Clinchers to Tubulars

As opposed to throwing them away ? Yes.

Not all tubs can be fixed apparently.

I'll wade into this topic

Why did I choose tubs for my summer bike?
Was it because of their superior rolling feel? No, although I really do like it. So comfy on 120psi tyres.
Was it because of their improved puncture performance? No, but I've not yet had a puncture in them in 2 full summer seasons (didn't ride this summer because of duff knees) - totally anecdotal, I concede.
Was it because I like spending the time doing all the gluing? No, but I did get a real sense of satisfaction doing this (I love bike maintenance - it's like therapy for me).

The reason I moved to tubs was because it allowed me to get some insanely light, deep (50mm) rim carbon wheels at a price that I could afford. For £400 for a pair of wheels + ~£100 for a pair of tubs, I had a wheelset that was lighter than any clincher wheelset I could get for less than two (or three or four?) times that cost.

Had I been able to get the same weight in a clincher wheelset at that price, I would not have bought tubulars. But so far, I'm very happy that I did go down the tub route.

I'm a bit belt and braces about being prepared for punctures. I carry with me a spare pre-glued tub (although I wish I had a tufo elite jet 120 that would pack down as small as an inner tube), a bottle of tufo sealant, and a roll of Jantex tub tape. So far, I have never had to use any of them.

But I have a winter training bike with clinchers on, so I don't train on tubs in the winter, or in the pouring rain (unless the pouring rain appears mid-ride during the summer).

Usual disclaimers apply:
YMMV, FWIW, IMHO, etc.

I've always carried a spare, and swapped it over whenever I get a flat. That's pretty uncommon, I've had 4 this year in (see below) km. Swapping over is no slower than changing a clincher (i've done rolling to rolling in 3 minutes) and you are guaranteed that whatever caused the puncture is not still in the new tyre. Fix it when you get home. I usually carry a can of Effetto sealant but I've never needed it.
Superglue is good for sealing cuts in the casing when you are fixing the flat, but it wont work if you haven't fixed the hole in the inner tube.
I've never used sealant in the tubes, partly because I'm concerned about it going solid / going lumpy in the longer term (may or may not be rational) , but mostly because of the weight. One reason for riding tubs is that the rotational mass of rim and tyre is so much lower than clinchers. Stuffing 60 or 80 grams of sealant in the very worst spot for wheel performance doesn't float my boat.
Yes, its more time consuming than using clinchers unless you can afford to just buy new tyres every time you get a flat. (If thats the case, I'll buy your old tubs off you! ) But from a personal perspective, the ride is much better, and punctures are not as big an issue as you think.
You just need to approach it differently. Practicing swapping a tub on an old rim / gluing tubs on before you take it out riding so you are a little bit more familiar with it all will also take some of the stress out! Also, fixing the flats is not difficult, but it is a new technique and so it takes a few goes to get on top of it, like anything new. Having the right tools for the job makes a massive difference : now that I have everything I need a fix is under half an hour. It took me a while to work out from youtube and other sources the best way of doing it and what you need. One day i'll do a full YouTube video explaining the process.
Remember too you don't get pinch punctures - a common flat on crappy roads.

as you can tell, I think tubs are the business.

As far as I am aware Arundel do the only good looking saddle bag for carrying a tubular. Buy a second hand one on ebay or a cheap one from Planet X, glue it and wrap it in a plastic bag. Then place in your Arundel seat bag, along with plastic tyre lever (to help you get puntured tub off) and C02 inflator. When you get a puncture send them to Brown's tyres to be repaired.

I love riding tubs but I curse every time I get a flat, which in fairness isn't all that often. You don't ride them because they are the economical option.

I spent several hours/days pre gluing rims/tyres etc and after several rides decided I couldn't tell the difference between tubs and a decent set of clinchers with latex inner tubes (vittoria open corsas 320tpi). Especially on the generally crappy UK roads.

Sure you can. First take off the tub. Then the backing fabric. Then cut the stitches to get into the tub. Then make the seal. Then sew it back up. Then put the fabric back on. Then stick the tub back on.

Basically tubs are a pain. I used to ride them back in the day - we'd just take a spare tub out with us - but normal tyres have worked out so much better for me. There's nothing like having £120's worth of punctures on one ride to go back to normal tyres.

If you are racing and you flat then it's usually game over. You just need a means of fixing it to get back to HQ.

first try a sealant

vittoria pitstop, once the tub is flat check and remove any debris, rotate the wheel so the valve is at 12 o'clock, push the canister onto the valve and inject the sealant and c02 to inflate the tyre (directions are on the can)

once the can is fully empty spin the wheel a good few times to help the sealant travel around the tub and find the hole, if you know where the hole is then hold the wheel with the puncture facing the floor this will help the sealant to collect at the puncture, takes no less than 2 mins and your on your way

the can is quite small (75ml) so is easy to carry (you can get it cheaper elsewhere)

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Vittoria/Pit-Stop-Puncture-Repair-75ml/...

if no luck/the hole is too big then fit the spare tub

you fold them a particular way so the glue is protected, then place it in a sock or something similar to help protect it from dust/dirt

https://plus.google.com/photos/108112939684385339347/albums/506281566616...

if you are unlucky enough to puncture again and have no way of repairing then its time to ride home on flats or call a friend, the choice is yours

I use tubulars all year round (off out on em today infact)

My personal preference is conti sprinters, not the lightest or best tubular you can buy but they grip well (black chilli compound) are fairly puncture resistant and are relativity cheap

As for punctures you cant fix them like a tube on the side of the road as the tube is actually sewn into the tyre

You have 4 options

Opition 1

Carry a can or 2 of vittoria pitstop (sealant with c02) this fixes the majority of punctures and will stay active within the tyre for 6 months or so, you can even add it before you get a puncture if you like

Option 2

Carry a spare pre glued tubular tyre, i carry a conti giro as a spare, folds up relatively small, if you puncture pull off the old tubular and fit the pre glued spare and use c02 to inflate, just be careful corning at speed for the rest of the ride

Option 3

Ride with flat tyres home! Ive done this twice, once with a flat front and rear for 15 miles @ 14mph, as the tyres are glued on they wont come off and make you crash, again be careful cornering though

Option 4

Call a friend/relative to come pick you up (never used this option as im always determined not to be beat by a puncture!!

the ride on tubs is much nicer (imho) but as derny says ... clinchers for training/winter
riding
i love my tubs and use the effetto cafe sealant, but also carry a glued, used one
just in case !

Most people who race on tubulars use clinchers for training; they do not perform tubular repairs mid-ride. In a race if you puncture a tubular you either get a wheel or go home. Back in the days of yore, we would generally carry a complete spare tubular on training rides. For minor leaks you can also use sealant products but it would be foolish to leave home on a training ride without a replacement. If you put a big gash in it then replacement is the only option.

Using tubulars for training would be (in my opinion) a rather expensive option, and not worth the trouble to maintain, especially given that clinchers have evolved very nicely in the last 20 years. The time you spend maintaining tubulars for training would be better spent riding or sleeping, unless you really enjoy the effort.