My new Mercian should be here shortly and I'm putting together the components. Quill stem, all silver ergo, nice Super Record fluted seat post, Regal etc.

Have some nice 10 sp Record 28/28 hubs. Do I go clincher or try sew-ups for a change? If I go sew-up what's a suitable rim/tyre combo. Roads out here in NZ can be a bit rough so I don't wanna be buying a tub a week!!!

I could keep the tubs for special occasions as I have another set of 10sp Chorus 32/32 clinchers I can swap back and forth.......

Thoughts.:idea:

My new Mercian should be here shortly and I'm putting together the components. Quill stem, all silver ergo, nice Super Record fluted seat post, Regal etc.

Have some nice 10 sp Record 28/28 hubs. Do I go clincher or try sew-ups for a change? If I go sew-up what's a suitable rim/tyre combo. Roads out here in NZ can be a bit rough so I don't wanna be buying a tub a week!!!

I could keep the tubs for special occasions as I have another set of 10sp Chorus 32/32 clinchers I can swap back and forth.......

Thoughts.:idea:

You know perfectly well that you should not even ask this question.

There is only one answer.

It involves glue.

Sew ups are definitely worth having, especially if you have a clincher backup. I used to have sew ups and enjoyed the heck out of them. They ran light and handled great, especially cornering. The Continental "Sprinters" I used were about as durable as they got, but sooner or later the inevitable flat would occur. I never got good at repairing them. Couldn't get the threads as tight as original, so always ended up with a bulge.

Eventually, needing the hub to replace another wheel that got bitten by a dog, pulling out a spoke and cracking the hub flange, I abandoned sew ups without much regret. I just didn't want to go through the expense and maintenance hassles, for the slightly less weight and handling they gave. But I found them as reliable, durable, and flat resistant as clinchers.

If I still had those wheels around, I'd use them once in awhile--like on club rides! They shaved about a pound off my 80s race bike, set up about the same as your Mercian: Super Record seatpost, headset, crank, derailleurs, brakes, and pedals, Cinelli 1-A stem and Campione del Mondo deep drop bars, and oh yeah, Selle Italia Turbo saddle.

Sew ups would work great on 28 hole rims, and the combo would be plenty good enough for rough roads. Sew ups shine on bumpy pavement. They never pinch flat.

Devil's advocate on sew ups- They're more expensive (at least around here) They're harder to find (ditto) and finding them in widths wider than 23 is almost impossible. And, they're almost impossible to fix on the road. At least, that's my experience.

If none of that matters to you, go for it!

I've been using the Tufo tape to stick mine to the rims and it works pretty well.

With a backup set of clinchers, it's a "no brainer." And Continental makes a "Gatorskin" tubular which is supposed to be very flat resistant. Maybe rides a little harsher than a Vittoria Corsa, but everything in cycling (and in life) is a compromise.

This is the C&V forum, so of course this crowd likes tubulars. Me too. Ask in Wheels & Tires, you'll probably get different answers.

People complain about tubulars being expensive and high maintenance ... well, I'm only in my second season on my first pair, but so far they have been almost problem-free. I had one puncture that was quickly and easily (and cheaply) fixed with Tufo sealant.

I just have to think of a nice rim that'll suit my neo retro project.

.....