I'm not sure what all the hoopla is all about concerning tubs. I used tubs for about 10 years before switching to clinchers way back in 81 I think when I heard about the new Specialized folding turbo tire. The tubulars were a time consuming hassle with all the gluing and even worse when flatted which they did frequently due to being only cotton or silk back then with no flat protection, it wasn't uncommon to have 2 or even 3 flats on a hundred mile ride, so I had to carry two spares under my seat, and a tubular flat repair kit in case the 2 spares flatted; once I had to fix the tubular on the side of the road it wait take about 45 minutes to do. The other argument for tubs is the inability to have pinch flats, well in 30 some odd years of using clinchers I've only had one pinch flat so it's not an issue.
On the subject of repairs the clincher is actually able to have a staple for example removed from the casing and be used again, a tubular you cannot do that.
It's been said many times that a tubular will not roll off the rim if the tire blows out...not true. Having raced and trained on tubs in the mountains of So California I've seen quite a few tubs roll of the rim during a blowout including one of mine own. Sure the argument could be made for improper gluing, I can't say for sure if they were or weren't, but I can say they rolled off. Also if you have to replace the original tub you were riding on that went flat on a ride you now have to be more careful hitting curves because the chances of the spare rolling off increases, this is why when a pro flats they get a new wheel with new glue and new tire all cured and ready to ride, a little difficult to do if your racing in a non pro event with sag support.
Clinchers are less expensive to buy overall, sure there are some cheap tubs on the market but they pale in comparison to a mid level clincher for the same price.
Ride quality was about the same, tubs required about 15 more psi then clinchers, so even while the tubs are more subtle sidewalls and cotton or silk casings the firmness of the extra psi defeated any comfort advantages the tubs would have had. In addition to that a person who complains after riding clinchers is usually because of one of two things or a combination of both; 1
too much air in the clincher for the body weight of the person on the bike; 2
using butyl tubes instead of latex that come with tubs, latex by itself feels softer even inside a clincher, it makes the tire feel like you're riding about 15 pounds less air, which you can duplicate that feeling with a clincher by reducing the PSI to get what I'm talking about. Yes a very high end, read that as expensive, tubular tire will probably win over a mid level clincher.
Today rolling resistance is pretty much equal between the two as long as the tub is properly glued on, a improperly glued rim will take add to the rolling resistance and make it worse than a clincher; but in the top 10 fastest rolling tires it was about an even mix of tubs and clinchers.
Yes, tubs and their rims were lighter than clinchers, but not by that much. I sort of remember the older tub wheels weighing about 200 grams less on my first set of clincher wheels, but my second set of clinchers were actually only about 75 grams less.
For training or everyday riding nothing beats a clincher, if you're racing tubs might have an advantage but only in the weight department, but I use to race on clinchers and never looked back to tubs. I did about 10 years after I quit racing took my pair of old tub rims round about the year 2000, put on a new set of tubs and went for a ride thinking maybe I was missing something, wanting a bit of nostalgia, which in some instances I prefer...I wasn't impressed.
Of course my interpretation of what I felt while riding on tubs vs clinchers is obviously subject to opinion.
