use Tufos , which are different as they cant be repaired . Only punctured a few times and i carry a bottle of the Tufo sealant . Worked every time .
I didnt convert to clinchers from tubs until 2010. A hang over from using them when I started TTs in 1980 I guess. Punctures were few. Even I agreed that changing a tube was marginally easier. With sealant I would consider tubs less hassle than tubeless. The thorn proofing should be the same and popping on a glued spare is way easier than fighting with levers and all that sealant in the event of a tyre slash. Tubs may be a bit tougher in that respect. Of course tubs tend to be comparable with lighter tyres not dirty great commuter tyres
Thanks for the opinions, I run a pair of Tufo CX types when it's super muddy and whilst they are tougher they do lack that certain loveliness that a cotton walled tub gives.
Agree that it's not comparable to compare a heavy duty commuter to a racing tub with regards to puncture protection.
I used them for a while commuting on cycleways with lots of glass. I did get a few punctures until I used a syringe and needle to put sealant into them - then no more punctures ( no removable valve)
I have a set of Tufos on Mavic Reflex rims. They ride well, but not really any different to a good clincher and latex tubes. I also ride tubeless, and find the ride superior to tubes. With sealant now readily available, I think they have a lot in common with tubeless.
One club mate had a long taxi ride home when his Pit Stop failed to seal a flat. Personally, I'd save them for racing, where a simple hand in the air gets a spare or a lap out 😉
Modern clinchers are also faster 8)
I ride Paves as training tubulars on my race bike, been great for the last couple of years. No punctures so far (touch wood).
I'm using the paves atm - similar situation to the OP in that I'm running them on my CX wheelset.
Like them a lot, but did manage to puncture last weekend, and sealant didn't work - I think I'd gotten a bit optimistic and had been going over some bumpy bridleways.
Major learning experience in that I took the tyre off and the (tufo) tape came with it to leaving the rim clean as a whistle. So the spare, which had dry glue on, wouldn't adhere at all. I rode it home 25 miles on a hilly ride with the tub basically dry on the rim. So I think in future a roll of jantex in the back pocket is called for if the tub is taped on.
I commute on tufos on urban roads - sealed two punctures with their emergency sealant no problem. I think the way they are built with the inner tube annealed to the tyre makes them easier to seal.