Advantages and disadvantages of clincher tires

Advantages of clincher tires

Easy tube replacement in the event of a flat tire

The biggest advantage of clincher tires is their ease of maintenance.

If you have never changed a tire tube before, you may be worried, but once you try it, it is not that difficult a task, and once you learn it, clincher tire maintenance is so easy that anyone can change it in a few minutes.

This is an advantage of clinchers over tubulars, which are difficult to remove and install, tubeless-ready tires that require sealant, and tubeless tires that require a tire booster to inflate at once.

It also has the advantage of being lightweight, as you only need to bring a replacement tube and an inflator with you when you have trouble on long rides such as cycling.

Wide choice of tires

Since clincher tires are the most common type of tire used on bicycles today, they offer the widest choice, not only for city bikes, but also for road bikes and hybrid bikes.

Furthermore, most wheels on complete bicycles are clincher holes or tubeless-ready wheels that can also be used with clinchers, so there is the advantage of being able to try a variety of tires without having to change wheels.

In this respect, they are easier than tubular or tubeless-ready tires, which require specialized wheels.

Less expensive.

Clincher tires are less expensive than tubular or tubeless tires because of their simpler construction due to the separation of the tube and tire.

In addition, there are many entry-level tires in the clincher tire lineup that cost between $20 and $30 per tire, so the lower price of clincher tires is sometimes an advantage in cases where cost performance is more important than performance, such as commuting to work or school.

Disadvantages of clincher tires

Prone to punctures

Since the tube, a perforation-prone part, is in contact with the wheel rim, low air pressure can easily cause a “rim-striking puncture,” a puncture in the tube caused by being caught between the rim and the tire.

Also, since clincher tires are held in shape by the tube, if a foreign object that is stepped on penetrates the tire and reaches the tube, the tire will lose air and become un-rideable.

In addition to these external factors, punctures can also occur due to deterioration of the tube, since the tire and tube are constantly rubbing against each other.

In this area, tubular tires, which are more resistant to punctures, and tubeless-ready tires, which have holes that can be filled with sealant, are the best choice.

Heavier.

Clincher tires require a tube because they cannot be used without an inner tube. Even a lightweight tire tube weighs about 100g each, so the tube itself is inevitably heavier than the inner tube.

Compared to tubular tires, clincher tires are lightweight even with tubes, but they are inevitably heavier than the latest tubeless tires.

The industry is gradually going tubeless.

Looking at new releases from tire manufacturers, tubeless-ready and tubeless tires are gradually spreading among tires that used to be either clinchers or tubulars. Some manufacturers even say that their new products are only tubeless tires.

This is especially true in the sports bicycle industry, so there is a possibility that the number of new clincher tires will gradually decrease in the future.

However, there are still quite a few existing users of clincher tires, so it is safe to assume that there will be a solid product lineup for the next 10 years or so.