# Notubes Alpha 340 Tubeless Wheels



## mcoplea (Feb 25, 2008)

Anyone have any experience with these wheels yet? - http://www.notubes.com/product_info.php/cPath/42_683/products_id/520

The 18 spoke count for the front has me a little concerned. It might be better to buy 2 of the 24 hole rims and build them up for cross.

On the fence between getting these or going tubular. Any thoughts?


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## Marcos_E (Dec 16, 2007)

I'd go tubular. Get some KinLin tb-25's laced to some Joytechs. Cheap, light, reliable.


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

I have a set of wheels built up with these rims. They are really nice, especially for the weight. Much stiffer than a light weight Kinlin clincher rim. But I went with 28 hole front and 32 hole rear, King hubs laced with revs on the front and NDS, comps on the DS.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*go tubular*



mcoplea said:


> Anyone have any experience with these wheels yet? - http://www.notubes.com/product_info.php/cPath/42_683/products_id/520
> 
> The 18 spoke count for the front has me a little concerned. It might be better to buy 2 of the 24 hole rims and build them up for cross.
> 
> On the fence between getting these or going tubular. Any thoughts?


what makes a tubular tire better is the supple sidewall casing. You cannot pull that off with a clincher as the sidewall holds the tire to the rim.

tubeless for cx is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist other than people are scared of glueing tires. It is as easy or easier than setting up a tubeless system and provides superior results. Also you can get used tubbie wheels dirt cheap or new Williams Wheels for $400


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

atpjunkie said:


> what makes a tubular tire better is the supple sidewall casing. You cannot pull that off with a clincher as the sidewall holds the tire to the rim.
> 
> tubeless for cx is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist other than people are scared of glueing tires. It is as easy or easier than setting up a tubeless system and provides superior results. Also you can get used tubbie wheels dirt cheap or new Williams Wheels for $400



I'm just going to call you "The Tubular Evangelist." I'm almost sold. Just built up some new tubeless wheels for CX.......but oh so close to building up a tubular set for the road.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I'm big*



88 rex said:


> I'm just going to call you "The Tubular Evangelist." I'm almost sold. Just built up some new tubeless wheels for CX.......but oh so close to building up a tubular set for the road.


I rode clinchers my first season. On the last race of my rookie year I had it f'ing WON. HAd a considerable gap on the field and on the last lap I dropped the only rider left with me. I pinch flatted my front tire shortly thereafter, rode the final 1/2 lap w/ a front flat. Still finished 4th (yes big gap) crashing 3x en route and destroying the front wheel. I crossed the finish line tossed my bike and said 'that's it I'M GOING TUBULAR"
I have never looked back. There is no greater upgrade you can do for a cx bike, and it is cheap to do.
Imagine your whole life only having sex with a condom
now imagine shagging without
the prophet has spoken
I would take a set of Reflex Rims laced 32 3x to a decent hub with a set of cheap Tufo training tubs over the best tubeless system out there


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*Speak of the devil*

here ya go

get it DONE!!!!!!
I have no association to the seller

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?p=2909542#poststop


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## TheSingleGuy (Feb 20, 2009)

atpjunkie said:


> ...Imagine your whole life only having sex with a condom
> now imagine shagging without...


I'd hate my race to be over that fast...


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

For racing, tubulars are the only way to go. I use the tubeless tires for training rides on gravel and dirt roads. I also have a set built up for road training. They ride good and I haven't had a flat yet.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

I glued my first road tubular this year. it was EXTREMELY anti-climactic. stop the worrying and bust out the glue!


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## mcoplea (Feb 25, 2008)

Thanks for the input. I tried to buy Condog's wheelset, but I guess my PM did not make it through to him. 

If anyone else is selling a good set of tublars - feel free to shoot me a PM.


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## euro-trash (May 1, 2004)

mcoplea said:


> If anyone else is selling a good set of tublars - feel free to shoot me a PM.


I agree with ATP that tubulars are better than tubeless. I disagree however they are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Please note that I am 145 and he is a clydesdale so therein lies the difference. Tubeless can be a cost effective solution if you are under 175 and don't mind tinkering for a couple of weeks until you get it just right. As you can see there are a bunch of qualifiers in the above statement, which is why there are still plenty of us that suggest anyone even semi-serious about their racing to go tubular. 


Corndog's wheels were Campy. Were you looking for Campy or Shimano/sram? 

If you can get a deal like those, go carbon, otherwise, just go aluminum. 

These are pretty good: http://www.neuvationcycling.com/product170.html


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

euro-trash said:


> I agree with ATP that tubulars are better than tubeless. I disagree however they are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Please note that I am 145 and he is a clydesdale so therein lies the difference. Tubeless can be a cost effective solution if you are under 175 and don't mind tinkering for a couple of weeks until you get it just right. As you can see there are a bunch of qualifiers in the above statement, which is why there are still plenty of us that suggest anyone even semi-serious about their racing to go tubular.
> 
> 
> Corndog's wheels were Campy. Were you looking for Campy or Shimano/sram?
> ...



I'm 145-150 and really tried to like tubeless when I came back to cross racing but no matter how much I fussed, and I'm good at this as I currently have 3 MTB's set up ghetto tubeless, I could not get them to stay put at anything resembling low pressures. The biggest problems were jamming the bike hard into a corner and remounting on off camber sections, they burped. Finally gave up and went tubular again. Running tubulars is the same reason I use a robust (heavier) aluminum seatpost and collar, I would kick myself if I lost a win because of a bad equipment choice.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*this here*



OnTheRivet said:


> Running tubulars is the same reason I use a robust (heavier) aluminum seatpost and collar, I would kick myself if I lost a win because of a bad equipment choice.


is what we call 'wisdom'

steve e_f clearly shows it is far less hassle than one imagines
I typically glue tires when I'm out smoking tasty pork parts

when you have the hickory smoke in the air, a beer in hand and one has to mind the fire, it makes the perfect time to do some gluing


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## ChuckUni (Jan 2, 2003)

The burping thing is all about the rim having a bench for the tire bead to sit on...and that bench being "tall" enough that the bead sits tightly onto it. Depends on rim/tire setup obviously, but if its burping you can probably fix it by adding another layer of tape or thicker tape on the bench...assuming the rim is of somewhat proper design (bench). This also aides with inflation (floor pump = easy) if the tape is in the center as well.

Went back and forth with that a lot running crappy tires on non-tubeless rims for the mtb...and have it down well enough that I can run ~12psi in the snow, slide all over...catch hard...rip turns, etc...with zero problems. Also abuse the hell out of it with more normal pressure and no problems.

And taking the tube out makes most tires feel WAY better and feel faster. Fixes most, but not all pinch flats. Fixes most punctures (not slits). So it's def not a solution for no problem, IMO. Tubes suck.

/not gonna argue the tubie/tubeless argument otherwise.


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## mcoplea (Feb 25, 2008)

euro-trash said:


> I agree with ATP that tubulars are better than tubeless. I disagree however they are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Please note that I am 145 and he is a clydesdale so therein lies the difference. Tubeless can be a cost effective solution if you are under 175 and don't mind tinkering for a couple of weeks until you get it just right. As you can see there are a bunch of qualifiers in the above statement, which is why there are still plenty of us that suggest anyone even semi-serious about their racing to go tubular.
> 
> 
> Corndog's wheels were Campy. Were you looking for Campy or Shimano/sram?
> ...


Thanks. I was looking for Shimano/Sram. These are for my 16 year-old son who weighs in at 128 lbs. He is planning on trying to get an invite to the Euro Cross Camp this year and I am trying to give his the best set up we can afford.


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## euro-trash (May 1, 2004)

mcoplea said:


> These are for my 16 year-old son who weighs in at 128 lbs. He is planning on trying to get an invite to the Euro Cross Camp this year and I am trying to give his the best set up we can afford.


I don't have those wheels right now, but keep on the board; if there are parts you need, I'm guessing there are many of us this board who would be willing to contribute/sell at the bro deal to contribute to the efforts of a junior trying to go to eurocamp. If he is at that level, definitely go tubular. At that level, go Challenge--Dugast and Challenge are great (and $$$), but won't make the difference.


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

The Notubes rims are really expensive for an aluminum clincher rim. Your son really needs to be on tubulars if planning on doing serious racing. They don't have to be expensive (and shouldn't' be!) though. 

One Stans rim is like $110 retail! You can get two Kinlin TB25 rims for that price. 

Some of those laced up to Dura Ace hubs (or Ultegra) would be perfect. Then get some Challange Grifos and call it good. 

The best set of tubulars are the ones you can afford two (or more  ) sets of!.

Also, my wheels for sale were Campy but I had access to a Shimano freehub for them. They are already sold though


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*yes you can build up*

or buy used tubulars far cheaper
there was a chance to buy 2 sets of quality wheels on ebay a month ago for around $400.
That's $200 a wheelset
add tubs and BANG ready


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## artnshel (Jun 29, 2004)

I'm pretty interested in those rims for my training wheels. I can't see running tubulars for training.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*why?*



artnshel said:


> I'm pretty interested in those rims for my training wheels. I can't see running tubulars for training.


I bet what I ride my training tubs is about as bad as anything one can find
last week I spared my tires but took a dozen cactus spines from my shin
loose talcum powder over stones 
why I have training tubs and they work when the race course is too nasty for the good tires


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## cyclevt (Aug 6, 2004)

*Great rim*



Marcos_E said:


> I'd go tubular. Get some KinLin tb-25's laced to some Joytechs. Cheap, light, reliable.


TB-25 rim 28h 3x/3x laced to a hub not unlike a joytech.... I'm not light or ballerina smooth on/off. Tofu primus 32mm tire w/ 3 layers of glue --> fantastic race wheel....


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

I'd go for 2x on a 28 hole build


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## cyclevt (Aug 6, 2004)

Corndog said:


> I'd go for 2x on a 28 hole build


Could have, but went with my builder's suggestion. And really, it's a negligible weight penalty. Besides, under my 180#, a little extra stiffness helps when I'm sprinting for 37th place in a field of 80+....


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

Sounds like the only gripe with tubeless is the fact that some of you have burping issues (and you admittedly set-up your wheels ghetto tubeless). My question is, if you didn't have any issues at all burping would you consider tubeless? I have no idea how tight the bead holds on a Alpha 340, BUT I can guarantee you that if anyone in this thread can get my tubeless set-up to burp I will buy you a set of tubulars. You're more likely to get your tubs to roll than to get my Hutch/ZTR's to budge. If the Alpha bead design is anything like a Crest, then I would have no worries at all about the wheel burping. I can run whatever pressures I want and not worry about pinch flatting. And, in my case, I have more air volume and a cushier ride with the wider ZTR 355 and Crests. (I'm obviously disc though)


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## jmoote (Nov 29, 2007)

88 rex said:


> I have no idea how tight the bead holds on a Alpha 340, BUT I can guarantee you that if anyone in this thread can get my tubeless set-up to burp I will buy you a set of tubulars. You're more likely to get your tubs to roll than to get my Hutch/ZTR's to budge. If the Alpha bead design is anything like a Crest, then I would have no worries at all about the wheel burping.


I'm quite familiar with the bead hold on the Crest rims (I'm using them on my mtb race bike - fantastic, like all other stans rims I've used) but I do not believe for a second that they are secure enough for cross. Put 20 psi in them, 85 kg rider and jam it sideways into a downhill corner at 30 km/h - it's just not going to hold.


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

Cyclevt, just found it curious they recommended 3x on 28 hole rims.... that's all. Usually 28 hole rims build up better 2X on a rear wheel. I often do 1x on the front.


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## mudge (May 15, 2010)

I have a pair of 32h 355 rims laced to Ultegra hubs. They work great. Wouldn't dream of paying the expense for and the hassles of dealing with tubulars.


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## ChuckUni (Jan 2, 2003)

jmoote said:


> I'm quite familiar with the bead hold on the Crest rims (I'm using them on my mtb race bike - fantastic, like all other stans rims I've used) but I do not believe for a second that they are secure enough for cross. Put 20 psi in them, 85 kg rider and jam it sideways into a downhill corner at 30 km/h - it's just not going to hold.


85kg on a 32c tire with 20psi?


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## apxbiker (Jul 18, 2009)

Corndog said:


> Cyclevt, just found it curious they recommended 3x on 28 hole rims.... that's all. Usually 28 hole rims build up better 2X on a rear wheel. I often do 1x on the front.


3x on 28hole rim has always worked better then 2x for me atleast from a stiffness standpoint and always time between trueing sessions


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## jmoote (Nov 29, 2007)

ChuckUni said:


> 85kg on a 32c tire with 20psi?


No problems on my tubulars :thumbsup:


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*two stans ZTR 355s*



mudge said:


> I have a pair of 32h 355 rims laced to Ultegra hubs. They work great. Wouldn't dream of paying the expense for and the hassles of dealing with tubulars.


$85 a pice, $170 for the pair, $130 for the hubs , you've already spent more than I do on most tubular wheelsets and you haven't paid for spokes and nipples and / or a build
prebuilt ZTR Wheelsets from Stans $460
that's 2 sets of tubular wheelsets

Dura Ace Laced 3x to Mavic Reflex, ebay $175 2 tubular tires $100 Mastik 2 tubes $7

but you go on and keep saving your $$


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

atpjunkie said:


> $85 a pice, $170 for the pair, $130 for the hubs , you've already spent more than I do on most tubular wheelsets and you haven't paid for spokes and nipples and / or a build
> prebuilt ZTR Wheelsets from Stans $460
> that's 2 sets of tubular wheelsets
> 
> ...


Are you comparing ebay deals to retail?


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

jmoote said:


> I'm quite familiar with the bead hold on the Crest rims (I'm using them on my mtb race bike - fantastic, like all other stans rims I've used) but I do not believe for a second that they are secure enough for cross. Put 20 psi in them, 85 kg rider and jam it sideways into a downhill corner at 30 km/h - it's just not going to hold.



Well........first, I only use Hutch Bulldog/Pirranha tubeless for CX tubeless, and the bead is a little different. I'm positive I could run them at 20 psi and safely navigate any course at race pace......crashes and all 

2nd............There are plenty of guys on MTB's running 355/Crests running low 20-25 psi with no issues. I will admit that I had a larger friend manage to burp my 355 in a rock garden, but he is much larger than me. I also have mine set-up with a single layer of yellow tape, and for him I would suggest a double layer of yellow tape. I was also on standard bead tires, which is different that the Hutch tubeless bead. I'm not in the camp that likes super low pressure though, so I run mid to upper 20's


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## jmoote (Nov 29, 2007)

88 rex said:


> 2nd............There are plenty of guys on MTB's running 355/Crests running low 20-25 psi with no issues.


Sure, I'm one of them. The point is the side loading on the bead from a mtb tire that is 56 mm wide is way less than the load from a cross tire that is 32 mm wide at the same pressure.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*yes*



88 rex said:


> Are you comparing ebay deals to retail?


because the posters point was he had purchased ZTRs (I'm assuming retail and had them built) but was complaining about the 'expense' of tubulars. 

there are 2 myths in regards to tubs
1) they are expensive
2) they are a hassle

my point is you can get tubs up and running quite cheap, and much cheaper than what he paid

but wanna go new? Williams makes cx tubs for $399, you can find new Mavic Reflex laced to Ultegra hubs for under $300

a fellow poster had CF tubs here with Dugasts for $400 just a few days ago


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## mcoplea (Feb 25, 2008)

Thanks again to everyone for the opinions. We have decided to build up a couple of tubbies with Mavic Reflex's and Ultegra/Dura Ace hubs.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*cool*



mcoplea said:


> Thanks again to everyone for the opinions. We have decided to build up a couple of tubbies with Mavic Reflex's and Ultegra/Dura Ace hubs.


please report your experiences, it is nice to hear 'that wasn't so bad' after mounting
key is take your time. 2 to 3 thin coats on the base tape. So you just pull them out, coat them, put them away. Take maybe 10 minutes a tire. Oh and get flux brushes from the hardware store, they work perfectly


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## kdiddy (Feb 15, 2008)

I have the Alpha 340 lace 3x 32H to a Ringle hub on the rear of my cross bike,. I initially ran a worn out Hutchinson Bulldog Tubeless with two wraps of yellow tape. It worked well and i ran it in the mid to upper 20's with no burping, but mainly riding MTB trails. I recently installed a WTB Crosswolf on it with a CX rubber strip installed and aired it up with a compressor. I rode it t a variety of pressures on roads and trail with no burping, but did slide a turn a bit on pavement when I left it a the low "trail" pressure on the ride home and took a hard turn. It didn't burp, it just folded over a bunch. I'll report back when I've had more time on them at known pressures. Indetenly, i burped the smae tire when used on the front with a Stan's CX strip in a Sun Assualt rim at around 30 psi, so I'll see if this set up is better.


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## mudge (May 15, 2010)

atpjunkie said:


> because the posters point was he had purchased ZTRs (I'm assuming retail and had them built) but was complaining about the 'expense' of tubulars.
> 
> there are 2 myths in regards to tubs
> 1) they are expensive
> ...


You have to factor in the expense to *replace* the tubulars if/when you flat them.

But, you go on and keep ignoring facts that don't support your position...


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## ridebikes (Jun 7, 2005)

mudge said:


> You have to factor in the expense to *replace* the tubulars if/when you flat them.
> 
> But, you go on and keep ignoring facts that don't support your position...



I'm curious - what are all you tubie guys doing when they flat? My LBS was going to lace up a set of wheels for me at a really decent price - that isn't the issue. My issue was the cost of the tires when they cut or flat.

I'm in favor of trying the Alpha 340's but wondering what tires are working. Post your weight too.


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## strathconaman (Jul 3, 2003)

I have built a set of campy record hubs with Alpha 340s and have raced them tubeless with Mud2s with just yellow tape. I can run them as low as my tubulars without burping. They hold just as well as my challenge fango tubulars. 

I don't actually like the TB-25. If you live somewhere dry, they should be OK. Anywhere wet and they will only last you a season before the brake tracks are worn out. They are the rim on the EA70x and I have gone through 2 front rims and 1 rear in 3 seasons.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*when they flat*



mudge said:


> You have to factor in the expense to *replace* the tubulars if/when you flat them.
> 
> But, you go on and keep ignoring facts that don't support your position...


I put sealant in them, cheap

if I really damage the tube I send them to Tire Alert

so you don't have to 'replace' tubs when they flat

since 2003 I've destroyed 1 tubular, cut through the sidewall

it was before I knew about Tire Alert

since then my tubulars have lasted until they wore out

but yes they are more expensive than clinchers or tubeless

but then again Westmalle Tripel is more expensive than Pabst Blue Ribbon

Elizabeth Hurley is probably more expensive than Tonya Harding


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## tommyrod74 (Jul 3, 2002)

atpjunkie said:


> but yes they are more expensive than clinchers or tubeless
> 
> but then again Westmalle Tripel is more expensive than Pabst Blue Ribbon
> 
> Elizabeth Hurley is probably more expensive than Tonya Harding


Tonya Harding has the whole crazy thing going for her. Hard to put a price tag on that.


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## bikenerd (Jan 22, 2004)

Yeah but when crazy involves a bat to the kneecap, that's when it gets problematic.

I'm with atp - a cross race on tubulars, followed by a couple Westmalles and a night with Liz Hurley sounds like a hell of a weekend to me. The man has impeccable taste.

And to the original point (Stan's 340s), their 'pro' build is crazy. $1100 for aluminum clinchers? Wow. And I know way too many people who have burped their way out of cross and mtb races to get all fired up over tubeless. Tubulars rock. And the setup and maintenance is only daunting until you try it.

but all that's just one man's opinion....


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## tommyrod74 (Jul 3, 2002)

bikenerd said:


> Yeah but when crazy involves a bat to the kneecap, that's when it gets problematic.
> 
> I'm with atp - a cross race on tubulars, followed by a couple Westmalles and a night with Liz Hurley sounds like a hell of a weekend to me. The man has impeccable taste.
> 
> ...


I'm racing on tubulars (Major Tom on Velocity Pro hubs with Grifo 34s) and love the ride. I'd like to get a tubeless wheelset (Stan's rims don't burp like converted regular clincers at low pressure) to use as a trail/backup race wheelset so that I could have one wheelset to run bigger 29er tires for trailriding and then switch out to mud CX tires for super-crappy conditions where the Grifo might not excel. Been riding the tubulars on XC trails at speed; amazed with the traction and ride but leery of damaging them accidentally.

I believe that long-term, tubeless tech will mature and take over. It's just too inexpensive and convenient not to be explored further. It's not totally there yet, I agree.


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## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

atpjunkie said:


> but then again Westmalle Tripel is more expensive than Pabst Blue Ribbon
> 
> Elizabeth Hurley is probably more expensive than Tonya Harding


 I'm with you on Tubulars.
I got your back on Westmalle...X3
But come on...Hurley got dissed by Hugh Mr Friggin Boring Grant! What does that say about her? I know Tonya will make me write a bad check and police will be at my house at 3 a.m.because of a ruckus. I can picture myself holding Tonya's hair while she throws up after too much MD20-20....Liz, not so much. I make my choice for hard Harding.

btw...I don't give a crap about tubeless...yet.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

I'm going to revisit the tubeless next season. I wasn't happy with the pressure I had to run with the hutch tires using stans strips, they tended to burp on race day.

The tubulars are in a pain in the neck too, so I'd be happy to run tubeless if I could go say 30 psi and have 95% of the performance. I'm not sure if we are quite there yet, so I'll wear out the dugasts in the meantime


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## m_s (Nov 20, 2007)

Everyone knows similar quality wheels are about the same price (tubeless/clincher v. tubular). The big advantages to tubeless would seem to be that it is a bit easier to change tires on a wheel and that the tires themselves are significantly less expensive.

My next nice wheelset will be 355s laced to whatever disc hubs I can respace between 135 and 130 so I can use them with cantis on my cross bike and discs during mountain season, thereby killing two birds with one stone. But I'd also like to try tubulars somewhere down the line, when I have more money.

The point I guess is that even when we're talking about racing and training everyone has different needs, budgets, and priorities.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

i'm curious also how the purpose-built shimano tubeless wheels have been working out for people after a year of use. 

The burping seems to be the big issue, but keeping the tubular on the rim at low PSI is also not an inconsequential challenge. 

The other thing we were laughing about was owning these expensive hand built tubulars that go on the wheels all lumpy and rot if you don't put special crap on the sidewalls. It's the state of the art for cross racing, but the whole deal is kind of half assed if you step back and look at it.


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

atpjunkie said:


> I put sealant in them, cheap...


Er... wait, atp- you put tubeless-type sealant in tubies when you install them for the first time?
Hmm, I hadn't considered that. 
Seems like a good idea- what about the whole weight-weenie thing though? Isn't that one of the tubie advantages?




atpjunkie said:


> ...but then again Westmalle Tripel is more expensive than Pabst Blue Ribbon
> 
> Elizabeth Hurley is probably more expensive than Tonya Harding...


Oooooh, you had me at "Westmalle"... :yesnod:

Dayum. Dunno if I can swing it this season. I'll look at used- here in Portland, there are lots of used CX tubies around.


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## crankles (Sep 25, 2007)

RRRoubaix said:


> Seems like a good idea- what about the whole weight-weenie thing though? Isn't that one of the tubie advantages?


it's only 25-30ml per tire, so approx 30g. True, it's rotating weight, but it's still going to be a lighter setup.

I ran caffelatex this past weekend in my tubbies. Flatted in both races regardless. It was a flat-fest. There were literally hundreds of flats on this graniteflint rock course. neutral pits ran outta wheels after the 2nd or third race. THe interesting thing was that my front tire actually had FOUR punctures, the 1st three were sealed, but the last was a nasty cut. Almost the same for the rear, two holes, one sealed, the other...not so much. 

In short sealant works, btu it can't work miracles.


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## albella (Oct 26, 2009)

Ran 340's with Stans Raven for the first time today. Flawless. No burps, Very good traction, and no issues. I've run tubulars, tubed, and now tubeless. I can say the 340's are the real deal for running tubeless.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

albella said:


> Ran 340's with Stans Raven for the first time today. Flawless. No burps, Very good traction, and no issues. I've run tubulars, tubed, and now tubeless. I can say the 340's are the real deal for running tubeless.


what PSI are you running? You weigh more than me, but I'm no featherweight and found that going fast, turning and hitting a bump mid turn caused a burp when the tires were in the low-mid 30's for psi.

Are those tires a lot wider than normal cross tires like the michelins?


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## mishka (Oct 24, 2008)

Ran the alpha 340 at the usgp this weekend. First day with Fangos second day with vittoria. 29 psi with no burping. Top 20 in the masters 35+. This systems seems to be working well for me.


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## mcoplea (Feb 25, 2008)

A little update... We just bought a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbone tubulars off the classifieds (thanks jaydog for the great deal!) We ordered a set of Challenge Grifo 32 and will be setting them up next week. We were really on the fence between the 32's and 34's. I hope we made the right call on tire width for him.

We will be setting the up next week and his 1st race on them will be the Ft Collins USGP. Thanks again for everyone's input.


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## richrider (Aug 29, 2005)

*sealant*

So I have been running tubeless just because of all the goat head thorns we have here in the west. Every cross course in my area is thick with them. I would love to try tubulars, but I'm afraid I would flat. Does the sealant like stans really work with tubulars? I've tried it in a tube on the road and it didn't work very well. Anyone have experience with it for thorns in tubulars?


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## albella (Oct 26, 2009)

jroden said:


> what PSI are you running? You weigh more than me, but I'm no featherweight and found that going fast, turning and hitting a bump mid turn caused a burp when the tires were in the low-mid 30's for psi.
> 
> Are those tires a lot wider than normal cross tires like the michelins?


Yeah john, I gotcha by a few pounds....:blush2: ......I ran around 40psi. I could have gone a bit lower but was working on other things and being chased by my 4 and 6 year old!

Sure am missing Tuesday night practice. Broken elbow and Tiger Scouts on Tuesdays now.....bummer.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

thanks, I'm intrigued by those wheels. Sorry to hear about the elbow, sounds serious. Glad it didn't happen at practice at least, thats my big worry


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## mblock78 (Oct 14, 2010)

Bikeman.com has a clearance on a set of Vuelta Corsa Superlite tubular wheels right now. 

http://www.bikeman.com/CCS-4020007.html

1450g for the set. I bought a pair (my first ever set of tubulars) glued up with Challenge Grifo's and lopped 3/4 lbs off my CX rig. I must say tubulars are fantastic for CX. I have never run a tubeless CX setup yet but I plan on trying to convert my pit/practice wheels (old Mavic Heliums) to tubeless with Mud 2's. 

I use Stan's ZTR setups for MTB (ZTR 355 29'er and ZTR Olympic 26"). I have also done conversions on non-tubeless MTB rims. The Stan's rims are far more confidence inspiring than any conversion (ghetto) setup that I have ever done. I have never burped when using a ZTR rim always at sub 30 psi pressures (I weigh about 170 lbs). I would imagine using an Alpha 340 rim would also be more reliable than any conversion to a non tubeless rim.


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## crankles (Sep 25, 2007)

richrider said:


> So I have been running tubeless just because of all the goat head thorns we have here in the west. Every cross course in my area is thick with them. I would love to try tubulars, but I'm afraid I would flat. Does the sealant like stans really work with tubulars? I've tried it in a tube on the road and it didn't work very well. Anyone have experience with it for thorns in tubulars?


I've run both caffelatex and the older tufo sealant in my tufos for years. Two weeks ago was an epic flat fest of a course. I flatted in two races. One tire had 4 holes in it though. 3 were sealed, the final 'slice' did me in. I also did a race a few years back that was goathead heaven. got there late, did a few warmup laps and got to the start line. Just as the gun was about to go off, I looked down and saw at least 3 goatheads sticking in my tire. *BANG* goes the gun. 
Finished the race. the stuff works, btu it cant' work miracles.


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## mcoplea (Feb 25, 2008)

We ended up getting a custom tubular wheelset built up by Dave Thomas of http://speeddream.com/ . He builds up sweet wheels!! Went with White Industry hubs and Velocity Escape rims. The rims are a bit narrow at 19mm and we are running Grifo 32mm.


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## cliff (Sep 23, 2004)

How much do you weigh? Lots of posts and lots of options, but few have actually tried or used these wheels. I have and they are great. I've raced both tubulars and tubeless and by far I prefer tubeless with Stan's rims. I've used the ztr 355 29er for a handful of years now without burping or setup issues and I've tried a lot of different tires. Tubulars are good, but conditionally I like tubeless better. I used the A 340's with the advantage of weight and the narrow rim allows a neutral wheel that the ztr 355 29er does not due to it's width. I weigh 155 aned typically run 22-30 psi depending on the course and tire.


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## lgh (Feb 21, 2006)

Cliff - What spoke count are you running front and rear?

Larry


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

I _*was*_ very happy w/ my ZTR 355's... until last week. I've been running successively less air each week and seeing how the traction is (which worked out well with Oregon's successively wetter weather, lol).
Not sure if it was the lower air- 33 front/35 rear- or my aggressive riding (I was crashed into and went on an absolute tear after the entire field passed my sorry ass). Regardless, my rear tire burped BIG TIME. Although, I must say- the traction after that was fantastic. Alas, I destroyed my rim.

I'm going to take ATP's advice and run tubies next year. (Too late for this season- only one more race and I'm skipping the Portland Cup, since I'm mid-pack fodder at best ).


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

RRRoubaix said:


> I _*was*_ very happy w/ my ZTR 355's... until last week. I've been running successively less air each week and seeing how the traction is (which worked out well with Oregon's successively wetter weather, lol).
> Not sure if it was the lower air- 33 front/35 rear- or my aggressive riding (I was crashed into and went on an absolute tear after the entire field passed my sorry ass). Regardless, my rear tire burped BIG TIME. Although, I must say- the traction after that was fantastic. Alas, I destroyed my rim.
> 
> I'm going to take ATP's advice and run tubies next year. (Too late for this season- only one more race and I'm skipping the Portland Cup, since I'm mid-pack fodder at best ).


Crashes can wreak havoc on a tubie as well. Maybe leave a C02 in the pits next time? A quick shot and you're good to go:thumbsup: Quicker than changing wheels.


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