best all round tubular tire

[forty four]

ok so finally i have some tubulars for races/special events they are easton ec90 aero 2008.
clincher tires i know as i used them all i like gp4000s for clinchers.
anyways what are peoples opinions on the best race tubular with durability good weight and decent flat protection? so far i lean towards contis but can get open corsa evo cx cheap but the clincher model flats and wheres fast otherwise great but i dont want to be flatting on tubulars too often so idk. all suggestions opinions welcome thanks.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

ok so finally i have some tubulars for races/special events they are easton ec90 aero 2008.
clincher tires i know as i used them all i like gp4000s for clinchers.
anyways what are peoples opinions on the best race tubular with durability good weight and decent flat protection? so far i lean towards contis but can get open corsa evo cx cheap but the clincher model flats and wheres fast otherwise great but i dont want to be flatting on tubulars too often so idk. all suggestions opinions welcome thanks.

So it seems like you've already answered your own question. Grand Prix 4000 SR is the tubular version. I think it has some weird reverse casing where it's sewn up on the tread side so there's no way to repair, but nobody really does that anymore, except the one person that will respond to that comment.

I prefer Vittorias, best handling tubulars out there. No flats so far with Open Corsa CX and the slick version. Have flatted some of the cheaper clinchers like Rubino and Zaffrio, but that was glass which would've punctured any tire.

 

[Boeing]

So it seems like you've already answered your own question. Grand Prix 4000 SR is the tubular version. I think it has some weird reverse casing where it's sewn up on the tread side so there's no way to repair, but nobody really does that anymore, except the one person that will respond to that comment.

I prefer Vittorias, best handling tubulars out there. No flats so far with Open Corsa CX and the slick version. Have flatted some of the cheaper clinchers like Rubino and Zaffrio, but that was glass which would've punctured any tire.

what kind of mileage do you get out of the Corsa CX?

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

what kind of mileage do you get out of the Corsa CX?

Considering my fighting weight is about 180, I get less than the typical lightweight cyclist, maybe 2000mi probably less out of the rear. But I really only use them for racing and special events and some uphill training I replace the rear at the beginning of every season, and my fronts usually last two. Vittorias in general wear faster no matter what tire, they're just simply the best handling.

 

[MR_Sarcastic]

The best: Veloflex, but flat easier than most
Very good: Vittoria CX, good all around tire
Very good: Conti Comps, very tough, very good for rough roads.

 

[Oldman]

what kind of mileage do you get out of the Corsa CX?

Try the green striped Vittoria. I get 2,000 miles and they work well on rough and wet roads. They have won me crits on wet days purely on handling. I'm not a heavy guy, though.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

So it seems like you've already answered your own question. Grand Prix 4000 SR is the tubular version. I think it has some weird reverse casing where it's sewn up on the tread side so there's no way to repair, but nobody really does that anymore, except the one person that will respond to that comment.

I prefer Vittorias, best handling tubulars out there. No flats so far with Open Corsa CX and the slick version. Have flatted some of the cheaper clinchers like Rubino and Zaffrio, but that was glass which would've punctured any tire.

tee hee...best 'all around' tubular for me is Conti Sprinter. Best combination of ride, durability and price.

Vittoria is more supple but for me, less reliable.

Conti Comp 22s or GP 4000 tubies are nice but expensive. Yep, don't like the GP4000 cuz I can't repair them.

Neither can Tire Alert.

 

[TexPat]

Try the green striped Vittoria. I get 2,000 miles and they work well on rough and wet roads. They have won me crits on wet days purely on handling. I'm not a heavy guy, though.

I concur. You want a high mileage tough tubular? The Vittoria Pave wins. For speed and ride characteristics, the Corsa CX.
Install 30ml of Stan's sealant in whatever you use and significantly reduce the number of punctures.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

tee hee...best 'all around' tubular for me is Conti Sprinter. Best combination of ride, durability and price.

Vittoria is more supple but for me, less reliable.

Conti Comp 22s or GP 4000 tubies are nice but expensive. Yep, don't like the GP4000 cuz I can't repair them.

Neither can Tire Alert.

My comment of the one person responding about fixing tubulars was for your benefit Bustedknuckle, knew it wouldn't take long. On a side note, I'm going to have to go to the shop for a visit again, I haven't seen anybody do a tubular repair since 1986. Show me the way master!..... Seriously!!

 

[GreasyMonkey]

The best: Veloflex, but flat easier than most
Very good: Vittoria CX, good all around tire
Very good: Conti Comps, very tough, very good for rough roads.

I concur with the Veloflex as the best, particularly the Roubaix (24mm). I have had good fortune with them re: punctures, have had much worse experience on punctures with Vittoria's (not sure of model).

Have used Veloflex on cobbles, wet & dry, they stick like s%!t to a blanket in wet or dry. Very good on pavement & concrete, but wears a bit quicker than others. The tread is glued & air-cured, not vulcanised with heat as with other brands, so tread is softer and wall more pliable.

Conti Comps are OK, not as pliable as Veloflex but a bit longer lasting.

For ease of repair, Veloflex is MUCH easier to unstitch, repair and re-assemble. Use liquid latex to re-attach the lifted base-tape and to re-seal the tape.

Whichever tubular you choose, after a ride/race, ALWAYS check the tub for bits of glass & grit that have embedded themselves - pick it out with a key or similar, then fill/seal the hole with some poly-urethane glue (takes 24-48hrs to cure). This glue is translucent, stays very flexible and will not affect the grip of the tub.

 

[forty four]

So it seems like you've already answered your own question. Grand Prix 4000 SR is the tubular version. I think it has some weird reverse casing where it's sewn up on the tread side so there's no way to repair, but nobody really does that anymore, except the one person that will respond to that comment.

I prefer Vittorias, best handling tubulars out there. No flats so far with Open Corsa CX and the slick version. Have flatted some of the cheaper clinchers like Rubino and Zaffrio, but that was glass which would've punctured any tire.

cool thanks for your input yeah i agree nothing corners better than open corsa evo cx vittorias but i find they wear fast and puncture easy(all experience based on clincher model) good to hear you have had good luck with punctures on them regarding tubulars.
one question i stupidly forgot to ask is whats the thoughts on tubular sealants use dont use???? weight vs. flatting rotational mass?? again i dont know **** regarding anything tubular all thoughts welcome thanks guys.

 

[forty four]

Considering my fighting weight is about 180, I get less than the typical lightweight cyclist, maybe 2000mi probably less out of the rear. But I really only use them for racing and special events and some uphill training I replace the rear at the beginning of every season, and my fronts usually last two. Vittorias in general wear faster no matter what tire, they're just simply the best handling.

true that did not read your second post before i responded it seems were on the same page regarding vittorias. the best cornering but wear not so much. my issue is im quite broke so i must find a balance regarding features.

 

[forty four]

Try the green striped Vittoria. I get 2,000 miles and they work well on rough and wet roads. They have won me crits on wet days purely on handling. I'm not a heavy guy, though.

yeah im considering that more beefy vittoria im not heavy either my weight year round is 150 to 160lbs no less no more thanks for your thoughts input something to look at.

 

[forty four]

tee hee...best 'all around' tubular for me is Conti Sprinter. Best combination of ride, durability and price.

Vittoria is more supple but for me, less reliable.

Conti Comp 22s or GP 4000 tubies are nice but expensive. Yep, don't like the GP4000 cuz I can't repair them.

Neither can Tire Alert.

thanks for your thoughts too. yeah i was concerned as the gp 4000 is seamless so i wondered about repair you answered that q. how do they ride good? if money no option gp 4000 worth it? to be honest these are 2 i have seriously considered my wheels came with some conti sprinters. thoughts on sealent??

 

[forty four]

I concur. You want a high mileage tough tubular? The Vittoria Pave wins. For speed and ride characteristics, the Corsa CX.
Install 30ml of Stan's sealant in whatever you use and significantly reduce the number of punctures.

thanks bro
ok so one man for sealent? and also one more for vittorias beefy rain race tire what are others thoughts??

 

[forty four]

I concur with the Veloflex as the best, particularly the Roubaix (24mm). I have had good fortune with them re: punctures, have had much worse experience on punctures with Vittoria's (not sure of model).

Have used Veloflex on cobbles, wet & dry, they stick like s%!t to a blanket in wet or dry. Very good on pavement & concrete, but wears a bit quicker than others. The tread is glued & air-cured, not vulcanised with heat as with other brands, so tread is softer and wall more pliable.

Conti Comps are OK, not as pliable as Veloflex but a bit longer lasting.

For ease of repair, Veloflex is MUCH easier to unstitch, repair and re-assemble. Use liquid latex to re-attach the lifted base-tape and to re-seal the tape.

Whichever tubular you choose, after a ride/race, ALWAYS check the tub for bits of glass & grit that have embedded themselves - pick it out with a key or similar, then fill/seal the hole with some poly-urethane glue (takes 24-48hrs to cure). This glue is translucent, stays very flexible and will not affect the grip of the tub.

ok cool thanks so much one strong review for veloflex which i have used only as a clincher they were good. yeah even on clinchers i do what you say but not as often as i should. anyways keep the thoughts coming guys i have no knowledge for tubulars and dont want to waste money. thanks to all who have helped so far keep it coming thanks peace.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Basically if you wanna run really light/expensive tubulars you should run sealant. If you don't wanna mess with the goop, go with Conti Sprinters. That's all I ever used to ride for training and racing, even went without a flat for almost 6 years riding Sprinters. Only thing I don't like about them now is that it's luck of the draw if you don't end up with one that isn't sewn up straight and makes it impossible to mount without a wobble which causes a shimmy at high speeds, that's why I moved to Vittoria.

As for sealants (if you go that route) take a look at Stan's or Caffelatex. Both do the job well, and are very light, don't effect rotational mass at all. I actually started using sealant in my Vitorrias that's why I haven't flatted them yet. The guy who got me using sealant also had the Corsa Evos but his looked like Pinhead from the movie Hellraiser. He'd pull on staples and jagged little rocks, even sharp pieces of bone fragments from his tires, and they wouldn't flat.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

thanks for your thoughts too. yeah i was concerned as the gp 4000 is seamless so i wondered about repair you answered that q. how do they ride good? if money no option gp 4000 worth it? to be honest these are 2 i have seriously considered my wheels came with some conti sprinters. thoughts on sealent??

'Worth' is a big word. I own a bike shop and GP4000 and Comp 22 tubies are too expensive for me, even at wholesale.

I do put Stan's in my tubies, BTW-

 

[forty four]

well was looking at reviews there all over the place confusing.
im thinking ill be deciding between
conti sprinter(best price)
conti gp4000(my favorite clincher and also i can get 1 tire at cost
conti competition(expensive good reviews though)
and open corsa evo cx(expensive love the clinchers but they flat and wear though i guess there is a new version that is better with flats)
generally these will be race day only and my first tubulars so at least this time i want something real nice.

another question any tips on the where to get the best price either locally in socal or online?? thanks

 

[forty four]

'Worth' is a big word. I own a bike shop and GP4000 and Comp 22 tubies are too expensive for me, even at wholesale.

I do put Stan's in my tubies, BTW-

yeah i used to work at a shop not anymore so cant get wholesale. i may be able to get specialized tubies at cost though just dont know if there worthy.

 

[runninboy]

Bikewagon on EBAY has the sprinters for under 50 dollars
Biketiresdirect.com is also good

 

[orbeas]

tubular repair

Re repairing Tubs.

Tufo's dont have an innertube so the only way is with a sealant and super glue.
I use the type for car tyres with an adapter for the valve. and use the superglue for the tread.

Continental are the same I think for the cheaper ones

Vittoria have tubes so you need to open them up and repair them as normal and so them back up.
If you are in the UK there is a great guy been doing them for years, worth posting your expensive ones to him from abroad.
http://www.tubular-repairs.com/
I find Vittoria Rally in 23mm ideal for training. and at present around £15 here in the uk, although just bought 3 new ones on ebay for £22 plus postage.
If you want some light rims try and get some Mavic GL 330 either new old stock or second-hand.

 

[forty four]

Bikewagon on EBAY has the sprinters for under 50 dollars
Biketiresdirect.com is also good

cool hey thanks for the tip bro appreciated ill check it out.

 

[forty four]

Re repairing Tubs.

Tufo's dont have an innertube so the only way is with a sealant and super glue.
I use the type for car tyres with an adapter for the valve. and use the superglue for the tread.

Continental are the same I think for the cheaper ones

Vittoria have tubes so you need to open them up and repair them as normal and so them back up.
If you are in the UK there is a great guy been doing them for years, worth posting your expensive ones to him from abroad.
http://www.tubular-repairs.com/
I find Vittoria Rally in 23mm ideal for training. and at present around £15 here in the uk, although just bought 3 new ones on ebay for £22 plus postage.
If you want some light rims try and get some Mavic GL 330 either new old stock or second-hand.

good to know about the tufos. from what i understand the tubular gp4000 has a tube but none the less cannot be fixed scary if your me and not wealthy. but then again epic tire destroying punctures for me only happen maybe once a year or less i ride 10000 more or less yearly i think sometimes more some years less. also good to know about the repair option on those which can be fixed. all in all a whole new realm for me.