I've just bought ten 23 mm wide Rallys to equip several bikes. Ever notice how most the the wheels on eBay that are real bargains are tubulars? Probably no coincidence, but a general buyer fear of tubulars, sort of like French thread. If the Rallys don't hold up well, I may try the expensive sewup route. I've heard Tufos spoken highly of also. What would be the best Tufo tubular in terms of long life? Does it come in colors that don't look out of place on a classic bike?
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
Robert Kaufmann <kaufmann@crsa.bu.edu> wrote: Roland Hilgarth:
I commute from my home to work (about 20 miles roundtrip) on tubulars (about 3,000 - 4,000 miles per year including weekend "harder riding" miles). The roads are fairly good, but living in the Boston area, spring time conditions are poor due to freeze and thaw pot holes. In addition, I go over trolley tracks, two sets in each direction. The wheels are mavic rims with campy NR large flange hubs.
After doing this for nearly 15 years, I have come to the following tentative conclusion. Do not buy cheap tires. For many years, I rode Vittoria Rally's ($15-$20 per tire). But I had many flats per year. The last three years, I have purchased Continental Sprinters (about $60). They have a much longer life, even after I account for the higer price. Furthermore, the sprinters ride much, much better. No valve "bump" and they take higher pressures.
Unlike my poor luck with campy cranks (remember I started the latest thread complaining about my second craked crank arm), I have never had a tire "roll" off the rim. Hopefully (knock on wood), my comments have not jinked me (eitehr a flat or a rolled tire).
Good Luck
Robert Kaufmann
Newton, MA