FMB clinchers were first teased in limited numbers last fall late during cross season. Now, French handmade tire maker FMB expands their horizons, opening up their race tubulars into a wide new range of ultra supple Open Tubular clincher tires for both road & cyclocross. Leave the glue behind, pop some latex tubes into supple cotton casings, and race on…
FMB Open Tubular handmade cotton clincher road & CX tires
The new FMB Open Tubular clinchers aren’t tubeless (yet!) But with a soft 330tpi cotton casing impregnated with latex for durability, you get much of that same low pressure feel as with tubulars, and still decent anti-pinch protection. While tubeless is without a doubt great for flat protection and lower rolling resistance when you compare similar tire construction. Few if any real tubeless tires are made as supple as these handmade cotton tires, making it hard to match the ride feel and excellent grip of the more supple casing.
FMB Open Tubular tech
The FMB Open Tubular clincher tires are all still entirely made in the FMB workshop in northern France. The share the same cotton casing construction, just getting François Marie’s own aramid cord folding bead.
From the start of the OT clinchers project, FMB was just looking to make their handmade tires more accessible to young cyclocross racers without the need for several dedicated wheelsets, and for other riders who weren’t ever likely to start gluing tires on.
FMB Open Tubular handmade clincher cyclocross tires
From a cross perspective, FMB is offering the new Open Tubular clinchers construction in their four most popular cyclocross treads: the dry conditions SSC Sprint 2, all-rounder SSC Slalom, deep mud SSC Super Mud & sticky mud SSC Grippo Speed.
Each Open Tubular sells for the same 58.30€ price, and is available in 32mm & 34.5mm wide casings (sizing based on 19-21mm internal clincher CX rims). The smaller version is designed to fit within UCI max 33mm widths for sanctioned racing, or offer more volume for lower pressures for those not governed by the UCI.
FMB Open Tubular handmade clincher road classics tires
Another big segment for FMB is the pavé of the Spring Classics. But while pro racing is on hold and the pro tubulars are aging in some climate controlled storage room, you can now get a set of FMB Open Tubular clincher road tires too.
All the road tires use FMB’s low-profile road tread with GRIP+ rubber compound and Kevlar puncture protection, each selling for 53.90€. The 24.5mm Racing & 26mm all-black Pro Carbon get longitudinal sipes down the center & herringbone shoulders. And the more Classics-oriented 26mm Flanders & 29mm Cobbles feature full herringbone tread.
The new clinchers, all handmade in France are available now for both road and cyclocross, direct from FMB or through international dealers.
