I am new to tubulars, but have had good luck with continental clinchers. I was planning to buy a pair of tubulars for a new wheelset and was thinking about the following: Conti Sprinter w/Gatorskin $54.95, Conti Competitions w/Vectran $69.95 and Conti GP 4000's w/Vectran $84.95. Any thoughts on what I should get?

without a doubt, conti's competiton. i've sprinter before and they're tough but bit heavy while competiton is light and real fast and almost puncture-proof ( i've used more than 2 months and still look like new, 5 days a week and about 25 miles a day ) haven't try GP 4000 so can't say it's better than comps or worst. i know the best tubular for racing only is Dugast silk ( $ 150 a piece/ $ 300 a pair, ouch!! it's used by the top dogs of the tour and really hard to find in the U.S )

Are you going to use them for race wheels or everyday trainers? The Gators go a long time, very thick tread, so they're great for training. The Comps handle great, but wear faster, maybe 1000 miles on a rear before I start seeing threads (compared to 2000 miles for a Gatorskin). Not excited about the GPs as they don't seem to be repairable.

Check www.probikekit.com for better prices.

chris

Why just Conti's? I used the Sprinter for years, and it's a nice tire. Just put Vredestein Fortezza Pro's on and I like them much better. I'm a heavier rider (190lbs) and ride the hills in NW Connecticut. I've got about 650 miles on them and the rear has just been smoothed in the middle. Price was about $69 as I recall, and they were easier to mount up than the Conti's.

They will be everyday tires.

I was thinking contis because of my luck with their clinchers.

Here's another question; why is the GP 4000 not repairable? I have seen a few other comments about some tubulars not being true sew ups.

Haven't seen one in the flesh myself, but folks were commenting on the board that there was no seam in the tire under the base tape. Not sure this is true, but I'm sure someone can comment.

Re: difficulty in mounting, a few days dry inflated and mounted on a stretching rim make any tubular easier to mount.

chris

Re: Mounting... Been using tubies for 25 years, and have been pre-stretching em on a rim, it's just that the Vreds were REALLY easy to mount, like an old spare. The Conti's were still a bit tight, but not a big deal.