Looking to go tubeless for road riding....advice

[E65Ross]

Hi,

I'm looking into getting some new wheels for my bike and I'm contemplating going tubeless. I appreciate they're harder to set up, but I'll just get my LBS to do this for me. I also appreciate IF I get a puncture whilst riding....I'm in a bit more bother but I also get the risks of puncturing are far lower. This will be for my "fast" road bike where generally I try to stick off the really poor surfaces.

I see many wheels are either clincher or tubeless, so when the time comes....it'll be bite the bullet or not, so to speak. I'd also need new tyres so I'd need to look up the best tyres for a tubeless set up (any recommendations?) I'm currently running Michelin Power Comp's which have been nothing short of fantastic.

Any people here gone tubeless on their road bike....if so....thoughts? Pros and cons?

Thanks

[gl20]

No advice I can give but willnfollw with interest. In exactly same boat

[m444ttb]

My fast wheels for my decent road bike are tubeless. Also my first experience of tubeless. I went for a very fast but fairly fragile 25mm Hutchinson Fusion 5 Galaktik tyre and they really do feel great. They were set up by the wheel builder so I’ve no experience of that. I’ve been carrying a single spare tube, some tyre levers and some CO2. Thankfully not required so far

[E65Ross]

m444ttb said:

My fast wheels for my decent road bike are tubeless. Also my first experience of tubeless. I went for a very fast but fairly fragile 25mm Hutchinson Fusion 5 Galaktik tyre and they really do feel great. They were set up by the wheel builder so I’ve no experience of that. I’ve been carrying a single spare tube, some tyre levers and some CO2. Thankfully not required so far

I didn't think you could switch to a clincher if you got a puncture??

[m444ttb]

I think so although I’d think it very messy and likely to be fun to get back on the rim. Obviously at that point there has been a real disaster. My friend had a puncture I. A Schwalbe One tubeless tyre the other week. It dropped to 40psi but self sealed. Rideable on a 25mm but a quick go on the mini pump and it was perfect.

[E65Ross]

Looking at a Zipp 404.... which of the 2 would I need (or are neither suitable?)

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/zipp-404-firecrest-carbon-...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/zipp-404-firecrest-carbon-...

Thanks

edit - I already have one of these.....is this able to go tubeless?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/zipp-202-carbon-clincher-r...

Edited by E65Ross on Sunday 22 July 18:13

[stybar]

Think you are getting confused with tubular only wheels which can’t be run with tyre and inner tube.
Tubeless wheels still have the “lip” on the inside of the rim to seat the tyre so you can run them with an inner tube if you wish. Incidentally you can convert clinchers to tubeless by sealing the spoke holes in the rim with some rim tape.
I run tubeless tyres on my commuter bike, however these are 37mm schwalbe g-ones so not exactly what you’re looking for.I haven’t had any issues with my tubeless setup as yet and with approximately 1000 miles on the tyres they are holding up well.

[E65Ross]

stybar said:

Think you are getting confused with tubular only wheels which can’t be run with tyre and inner tube.
Tubeless wheels still have the “lip” on the inside of the rim to seat the tyre so you can run them with an inner tube if you wish. Incidentally you can convert clinchers to tubeless by sealing the spoke holes in the rim with some rim tape.
I run tubeless tyres on my commuter bike, however these are 37mm schwalbe g-ones so not exactly what you’re looking for.I haven’t had any issues with my tubeless setup as yet and with approximately 1000 miles on the tyres they are holding up well.

Thank you. I think both the Zipp 202 that I do have, plus the Zipp 404 "clincher" wheel are suitable for a tubeless set up

[jontymo]

There is a long thread on bike radar regards tubeless.

I have them on my Giant Defy and have recently swapped to IRC Roadlites, you normally need a decent pump to get them to seat properly, and obviously need good sealant which you can get from most shops or online. I did have an issue with one of the original Giant tyres and could not get it to reseat even with a co2 mini pump so removed the valve and ran a normal inner tube until I replaced the tyres.

I still carry a spare inner tube but to be fair have never had a puncture since buying my bike 1800 miles ago.

The issue with the original tyre was caused by me trying to remove a piece of glass that had embedded itself and was to big a hole to reseal, I could have patched it but fancied some new rubber!

Have a read on bike radar.

[Johno]

>2yrs, all year, all weather, probably about 15k kms road tubeless now, can’t understand why you’d want to stay with tubes.

Commuter/winter tyres are Hutchinson Sector 28’s which are superb. Tough, grippy and comfy. Did Paris Roubaix on them this year on Hunt wheels, no issues.

Fast wheels are Fulcrum Quattro Carbons DB, which aren’t tubeless ready, however they are a sealed rim bed and I’ve run them tubeless since I had them. I run Schwalbe Pro Ones in 25mm and they’re great, fast, but they are a lot more fragile and are a weekend tyre, not an everyday tyre.

I haven’t needed to use a tube in over 2yrs although I do carry one. I also carry plugs which I’ve had to use only once.

Then once home I repaired the hole with a patch in SPO’s and it was good for another few months until the patch came unstuck, but it revealed and repatched it again.

I’m lucky I have a compressor, but on my wheels you can get them inflated with a track pump. There are a million tips on the net of getting them inflated, one thing I don’t see mentioned which I prefer is get the tyre unfolded from new the day before, get into its proper shape and leave overnight. It seems to help get the folds out and I tend to do mine dry unless having real issues, get it inflated and leave for a while, then re,one valve core and with a syringe inject through vale stem and then reinflate.

[anonymous-user]

To balance the other posts I've just gone from tubeless back to tubes as I was having major.problems with getting the tubeless to seal after a puncture and find its easier to just use tubes as I have to carry one anyway.

My view (with absolutely no scientific evidence) is timeless are fine for skinny 60kg riders but for normal sized people like me (95kg) the weight of the rider forces the punctures open once they've sealed.
Makes sense to me as all my problems have been the rear tyre and they have sealed but then unsealed again when I've started riding.

Each to their own though

[E65Ross]

keirik said:

To balance the other posts I've just gone from tubeless back to tubes as I was having major.problems with getting the tubeless to seal after a puncture and find its easier to just use tubes as I have to carry one anyway.

My view (with absolutely no scientific evidence) is timeless are fine for skinny 60kg riders but for normal sized people like me (95kg) the weight of the rider forces the punctures open once they've sealed.
Makes sense to me as all my problems have been the rear tyre and they have sealed but then unsealed again when I've started riding.

Each to their own though

This is OK by me, as I'm a skinny rider who weighs 55kgs or less

I'll wait until my front tyre needs changing and have a chat with the bike shop about making that wheel tubeless, and if someone ends up buying my Reynolds wheels from ebay and I buy another rear wheel I'll go tubeless for that too!

Cheers

[russy01]

If it ain’t broke...

Went Tubeless and found it a pain in the arse. Hard work to fit, really struggle to get my wheels/tyres to seat properly (using compressors, charge pumps, co2, you name it.)

Did 1000miles no issue, was bigging it up to everybody. Until I had a big cut in the rear, all the air pissed out and the sealant couldn’t do a thing - stranded. Stuck a tube in it - couldn’t get the tyres to seat properly still so had to be picked up...

Last week, front tyre. Smaller puncture this time but the sealant didn’t seal until the pressure had dropped to 40psi and then I had massive issues trying to get air back in. Had to ride back on 40psi.

So a few days ago I removed both tyres (schwalbe ones or something) and stuck tubes back in with GP4000.

Tubeless can be great and I’m sure smaller pricks or punctures that would normally stop your ride with a tube are soaked up and sealed without your knowledge. However when faced with something more than a tiny thorn prick there is no guarantee the sealant will actually be able to seal it - meaning you have to stick a tube in anyway?

With that in mind, I really do not see the issue in just using a tube and carrying a spare or patches. At least if I get a flat I know that within 5-10mins I will be back on the road... with the tubeless I always felt a little concerned.

I will continue to use tubeless on my non main bike and will give it a fair chance , but for now my main bike has gone back to tubes.

[ALawson]

Been runnng IRC tubeless for 3 maybe 4 years now, only time it has ever failed has been three massive sidewall tears. Funnily enough one was today at 65kph, tyre stayed on the rim and a worm wasnt going to fix the hole (the recognised way of repairing a non sealing hole). These holes would all have written of a normal clincher which are cheaper.

If going tubeless get a power shot tank thing for seating tyres at home, also normal duct / gorilla tape is cheaper than tubeless rim tape.

With the IRC tyre levers I had a spare tube in and inflated in 10mins, granted there was sealant everywhere.

Benefits are on most decent roads they never puncture or self heal, you can run a lower pressure and they are faster by all accounts.

I won't be going back.

[E65Ross]

Like clinchers, do they gradually deflate over time? How do you pump them up of they have sealant inside. I've much to learn!

Thanks

[CVP]

I run Hutchison tubeless on a set of Shimano C24's. They've been super reliable and I've not punctured mid-ride on them (that I know of).

For fitting at home I've got a little battery powered compressor which does the trick nicely. Then just top up over time with standard track pump. They do go down like a normal clincher between rides but a quick pressure check before each ride is no issue.

The only thing I have found is that I'm now replacing those tyres and cleaning the old gunk that has solidified out of the rim itself is proving quite time consuming. It's the pieces right under the hook of the rim that are taking quite a lot of work. Using a green pan cleaning pad seems to be working in the end so the rims are completely clean before I mount my next sets of tyres. I reckon these have lasted around 4,000 miles so I'm pretty happy with the wear rate.

[ALawson]

I will take a picture of the solidified sealant on my tyres when I get home, its a fair bit and builds up I think over time. I reckon they loose between 5-10psi a day depending upon sealant / tyre / rim combination.

I have used various tools lying around the garage to scrape it off if I have a reason to take a tyre off (badly damaged rim for example). I bent a rim 5 weeks ago and the tyre remained inflated and wasn't damaged, I have also had 5 spoke pull out of a Pacenti SL23 rim and it was probably the tubeless tyre that stopped the wheel collapsing!

Main issue with some compressors (including the one in my local shop) is that they cannot deliver enough volume of air to inflate the tyres. When new its alot easier to seat the tyres but once worn a CO2 canister out on the road may not reseat the tyre if you have taken it off, you will need to use a tube hence the preferance being to use a worm to repair the tyre.

You will also need to get valve core remover to aid getting sealant in/out of the wheel and a decent syringe. If you speak to your LBS they probably can give you an old one from suspension forks!

[Johno]

keirik said:

To balance the other posts I've just gone from tubeless back to tubes as I was having major.problems with getting the tubeless to seal after a puncture and find its easier to just use tubes as I have to carry one anyway.

My view (with absolutely no scientific evidence) is timeless are fine for skinny 60kg riders but for normal sized people like me (95kg) the weight of the rider forces the punctures open once they've sealed.
Makes sense to me as all my problems have been the rear tyre and they have sealed but then unsealed again when I've started riding.

Each to their own though

I'm currently 86kgs, having shed off 7kgs.I was 94 at the start of the year after putting 14kgs back on over last 2.5yrs..... longer story.

However, whilst not scientific, I'm far from being 60kgs.

What pressures did you run? On the SPO's for a fast day out I may go to 80f/90r, but will often run them lower.

On the 28's, I fill them to 65/75 at the start of the week and leave them. By the end of a weeks commuting they're probably 55/65 and like riding a sofa :-)

Also, this is just an observation, but I see a lot of people fill the sealant without tipping the bottle upside down first as instructed, which for many of the sealants means the particle you need to fill the hole aren't going into the tyre until you're at the end of the bottle.

I'm not advocating they're the answer for all, getting them onto the rims, messy, gunked up valves and other things. I also ride mainly in the Netherlands where the roads are a lot better, but not experienced any issues in UK, France, Spain, Italy (shocking roads) yet either.

The worst cut I got was in Spain and it still sealed well enough to get me back the 50ks to base without need for further intervention on lower pressure alone. Only had to plug that same hole in the Netherlands a couple of weeks later out on 100kms ride and rode it home plugged, then repaired it later.

[moonigan]

I recently converted to tubeless on my road bike after a GP4000 with less than 300 miles on it failed at the sidewall whilst being inflated (80psi). It appears this is more common than it should be so I decided to switch to tubeless. My rims were tubeless compatible and DT swiss had provided valves with the wheels so it was a fairly straight forward process. However getting the tyres (Maxxis Padrone) to seal before putting sealant in was difficult and then when I did finally manage to get them to seal the seal would break when I deflated the tyre to put in the sealant so if I get a decent sized hole that the sealant cant seal quick enough I will probably have to use a tube instead of worms.

The weight of tyres+sealant+valves is about the same as a pair of GP4000s with latex tubes. On the road I run 70/80 psi and could probably get away with running them lower. I've just come back from the Alps and the only area of concern was turn in on the hairpin bends. I felt I had to scrub of more speed than others to get the bike to feel comfortable. With UK roads in the state they are in I think the added comfort from reduced pressures and no worries about pinch flats makes tubeless a sensible option. If I lived in the Alps or somewhere where the road surface was in good order I would stick with tubes.

[ShortShift811]

After trying tubeless on my road bike, I'm in the "if it ain't broke..." camp.

LBS fitted 25mm Fusion Hutchinson's on Hunt Aero Wide wheels for me in March. Over the course of a couple of weeks, each tyre deformed and developed bulges. LBS put it down to a faulty tyre batch and the higher pressure of running tubeless on the road vs. on a mountain bike.

Hence I've gone back to trusty clinchers & tubes.

I'd say the comfort difference between tubeless and clinchers is minimal, but obviously noticeable if you can run 20-30psi less. A couple of friends have come unstuck with tubeless when they have punctured - the hole has sealed enough to get them home, but they've had to deal with cleaning up sealant everywhere.