tcpasley

masi61 - were you able to use these tires? I am curious about their performance.

I was thinking about ordering some for two '80s Trek frames I have. They originally came with 27" wheels, so clearance shouldn't be a problem.

masi61

Thanks for asking. I did get one to mount on the rear Major Tom on my Masi Gran Criterium. The front is a no-go since I replaced the fork with a Kestrel carbon 1" threaded steerer fork with clearance perhaps limited to no more than ~ 27 mm. Those big 30 mm Schwalbe's are about 370 grams each which is actually not a bad weight for such as big air volume tire. I have not ridden it yet but hope to soon. I can post a mini- review once I do.

L134 

I've put about 1700 miles on one and 900 on another. I am not wowed by them and both are now in spare mode and the higher mileage one is marginal at that. I did not have good flat luck with them, even considered one a cursed tire but I think it was just bad luck. I found them easy to mount and easy to open up and patch. I'm pretty sure the tubes aren't latex, which surprised me. Are they Schwalbe's fancy new stuff? I haven't found a whole lot of 30mm road tire options so, despite all that, at that price, I ordered 3 more even though I much prefer 28mm Veloflex for road feel and durability. I have no idea about speed.

squirtdad

A neighbor is trying tubies, with his new to him cervelo. One local shop tried hard to talk him out of them. Another shop was positive, but noted they don't see tubular tape as it does not hole as well as gluing for extreme situations, something about owner being certivied Cat 1 mechanic and needing to follow UCI rules..... Neighbor is excited anyway

masi61

Despite not being wowed by them - I’m curious what running such a fat tubie does for the ride quality. Can you tell me which rims you mounted them on and which tire pressures you have settled on? Also can you comment on which frameset you are able to run these on and if there are any frame clearance or brake caliper issues? Thanks.

L134 

I think maybe one reason I wasn't wowed by them is that it didn't seem like going from 28 to 30 improved ride quality/comfort. If I remember correctly, I probably started with pressures of 72 rear, 60 front - what I ride my Veloflex at - and then gradually dropped from there to see how low I could go. I want to say that I went maybe as low as 55/45 and decided that was too low. When I next mount them, I would probably start at 65/55?

Most of the miles were on Mavic Reflex rims on my Lippy touring ("sport touring"?) bike, then some on a Trek 720, and lastly a few miles on Velocity Major Tom on my Atlantis. No clearance issues at all on these bikes (Trek and Atlantis with fenders). I also have a Bruce Gordon and a Bianchi and suspect there might be clearance issues on those but I have no real motivation to try. Most of the miles were recreational with a handlebar bag and some stuff or commuting with a bit more stuff. To satisfy my own curiosity before buying more, my most recent miles were on the rear of my Atlantis heavily loaded as for an extended, fully self-supported tour with some pavement, gravel, dirt and sand miles - just to see. I probably pumped it to 80 psi and was impressed enough with how the badly worn tire managed that I made my purchase of 3 more. I decided to convince myself that my previous puncture issues were merely bad luck. If I decide to use them for touring, I'd probably start at 80/75? This reminds me, I mentioned I don't think they are latex tubes - two reasons: first, they seem to hold air better; and secondly, when I opened them up to patch the tubes, the tubes just didn't have the stretch that my other latex tubes have had. I think I was unable to find anything on the internet that said what kind of tubes are in the tires. I also have some Schwalbe Racing Ralph tubulars and, again, think they do not have latex tubes. I have wondered if this may have something to do with no being wowed by the ride?

squirtdad

FWIW I just ordered a set of Ambrosio Nemesis. they are still in production. ~$200 with shipping etc https://ciclicorsa.com/shop/ambrosio...s-tubular-rim/

masi61

thanks for sharing your thoughts on tire pressures.
I have not ridden my Major Tom/Chris King wheelset yet. I guess touring with them is something I had not thought about.
Also, I would imagine your point of reference of a really great tubular tire is most definitely referenced to the Veloflex latex tubed ones you have used where the Veloflex ones I would imagine are some of the best.

pastorbobnlnh 

I finally had time to glue and mount these on my Lotus Super Pro Aero. Thanks so much for the tip smontanaro .


Weather and Christmas travel will keep me from test riding until after December 26th. Can't wait!

GordonP

Good day, I picked up a vintage bike with tubular wheels and I am wondering if anyone knows where to buy tires in Canada at a reasonable price? Also since this will be my first experience with tubulars any advice on what to look for in terms of quality and size for a middle aged, out of shape and overweight rider?

DiabloScott

No help on Canadian shopping, but first step is to make sure the wheels are appropriate for YOU, and second step is to determine how much tire room your bike has, because you probably want as wide a tire as you can get.

And we need photos.

GordonP

Thanks for your reply. I posted this in the Let's see your CCM thread and T-Mar mentioned that the hubs are Shimano with Fiamme rims and according to the info above they are 27" x 1". Most of the riding that I will do on this bike will be on the extensive network of paved trails near my home.

smontanaro 

If this is your first foray into tubular tires, I'd go with something inexpensive. They get a lot of hate, but I find the current crop of Vittoria Rally tires (the ones with removable valve cores) to be quite rideable. In fact, I just returned from a ride on my Univega which is shod with them in 25mm width. If you decide tubulars aren't for you, you won't have spent a bunch of money. If you do like them, the Rally(ies) will be good spare tire candidates if you move up to pricier options (higher zoot Vittorias, or Veloflex, Challenge, FMB, etc).

Lazyass

It's weird how they used to label 600c tubulars as 27x1. That confuses a lot of people today. That Silver Ghost has the coolest name for a bike ever.

JohnDThompson 

Derived from the Rolls-Royce "Silver Ghost," no doubt:

SJX426 

Very classy rims even if they are a bit heavy, 430g.

squirtdad

a lot like me

should be durable and cause me no concerns......

now i need to decide if I will get them built or attempt to build them myself (have done before with mixed results....haven't done enough to be super good)

Classtime 

They are perfect for the Belgian Waffle Ride or the longer routes of EroicaCA. I save my GL330s for smoother courses.

SJX426 

Ambrosio Nemesis were the rim of choice for the Paris-Roubaix for many years.

squirtdad

https://www.velonews.com/news/road/a...rosio-nemesis/

DiabloScott

These are 435g and aren't available anymore just like my favorite tires.
The GL330s they replaced were a nice vintage box rim and they did have a zippy feel accelerating out of corners and such like I remember being able to do in criteriums with 120 psi in 22mm tires. When the brake surface wore down though they wouldn't stay true.

435g is a fine weight for a semi-aero profile and wide bed for cushy 28mm tubies at 90 psi.
Built them myself and very happy with the quality.
Four years old and still lots of life left.

majmt

Hey Jim, I just got an email notification that FMB silk-casing tubulars were back in stock. $$$, but the Paris Roubaix model would match nicely with those Nemesis rims. I just ordered a pair of 30mm and getting ready to build up of Nemesis rims for my Cino bike. I have two sets of Nemesis wheels built up for other bikes and love ‘em.

https://www.renehersecycles.com/prod...tires/tubular/

squirtdad

LOL have been looking at those.... but not for CINO bike...... hmmm I could hand spread the cino bike and friction shift 11 speed... nope think I just have to lose enough weight I can use the 6 speed wheels with mavic gel 330 ...which even then might be too light for Cino

masi61

Whoah !! $169 for a single tire. That is an investment right there. I thought you could get certain Challenge tubulars in silk (or was it Veloflex?). I will check the Bike24 website which is where I think I saw them.

Found it: Challenge Strada Bianchi Setas for just under 80 euros (30 mm width) - realize they may not be handbuilt to the same level as the FMB but much more affordable.

They also have FMB tubulars but I did not see any in 30mm on the bike24 site. I did see an FMB Paris Roubaix 27mm width tubular for ~ 84 euro (cotton).

pastorbobnlnh 

Best laid plans....

Last week when I returned from Christmas travel, I deflated the Vittoria Corsa tublars to add sealant and when I went to reinflate a leak developed in the rear wheel! It sounds as if it is where the valve stem and tube are joined. Of course (sic) the sealant doesn't work there.

Has anyone had any luck returning defective tubulars to Vittoria for exchange, or should I just plan to replace the tube?

At least I had an appropriate spare set of tubular wheels which just needed the old glue stripped and cleaned, and tires mounted thanks to a purchase last year from jdawginsc . A pair of Roval aero wheels with bladed spokes and hi-lo freewheel hub.

I had Vittoria Rallys on hand (Mrs. PB has implemented a purchase freeze on me), so those were what were glued and mounted. I had a Dura Ace 7 speed freewheel, but interestingly, the spacing is not the same as the DA 7 speed cassette. Saying my prayers that shifting will be okay. I'll find out today or tomorrow when I take it for a ride.