Clincher Tires Vs. Tubular Tires: A quick Reference

There are two major types of bicycle tires: clincherterm and tubular. The type that is most familiar is the clincher. This is the type seen on virtually all children’s bikes, and most common adult bikes. This type of tire has a pair of “beads,” hoops that hold the tire to the rimterm by fit and air pressureterm inside a separate inner tubeterm. The tubular tireterm type take the two, the tube and the tire, and combines them into one item that is then fit to the rim and glued in place. Tubulars don't have a beadterm. Instead, the edges of the tire are sewn together around the inner tube, and consequently, are also called “sew-ups.”

There are advantages to the two different tire types, and disadvantages as well. Typically, tubular tires will be found on high-end road bicycles, and especially on race bikes. The gains are found in lower weight of about 50 grams per wheelterm, which means better acceleration, climbing and sprinting. The comfort of the ride can be better with a tubular as well. The round profile of the tubular tire provides a better suspension allowing less of the road vibration to reach the rider. Tubulars are more resistant to “snakebite” punctures, a flat caused by pinching the tire between the rim and a hard obstacle (rock, pothole, etc.), that leaves two parallel punctures that resemble a snakebite.

The drawbacks of tubulars are that they must be glued properly to prevent “roll off” where the tire can actually roll off of the rim, causing a crash. This would typically be a problem in cornering. If you have a flat with a tubular, you better have a spare tire with you, and then must proceed with caution after changing the tire, as you will be relying on the adhesion of the old glue. This brings up another comment, the weight savings of tubulars over clinchers is negated by carrying the whole spare, so the weight savings is only available to those with a support vehicle or those brave enough to travel without a backup plan.

Clinchers, on the other hand, can be less expensive for a comparative quality tire. Overall per tire, the clincher will be a little bit heavier, though as we mentioned above, the tubular rider must carry a complete spare, whereas the clincher rider needs only to carry a repair kit, and/or a tube. Additionally, once the clincher is repaired, it's back to full capability. The tubular, if changed on the road, must be handled with care until properly re-glued, which needs to dry overnight. The rolling resistance of a clincher is somewhat better than the tubular, as there is less flex in the tire beadterm than in the glue joint.

So, how does one make their choice- clincher or tubular? The advice we would give is to look at your riding experiences and what benefits you desire and what drawbacks you can live with. For a racer with a support vehicle, the weight savings of the tubular makes sense. For a prudent commuter, the weight savings would not be realized, but the cost savings of the clincher might be advantageous. The important part is that you consider what benefits you and your riding conditions and helps you to accomplish your riding goals.