UKC

New TT bike is on order and comes as standard Mavic tyres which reading the reviews are terrible and no pedals which is obvious standard.

Pedals, currently using Look Keos on my road bike, as this will be my competition triathlon bike ranging from Sprint to Ironman distance I have been looking at the Key Blade Carbon pedals, does anyone have any experience with them, do the carbon pedals make any difference or is it just another 'marginal gain'?

Tyres, always been on clinchers and confident at tyre changes in all weathers. I have read more and more about Tubular and the pros and cons. Whilst I currently have a lack of knowledge we all have to start somewhere?! So those that have made the change to Tubular, were you happy, any issues, what do you carry as spares should the worst happen and what is the worst that has happened?

Many Thanks in advance

Pedals I’m not sure - my pedals are my power meter so not had to think about it but not sure I’d spend the coin on carbon ones. I think I prefer Look to Shimano though, but there’s not a lot of difference. 

Tubulars have the benefit of being lighter, rolling better, take higher inflation pressures if required and you can ride them flat for a while, but can’t be repaired at the roadside. However, it can be such an utter bastard to change a tube on carbon wheels that it could be worth the risk. I used tubs on my carbon wheels on my race bike back in 2005/6 and never had a problem. Half wish I had them now tbh, because after breaking a carbon wheel trying to change a tyre I just pay someone a fiver to do it. 

Oh, and I think the worse that can happen is that they come unglued when you’re doing 60mph downhill...

I once bought a used bike with tubs. The bike was massively better than my previous one, so I didn't identify the tubs as being different from clinches. But when I was eventually forced to replace the wheels (accident) I really noticed that the clincher replacements just didn't seem to hold the road as well.

I did try to buy some tub tape a few years back but was told at my local shop that it was getting hard to come by. Shame because it is actually really good at repairing the soles on footwear!

My small collection of "vintage" steel bikes (70's to 90's) are all running on tubs and they do feel more "zingy" than the modern Shimano wheels on my Giant alu road bike.  However to put this in balance I've never ridden on carbon rims with race weight clinchers...

To date I've not punctured on tubs whilst riding over the last few years but back in the day it used to be quicker changing a tub by the roadside than changing a clincher inner tube (just ensure the spare tub you carry has been pre-glued.)  Modern puncture resistance has improved things and running a tyre with sealant will also help prevent flats, though watch the valves don't get gummed up.

Mounting tubs with glue is sometimes seen as a dark art but it's just a bit time consuming and potentially messy.  Tape is easier and very quick but not supposed to feel as good.  I have tufo tyres mounted on the same wheelset - one glued, one taped - and can't tell the difference but that's on a training weight tyre.

Tub glue and tape are both easily available through t'internet and a few weeks ago I bought a tin of Conti glue from the high street: Evans Cycles.

Hope this helps.

I can't comment on your pedals but Tubular tyres or 'Tubs' are just plain awesome and as soon as you ride on a set of tubs you'll immediately notice the difference.

I have three sets of wheels:

(1) a set of Enve 3.4 clinchers set up as tubeless with 26mm Bontrager R3-TLR tyres which are a bomb-proof robust all round wheelset

(2) a set of Enve 4.5 tubs equipped with 26mm Schwalbe One HT tubular tyres, these are very robust tubs and they last for ages

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-pro-one-ht-v-guard-tubular-road-tyre/

(3) a set of Enve deep-section 7.8 tubs equipped with Vittoria Corsa Speed G2 tubulars, these tyres and wheels are about as fast as you can get. The tyres are awesomely quick latex tubs with probably the lowest rolling resistance of any tyre out there they are pretty flimsy but would be a great TT tyre

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Vittoria/Corsa-Speed-G20-Tubular-Tyre/M38E

I put tyre sealant inside my Schwalbe tubs and that works well. A word of advice NEVER put sealant inside a latex tyre as the sealant will cure and you'll end up with tiny solid balls rolling around inside your tubs. latex tyres deflate quite a bit overnight as air diffuses out, so make sure you check your pressures before each ride.

Gluing tubs is a bit messy but quite straight forward. The best glue to use is Vittoria Mastik Pro,

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Vittoria/Mastik-Pro-Tubular-Glue-4x17ml/KI...

This glue requires just a single application to the tyre and wheel and then left overnight to set. The glue is claimed to be water soluble but it isn't. I've found a cloth and a bit of white spirit works a treat to remove any excess from the rims after you've installed them, another tip don't use acetone to do this job.

I ride between 250-350 miles a week and probably a good 100+ miles of that is using tubs. I'd say that over the last three years I've never had a tyre come off, on two occasions I got thorns in my Schwalbe tubs but they self-sealed straight away and I've had one side wall blow out after hitting a pot hole at speed. I've never taken a spare tyre with me even on 100+ mile rides.

Enjoy the new bike!

Regarding pedals, I switched from Keo Easy's to the carbon blade pedals as I needed some new ones.  They are nice but not sure I could honestly say I noticed a difference and I'm not sure I would justify the expense again.

As for tyres I bought a pair of Planet X carbon tubulars and was running Continental Competition tyres.  I put some of the anti-puncture goo in them, and found I punctured far less often than with clinchers.  The wheels were lighter and nicer to ride on too.  I never actually had to change in tyre on a ride in several years of use, got a couple of punctures which slowly deflated, and had to be topped up on the way home but no total failures.  I always carried a spare tyre (I think I had a cheap 'spare' tub).  I found fitting them with tape at home was pretty straightforward, but like I said, I never had to change one at the side of the road.