Tubular Tyres

These tyres are designed for special tubular rims and are fitted using a special contact adhesive glue glue or double sided tub tape. They are the preferred choice for serious riders and professionals when all that matters is performance.

A tubular tyre is a sealed unit with an inner tube sewn into the tyres casing, this means the tubular is perfectly round in profile and offers a better feel when cornering.

Sizing is subtly different to clincher wheels and can be a bit confusing as most manufacturers still quote the old imperial sizes. However there are only 2 real sizes widely available: 27", 28" and 700c are all the same size: 28"/622mm, and 571mm/26" is the same as 650c. Then there are the weird small racing chair sizes...

Don't throw out your old punctured tubs...

if they've still got tread they can be mended.

If you have Tufo tubeless tyres, you'll only need some of their sealant, as they are rubber coated on the inside, no inner tube. Tubs with inner tubes (Continental, Vittoria, Schwalbe, Panaracer etc.) need a little more work, but a professional repair is still considerably cheaper than a new tyre. If you feel like doing it yourself, we have made up an instructions page here. 

Sadly, Peter Burgin, whose service we used to recommend for this, died in July 2013. He will be sorely missed.

However, we have found several other UK providers of this service, but have not used them yet...we'd be glad of any reviews/reports. 

• Garry Brown in Winsford, Cheshire. Cost is around £12 + postage per puncture.
  
• Steve Vaughan in Leeds has been repairing tubs for over 30 years. £13.25 including UK postage.
  
• Nic's Tubular Tyre Repairs in Brighton, £18 including UK postage.
  

Butyl vs Latex

Before World War II, tyres and tubes were made from natural latex rubber, harvested from tropical trees. When the supply of natural latex was insecure during the war, a substitute, "butyl", was invented. Butyl turned out to be a very successful substitute, better, in fact, than latex for this application. All modern clincher tyres and most inner tubes use butyl rubber.

Some tubular tyres still use latex, notably some Panaracer, Vittoria, Veloflex and Dugast tubs. Some riders prefer latex inner tubes, because they can be a bit lighter than butyl ones. Also, some riders believe that latex tubes have less rolling resistance than butyl, and gives a more supple ride as it can slip easier against the inside of the tyre carcass as it flexes.

Latex tubes are however more porous than butyl ones, and need to have their pressure topped up more often, i.e. pretty much everyday.