RaceDayWheels and Tire Choice

I've rented from them and they are fine.  They just aren't the fastest they could be.  Probably worth the effort to change them over.  Just switch it back before you ship.  Save the tires. 

I rented them for fun in my first HIM and didn't bother changing them.  Now, knowing what I know I'd change the butyl/conti gp4000 to latex/something faster and save myself 10 watts of effort...carry a super long stem butyl as your spare.

oh, your doing IMLP...in that case, leave what they have or change to gatorskins

wow 10Watts seems like a lot.  What would you put on there that would save that much but give you enough puncture resistance?

I got a great deal for Specialized Mondo Open Tubulars on eBay (about half price!) so I'm running with those.  They were at the top of the clinchers for low rolling resistance and got great reviews.  Figure I'll use those as my race-only tires and keep the relative mileage low on them.

I'm clueless on tube choice though.  I know that Latex is lighter (hence "faster") but I am NOT as fast as most of you guys, so I will probably opt for the cheaper and more durable butyl  

I've read that when Latex tubes fail, it is generally "suddenly and entirely" - is that true?  If so, That kind of freaks me out when the only time I'm really fast is on the downhills lol... since I'm stupid and have little fear - stemming back to mountain biking and single-track.

Latex is faster because of the rolling resistance, not the weight. Butyl is also not any more or less durable.

Flatted at Rev3 last weekend. Exactly like every flat I've ever had, Butyl or Latex. No explosion, catastophic failure, or locusts.

I've read this as well, which is strange since the tube exerts no force on the ground and hence no rolling resistance, so rolling resistance is more a factor of the tire and air pressure.  The only explanation I found is that Latex, being more flexible, makes the tire more flexible at higher air pressures and helps contribute to lower rolling resistance.

However this is all moot when I'm slow enough that it just won't make any measurable distance in my time between butyl and latex, but for the $5 difference - well I've spent enough on other crap that this is a no brainer

Great. Locusts.  Yet another thing to worry about.

They are supposed to be bad this year

From what I understand, latex is faster because it deforms easier and therefore there is less heat loss at the contact patch.  This contributes to rolling resistance and over thousands of revolutions, makes a difference. 

Well, the difference is definitely measurable, but maybe not a significant percentage of your overall time.  I've found latex to be just as durable as butyl, but you really have to take the time to install them carefully.  That's a mistake I've made a couple of times...

Anyway, it seems worth the effort to make the switch for race day.