750-1000 miles.
Be careful where you ride
They are fast, smooth tires.

For durability and price, hard to beat Tufo's, and they come in a 700x24.
However, they are stiff, and I'm not sure I'd take an off-camber downhill hard turn in them, at full speed.

I use them because they wear like iron, and ride sort of like it, too.

Yeah I read they aren't they supple. And you can't patch them. These Vredstein's I got are perfect. I already have 500 miles on them and no sign of wear, and they ride really smooth. They have that tubular sound. I like the harder compound strip down the middle, it's like the Forte Pro+ clinchers I used and those last thousands of miles without squaring off.

I just picked up my very first set of tubular tires for a bike I'm building. The rims are Mavic GP 7 and the tires are Continental Gatorskin 700x25. I have them on the rims now pumped up to 125 to stretch. I'll take them off this weekend and glue them on. I'm debating trying my first glue job myself or going to my LBS.

I have been a fan of the Conti Sprinters, before switching to Veloflex. i think they are 22mm, and several years old. No flats, a good ride for 22s. Are the new Sprinters 25mm???

Do it yourself.
The only ones that seem to think it's difficult are people that ride Clinchers...
Get yourself a small brush about 5/16" wide and some quality Glue. After stretching the tires wipe the inner portion of the rim with Acetone. Put a liberal layer of glue on both the rim and tire let dry for at least 24 hours. Then put another layer on the rims let dry for about 30 miniites then mount your tires and inflate them to 40 lbs. Then position the tires so they are straight on the rim. Once you are satisfied with the positioning pump them up to 125psi and let them cure for 48 hours.

They come in 22 and 25.

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...r-tubular-tire

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...n-tubular-tire

I used to use a brush for applying glue and it works. BUT now I use a sandwich baggie and put my finger in the corner of the bag to smooth out the glue after I put a dab between spoke holes. (I use tubes and not the can of glue.)

Long time listener first time poster, just mounted my first set of tubulars yesterday at @RobbieTunes suggestion a while back I went with tufo's with tufo tape.. holy crud was that a pain to get them onto the rim's. But with the information in this thread everything turned out well for my rebuild.
https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...73&oe=5B674A96

Yes they are 25mm wide. I put them on a set of wide HED wheels. They were a good match. I hope they work out, the roads around here are not bad for debris but they can be very rough.

Don't give up on tubulars if the Tufos seem no better than clinchers.
You'll just need a better tubular.
As for difficulty mounting, did you pre-stretch them?

The Tufo's seemed fine on the shake down ride, I slightly under inflated them knowing that they would probably stiff. And yes, pre stretched manually and then onto rim's, they were still tight tight tight though.

Tight is what you want (:innocent:), but I've never taped tubulars so not one to offer advice (tho I might try on next new pair - Veloflex 28s). My experience is with Vittoria Rally, Conti Sprinters&Competition, Schwalbe (various), Veloflex (various), Challenge Grifo, Specialized 24mm. The tightest to mount during an initial pressure test gets pre-stretched on a rim longer, or with arm pressure (rare).
Interested in knowing the rim.
My hands are no longer so strong, but can still mount them, at home, without tools - something I cannot say about my clincher experience. I haven't had an on-road flat in ages, removing some of my glue jobs requires a special knife-like tool.




I probably need to find the place in this thread where mounting with tape is discussed more fully. With tape, I wonder about making minor adjustments on the tire/rim during the first 5 minutes after mounting.

Sun m19aii rims, and the tape method is very easy to adjust since you don't feel the protective layer until you like the seating, very easy for once you have the tub on the rim

Yes the Tape is very "easy" until you try and get it off.

I sure wouldn't try it on the side of the road.

I've got a friend who wanted to change his tire so I got to try it out.. apparently I have very strong thumbs and he was grateful, tbh it didn't seem to bad at all to roll it off.. and the tape pulled up relatively easily, I was also grateful because I too was worried about roadside tire changes

I just came across these Specialized Espoir's that only cost $40. They're like my Vredsteins. 220tpi, butyl tubes and the tread has a harder compound in the center. I'm going to go with them next.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/es...=228183-131790

I have done this a couple of times using Miyata rim tape. Some tape stayed with the tire, some on the rim. I carry a small bit of tape just in case. To facilitate removal, I do not put tape on the rim between the two spokes directly across from the valve. It gives you a starting point for removal.

Adjustments are made before you remove the protective tape. You leave a bit of the tape hanging out to the side and once you are satisfied with the placement, you pull it out. Once it's out, it is not recommended that you readjust the tire.

Nice going on the build. Longtime user of Tufo's and on a few bikes. Agree with your statement of the difficulty of stretching and tightness. Pre-stretching won't help these. Possibly due its construction and whatever CRCA strengthened is.
-Info:
https://www.tufo.com/en/tubular/

Still I think the budget end Tufo tubular are worth it for everyday use or if you have a fleet of bikes on tubular. True they are less supple but for the trade off of puncture resistance (never ever a pinch flat), very consistent on quality and roundness -superior to any other budget class tubular.

I've recently switched and ready to try the budget Panaracer Practice. Have two bikes ready with them but have yet myself ready to roll. Priced less than any other, so far look good.

Personally I'm not into the taping. Tried Tufo but with a Vittoria tubular. On removal it was so strong it pulled the base tape off. Admit the tubular was older but never had this kind of an issue.

Tufo tubulars are good for the budget minded. But if really want the 'tubular experience' you must upgrade. Keep a watch for big discounts on the premium tires, grab em for stock. Often those are only $10 or $15 more than the low price Tufo.

Cheers

Edit to add:
Noticed you have those Tufo's on a steel framed. That's good. Not the same if you had those Tufo's on a stiff aluminum frame. Then again, all depends where one rides, some have the best of roads and not much any of this talk matters.

They have that black belt protection so they should be pretty durable. I'm sure that's where the extra weight comes from.

This is what they look like.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1p...=w1714-h964-no

I have had two sets of the same tires and have had no issue like that. You probably just got a bad one. I would happily buy another set off of eBay at a good price without fear.

I cleaned some thick glue off a set of rims last night with what I had on hand. Steel wool and Goo Gone. It went pretty fast and cleaned the rims like new. It worked great. I would do it again.

I'll just toss out there that for anyone in goat head country, Tufos are fantastic. I rarely flat for any reason other than a goat head, but since switching to Tufos + sealant, I now rarely flat on my tubulars at all, and certainly have fewer flats than I get on my clinchers. You won't get the same kind of sealant performance in a traditional tubular. I can't speak to road tubeless clinchers.

And I don't think the Tufo ride quality is poor. Not the best, but a perfectly acceptable trade off.

I wish I could claim such success. Maybe this Goo Gone stuff is the answer.

Try a Brass wire wheel on an electric drill.

It worked way better than acetone. No toxic fumes or burning skin and it cleans up easily with dish soap and water. I just put it on liberally and rubbed the steel wool fast back and forth a section at a time until no more glue.

I have. No effect. Somebody must have used some incredible glue. :eek: