Tomm Willians

I own a few vintage bikes with tubulars that I enjoy riding on relatively short (20 mile) rides. As changing a flat with these is of course a pain, what would be a “ Gatorskin” level tubular tire so I can hopefully avoid flats?

Mulberry20

Are you referring to tubular tires as in sew-ups or just clincher tires with tubes?

Tomm Willians

Sew ups

Mulberry20

My friend that uses them likes Tufos for everyday riding and Veloflex for that special bike. Veloflex are considered the top.

woodcraft

I've found Continental Sprinters to be very flat resistant while still having OK ride quality.

They also hold air well which is handy for occasionally- ridden bikes.

veganbikes

Why not use Conti Gatorskin Tubulars?

Tomm Willians

I did not realize that gator skins came as a tubular thank you!!!

veganbikes

No worries, always happy to help.

I had an ex-co-worker who got them for his TT bike and he said good things at the time and in my brief conversations on the bike when I see him every so often he is still happy.

Ferrouscious 

If you don't care about the ride quality enough to want flat resistant tires, might I suggest the Vittoria Rally tubs? They're skinwall and are cheap enough that you could just replace them when you flat. There's also Tire Alert (a world wide web site). Have you learned the art of repairing tubulars? That's what I do. It's part of the fun...

woodcraft

IME, those are not flat resistant, and not worth bothering with, especially for the OP, who wants to avoid changing tires.

trailangel

I don't find it a pain to change a tubular tire on the road.... as I use Tubasti and it doesn't really harden.
I can peel the flat tire off and mount new tire faster than putting a new tube in a clincher.
What the pain is fixing the tube inside the tubular. But I have actually done this as well on the side of the road when I got 2 flats in one day.

ofajen

Back in the day, I learned the art of throwing away flatted tubulars. 😊

Otto

tcarl

I have some of the Gatorskin tubulars which I ride. My opinions based on use - I think they have a very thick sidewall, like three times a traditional tubular. This means that you get very little of that "tubular feel", but you do get a little of it. I have also found that unless I pump them up to a high pressure they feel like they drag on uphills - drag like the wheel's in the frame crooked and the tire is rubbing against the frame. That really annoys me and slows me down. My only guess is that that thick casing just isn't flexing under the extra load of climbing. I have found a way around this though. I pump them up to about 125 psi (they're rated to 170 psi). That pressure seems to eliminate the drag on climbs but makes the tire very hard. If you're only riding really smooth pavement, okay; but rougher pavement - you feel the bumps and jolts, and also the tires don't flex over the roughness, they bounce. You can sort of tell they aren't in solid contact with the pavement all the time. That really hasn't effected handling for me, but it really wears the tread off the rear wheel quickly - and the tubular Gatorskin's don't have as much tread as the clincher ones. I only ride these tires when I know I want the extra toughness. For example, it's "gravel season" on the chip and seal farm roads in Illinois. I'm riding them now - they handle the fine gravel fine (but are rough riding and bouncy because of my high pressure). Another situation is on the MUP trail after a good windstorm when you may be riding over twigs and small sticks. The rest of the time I'll ride Continental Sprinters. As a general thought I'd say don't consider the Continental Gatorskin tubular to be the same tire, just in a tubular format, as the Continental Gatorskin clincher.

Ferrouscious 

You have tubs on a Schwinn Varsity? What else have you changed?

branko_76 

I guess that would be okay if they were biodegradeable

79pmooney

The latex tubed silks we used to race were.

+1 I commuted on Tubasti'd sew-ups for years. Loved that I could flat and do a fast change - in the dark, rain, snow, tired, inebriated and in shady neighborhoods. If I really needed to be quick, I didn't even have to put the tire on straight.

Ben

dmanders

I must admit I don't get the point of buying the "toughest" tub. The joy of tubs really only comes with the higher end. Otherwise ride clinchers. As for changing, I am actually faster with tubs than clinchers. It is the repair that is a pain.