Road tubeless - worth it?
Discussion
Both my summer and commuter bikes require new tyres, not ideal timing but who doesn't love the smell of fresh rubber 
My summer Wilier is currently running 25mm Corsas' on Hunt Carbon 50 rims and my commuter Genesis is running 28mm Pirelli 4s on Hunt 4 Season rims.
Both wheels are tubeless compatible.
Is road tubeless worth it? From what I gather the initial setup can be an absolute nightmare but once running it should be all good.
My summer Wilier is currently running 25mm Corsas' on Hunt Carbon 50 rims and my commuter Genesis is running 28mm Pirelli 4s on Hunt 4 Season rims.
Both wheels are tubeless compatible.
Is road tubeless worth it? From what I gather the initial setup can be an absolute nightmare but once running it should be all good.
If you weigh next to nothing I'm sure they'll be fine.
When I tried though I couldn't get the rear tyre to seal after a puncture. This happened several times until I went back to tubes.
You have to carry all the spare gear anyway do why bother?
They might make sense in MTB where you have low or sure and high volume but on the road with high pressure and low volume I don't get it.
Out in a ride with the club last week and the only problem we had was the guy with tubeless who couldn't get a seal and had to be rescued (oh and he's tiny and weighs nothing)
When I tried though I couldn't get the rear tyre to seal after a puncture. This happened several times until I went back to tubes.
You have to carry all the spare gear anyway do why bother?
They might make sense in MTB where you have low or sure and high volume but on the road with high pressure and low volume I don't get it.
Out in a ride with the club last week and the only problem we had was the guy with tubeless who couldn't get a seal and had to be rescued (oh and he's tiny and weighs nothing)
I've been running tubeless for the last 12 months. Last year I was using Scwable Pro Ones and I've just fitted a pair of Continental 5000's. I also use Hunt wheels
I'm by no means a pro cyclist, but a keen one that rides about 7000 km a year.
The Conti's were by far the easier tyre to fit out of the 2, but i did find that if you use a slim set of levers, it makes it so much easier (i have been using a pair of Mavic tyre levers that came with an old set of wheels). I've also used a standard track pump and had no issues in seating either pair.
The Schwables felt like they ran quicker, but I'm not 100% sure. The Schwables lasted 1 summer (5000 km) and the rear was down to the thread in one spot. Conti's have been used for about 400km so far and no problems to date.
HTH
I'm by no means a pro cyclist, but a keen one that rides about 7000 km a year.
The Conti's were by far the easier tyre to fit out of the 2, but i did find that if you use a slim set of levers, it makes it so much easier (i have been using a pair of Mavic tyre levers that came with an old set of wheels). I've also used a standard track pump and had no issues in seating either pair.
The Schwables felt like they ran quicker, but I'm not 100% sure. The Schwables lasted 1 summer (5000 km) and the rear was down to the thread in one spot. Conti's have been used for about 400km so far and no problems to date.
HTH
I've switched over to tubeless for the road bikes, bit of a faff to setup as has been said but very convenient afterward.
With that said, I've run tubs for years and find them to be less of a faff, and with sealant in, just as reliable.
I commuted on tubs for 5 years through central London, every now and again there'd be a star of sealant visible on the surface of the tyre, but I never noticed the puncture other than that.
With that said, I've run tubs for years and find them to be less of a faff, and with sealant in, just as reliable.
I commuted on tubs for 5 years through central London, every now and again there'd be a star of sealant visible on the surface of the tyre, but I never noticed the puncture other than that.
Seems to be a lottery on rim / tyre combination - are going to run out of swear words trying to get them to mount / seal?
I've got two sets of road wheels setup tubeless.
First wheelset is from DCR Wheels with CCR/Venn carbon (disc) rims. Tyres are Hutchinson Fusion5 11Storm Performance (who came up with that mouthful?!) in 28mm. Didn't even need tyre levers to get them on and they pumped up with my bog-standard track pump. They went flat overnight (not surprisingly), stuck ~40ml of sealant in each and they've been fine since. Not done a huge amount of miles on them as that bike has been in winter hibernation.
I recently got a set of Mavic Aksium Elite UST for a winter/commuter build. Great value IMHO from Rose - £208 which is the wheels, tyres, sealant and other bits. Tyres were already mounted, so only had to add sealant and pump up. Simples!
So I'm pro-tubeless at the moment as I've not come out of the garage covered in latex with sore thumbs
I've got two sets of road wheels setup tubeless.
First wheelset is from DCR Wheels with CCR/Venn carbon (disc) rims. Tyres are Hutchinson Fusion5 11Storm Performance (who came up with that mouthful?!) in 28mm. Didn't even need tyre levers to get them on and they pumped up with my bog-standard track pump. They went flat overnight (not surprisingly), stuck ~40ml of sealant in each and they've been fine since. Not done a huge amount of miles on them as that bike has been in winter hibernation.
I recently got a set of Mavic Aksium Elite UST for a winter/commuter build. Great value IMHO from Rose - £208 which is the wheels, tyres, sealant and other bits. Tyres were already mounted, so only had to add sealant and pump up. Simples!
So I'm pro-tubeless at the moment as I've not come out of the garage covered in latex with sore thumbs
TheFungle said:
Both my summer and commuter bikes require new tyres, not ideal timing but who doesn't love the smell of fresh rubber
My summer Wilier is currently running 25mm Corsas' on Hunt Carbon 50 rims and my commuter Genesis is running 28mm Pirelli 4s on Hunt 4 Season rims.
Both wheels are tubeless compatible.
Is road tubeless worth it? From what I gather the initial setup can be an absolute nightmare but once running it should be all good.
Off topic - what do you think of the Hunt Carbon 50s? Thinking of an upgrade.My summer Wilier is currently running 25mm Corsas' on Hunt Carbon 50 rims and my commuter Genesis is running 28mm Pirelli 4s on Hunt 4 Season rims.
Both wheels are tubeless compatible.
Is road tubeless worth it? From what I gather the initial setup can be an absolute nightmare but once running it should be all good.
I went tubeless on my summer bike last year, using this kit: https://www.merlincycles.com/pair-hutchinson-fusio...
After a couple of months, I was running with tubes again because I had two punctures that were big enough not to seal permanently on their own, and even using a "tubeless worm" failed after a couple of rides. Personally I feel that the repair options for tubeless aren't really good enough yet, it really needs a robust product/technique for patching the inside of the tyre, which doesn't seem to exist.
After a couple of months, I was running with tubes again because I had two punctures that were big enough not to seal permanently on their own, and even using a "tubeless worm" failed after a couple of rides. Personally I feel that the repair options for tubeless aren't really good enough yet, it really needs a robust product/technique for patching the inside of the tyre, which doesn't seem to exist.
I run tubeless on two of mine - i have had a puncture on my slate that wouldn't seal and just covered everything in sealant - but i'm putting that down to rubbish tyres, which are now gone.
Schwalbe something on the slate 40mm I think - just fitted some GP5000TL to my roadbike - on not that great dt swiss rims, they were a bugger to get on - but no dramas in the last couple of hundred miles.
I do have an inflation bottle thing - makes life way simpler.
Schwalbe something on the slate 40mm I think - just fitted some GP5000TL to my roadbike - on not that great dt swiss rims, they were a bugger to get on - but no dramas in the last couple of hundred miles.
I do have an inflation bottle thing - makes life way simpler.
I had a tubeless set up on a road bike a couple of years ago, and ditched them pretty sharpish, because they used to be a complete nightmare. The sealant separated and leeched out ( it looked like they tyre had got wet in places, but it hadn’t been out ) the tyres were a total b
d to seat, the tyre compound and construction was about as effective as toothpaste at preventing punctures, which the sealant couldn’t seal, they also burped badly on poor surfaces, and de rimmed in a corner. However, I’ve just got some Mavic Cosmic elite USTs, and they are a whole lot better. The Yksion Pro tyres they come with are actually very good. They are grippy, roll well, are really very puncture resistant, and have a butyl layer to stop the leeching issue, they are definitely worth having now.
d to seat, the tyre compound and construction was about as effective as toothpaste at preventing punctures, which the sealant couldn’t seal, they also burped badly on poor surfaces, and de rimmed in a corner. However, I’ve just got some Mavic Cosmic elite USTs, and they are a whole lot better. The Yksion Pro tyres they come with are actually very good. They are grippy, roll well, are really very puncture resistant, and have a butyl layer to stop the leeching issue, they are definitely worth having now.miniwill58 said:
Off topic - what do you think of the Hunt Carbon 50s? Thinking of an upgrade.
Super impressed with them.I've previously had Fulcrum 3s and Zuus 38s and they are a noticeable step us, there is a fantastic sensation of 'easy' pedalling and for a 50mm wheel they feel very responsive.
They do have a vey loud freehub, very Hope-esque, very handy for warning people when on a shared path but not quite so good when trying to chat to a mate when out on a ride!
Edited by TheFungle on Tuesday 9th April 19:08
Interesting feedback on the Mavic UST rims and tyres. I've heard good things about the UST profile for tubeless coming over from MTB, so they seem good value at £200 with tyres.
If you're upgrading for 'aero gains', then don't bother as they're arn't great. Have a look at the Hambini Aero Wheel test to see how badly they perform.
https://www.hambini.com/blog/post/bicycle-wheel-ae...
Better to spend less than £450 on the Prime 50mm clincher/tubeless wheels from Wiggle as they are on average 8W (at 30km/h) and 21W (at 50km/h) faster. Half the price vs the Hunt 50 and more aero gains makes it an obvious choice, unless you like spending £450 extra on looks
miniwill58 said:
Off topic - what do you think of the Hunt Carbon 50s? Thinking of an upgrade.
If you're upgrading for 'looks', then go for it as they look pretty. If you're upgrading for 'aero gains', then don't bother as they're arn't great. Have a look at the Hambini Aero Wheel test to see how badly they perform.
https://www.hambini.com/blog/post/bicycle-wheel-ae...
Better to spend less than £450 on the Prime 50mm clincher/tubeless wheels from Wiggle as they are on average 8W (at 30km/h) and 21W (at 50km/h) faster. Half the price vs the Hunt 50 and more aero gains makes it an obvious choice, unless you like spending £450 extra on looks
Edited by -Ad- on Wednesday 10th April 11:21
Edited by -Ad- on Wednesday 10th April 11:39
i Tried to switch to tubeless at the end of last Summer but the Schwalbe Pro Ones tyres just would not seat on my Reynolds rims ... (quick look online says they just aren't a combination that work)
However, i tried again last week with the new GP5000s TLs and they were a dream to fit!
Put the tyres on in the normal way ... Hit them with a CO² canister and they popped on no issues
Let the air out, remove the cores then you can just put the sealant in through the valves and reinflate
However, i tried again last week with the new GP5000s TLs and they were a dream to fit!
Put the tyres on in the normal way ... Hit them with a CO² canister and they popped on no issues
Let the air out, remove the cores then you can just put the sealant in through the valves and reinflate
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