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Subject: tubulars vs clinchers

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park
Posts:3

Posted:3/21/2006 5:33:00 PM

I have a smart friend with a PhD who is convinced that clinchers are superior to tubulars for time trials. Based on rolling resistance data: http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-1503651.html which when plugged into analytical cycling models: http://www.analyticcycling.com/DiffEqWindCourse_Page.html shows that you can shave off 1-2 minutes on a 40K by using clinchers. (The model is for 4k so you have to multiply times 10 and bump up the watts)
He is actually going to sell off his tubular disk and get a clincher disk. I've always assumed that tubulars are superior because the wheels are lighter and because rolling resistance was lower than that for clinchers. Don't the pros use tubulars for most events?

Sboelter
Posts:3

Posted:3/22/2006 1:14:26 PM
Sssshhhhh. Don't tell everyone. This has been a secret for a while among the engineer types. Lets keep it under the radar and give ourselves a bit of an advantage.

gtingley
Posts:63

Posted:3/22/2006 8:31:58 PM
Yes, a majority of pro tour teams and riders use tubular tires, and many use carbon tubular rims.

gfzyriek
Posts:7

Posted:3/24/2006 8:07:14 AM

Maybe I missed this, but what do the "watts" translate to?

Is that how many watts it takes to turn the tire over at 30 km/hr?

I wish everything was so black and white, but it seems so many variables go into "what is fastest."

For instance, the article indicated that as you go faster then rolling resistance becomes less of a factor. If their testing occured at 30 km/hr what happens when you pick the pace up to 40 - 50 km/hr?

The only disadvantage I see with clinchers is weight; which in some cases might not be such a problem. But will this extra weight negate rolling resistance advantages?

In Memphis (TN) we have a great local company building disks. I had a chance to speak with the owner yesterday and he feels very strongly about the benefits of clincher tires. However, he laments that the clincher carbon rims are so darn heavy.

If you're switching to clinchers and need a light, strong (I like to stand on my disk and surf it to demonstrate to the non-believers) disk check out www.rennmultisport.com-- his prices are excellent.

I own a clincher 575 ($450) for races with bad road conditions and a Madeira tubular for all else. The Madeira ($700) is the same weight as a Zipp 900 and has an aluminum braking surface which I like.

raymorgs@aol.com
Posts:1

Posted:3/27/2006 7:16:48 AM

in reguards to which is fastest... in my experience, i was always buying the best light weight stuff, and without wind testing tunnels or phd data , just using common sence, i would have to say tubulars with low rolling res.is faster such as the continental competition is a great tubular for time trials, one of my favorites 19 or 22. also there are some clinchers as well like the verstein fortezza, has super low rolling res.as well.but sometimes light weight isnt all that great , i flatted out at times using lite weight stuff, and then theres the debate, do you use a tri spoke, or a 404 type for the front?and yes rennmulti sport does make a great disc, which i purchased a few years ago and its just as good as the 909 but less than 1/2 the price.so basically i think tubulars are a bit faster but i guess its up to the indivdual to make the trial and error.

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