Tyres – Road Tubular

So new hoops are on their way, any tyre recommendations for someone completely new to the world of tubs?

Good all rounders preferably, will mostly be race day only (crits, road races) but they might come out on the odd day in between.

dugast?

no experience, but my mate races and he uses them and he generally throws money at bikes and knows his stuff.

Conti comps

Vittoria Corsa CX and their deritives or if you’re feeling flush Veloflex Carbons. Conti Gatorskins if you want the ride and handling of a hosepipe! 25mm for critieriums as the bigger carcass for more progressive cornering feel – you can crank them over at crazy angles if you’re going fast enough!

Another vote for Vittoria, used them when I tt’ed lovely tyres, never punctured one either

The carbons are a bit pricey, would be pretty pissed if I punctured one fairly quickly.

Had heard that about the Sprinter Gatorskins, how do the standard Sprinters compare?

Competitions seem to strike a balance between the Sprinters and Veloflex, at least in terms of price. As do the Corsa CX although there seem to be a few variants…

Corsa. Just make sure they are glued on properly. Seen a few roll off in crits 🙁

Had heard that about the Sprinter Gatorskins, how do the standard Sprinters compare?

Standard Sprinter much better I think. I’d not touch a Conti tyre that wasn’t black chilli (the Gatorskin isn’t.) I’ve used the Podium TT a lot and that’s been good. Maybe a bit fragile for your needs though.

Can’t go far wrong with a Corsa, though not tried the G+ ones yet.

I’ve used the oft-slated Sprinter Gatorskins (22mm) for a few years now on the summer bike, I seem to have had good ones as I’ve not had the hosepipe feel that others have, far from it. I find they grip well and give plenty of feedback. Raced on them and ridden road miles.
I’ve a non-Gatorskin sprinter on the front of a tri spoke for TT use and it’s ok, probably less feedback than the gatorskins. Vittoria Corsa service course as well for TT and they ride very nice, although I’ve punctured one on a descent on some flint.

I’ve used Conti Competions for the last few years.

30,000km, 1 puncture, 5 rear tyres and 2 fronts. I’m happy with that.

Corsa CX are great for general do-everything duties. Fast, light, grippy, fairly tough.
Veloflex are a nicer ride but not as durable and more pricey (same as their clinchers really).
FMB or Dugast for the money-no-object option.

Right, so Corsa or Conti Comp leading the way at the moment.

Just make sure they are glued on properly

As I understand it…

Stretch tyre first.

Clean rim with isopropyl and apply a thin layer of glue on both the rim and tyre then leave to cure overnight.

Another layer on the rim only then leave again.

Inflate a little then apply a final coat to both rim and tyre, leave for a couple of minutes before wrestling it on.

Spin wheel and straighten the tub up as required, inflate fully and leave for 24 hours.

Clean up the inevitable mess I’ll make.

I like Tufo.

Allow 48hrs to remove black bits of glue from fingertips 😉

As I understand it…

Sounds easy doesn’t it 😉

I leave the tyre inflated on the wheel and stretching for a few days.

before wrestling it on.

That’s the fun bit!

They make it look really easy…I expect the reality to be very different (for me anyway)

Or just use tape.

for road tubs just use tape, the pressure keeps it on. For cross tubs thats when the 47 layers and rain dance voodoo mystics come in.

I’ve run Vitoria, Conti, and am now on Schwalbe Ones. Very nice to ride on, equal to Victoria but a touch tougher.

To stretch the tyre, mount it to the rim with no adhesive then leave for a couple of days. Leaving them to hang as some folks do can damage them.

Cheers folks, Corsa G+ ordered.

Now, tape or glue…

Glue.

Go for clinchers; loads less faff.

Too late David…

What wheels did you go for? Don’t think there was a conclusion on the other thread.

I went with the Wheelsmith on Kings, 50mm Aero.

pimpin’ – gumwalls have been done to death though. Get some conti’s that’re all black.

Black/Anthracite Corsa, I like the gum but not sure it would go with mine anyway.

I’ve only ever used glue, but that was a long time ago.

How user-friendly is tape? Eg roadside repairs.

And what is the biggest tyre available these days?

Glue. I was talked into trying tufo tape after years of gluing, and hated the stuff. Tore some resin off the carbon when changing a flat. Leaked gooey stuff up the (gum) sidewalls which then went black with brake dust.

Just don’t do what a mate did, who didn’t know the tubs had to be stuck on and rode for a month or so with no glue whatsoever!

Tub glue if you want to do it properly, but do it over a hard, clean floor wearing a clean, non-fluffy clothing unless you like tufty wheels 🙂 You’ll probably get glue on your clothes too, so don’t do it in your best attire.
Carbon wheels and road clinchers are mutually exclusive IMO – you get a heavier, weaker wheel with no run-flat ability and the higher risk of potholes trashing your wheels.

Ok, glue job went fairly painlessly but just had a quick spin on them today.

There’s a tacky sound coming from both as though they haven’t bonded too well…suspect I may have some dry spots? Followed everything to the letter and was pretty confident.

So, options are deflate tyre and roll tub to the side to try and find and dab any weak spots. Failing that, remove and clean tub, one more coat on the rim, cure then coat and seat tub again?

Used the broomstick method to ensure adhesion?

Not heard of that one, I did manually roll them along the floor and whacked them up to 120psi.

Just fully deflated then and there’s quite a few dry spots on the sides…not sure how that’s happened, thought I was pretty thorough.

Have dabbed some more glue in there and will see if that helps…