First of all, lets look at the tire issue. One: a good mtb tubular does not exist, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t. Secondly, if you are afraid of rock cuts, or destroying an expensive tubular mtb tire, please tell me that you don’t run 29″er tubeless set ups, because when you rip your sidewall on that Hutchinson Python, you are walking home, and you are out an expensive tire to boot. (just a single example, I could provide you with more)

Removing a damaged or worn tire: If the performance benefits are greater than a tubeless set up, (and everyone that has actually ridden mtb tubulars agrees that it is a better system for high performance), the little extra effort to clean up a rim will not be a consideration. Look at tubeless mtb tires as an example if you don’t believe it. There is no doubt that the tubed set ups are easier, less messy, and more convenient to use, but you don’t see people serious about performance running tubes anymore.

According to athletes and the Edge composites people I have spoken with, the benefit to running carbon rims is better ride quality, better durability. and less rotational/overall weight, in that order. Carbon rims are less likely to be damaged in Edge Composites testing. I also found this to be true with the athletes I worked with on the wheels I built up. Stan’s rims can be very light, but a similarly weighted carbon rim would exhibit no flex, whereas a Stan’s rim certainly will exhibit flex. (I am aware of where Stan’s rims are made and that factory isn’t known for making the stiffest aluminum rims in the first place) Is rim stiffness a factor? Certainly. So is the rest of the wheel build, but your final outcome is only as good as the components you choose to build with. Their is no doubt that a stiff, true rim will build a better wheel. Carbon can be controlled and can be made to be just that, in a much more consistent way than metal drawn through a die. Think about it: An aluminum rim extrusion goes through several convolutions before it is a hoop worth making a wheel out of. A carbon rim is molded in it’s final shape. Heck, the Edge Composites rim has it’s spoke holes molded right in them! No drilling required!

Okay, so a carbon clincher/tubular may not be for you, but I have no doubt that if the right tread patterns for the tubular are produced that you will see a whole lot of them under racers in the coming years. I have no doubt they can be made to work. I also know that the guys I talked to that have ridden them are salivating at the possibilities. If it is done right, it will be a home run. Of course, that is a pretty big “if” at the moment. We’ll see soon enough.

And when it’s time to remove the damaged or worn tire (lucky if you don’t kill that spendy tire in the first 8-10 hours of use), the tape is messier to remove than glue, because it breaks up into little bits. It wants to stick to the tire casing sometimes, and the rim other times. With glue, you can use a light solvent and “smooth” it out, leaving much of it on, and only needing a fresh wet topcoat on the rim.

First, to clarify, I have not ridden a carbon mtb rim, nor a mtb tubular. I am hypothesizing based upon my experience racing mtb clinchers and CX tubulars… Take my opinions w/ a grain of salt.

What is the huge benefit to using a carbon rim vs. extruded aluminum in MTB? Is it weight? Seen the weight of the Stans rims? Stiffness? Is that stiffness useful? Is stiffness provided to a mtb wheel via rim strength alone, or the quality of spoke build and hub flange width/height? Is carbon any more durable against rock chips and other damage from real world riding? How does that “gain” in stiffness translate into faster riding, when factoring in all the other variables like suspension and the need to swap out tread patterns at moments notice.

I will say the carbon rim looks cool. It at least has that going for it. And, if you make it deep enough, you could put some flashy brand stickers on it. Some folks are all over that kind of thing.

The wide rims make for steeper air compression, just before the tread is about to be banged on the rim.

With all the tubeless hype, I am still waiting for the firt tubeless tubular. A tubular with no solid butyl/latex air holder in it.

I see new materials outside the bike market that could be used to improve tires in ways rarely properl tried.

For the carbon rims and techy tires to become a success, a heavier alu rim alternatie will be required to reach more riders, bring up the tub numbers.

So I see a huge merit in persuing carbon clincher rims for MTB use. Lets get the weights and costs down with some market competition and development…..

As for tubulars, I am with Ken and Cloxxki – the cost/benefit ratio of a set of carbon rims with diabolically expensive tubulars of very limited tread and size choice to a well built traditional wheel with say some Racing Ralphs run tubeless, is just not worth it for most of us mere mortals who do not race at Pro level.

Pinch flat resistance is not the main benefit of tubulars at all. If you want pinch flat resistance simpy and inexpensively run tubeless!