What are the differences between "clincher" and "tubular" tires?

Question

What are the differences between "clincher" and "tubular" tires? I'm just a casual road cyclist at this point and don't put any more than 200 miles in over the course of the week. I'm looking to upgrade to some better, lighter wheels, but want to make sure I go with the correct type. I'm looking for something that will be easy to fix on the road and doesn't add a lot of complication when problems spring up.

Answer 1

If you want simple and easy to fix then you sure as heck don't want tubulars.

Someone else will probably provide more details and links, but clinchers are rims/wheels with a tube, then a tire is mounted over the tube and the bead of the tire is hooked under a lip on the rim.

Tubular rims have no lip. The tire encases the tube completely and is sewn in typically. SO fixing a flat means cutting open the tire and patching the tube, then sewing it back up.

The tire assembly is glued to the rim.

Heat from brakes can melt the glue supposedly and cause tires to roll off.

The rolling resistance used to be much better on tubulars. Unless you are a purist or a pro I don't think there is a reason to go with tubulars these days.

Answer 2

Clinchers

Pros

1. cheaper
2. more common
3. wheels are more common
4. easier to patch on the road, no need for gluing, stretching tire, etc

Cons

1. if you flat, you can't really ride on it
2. some say a lower quality ride
3. will always be heavier (tube, tire, clincher interface)

Tubulars

Pros

1. the lightest practical tubulars will always be lighter than the lightest clincher
2. if you flat, you can ride on it for a little longer
3. if glued properly and the tire will stay on the rim even if it flats
4. ride quality

Cons

1. costs more (rims, tubulars)
2. more difficult to maintain / repatch as an individual
3. you could get tire/rim seperation

Answer 3

Clinchers tires and rims are more convenient in that they can be repaired easily on the road, are cheaper, and have more options available. However, they are heavier, won't stay on your rim at high speeds if you get a flat, and have a higher rolling resistance.

Tubular tires and rims are more expensive and require a lengthy gluing procedure to replace the tire when it flats. However, they have lower rolling resistance, weigh less, and are potentially safer when going flat at higher speeds (if they have been glued properly).

In my opinion, the practicality of clinchers outweighs the benefit of tubulars in all road-racing scenarios short of pro-level racing. One approach to mitigating the downsides of tubulars, however, is to have a set of tubular "race wheels" that you use only on race day, and a set of clincher "training wheels" that you can repair on the fly if you go flat 40 miles from home.

The one place I think tubular tires still reign, even for amateurs, is at the velodrome. You're never far from a ride back home if you puncture a tire. The opportunity for having a flat is greatly reduced because of the far fewer miles you put on the wheels plus the lack of road debris on the track. And it's far safer to have tubulars in case of a flat, where you can still ride on rubber down to the apron. With a clincher, if you lose the tire, it's easy to fall if you wind up riding on your rim on a 37° banked curve.

Answer 4

Anyone who has changed tubular tires often will attest that it is not difficult, and the process can actually be much faster than changing a clincher, depending on the clincher and the rim in question. Proper glue application (not too much, but still enough) and using the right glue, are very important steps. Unless the glue is very old, the remaining glue, after the flat tire has been stripped, will hold a new tire on for most triathlon riding as long as you avoid sharp cornering and strong leans.

I have actually toured through Europe on a pannier equipped race bike, using sew-ups, and had great success and a wonderful ride. You just cannot beat the ride that tubulars give you.

As far as repairing the sew-ups go, of course this is done at a later time and hopefully you'll find someone at a shop who does it on a regular basis, to do it for you. But it is really not that difficult to do. However, repairing your flat tubular in the field is out of the question. The idea is to carry a spare tubular tire, or two, and swap it out in the field, and fix the flat later.

Another advantage of tubulars is that you will be changing-out the entire tire, and not just the inner tube. If your flat was caused by something that also damaged the tire itself, and not just the inner tube, then changing out a clincher's inner tube will do little good. This logic also applies to small pieces of glass or steel that may remain in the tire, difficult to detect, after you have replaced the inner tube. After changing a clincher inner tube, once you are back on the road, you may experience a second flat due to the small piece of glass in the tire that you did not catch because you were in a hurry.

Answer 5

a. Clincher and Tubular refer to the type of rim on the wheel, and what type of tire can be used on the wheel.

b. Clincher wheels are the most common type and are used with a tire and an inner tube. If you get a flat tire with a clincher, you can change out the inner tube and continue riding fairly quickly.

c. Tubular wheels are lighter and cheaper, but you must use specific tubular tires. These tires combine the tire and inner tube into one piece, and must be glued onto the wheel. Generally tubular tires are more expensive than clincher tires and they are more difficult to change, in the event of a flat. To change a tubular tire, you will need to remove the glued on tire and reapply fresh glue and a new tubular tire, then allow some time for the glue to cure.

Answer 6

If you get tubular tyres with removable valves you can put some sealant inside them which will often cure punctures for you often without you even noticing.

I tend to find that I change tires on the second puncture but I have read of people finding eight sealed holes after a ride on a (MTB) tubular tyre. With a clincher this would probably have meant stopping to change or repair the inner tube eight times.

Tufo and Stans sealant words well but is not all that cheap. For economy and even efficiency, "home brew sealant" (Google) can be used containing liquid latex, such as sold for making masks or as a sewing glue, a drop of ammonia water and water if thinning is needed, with some added fibres such as cornflower, pepper, glitter or artificial grass used in model train terrains.

Sealant can apparently be used in clinchers too but sealing a thin tube, rather than a tyre with threads, can be less effective and or less permanent I presume. I repair my clincher punctures but seal tubular punctures.

The 30 grams to 50 grams of sealant if added prior to puncture will reduce or remove the weight advantage of tubulars, but combined with the fact that tubulars can be ridden with very low (or even zero) air pressure, means that punctures often will not stop you in a race, or on your commute. The puncture will usually seal and you can just keep riding on a softer tyre.

Tubulars can be pumped up higher, eg to 175psi for use on smooth surfaces such as velodromes. The roads around me are good so, mainly for puncture resistance, I have ridden on tubulars at about 145psi, a pressure not allowed by the clinchers that I buy.

I doubt that others will do the same but, I find that 100 yen store (dollar store) leather glue works for me, providing an adequate tyre to rim bond but I am not a racer. I get my latex at that price too.

The biggest drawback of tubulars is that one should really carry a spare tyre and not just a spare inner tube for when the puncture is too big for the latex to seal. That said, I feel pretty confident that my latex will hold out or seal enough to allow me to get home.

Due to the ease of carrying a spare inner tube and repair kit, given the choice I think I would probably use clinchers since I am not a racer. But I bought some cheaper-than-clincher, deep-rimmed carbon tubular wheels and I enjoy using them often. If I were racing, I would save my tubulars for race day and use them in preference to clinchers for their slightly superior ride quality and self-sealing properties mentioned above.

Addendum Apparently some people put sealant in the type with non-removable valve cores (though perhaps not containing fibre) and that it is also possible to inject sealing adhesive directly into puncture holes, I believe.