Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
Tubulars aren't for you, at least at this stage.
They're tires that are glued to the rim. I don't think anybody makes tubular tires that aren't excellent, which is nice but pricey. If you get a flat and can't fix it with sealant, the tire comes off and another one is glued on. You use different rims for this. Unless you're pretty handy and carry glue and whatnot, a flat ends your ride and means the call of shame. They're a very expensive pain in the ass.
They're also lighter (mostly the rims are lighter), they typically have less rolling resistance, cornering is a little better, and you can limp forward on a flat, plus they're glued to the rim, which means you're not going to crash if you flat coming down a hill at 30. Basically, they make sense in a race, maybe a climb too, but that's about it.
Tubeless is most of the convenience of clinchers and most of the benefits of tubulars. I'll catch some hell for that.
My experience is that road replacement tires do not need to be gjued on. If you keep some used o repaired tires as spares, the used but not hardened glue will have some adhesion to the rim, especially after continuing the ride a little - it warms up. If you have a very long ride you may want to carry glue and some disposable rubber gloves (a little vial of Goof-off or similar for little spills), and pre-stretch a new tire to make sure it can install in the field.
Excellent tubulars maybe $80 to >$200, but good ones can be very good indeed. Gommitalia Champion and Espresso are my favorites in the low to mid range. Poor low-end products in my opinion include Continental Giro and Vittoria Rallye. Worth mention in the low end is the house brand Servizio Corse, from Yellow Jersey of or near Madison Wisconsin. In Colorado I've gotten good deals at Schwab Cycles on the west side of Denver, at least they used to be there. Large selection on-line at World Class Cycles, in Long Island, New York. Vecchio's Cycletteria in Boulder is a great resource for you. I don't know the Denver stores any more, I used to live near a Performance on Colorado Blvd.
Getting tubular rims has a lot of points to consider: gearing, shift system, number of spokes, OLD, carbon/notcarbon, braking, and will you build/support the wheels yourself. I had my first road bike in 1968 and tubulars around 1970, so I have a lot of this stuff in my history. It's a learning experience, but nothing here is actually difficult if you can maintain your own bike.
A lot of people here will show anxiety over the idea of repairing (meaning patching) flat tubular tires at roadside, but nobody does that, it's just too fiddly without a table. You carry a spare or two in an under-seat bag and a good pump or CO2. Flat-fix for the innertube, but ... there are a lot of opinions about that, and I've had mixed results. I know carrying a spare works, and that patching it at home (opening the tire carcass, patching carefully, and sewing it back up) works. Servizio Corse tires sell 3 for $50 so you get a spare, and you can use a short lashing strap or old toe-strap (again dating myself) to tie it under your saddle.
"Zinn's Cycling Primer (2004)" discusses how to manage tubulars and contains a lot of additional vintage knowledge and chops. In addition there is the traditional "Anybody's Bike Book" by Tom Cuthbertson, dating back to 1973 or so. But tubulars and traditionally spoked wheels have not changed, though lacing spokes has, foot retention (toe clips) had straps, and carbon was a way of making cigarette smoke milder, but not less carcinogenic.