Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Carbon Clincher or Tubulars?

Talk about not having the best of luck. I decided to give the deep dish tubulars a spin yesterday and see how they would hold up with the evening south bay winds. About 20 minutes from my house I realized the rear had a slow leak. I was able to get back home and safely put on my low profile tubulars. Back on the road I'm happily making my way to the SJBC Tuesday night crit and discover, yet again, that this wheelset has a slow leak too.

I get to the race and pump these back up and it was noticeable. The air leak could be heard and felt very clearly. The tire seemed to quit leaking at around 80psi, much less than the 140psi I wanted to run. Nevertheless I decided to ride anyways. It was super comfy, but not the most efficient ride.

So now I've got myself thinking about how much of a pain it is to deal with tubulars. I've been doing a bit of research on what's out there for carbon clincher rims and there are quite a few, ranging from Zipps (my least fav) to Lew's (mucho bling expensive). Throw in there the Reynolds and Edge Composite offerings and you've got an interesting blend of different price points, rim depths and build options.

On the plus side my abilities to glue a tubular real well were confirmed when I took off both leaky tires and about broke my thumbs off. In fact, while typing this up my hands are still fatigued. I doubt I'll be rolling my tubulars in the near future.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

was that you at Brisbane Crit who rolled a tire when on the front?... anyway try looking at neuvation, they're on sale they have 38's and 50's full carbon clinchers and you can get ceramic bearings put in. I like mine, also like my tubulars for racing when I can get a spare wheel.

Manley Man said...

Yeah, that was me. The rear tubular tire was still in a condition to re-use and the rim was not damaged, but the bad karma on the rear Vittoria hung around long enough and bit me again.

Neil Duane Harrington said...

Also - look into Williams - they have a great clincher that is used by some die-hard tubular guys (DISCLAIMER: The Elite team (which I am a member of- is sponsered by Williams, but I dont run them)

Manley Man said...

I emailed Williams yesterday and they are out of the 50c wheels. They are coming out with a new 38mm and 58mm carbon clincher this fall. If they can build them strong enough for me then I might have to consider. I met Keith Williams at our Memorial Day crit and chatted with him for quite a while during the Pro/1/2 race; I'd definitely give him my business if his product met my needs.

phipps said...

I don't know how, but I've managed to crack 3 Zipp 303's (OK, using them at Copperopolis was a bad idea), and I only wiegh 140!

I'm real happy with the Williams 19 clinchers I have now and will probably buy a set of their Carbon 50 clinchers at some point.

I'm just really tired of the expense and hassle of tubulars.

Manley Man said...

I just spoke with Keith Williams via email and the 50c's are out of stock and won't be part of the future product lineup. He's got some new carbon clinchers coming in the fall in a 38mm and 58mm version. Those sound exciting.

phipps said...

I'd probably get a set of each then =).

Also, I haven't forgotten about the 6 pack I owe you. Are you going to be at Burlingame?

Manley Man said...

No Burlingame for me this weekend. I'll let you know when you can get me some brews!

Unknown said...

I've been racing with Reynolds 46c's 20/24 with a PT all year and they are true even after a few big potholes and the Madera RR. I think the Reynolds or the new Edge clinchers would be the most reliable bets. However, going with Williams is nice as they are local.

Metz

Manley Man said...

Yeah, the front runners are the DV46's or the Edge 68's. Both of those seem like solid picks...

Unknown said...

Lemme know if you want to test ride the Reynolds, but you'll have to come out to Livermore and hit Patterson, Diablo or Morgan on the weekend or the Tuesday noon ride. Campy, right?

Manley Man said...

Dave, Campy is what I ride. My in-laws live out in Discovery Bay so I routinely am in your area. Shot me an email at toddmanley at gmail dot com and we can chat further.