Track Tyres

I know tubuar is ultimately safer but what's an ideal clincher for Lee Valley / HH Velos.

I have a pair of Mavic Yksion Elites going spare from a new bike purchase. Should I use these or something else?

Herne hill they're pretty forgiving on what tyres you use as long it has life in the tyres and no skidded through.

However Lee valley is pretty strict on their policy on their tyres:

'Users must use Continental, Schwalbe, Tufo or Vittoria clinchers or tubulars (black tread only), 21 mm or wider. Tyres must be inflated to 8 bar (119psi), and the pressures, and tyre condition, checked regularly. Do not use Michelin tyres or any dual compound tyres or tyres with coloured treads. Other tyres and tubulars may in future be recommended after analysis. Do not use tub tape to fix tubulars to sprint rims – use proprietary rim cement.'

I've always found Vittoria clinchers to be very good for track duty when I've not run tubs. Go for the most supple tyre you can if it's not for commuting to the track on too. Rubino Pro speed is very good value for money but not the most puncture resistant on the open roads.

Sorry to highjack the thread but am i gonna be ok with gatorskins at herne hill?!

yeah

Hijack/dredge/oft-answered question alert!

Budget indoor track clinchers: if I can get a pair of zaffiro slick pros for around £30, is that my best bet?
PX have Vittoria tri evos for about the same - would they be nicer (although tri-specific, fwiw)

I've seen a few bikes running Zaffiro Slick Pro but dunno what the difference is between them and the standard Zaffiro Slick.

Plain Slick can be had for under £10 so you can see why about 95% of the bikes that use clinchers use them.

I’m assuming the difference is rigid/folding (and therefore weight). I imagine they’re otherwise the same.

I just had a bad experience with clinchers. I am using Vittoria Pista G+ and the tube literally blew up at LVV, pretty scary experience. I am no longer sure I want to use clinchers anymore.

For those who use clinchers, what tubes do you use on the track?

Always sad to hear of a bad experience on the track, hope you managed to stay upright and avoid injury.
Do you know what caused it? What rim & rim tape were you using? If it wasn't a splinter, I'd look to the rim tape.

I didn't manage to stay upright, but I managed to slow down, so I only went down when I hit the corner, and I slid down the wood. Wood burns on my arm, nothing else, fortunately.

I am using brand new wheels with carbon rims built by a professional. What I blame it to is the latex tube I was using. I inspected rim and rim tape and they look perfect. It wasn't a splinter, neither I think it was the rim tape, most likely it was the latex tube being slightly pinched between the rim and the tyre bead. For now, I am going to switch to butyl tubes, I don't care about those 5 extra watts anymore, I care more for safety. But I am also no longer confident about clinchers on the track in general. I have never used tubulars, but as far as I know, they can't blow up so quickly.

I can assure you, from experience, tubs can also blow up on the Velodrome. Also I've been the victim of someones tub rolling off without even puncturing and ended up with a face full of splinters.

There's not much to choose between tyre performance at amateur racer level. If you really want to spend money on changing wheels and tyres over from your current setup to another setup, that's up to you, but I don't think you'll find much difference in performance or safety. You're still dealing with pressurised air inside rubber. :)

a face full of splinters.

That's a horrible story, I hope you're ok now.

It's reassuring to hear that changing setup won't help, because I just got those wheels and I really enjoy how they ride. Plus, I wanted something a bit more versatile for road crits (only training for now), outdoor track (HH) and indoor (LVV). So I am glad that you're giving me the confidence to stick to clinchers.

For sure, every time I ride from now on I will inspect that the tube sits properly inside the tyre. And for sure I will switch to butyl tubes. One reason that surprised me of those latex tubes is that they deflate very quickly (almost completely over night), so you find yourself inflating them often, which increases the risk of pinching the tube.

Fairly sure the GB squad are on clinchers bar the pursuiters for training so you'll be in good company... Glad to hear it wasn't any worse. Keep the tyres clean and inspect them regularly if using them outside. I always do a M check on the bike before riding track, it's a little obsessive but things can work themselves loose etc and it's good for other riders safety.

I do an M check as well, but I used to do it at home the day before I go to the track. Instead I should start doing it once I reach the track.
How do you know the GB squad rides on clinchers? I would like to know more, like what's their exact setup (what tyre/tube).

GB squad are on clinchers

A lot of the time, yes. GP Supersonic mostly fwiw.

Interesting! do you have a reference? I am curious about the full setup.

do you have a reference?

In what sense?

I am curious about the full setup

Their training wheels are Mavic Ellipse iirc.

They train most afternoons 2-5 and it's rare that the public are excluded from viewing these sessions. Maybe worth a visit to satisfy your curiosity.

oh, I see, you watch them live training, nice! Is that in Manchester? I thought you read it somewhere, that's why I was asking for the link sorry.

I didn't exactly know where to post but this seemed like the best place. I have a pair of brand new unused tubular track wheels for sale. They were a part of a project that is no longer going to happen at the moment.

Brand: Farsports
Front wheel 60mm depth
Rear wheel 88mm depth
UD Matte finish
Rim width 25mm
DT Swiss 370 hub
Spoke and nipples:
Sapim ex-ray + black Sapim sils

Priced at £500

1 Attachment

Maybe start a thread in here: https://www.lfgss.com/microcosms/549/ you'll get more views, this corner of the forum is quite niche.

Will do, thanks for that

I missed this back then. Yes MCR. I did more digging at the time... looks like the development squads use Clinchers, top level riders all train on Tubs iirc.

no worries, good luck with sale 👍

After some advice on track tyres, so resurrecting this thread.

I'm looking for some training tubs for use at LVV and HHV, budget around £40 per tyre. Does anyone have any recommendations?