Being a total bike noob, I thought I'd ask. Weighing up new purchases and possibly a planet-x which comes with tubs on the deep section wheels.
Do they ride differently? Just how much of a ball ache are they to change? How long do they last? Are they more susceptible to cr@p roads?
....and is there a bike school I can go to where I can learn all these things?!
Comments
I use clinchers but then I am a mountain biker / pretend triathlete..
Planet x have a set of 40mm deep section wheels with aluminium breaking surface for £399??? I am sure they will swap those if clinchers scare you
Roadies say tubs are better, but then they also wear bike shoes / cleats that dont allow you to walk around in
I have not been on my MTB for a serious ride in 18 months
Main drawback with tubs is the cost of the tyre itself and the fact they can't be easily repaired so one puncture often means binning them (there is a guy that does repairs but about £15 per repair IIRC, never used the service myself).
Normal tyres for me have been bombproof. Tubs I seem to flat just by looking at them.
£120 worth on one 20 mile ride was the worst though.
I've even flatted using the tufo sealant.
Will weigh up my options, thanks guys.
I use them for races and I've never had any trouble with them. Changing during a race is quicker than clinchers, and you won't have the problem of finding out a mile down the road after a flat that you hadn't got all of the glass out of the tyre. And they're light & fast.
Having said that though, there are a lot of very good clincher wheels these days, and if I was after a new set I might swap to those, just because they're a whole lot cheaper to run.
If you want to try some, I've got a PX 101/82 set you could have a go on. Heck, if Gladys can get round Regensburg on them they can't be bad...
Once you have the hang of getting them on and off and assuming youve got a pre-stretched spare for race day they dont take any longer than clinchers to change.
I like the idea they theyre faster/lighter but cant say I particularly notice the benefit, that said overall my TT bike maintains higher speed easier but thats more to do with aero wheels than the tubs.
I also like that you can pump them up to 140 or so PSI
I don't buy that tubs themselves are any faster than clinchers - not that I can really notice anyway I know some claim they can feel a difference - but for an expensive race day only wheelset I'll take a little bit of extra faff with tubs for a bit of weight off the rim and a reduced chance of them breaking - though to a large extent it would depend on how good a deal I was getting as performance wise there is not a lot in it either way.
If the wheels are going to be used for training or even sportives etc though - clinchers every time. I know you can get the sealant but it's not foolproof - I got a bad puncture warming up for a TT with a tub and had to borrow a mates training wheel as the hole was so big the sealant wouldn't hold more than about 60psi without squirting out.
In terms of failure... I've read everything from "it's practically impossible to replace tubs during a race" to "it can be quicker than clinchers"... either somebody isn't telling the truth or some people are much better at it than others. I would like to think that if I knew how to do it, I could be reasonably proficient. Nothing scares me more than the idea of the tire rolling off at speed during a race though!
Couple all this with the fact I'm barely capable of making a decision on a bike, and I'm quite lost at the minute!
I am picking my brand new PX Steaqlth with the 62mm clinchers up at the end of the month. I asked them to change from the 82/101 tubs and they did with no problems!
Are you on @rsebook?
I think its very unlikely that a tub will roll off at speed, youd need an extreme force to overcome the resistnace of a rolling fully inflated tube in a concave surround. I think the dangers of them rolling off are at low pressure. I rode the last 60 miles of IM Regensburg on a barely glued on tub with no problems. If you are worried just avoid sharp corneriing/dead turns at speed.
Re exhanging between race and training wheels, if youve carbon rims on one set and metal on the other you also need to swap over the brake pads. Some rubber pads arent very good for braking on carbon, also pads youve used on metal rims can accumulate metal burs/metal dust which will wear away a carbon rim.