"Is it on tubulars?" When I rode to university a long time ago on a steel Peugeot road bike, I regularly heard this question from older people who would stop me in the street because of my "great bike." Unfortunately, the Peugeot wasn't on tubulars, which always led to disappointment and a loss of interest. This, however, reflects the almost magical connection between this type of tire and sport. And no wonder – for many years, tubulars were undoubtedly the only sensible choice for racing. However, the last dozen or so years have seen a rapid offensive of tubed and tubeless wheels, including for road cycling, where such ideas were unthinkable not long ago. Many people choose them for their comfort, and even at the highest level, there are teams that forgo tubulars in favor of tubeless . So I'll try to discuss the topic as objectively as possible, although of course, there will be complaints from a former mechanic.
Specific benefits
A bike with tubular tires handles best. While it sounds like a backwoodsman's mantra, I have to agree. Why? The nearly circular cross-section of the tire and inner tube assembly. There's no pressure from the protruding rim edges, which with other designs results in a more or less flat sidewall. Add to that the strong bonding to the rim. This ensures very predictable cornering.
The absence of these rims allows for lighter rims (or stiffer rims for the same weight), which also translates into improved durability. This is especially important for carbon wheels, which are more susceptible to damage at the rim. Tubular tires also have the advantage of performing well for some time after a minor puncture, and can ultimately be ridden flat (though this is a rather extreme experience). However, in professional competition, this can be a game-changer.
Tubular tires are also the only option that allows for safe inflation to extreme pressures of 11-12 atmospheres. Virtually no one does this on the road anymore (low pressure and comfort are king these days), but on the track it makes more sense.
Tubular tires are a pain in the ass
Few mechanics enjoy dealing with them. Why? Here's the traditional procedure for replacing a tubular tire:
- You need to tear off the old tubular tire and remove any glue residue from the rim without damaging it.
- Then we dry-fit the new tubular tire (which is not that easy, because it is designed to fit the rim very tightly) and leave it for a dozen or so hours to settle.
- We remove the tubular tire, apply a layer of glue to it and the rim, and leave it to dry for several hours.
- We apply a second layer of glue and re-tension the tubular tire, but this time the whole thing sticks, making it even more difficult to tighten. In the process, we dirty the entire wheel, ourselves, and the surrounding area.
- Now, before the glue sets, you need to align the tubular tire by stretching it properly, removing it, and repositioning the crooked sections. Alternately, you check the result with a truing gauge, deflate it to tighten it, and then inflate it again.
- If we succeed, we wait again for the glue to dry, in the meantime we clean the wheel and it's done!
There are, of course, different schools of thought. Some, for example, use a single layer of glue (without dry-laying), but even then it's labor-intensive. Furthermore, cheap tubulars are often simply crooked, which is even more frustrating. There's a simple alternative: special double-sided tape that replaces the glue, but the quality of this solution is questionable – many cyclists complain about feeling the tire move relative to the rim. However, I've heard that some high-end tapes have significantly improved in this regard in recent years. Perhaps someone here has experience with this?
Is it worth investing in tubular tires?
I'll skip the considerations about power loss and aerodynamics, I'll just mention that modern tubeless tires that are well-matched to the rim have comparable performance to tubular tires in this respect.
Decades ago, cyclists always carried tubular tires with them during races or training. In the event of a puncture, they quickly installed new tires without glue and rode on. Today, sealant can be injected, and professionals can count on a service truck with wheels – a quick and easy solution. This also explains why tubular tires still hold true – at a certain level, the hassle of changing them isn't such a big deal. In amateur competitions, everything depends on the individual situation. If you notice a difference in handling, tubular tires are a good choice for your competition wheels. However, for training, you'll practically have something with regular tires or tubeless setups. Due to the weight benefits, they're also a natural choice for mountain riding.
For cyclocross and MTB (again, except at very high levels), tubular tires are completely pointless. The high risk of punctures means a lot of work with replacements and costs. Furthermore, they lose out to tubeless tires in terms of low-pressure capabilities. It's not worth it.
Tubular tires have a future ahead of them
Although for practical reasons some teams are switching to tubeless (no need to divide the wheels into training and racing), and the advantage of tubulars over them is diminishing, I believe there will be enough sensible applications in the cycling world for a long time to come. And that's a good thing – diverse solutions make the cycling world more interesting. We don't actually install them on our bikes – it doesn't align with the philosophy of simple construction and serviceability.
Of course, there are also fanatical believers. I've heard countless times that preparing tubular tires is a "ceremony," "magic," or "art." Let me just say that nothing cures this approach like a good deal of calluses on your thumbs.
Main photo by: Mahmut
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