Originally Posted by
exmechanic89
One question I have, are tubular wheels still significantly lighter than clinchers? I had thought with modern materials and different manufacturing techniques now that they weighed pretty close to each other. Or is that not true?
Oh and are sew-ups still used extensively - for instance are the Tour De France riders all on them?
There are clincher wheels, and then there are clincher wheels. You can get ultra light clincher wheels but you pay a lot for them. Switching to tubulars is a cheap way to lose weight from the bike. One reason for that is that people try tubulars and decide against them, creating a glut of tubular wheels, pushing their value down.