-
Ok, I'll bite. A few reasons off the top of my head:
You're all talking about road pressures here. A really fast tub (pista evo cl) is still faster than a clincher and can be safely run at very high pressure 200psi +, making the rolling resistance significantly lower. Hardly any of the tests use these high pressures because only track riders use them and no-one cares about track. These tests are done and published to sell new wheels and tyre systems to mamils/triathletes.
Before we get into whether you need really high pressure or not - think about what it's like to ride a tyre with less than 100psi in it at high cadence on the rollers. Horrible. It's also worth noting you're more likely to get a perfectly round tub than a clincher, which makes a huge difference at high pressure. You feel every little lump and bump.
Tubs handle much better if you puncture them than a clincher - you can safely ride a deflated tub for long enough to slow down and get off the track. Same cannot be said of a clincher.
I'm sure that if there were any benefit to riding clinches you'd see GB/Holland/france etc using them.
You are reading a single comment by @roboto and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
dan
@roboto
Why tubs for track anyway? Current clincher tyre compounds are proving to be just as fast, maybe faster in tests and tubeless probably even faster.
Anyway, my outdoor track/training wheels are 23 wide with 23mm tyres. I've been reliably informed that 23 tyres with 25mm carbon rims or 25 tyres with 28mm carbon rims is optimal as it's the internal width that is important. 25mm wide carbon clincher rims should have a maximum of 18.5mm internal width, whereas 25mm rims should have an internal width of 19.85mm.