Diff. betw. clincher and tubular wheelsets??

[krh101975]

I'm new to the road cycling world. Picked up a spankin' new 2007 Trek 1000 today. Started looking at new wheelset and ran into a question. What's the difference between CLINCHERS and TUBULAR road wheels and tires? Does one use a tube and the other uses glue to secure the tire?
Help me out here, I don't want to purchase the wrong thing.
Thanks,
Kevin

[Marc]

I'm new to the road cycling world. Picked up a spankin' new 2007 Trek 1000 today. Started looking at new wheelset and ran into a question. What's the difference between CLINCHERS and TUBULAR road wheels and tires? Does one use a tube and the other uses glue to secure the tire?
Help me out here, I don't want to purchase the wrong thing.
Thanks,
Kevin

See:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

[tubafreak]

You have clinchers, that's what you should get for now. Tubulars are generally used by pros, old-timers, and people who like having that special something that tubbies bring to the table (never ridden them (yet) so I couldn't tell you what that is). However, they are difficult to mount until you're used to it, and they tend to be more pricey than a comparable clincher.

[toomanybikes]

Since I assume that the bike you bought came with wheels and tires, why are you looking at new wheelsets??

The wheels that came with your bike will be perfectly fine for anything you want to do with the bike for at least the first few thousand miles. If you then decide you want to race or do something else you could conceivably look at new wheels but even then I would question the wisdom.

There is a tremendous emphasis on these boards for new wheelsets, climbing wheels, racing wheels, training wheels, etc.

Any wheelset will do whatever you want them to do. Some of us have ridiculous numbers of wheels hanging around because we have riding for so long, some of us have spare wheelsets hanging around because it is the the "latest thing".

Some of us have spare wheels for good reasons.

Think about your reasoning and your needs.

[fleck]

Stick with the clinchers.

Tubies are great but take a lot of time and practice. These days the tire and ride quality are pretty close so the ease of clinchers is perfect for everyday use. I only use tubbies when i'm racing.

[stamp adams]

Sorry, but I have a different position than any wheel sets that come with your bike will do. I test rode Pinarello's Gallelo and the F14-3(?). The Galleleo was a much nicer ride. The F14-3 was harsh and transmitted every jarring imperfection in the road. I started thinking about this on the way home and realized it couldn't be explained by the differences in the very similar carbon forks. Went back the next day and had them switch front wheels and bingo, the F14-3 was smooth and the Galleleo was harsh. Then switched to Fulcrums on the F14-3 and it was Goldilocks. So be sure to check out wheels at purchase time because, you most likely can get a credit on the wheels that come on the bike!