Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
I misspoke when I said this, racers on tubular tires do not use a beaded tire - but NOBODY in their right mind would tour on a tubular tire. Sorry, I forgot about tubular tires when I made my comment.
I've done some moderate touring in the past on old sewups... I'd like to try some new ones sometime. But, I suppose I spend too much time in the LEFT BRAIN
Anyway, there are 4 basic types of tires.
- Wire Bead
- Folding (kevlar bead)
- Tubular / Sewups
- Tubeless (sealed to rim)
The newer tubular tires are supposed to be better, especially when running with a leak stop. But, perhaps it is best to leave them to the racing.
As far as the folding vs wire... I'm a little late with the change, but I really don't see a big difference between the two. I have encountered old wire bead tires with rusted wire... inevitably headed to a failure. The folding tires are easier to pack.
I certainly would consider the tubeless, and also carry everything needed to swap over to a tube + boot in an emergency (or simply a spare tire).