Just Call me Tire Terminator
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Yes, it would be appropriate. I managed to destroy a Tufo tire last night. Put a hole in the sidewall and, after taking in to the shop, could not get it to seal. Cyclocross, me and flats. These three things go together like peas in a pod it seems.
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using the Tufo sealant?
That stuff works great! If not you might either try the Tufo stuff or Stan's sealant. It adds very little weight and works well.
I bet CX is the best place in cycling for tubular tires!
Just a noob question...what pressure do you run?
Yes
We tried the Tufo sealant. The hole appears to be right at the crease in the sidewall. Very strange. The sealant would not fix it no matter what we tried and how much we rotated the tire and pressurized it. I have heard great things about that sealant though, this was just Murphy's law of Tufo punctures I suppose.
Yes, the really fast guys use tubular. Tufo is a great alternative though if you don't have the money to shell out for new wheels and tubular tires. Well actually, I think all the Euros tend to prefer Tubular but Clinchers are making inroads. The big plus for clinchers is they work very well in mud due to the much varied tread patterns. But you have to run very high pressure to avoid pinch flats and for an old guy like me, it is just murder on the back. So I would only consider clinchers if there is lots of mud.
The pressure was probably a factor. Actually, I learned a couple of things from Mat who is the tech who helped me at the shop (shameless plug: Big Shark has great techs). There are two models of Tufo tires available. The budget model (which I was using) and the pro model ($60 vs. $100 per tire so quite a difference in cost). The pro model features the low pressure technology and is made to run at insanely low pressures of 20 to 30. The lower end model will work with pressures in the range of 40 to 60. However, I did not check my tire pressures when I left home yesterday morning and I suspect the pressure was on the low end of acceptable (or even a little lower) so this probably contributed. Normally I run around 45 to 50.
A couple other Tufo tidbits:
You should not use rim tape. Don't know if this contributed to my puncture, I did have rim tape on my rims.
The tires are not symmetrical. You install the front tire backwards from the rear. This is supposed to give you more traction in the rear and a little more speed in the front.
so....
are you running the tubular clinchers?
I am confused because you say you had tape on your rims...so are you a tub/clincher user, or are you using that Tufo mounting tape (I have heard bad things about that stuff).
The real deal tubulars are neat, but have a few obvious downsides....but pinching (or lack there of) makes them a winner for cross.
Tubular Clinchers
Yes, I am running the Tufo tubular clinchers. You are not supposed to have rim tape (the type of tape you would have on a clincher rim) with these. I had clinchers last year and I switched to the Tufos after several pinch flats. Sorry for the confusion.
no confusion...
The whole topic is fascinating. I think that tubeless and tubular tires have a lot in common. I also believe that a tubular type tire is right around the corner for MTB. They started the idea (with MTB) back in the 80s but it did not catch on.
Funny how it is fading from road bikes and possibly migrating to off road use.
I might have to dig out my tubular Spinergys and do something "new" with them.
Thanks for your info.
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