When is it worth it to fit tubs and what qualities do they have that are better than clinchers?

[Cyclopathic]

I'm not considering getting tubs because as little as I know about them I do know that I don't need them but I am curious as to what advantages they have over a normal tyre and inner arangement? The downsides seem all to obvious and so I wonder what it is about them that seems to make them a must foe all riders who race at a certain standard.

I have heard that when the top pros are just training that they too use just normal tyres for the sake of convenience. Is this true? I need to know! My idle curiosity is killing me!!!

 

[Rob3rt]

Traditionally, tubs were faster and gave greater ride quality than clinchers, modern clinchers and rims, with good latex inner tubes can probably come pretty close and there are plenty of claims they can be even better.

However there are still advantages:

The wheel can be lighter, especially at the rim, as it needn't be reinforced to take the pressures a clincher places on it.

You can put much higher tyre pressures in them, 200+ psi in some cases.

They don't "bulb" and you can with some smart choices create a very good tyre to rim transition, this is one of the things wider clincher rims like the Zipp Firecrest addresses.

No pinch punctures.

If you puncture, the tyre is less likely to come off.

If you puncture you can keep riding on the flat (either until a team car comes and gives you a new wheel if you are a pro) or to limp slowly back to HQ if you are an amateur.

 

[VamP]

Tubs still appear to have a slight edge in rolling resistance, compared to clinchers, although as Rob3rt points out it is a pretty marginal difference.

In addition to his points, which I fully agree with, tubs really come into their own for cyclocross application, where the difference between tubs and clinchers is night and day. More supple carcass combined with little risk of pinch punctures means that you can achieve massive improvements in traction in slippery conditions.

Finally, I will question your assumption about their obvious downsides. There's cost, and there's fixing punctures, but neither are as insurmountable as you might think. And they are less prone to puncturing in the first place.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Tubs sound much better They make a joyful noise at speed on a smooth surface. It has been a long time since I used them but I still remember that zip.

 

[biggs682]

must admit i keep thinking about using tubs on one of my bikes , but just not sure how durable they are .

have heard tales about putting a couple of cap fulls of Vitttoria Pit stop in them before riding them to help with puncture protection .

which ones do you choose to start with as they vary from £15 - 85+ ea

 

[VamP]

must admit i keep thinking about using tubs on one of my bikes , but just not sure how durable they are .

have heard tales about putting a couple of cap fulls of Vitttoria Pit stop in them before riding them to help with puncture protection .

which ones do you choose to start with as they vary from £15 - 85+ ea

I use Tufo Extreme - and I have always been able to fix punctures in a couple of minutes. Not sure about putting it in as a precautionary measure, seems wrong to add weight.

As to which ones - depends on your budget and intended usage. I have some CX Open Corsa Evos that I plan to glue up this weekend - which you can get for about £40. Great tubs.