Tire question
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TriSooner posted 43 weeks ago.
Is it a Tufo Tubular Clincher tire? (http://www.tufonorthamerica.com/tiretypes.php)
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PJT posted 43 weeks ago.
Sounds exactly like a tubular clincher. Good thing you found out this way. Would you have ever been surprised if you had a flat on the road!
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J.Michael posted 43 weeks ago.
I've used tufo's in the past and they are a pretty darn good tire.
They can be difficult to change in a hurry at first, but once you get the knack, it's faster than changing a tube.
They are a great high mileage tire, but you lose some options should you flat. No dollar bill or duct tape. No patching it like a MTB tubular. Sealant works fast and for awhile, but eventually the hole will enlarge and you'll sling goo all over the place. Although, when you flat at speed, it's much less squirrely than a regular clincher. Hitting a broken beer bottle going down a bridge at 35+mph is still pretty scary, but you can most likely avoid the tire rolling off the rim. (And might not need to change your shorts.)
The only drawbacks are they can have a slightly rough ride, and the need to bring along a spare tire unless you don't mind walking if you get a big gash away from home.
I can only imagine the look on your face if you'd blown a tire during a race.
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
— Winston Churchill
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PJT posted 43 weeks ago.
To the OP (or whoever, really): I do happen to have a blue Tufo Jet Special tubular clincher hanging in my basement. It was included with a wheel purchase but I never used it and probably never will. If anyone wants the thing for a spare, send me a PM.
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Socket posted 43 weeks ago.
Very similar to the Tufo, but slightly different from what I can tell. I'll get the details when I go home tonight.
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vistring posted 43 weeks ago.
Oh, stop sitting the fence. You are either a tubular or clincher guy. Next thing you want will be known as a roadie triathlete. I bet you want your cake and to eat it too!
Jokes aside. Let us know how they ride.
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911 days
Socket posted 43 weeks ago.
You know sometimes it's refreshing to have one of those "zomg I'm such a n00b" moments.
What seems to have been confusing me is the fact that a 23 rim is quite a bit tinier than a 35; add in a year and a half of riding, high pressure inflation, and heat from riding and the trainer and it only appears that that tire is one solid piece. After nearly half an hour of yanking and pulling and giving it the stink-eye, I was able to pull it off the rim and get a better look at it. The area around the valve stem didn't look consistent with what I thought it was and was able to slowly peel the tube out of the tire.
It had just been in there so long it refused to let go!
Well, good to know that something like that does, in fact, exist. Also good to know that I don't have one. And now I also know I need more practice changing tires :-) Gave me an excuse to try out my CO2 inflator too.
Thanks for the help guys 
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jonovision_man posted 43 weeks ago.
That's funny :) I noticed that with my 23's as well, they get stuck in there really good, my MTB tubes practically fall out. Probably depends on the kind of material the tube is up against.
jono
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xc800runner posted 43 weeks ago.
jonovision_man wrote:
That's funny :) I noticed that with my 23's as well, they get stuck in there really good.
Baby powder in the tire. Will prevent the tubes from sticking inside your tires, and also allows the tube to seat better, as it slides around inside the tire more easily. Especially important when using Latex tubes.
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rhane posted 42 weeks ago.
Is that continental hometrainer tire worth it? Do you really get better mileage out of it over a used set of wheels (say last years Ultra Gatorskins)?
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Socket posted 42 weeks ago.
1) not a continental, it's a vittoria (like it matters ;-) )
2) no idea if it's worth it. I've only had the trainer two weeks longer than the tire.
3) its definitely easier than finding a used set of wheels, since they'd probably need tires ;-)
That reminds me, I should probably get a set of replacement tires...
This has me confused to no end, and I'm wondering if I just have some malformed freak of a set of tires:
I finally got the trainer tire delivered and I attempted to change it out this morning. I haven't had to change the tires on this bike yet (Specialized Allez) so I figured it'd be fairly normal clinchers as this isn't a high end bike with high end wheels. Imagine my surprise when I go to peel off the tires and they're some kind of mix of tubular and clincher.
There is no tube (all one piece) but has the clincher bead to keep it in place... Good thing I found that out now and not in a race since I have spare tubes that would have done me no good at all.
Has anyone seen this before?