Clinchers vs Tubbies?

[Newboy]

So I have been looking for deep section clinchers for a while without success. The reason I want clinchers before tubbies is that I am scared of punctures especially during Iron Man. It can ruin a race and many many hours of training.

 

My question is, is this a valid concern? How prone are tubbies to punctures and can I fix them next to the road?

 

 

 

In general what is the benefits and drawbacks of tubbies?

[Mudsimus]

Concerning punctures. I rode tubbies for 4 years without a single puncture. I only used Tufo tubbies and the sealant that goes with it.

[Newboy]

thanks, that is the sort of comments I need. I need to convince myself that Tubbies is for me.

[Prince]

Tubbies and clinchers have the about the same puncture resistance. If a tubby is cut you are dead without a back up. Most punctures can be fixed with a sealant but tubbies are lighter and roll way faster. Been on Vitoria's now for two years and so far no punctures(touch wood).

[Newboy]

I suppose you ride with an extra tubbie if you are really scared. How easy is it to change them?

[Mudsimus]

If you ride with a spare tubby use a old one...thats in a working order. You wont get a new one installed next to the road.

[Capri Wheeler]

wel i would say you have to way this up.

 

Would you rather finish comfortably in every race or kick ass in most races and then maybe not be able to finish in one or two due to punctures. Put sealant in to make sure if you get a puncture it doesn;t mean the end of your race....

 

thats from my side, tubbies are the only way!

 

[Minion]

I've had one puncture with a tubby when I hit a cateye or something. The outer casing was fine but it ripped a 5mm gash in the tube (see below). The sealant was no help whatsoever. I repaired it by unstitching the casing, patching the tube and re-sewing the casing. So no, you can't repair it on the side of the road and sealant doesn't always work.

 

 

I'm told it's fairly easy to change a tubby. I've not yet done it myself, but I need to mount a tubby this week so I'll soon find out how true that is. In a critical race with no support, like IM, I would definitely carry a spare. Ideally I'd also practice removing and mounting the tyre beforehand. Here is the Park link for tubby mounting: http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=61

 

Mud Dee mentions that you should carry an old tubby. You could get away with a new one, but you have to make sure it's been pre-stretched so that it will fit over the rim with less effort

 

Finally, from an engineer's viewpoint, tubby tyres themselves offer no significant performance advantages over equivalent clincher tyres (read through the Zipp support site's section of tyres). Removing the structural requirements of the clincher bead does, however, allow more leeway in the design of the rim that may lead to some performance advantages.

 

[slowtwitch]

Clinchers for training

Tubbies for racing

Ironman everyone (contenders) race tubbies and they do it by having a spare tubbie on board and riding with sealant in the race wheels. It's quicker to change than clinchers and most of the time the bit of sealant you have in the existing tubbie is sufficient to seal the leak - even quicker to solve a puncture that way.

[Newboy]

Thanks guys. It seems that everybody believes in clincher for training and tubbies for racing. (a spare tubbie for IM or important races). Now the next question is what must I look out for when I buy a set of tubbies, wheels and tires themselves. Any recommendations is welcome.

[flex]

Tubbies are great... I was riding (mostly racing) mine (Schwalbe Ultremo) for a year before I hit some glass on Ontdekkers Road that cut the tire - even then a can of flat fix got me home on about 6 bar. They roll like a dream though, usually at around 11 bar - very little rolling resistance. And oh yeah they look so damn hot too

[Newboy]

So I am convinced to go the Tubbie route. Thanks guys I think you addressed my puncture concerns, it also seems that the weight penalty on clinchers are quite hefty.

Now I must decide which ones. Any advice will be appreciated.

[Marius]

i only finished about 50% of the races i did when i used tubbies.

[Marius]

the good old days, how I miss (not) the HOURS in the sun or rain waiting for a backup vehicle to pick me up - NEVER AGAIN!!!

[Bike Mob]

Sheesh...I was just about to try trade in my clinchers for Tubbies, the beginning of the thread says get tubbies all over it and them BAM.... Marius hits home my worst nightmare.

 

 

[Marius]

For me it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo not worth it. Maybe I was just unlucky :-P