Welcome to 'cross racing!
Originally Posted by
xbartx
Are tubulars typically used for day to day riding and training or just for racing?
Mostly just for racing because the tires are expensive, and it's nearly impossible to repair a flat on the side of the road. Unlike road tubulars, it's really hard to pull a properly glued CX tubular off of a wheel without tools, so carrying a spare tire is of little use. There are some portable sealant options like Vittora Pit Stop that you can carry, that *might* seal up a small puncture, but I usually just assume I'm calling an Uber if I get a flat when I'm riding my tubulars.
On the flip side, you're only going to get a couple of seasons (at most) out of a good glue job, and my understanding is that you can't really remove and re-glue CX tubulars (this according to my LBS that does a TON of CX tubular glue jobs) so you may as well ride them while you can!
Originally Posted by
xbartx
For a rookie, just starting out would it be best to buy an inexpensive set of clincher or tubeless wheels?
I'd recommend getting a second set of clincher/tubless wheels for training, and to have as a backup on race day. Tubulars are big upgrade and since you already have them you may as well use 'em.
Originally Posted by
xbartx
Could it be cost effective to bring the wheels to my LBS on have them put a new clincher rims on?
Are you asking about rebuilding the Dura Ace wheels with a clincher rim? I suppose this could be done, but I would just get a second set of wheels, rather than having your LBS rebuild the set you have with new rims.
Originally Posted by
xbartx
I did reach out to the seller and found out that the tires were bought and put on over the summer by his LBS, so the glue and tires are less than a year old. I will start looking for a suitable set of clinchers.
Shimano Dura-Ace 9170 C40 are what came on the bike and said to be a year old. They seem to be nice rims, but are they a good choice for XC? Would I be better off selling them to fund a better XC suited rim?
Those are super nice carbon tubular wheels and if the tires/glue job are less than a year old I would suggest keeping them, riding them (sparingly) and using them on race-days. They will probably be fine for a year or two. Tubulars have a big advantage over clinchers in that they can be run at lower psi, which is a big advantage when racing. I run my tubulars around 22-25 psi, whereas I won't go much below 35 on my clinchers. It makes a big difference. There are some differences between road wheels and a purpose-built CX wheels, but for a rookie I wouldn't worry about it so much.
Originally Posted by
xbartx
Any suggestions on a set of training wheels in the $400 range?
If I were you, I'd probably order up some generic carbon clinchers from Superteam or Yoleo or one of the other chinese online brands. You've already got a nice quality race wheelset, so I'd have no concerns taking a chance on something like this as a second set for training.