Tubular tires refer to tires that are made with a tube sewn inside them, they are sometimes called 'sew-ups'. They must be used with a tubular rim, which the tire is glued to. Tubular tires are not compatible with standard clincher rims. Some older Schwinn-style bikes use tires with 'tubular' printed on the side, these are not what the bike industry refers to as tubular tires. If you can remove the tube from the tire, you have a clincher rim.
Used primarily by racers, tubular rims are able to be made lighter than clincher rims because the rim does does not need to contain a tube inflated to a high psi, the tire itself completely contains the tube. Tubular tires are also less prone to pinch flats and able to be ridden with a larger range of tire pressure than clincher tires, which makes them very popular with Cyclocross racers.
Tubular tires do have a significant downside. They tend to be much more expensive than clincher tires. Changing a tubular tire on the road is much more difficult than repairing a clincher. Sealant can be used to patch smaller punctures in tubular tires, but large cuts in a tubular mean the tire is done.
Over the past decade, high performance clincher tires have dramatically closed the gap to clinchers. Tubulars still feature a softer 'floating' ride feel, but rolling resistance tests on tubulars and clinchers show them to be very close in performance. This has lead to more racers using clincher tires. Still, riders looking for every advantage, to emulate their favorite pro or those addicted to the tubular ride feel continue to glue up 'tubies'.
Questions regarding tire selection? Contact us at (800)479-9350 or sales@bicycletires.com.
