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Personally the biggest downside I found with tubulars was that they don't tend to hold air so well
This is one reason for my strong pref for Conti Competition: they hold pressure as well as any modern tubed tyre. Trad Vittorias have latex tubes and need pumping up every time you go out (tho that may have changed). The Contis stay up for weeks.
HarmanMogul
@Mungbean
just chiming in here with some perhaps useful, perhaps useless advice, but this is my experience. Do take this anecdotally, but this is how i did it.
I've had some Zipp 404 tubs that i used for road and some Miche pistard tubs I used for riding around London. I just learned how to glue tubs by watching YouTube videos - there's a lot of resources out there and really it's not that difficult but does take a bit of patience. I actually really rate tubular tyres and enjoyed riding on them.
I ended up buying most of mine through eBay as you can get a decent deal on them there. My personal favourite was the Gatorskin Sprinter, but Vittoria Corsas are also a really decent option. Personally, I would stay clear of any cheaper options as having to reglue/change tyres is a pain in the arse.
In terms of punctures I found tyre sealant to be a good, quick fix, but as stated in the other comments - it's best to carry a spare with you - I always found Tufos easiest to mount so always carried a spare one of those!
Mounting tubulars can be a bit tricky, but here's what I found to be the best way to do it.
Stretch the tyre by mounting it without any glue applied on a spare rim (as mentioned above) - leave it for a day. At the same time, get the wheelset you want to mount your tyres on, put them on a bike and flip it upside down. Grab a paint brush and some tubular glue and spin the wheel gently while applying some glue and spreading it evenly with the brush. You need to do this 2-3 times, letting the glue settle for 12-16 hours. After you've stretched your tyres, I'd apply a thin layer of glue on them and let that dry for the same amount of time. After you've applied sufficient layers of glue
you'll (finally) be ready to mount the tyre. Same procedure, spread an even layer of glue on the rim and then mount the tyre, starting valve-first. Heave, grunt and pull the tyre onto the rim. Then you've got a few minutes to make sure it sits evenly. Think this was mentioned above but rolling it on a broomstick is a great way to seat the tyre. I'd pump the tyre a tiny bit personally before doing so. Inspect it, check that it's seated correctly and then inflate it a bit more and let it dry.
Personally the biggest downside I found with tubulars was that they don't tend to hold air so well, but for what it's worth I really enjoyed them and didn't think it was too much of a faff.