We covered how carbon has revolutionized the bike wheel market and how carbon is incredibly strong, rigid and light - let's continue looking at carbon wheels and examine the difference between the two main types, tubulars and clinchers, and which may be right for you.
Tubular wheels are the type traditionally used by professional bike racers...
Carbon fiber continues to transform the bicycle industry due to its unique qualities; it’s incredibly light, strong, is easy to shape, and doesn’t “fatigue” the way traditional materials like steel and aluminum do. It’s made a big difference to the way manufacturers build frames, forks, and many other bike components, but the biggest difference by far is the changes it has brought to the way cycling wheels are made and how they perform.
This is because, across a bicycle, all things are not equal. When you pedal your bike, you are dealing with or overcoming certain forces of nature: inertia, aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance (as well as gravity, if you’re riding uphill). There is an old saying amongst bike builders and aficionados – “A gram off the wheels is worth 2 grams off the frame.” They are referring to the rotating mass of the bike. In theory, if you can reduce the weight of the components that rotate...