J_Climacus 

I'd like to try out tubulars. I have a wheelset laced in a "crow's Foot" pattern that I'm told was built by Earle Young. It uses old (70s I think) Martano rims, and is laced with campy HF hubs. I've attached some pictures of it here: https://imgur.com/gallery/PERdw5G

I'm wondering if someone can help me determine what the widest tire I could use on this is? When I was trying to research it, I saw a few sources mentioning that Martanos have a valley in the middle them which impact how the tire fits, so I'm less confident judging it solely by rim width. This bike (79 Trek 710) has lots of clearance so the frame will not be the limiting factor.

My end goal is to find wide, comfortable, tan sidewall tubular tires (that are currently produced and in-stock somewhere) and use this wheelset to learn how to tape and mount tubulars, and see what all the fuss is about with their ride quality.

​edit: I'm realizing I should have posted this in the totally tubular sticky. If a mod can move it for me, I'd be grateful. I tried to delete the thread but I'm not seeing an option to do so.

pastorbobnlnh 

My recommendation would be to use the Mariposa small (16mm) tape and the tubulars you like. It should fit on your rims perfectly.

In my experience, the base tape on tubulars is what needs to make contact with the tape, and the base tape is all pretty much a standard size on the road tubulars I've mounted.

Generally speaking, you should not be disappointed by any of the higher end Vittoria tires. Even their inexpensive Rally is a nice tire, but is definitely not as supple as their more expensive tires.

Happy riding on your tubular wheels. You should love the experience.

big chainring 

Not much of a selection in tubulars these days. I have a pair of Schwalbe Ones that are about 28mm wide. Wider than that you're into cyclocross tires that aren't particularly a great ride. I've been tempted to get some Vittoria Normal Cross tires that have a diamond tread. Not sure what the width is. If they compare to the old Clement tires(Grifo's?) I thought those rode well.

CO_Hoya 

Pic assist:

ljsense

There are a lot of road tubulars in the 700x28 size that will fit your rims, and a few 700x30s too -- check Rene Hears and Bike Tires Direct. You could also use a dry conditions cyclocross tire with a file tread in a 700x32 or 33.

Pastor Bob's suggestion above about the Mariposa tape is a good one. It is easy, quick and great for wider tires because it has a thickness to it that makes up for any mismatch between tire and rim circumferences. Also, it's pretty much foolproof -- it's not hard to get a nice, neat, strong bond.

I tape my 26" MTB tires (yes, they make tubular MTB tires and rims) and glue my road tires.

Gluing is less expensive and lighter. If you want gluing to be part of your tubular experience, it's not the horrible ordeal some lament, but it does take some time and effort. It can be messy. If you don't do an adequate job, there is some risk of rolling a tire, but I'd say this happens mostly with cyclocross tires running very low pressure on off camber turns.

J_Climacus 

I've basically already decided to go with tape. Easy and less messy sound like great things to me!

ehcoplex 

I'm with you on the 'want to try tubular tires' thing- rims, hubs & tires lined up, just haven't had the time to build the wheels!

Excel Sports have what seems to be a pretty good deal on tubular tires going at the moment. I went for some of the 30mm Vittorias.

https://www.excelsports.com/category/road-tires-tubular

*note, it's the '2-packs' that seem to be the real deal.

SwimmerMike 

These would be my recommendation also. I am running the Corsa Control's in 30mm on two bikes right now. Both are with Fiamme Red Label rims and I've had no issues with the width.

SJX426 

Amazon.com : Vittoria Corsa Control Tubular Tyre, para/Black/Black, 700 x 30c : Sports & Outdoors
$67.59

philbob57

Yellow Jersey is selling 3 tubs for $60. They're not the best available, but they are pretty well priced. Price going up August 1.

yellowjersey.org ... very strange website, not updated very often, but their special on their tubs is current.

El Chaba

Well, I have 1001 things to say about tubulars, but pertaining to the discussion at hand…You can pretty much glue any tubular to any tubular rim. There is some advantage to having a wider rim for a wider tire and vice versa. Also, some of the latter day wider tubular rims are a bit awkward with a 21 mm tire glued to it, but tires of that width or narrower are going the way of the dinosaurs. I attach tires with glue. It’s easy and you have complete control of the process. On tire width…..for a given tire width, a quality tubular will give a better ride quality than a similar width of clincher. If you are riding on soft or loose material, there is no substitute for tire width for stability and traction. If you are optioning for ride quality you can size down with a tubular. The narrower tire will always feel better when climbing and part of the “feel” of tubulars is the lighter weight of the package…A narrower tire is always lighter all else being equal. For a surface like rough chip seal, a 23-25 mm tubular is in its element and is the superior of any width of clincher. Enjoy the experiment…

dbhouston 

I recently had my first experience with tubulars because I bought a great bike that needed them. Ended up with an all-Tufo setup of tape, tires, and sealant. I don't remember where I bought them, but the price was reasonable. The tape made installation very easy. The tires are 24mm. Rims are AVA, 19mm wide at the brake track and maybe 16 internally.


I can't say I've got many miles on them, but they felt better on city streets than 24mm clinchers would have, and once I got some confidence in my installation they took corners very nicely

pastorbobnlnh 

Lots of great info on tubulars here.

I recently mounted a set of Clements which I had found at a great price over a year ago. The funny thing was I was out for my second ride on them along a route I ride all the time this past Sunday. I finally noticed the name of the large cul-de-sac/loop street I ride through because the quick turns are fun to sprint out of and back onto the straights. this is especially true on my new tubulars.

SJX426 

@J_Climacus - Tubulars have a seam where the casings are sewn together. Having a slight valley in the rim allows the tire to fit better onto the rim to ensure the base tape sides can readily conform to the rim.

repechage

excel sports is blowing them out, a pair for under $100. Buy some replacement tubes and free shipment

a pair of Para/ black are on the way.

SJX426 

Saw this after ordering! AHHHH! Well they are 30mm and I got them yesterday.
Went ahead and ordered the pair. I may be in good shape for tires for awhile.

Road Fan

Like several of the old and long-established threads here, IMHO the Tubular sticky is getting so long it is very difficult to add your question to the other ones already there of a similar topic. And as one who wants to discuss tubulars and give my version of the truth, which has stood me well for quite a while, it becomes a lot easier to try to do this in new threads. IMHO, do not feel guilty.

Road Fan

I'm installing a set of black Vittoria Corsa Control Graphene 2.0 30 mm on my 21 mm Mavic GP4 rims. These rims have worked perfectly on a Mondonico, with tires ranging from 20 mm (Gommitalia Espresso and YJ Servizio Corse) up to 27 mm Challenge Parigi Roubaix. These are all Thai-made tires by the way. The width has not seemed to make any difference in any noticable way. While it might make intuitive sense to use a wider rim with a wider tire, at least for a normal rider it does not make any apparent difference.

More to the point might be (pure speculation, here!) that with a wider tire the radius of curvature is larger than with a 20 mm, and could a better match between rim bed and tire base tape contour be beneficial and safer? Seems like a wider zone of cement contact between the tire bed and the rim bed would be better. In any case, when I put on my 27 mm tires, I did not "feel" safer - better, because of the higher quality tire, but not safer. I just expect more now with my new 30 mm Vittorias. I have the clincher version of these, and it is a great tire.

repechage

For wide tubular rims
old Weinmann - with washers, no eyelets.
nice spoke stagger.
Scheeren - any model
Duracal- maybe same die as Weinmann.

J_Climacus 

Thanks, all. I ordered three 30mm tires from excel. I will try to remember to post "after" pics when all is said and done!