Originally Posted by
Doge
The OP asked about rough road. The TT Worlds were not that. I am correct now.
Rough road races - Paris Roubaix cobbles (which my son did) are done on tubulars.
I posted elsewhere clinchers were fine for smooth TTs. The best clinchers are still 300g heavier (tires and rims) than the same (Vittoria to Vittoria, Veloflex to Veloflex) tubulars and they pop more easily.
Wow. Let's take a deep breath here. I'm the OP. I didn't say I was racing Paris-Roubaix. I said "chipseal" and broken pavement -- a world apart from cobbles. Tubulars are old school traditional but even the top-level pros are racing more clinchers in conventional road races these days. There's no disadvantage for the best modern clinchers and, for racers who do their own wrenching, there are tons of advantages. I will be going with clinchers.