I train on Mavic Ellipses with Vittoria Rubio Pro clinchers. They are great for training because they are slow and bomb proof! I have flatted on the rear wheel and made it out alive down off the banking on VSC. I do race on disks and FF 90s with Vittoria speeds which are kind of fragile, but feel great and are fast. I agree that the old saw concerning "safety" of clinchers is no longer true, if it ever was.