# FMB 25 mm Paris Roubaix tubulars test



## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

Mounted my 25 mm FMB Paris Roubaix tubulars on 32 spoke Araya 16B Gold rims (335 gram rims). The tires mounted fairly easily, and went on straight, with no lumps. Cost $110 from World Class Cycles. Easily the most expensive bike tires I've ever bought.

Threw them on my Bianchi Pista, and discovered just how large these tires are. The front tire barely clears the fork crown (Easton carbon fork), and I had to add a link to the chain to move the rear axle back enough so the tire would not scrape the downtube. Pumped them to 120 psi, which is about where I run all my tires. Strangely, even at that pressure, there were still noticeable buldges in the sidewalls while riding.

I think this is a great combination of low weight, performance, and comfort. I've never placed too much emphasis on comfort, but maybe as I get older and get beaten up on long fixed gear rides, it might be worth a shot.

The tires roll smoothly, with no detectible lumps. This is not always the case, even with expensive tubulars. I had one Conti Competition that drove me nuts it was so lumpy. Pulled it off and made a spare out of it.

On a hilly 40 mile fixed gear ride, I sought out some rougher roads to test them out. I must admit, there is a difference. They cut the buzz from chip sealed roads, and even float a little less harshly over the indentions from tractor tires in the asphalt we get around here. The one thing I did not expect, but was noticeable, was how they seemed to smooth out the whole bike when pedaling at really high cadences, like over 150 rpms on fixed descents. I found myself being able to stay seated at higher rpms, rather than having to lift off the saddle. Somehow the tires were damping the whole bike. Cool. Also, transitions over longitudinal cracks and ridges were more solid, with less tendency to catch on the crack or ridge. 

The tires look very nice, too, with black tread and a pure off white gum wall, especially for a bike outfitted with all shiny aluminum components. Nice classic look. With the width, though, I got some nasty marks on the sidewalls from the brake pads, but they came off easily with Simple Green.

So far they seem to be great tires, and I can't wait to run them on a double on the Pista. That will be the real test.

http://www.worldclasscycles.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WCC&Product_Code=FMBPRT&Category_Code=TTV


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## louise (May 24, 2010)

Fixed said:


> Mounted my 25 mm FMB Paris Roubaix tubulars on 32 spoke Araya 16B Gold rims (335 gram rims). The tires mounted fairly easily, and went on straight, with no lumps. Cost $110 from World Class Cycles. Easily the most expensive bike tires I've ever bought.
> 
> Threw them on my Bianchi Pista, and discovered just how large these tires are. The front tire barely clears the fork crown (Easton carbon fork), and I had to add a link to the chain to move the rear axle back enough so the tire would not scrape the downtube. Pumped them to 120 psi, which is about where I run all my tires. Strangely, even at that pressure, there were still noticeable buldges in the sidewalls while riding.
> 
> ...


Big fat high volume tubulars are always a good thing.


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## alexb618 (Aug 24, 2006)

i didnt think you could use brakes on araya gold rims?


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*news*



alexb618 said:


> i didnt think you could use brakes on araya gold rims?


News to me. Been doing it for about 7 years. Nonetheless, I did replace the front rim about a month ago, just in case, as I run only a front brake and drag it down some very long steep hills on the fixed gear.

The braking surface is actually not too bad, despite being polished. One problem, though, is that there is very little mass, so the rim heats up pretty quickly, which softens the tubular glue. Doesn't seem to be a problem with "real" glue, like Vittoria, but when I used Tufo glue strips it melted out and made a huge mess.


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Bet you could back that pressure down a bit for an even better ride.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Coolhand said:


> Bet you could back that pressure down a bit for an even better ride.


Yup. 120 psi on a 25c tire is sort of missing the point of a wider tire.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

Pablo said:


> Yup. 120 psi on a 25c tire is sort of missing the point of a wider tire.


The goal was a good compromise of comfort and efficiency. At 120, these are still comfy, so why not?


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

Because higher pressure is not always more efficient.


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## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

Fixed said:


> The goal was a good compromise of comfort and efficiency. At 120, these are still comfy, so why not?


At that point the question isn't 'why not' 120 PSI, it's 'why' 25's and tubes.


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

Hmm...if I had those sweet tubulars, I'd be running them at closer to 80 or 90 psi. I really think you are missing the boat by not riding them at a lower pressure. Might as well just ride clinchers if you are going to run them so hard.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Fixed said:


> The goal was a good compromise of comfort and efficiency. At 120, these are still comfy, so why not?


Why not? Because it's less comfortable and arguably less efficient. If you try less psi, there's a good chance you won't ask yourself "why not," but rather "why" did I ever ride at 120 psi.


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## jwp3476 (Jun 22, 2010)

nightfend said:


> Hmm...if I had those sweet tubulars, I'd be running them at closer to 80 or 90 psi. I really think you are missing the boat by not riding them at a lower pressure. Might as well just ride clinchers if you are going to run them so hard.


+1 for nightfend

I ride my 22mm Sprinters at 90 psi and weigh 185 lbs. I would start 25mm tires at 80 psi and go down from there to maybe 75.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Sometimes a bicycle can ride too softly. Too soft and things can get squirrelly. Sure, it's always fun to experiment. But if 120 is comfortable, no reason to change.


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## krisdrum (Oct 29, 2007)

Some experimentation with psi might deliver even better results than you are getting with no real downside, so why not give it a try?

One of the reasons tubs are so popular in Cyclocross is because they are the kings of running low pressure. In my mind, that is really what makes a tub superior, the capacity for running low pressure.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*actual width*

Got a PM asking about actual width. The inflated 25 mm FMB's actually measure at 26.0 mm, even though they look much wider than that. I think I figured out why -- my 28 mm Continental Gatorskins are actually slightly narrower. Looks like most clinchers run narrower than their nominal width. Go figure.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Inclusive statements*



Fixed said:


> Looks like most clinchers run narrower than their nominal width.


No, it looks like your Gatorskins run narrower than their nominal width. Conti GP4000 23 mm tires are exactly 23 mm width. Unless you have a pile of data on a bunch of tires, your broad statement is not supported.


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## ZoomBoy (Jan 28, 2004)

Pablo said:


> Yup. 120 psi on a 25c tire is sort of missing the point of a wider tire.


Yeah. I've been considering getting a pair, the 27s if they will fit my frame, and the whole point is running them at a lower PSI. Right now I run my Conti 22s at 90ish and I like the results. The road surface quality here in New England can be sketchy on the backroads. Big rubber would be just what the doctor ordered.


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