Tubeless on the road

[The Ouzo]

21 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

I have been using the Giant Gavia Fondo tires as they arrived set up tubeless on my bike. I initially thought they would be the 1st thing I would 'upgrade' but they have been amazing.

Not at all exotic or cool, but faultless in their practicality

I hated the Gavias that came with my bike, almost put me off tubeless with the amount of punctures and them not sealing, also grip was not that great. But I dont think mine were the Fondo

[lechatnoir]

I've been running tubeless and needed them twice. First time it was a total failure with a cut that was too large to seal followed with an Uber and the second time I got sprayed intermittently with sealant until it ran out and then my bombs ran out and I ended up walking.

 

Now I've put in loads of sealant and stocked up on bombs and tubes. I may as well be running tubes.

[Jewbacca]

Just now, ouzo said:

I hated the Gavias that came with my bike, almost put me off tubeless with the amount of punctures and them not sealing, also grip was not that great. But I dont think mine were the Fondo

Maybe life is different here in the cape.... I had 1 piece of glass which sealed immediately and otherwise they have been faultless for a good couple of thousand km

I also ride them up and down some spicy gravel on most morning rides...

[craiganavi]

Hi All, Thanks for the responses. Sounds like it is a topic that is not covered enough on here!

I see there are some good proposed alternatives to the two tyres I mentioned and I take note of the sealant choice.

To answer some of the questions posed - The rims I will be using are clincher - Tubeless ready. These have the clincher hooks but are installed with the tubeless tape. Not sure if this influences the tyre choice but I don't think so. I am not looking at going larger than 25mm. I bought a set of aero wheels and they are recommended to be paired with 25mm tyres to retain any of the supposed aero gains they may have.

If anyone has further recommendations or wants to share their experience with tubeless please continue to comment.

It is much appreciated!

[shaper]

Currently been on GP5000 and Joes for the last 7 months, no issues.

[splat]

1 hour ago, ouzo said:

I hated the Gavias that came with my bike, almost put me off tubeless with the amount of punctures and them not sealing, also grip was not that great. But I dont think mine were the Fondo

Sounds like my experience with the Giant tubeless range.
Mine were various types from the Race and AC range. All terrible!
That experience put me off tubeless and cost me friends (almost), a few Uber rides and a lot of money!

I think these Fondo's are new and sound like they are performing much better.

Conti GP 5000 TL 28mm are expensive, but performing well. On my 2nd set now.

[DieselnDust]

58 minutes ago, craig.anavi@gmail.com said:

Hi All, Thanks for the responses. Sounds like it is a topic that is not covered enough on here!

I see there are some good proposed alternatives to the two tyres I mentioned and I take note of the sealant choice.

To answer some of the questions posed - The rims I will be using are clincher - Tubeless ready. These have the clincher hooks but are installed with the tubeless tape. Not sure if this influences the tyre choice but I don't think so. I am not looking at going larger than 25mm. I bought a set of aero wheels and they are recommended to be paired with 25mm tyres to retain any of the supposed aero gains they may have.

If anyone has further recommendations or wants to share their experience with tubeless please continue to comment.

It is much appreciated!

 

Tubeless tape is not an indication of tubeless compatibility.

Also what are the "Aero" rims you bought? Its important to understand whether your hardware is compatible. The repercussions of a mistake here will be painful

[Furbz]

my 2 cents.

with the changing tires and rim designs standards are a real mess right now. but in general stick to ETRTO compliant rims and tires.

I really struggled to get vittoria corsa 2.0's to mount to my Zipp 353s and 454s (hookless). had to use levers, soap and a compressor to get them on and to seat. after that they went flat within minutes without sealant.

obviously with sealant all is well.

the above said, i love them. they are very compliant and comfortable ride.

 

i just fitted a set of Goodyear eagle F1 28mm to the 454's to test them out. i was able to put them on with just my hands and seat them with a floor pump. they also held pressure for a full 24 hours without sealant(i pumped them to 4 bar and they were still round but softish the next day). all good signs

Riding them they are not as compliant and comfortable as the Vittoria Corsa 2.0s but keep in mind they cost half the price.

i sold a set of 25mm F1s to a friend who really struggled to get them on his non-tubeless clincher bontrager carbon rims. he even called to say he was struggling. hence why i bring up the tire and rim standards being a mess.

 

I have tried the pirelli p zeros and had 10 flats in 10 rides (running tubes). maybe that was poor luck but i got so over punctures i swapped them out immedately for GP5000s

i absolutely love the GP4000 and Gp5000 range of tires. i am a die hard fan. i just never had issues riding them. fast, light, good mileage and decent puncture protection. If they were hookless compatible they would be my go to.

as they are not i have been exposed to other options and am still learning.

 

i read an article that Giant test tubeless tires on their rims by inflating to 1.5x stated maximum pressure.

there is more to their testing than that but notably the GP5000 and Vittoria Corsa 2.0 failed in those tests...

[The Ouzo]

7 minutes ago, Furbz said:

my 2 cents.

with the changing tires and rim designs standards are a real mess right now. but in general stick to ETRTO compliant rims and tires.

I really struggled to get vittoria corsa 2.0's to mount to my Zipp 353s and 454s (hookless). had to use levers, soap and a compressor to get them on and to seat. after that they went flat within minutes without sealant.

obviously with sealant all is well.

the above said, i love them. they are very compliant and comfortable ride.

 

i just fitted a set of Goodyear eagle F1 28mm to the 454's to test them out. i was able to put them on with just my hands and seat them with a floor pump. they also held pressure for a full 24 hours without sealant(i pumped them to 4 bar and they were still round but softish the next day). all good signs

Riding them they are not as compliant and comfortable as the Vittoria Corsa 2.0s but keep in mind they cost half the price.

i sold a set of 25mm F1s to a friend who really struggled to get them on his non-tubeless clincher bontrager carbon rims. he even called to say he was struggling. hence why i bring up the tire and rim standards being a mess.

 

I have tried the pirelli p zeros and had 10 flats in 10 rides (running tubes). maybe that was poor luck but i got so over punctures i swapped them out immedately for GP5000s

i absolutely love the GP4000 and Gp5000 range of tires. i am a die hard fan. i just never had issues riding them. fast, light, good mileage and decent puncture protection. If they were hookless compatible they would be my go to.

as they are not i have been exposed to other options and am still learning.

 

i read an article that Giant test tubeless tires on their rims by inflating to 1.5x stated maximum pressure.

there is more to their testing than that but notably the GP5000 and Vittoria Corsa 2.0 failed in those tests...

the pirellis being punted here are the cinturato's. tested to have outstanding puncture resistance.

At my level of riding I'll take puncture resistance over weight or low rolling resistance. 

[Spinnekop]

51 minutes ago, Furbz said:

my 2 cents.

with the changing tires and rim designs standards are a real mess right now. but in general stick to ETRTO compliant rims and tires.

I really struggled to get vittoria corsa 2.0's to mount to my Zipp 353s and 454s (hookless). had to use levers, soap and a compressor to get them on and to seat. after that they went flat within minutes without sealant.

obviously with sealant all is well.

the above said, i love them. they are very compliant and comfortable ride.

 

i just fitted a set of Goodyear eagle F1 28mm to the 454's to test them out. i was able to put them on with just my hands and seat them with a floor pump. they also held pressure for a full 24 hours without sealant(i pumped them to 4 bar and they were still round but softish the next day). all good signs

Riding them they are not as compliant and comfortable as the Vittoria Corsa 2.0s but keep in mind they cost half the price.

i sold a set of 25mm F1s to a friend who really struggled to get them on his non-tubeless clincher bontrager carbon rims. he even called to say he was struggling. hence why i bring up the tire and rim standards being a mess.

 

I have tried the pirelli p zeros and had 10 flats in 10 rides (running tubes). maybe that was poor luck but i got so over punctures i swapped them out immedately for GP5000s

i absolutely love the GP4000 and Gp5000 range of tires. i am a die hard fan. i just never had issues riding them. fast, light, good mileage and decent puncture protection. If they were hookless compatible they would be my go to.

as they are not i have been exposed to other options and am still learning.

 

i read an article that Giant test tubeless tires on their rims by inflating to 1.5x stated maximum pressure.

there is more to their testing than that but notably the GP5000 and Vittoria Corsa 2.0 failed in those tests...

GP5000LT working well on 353s.  Use at own risk.  

[Furbz]

Just now, Spinnekop said:

GP5000LT working well on 353s.  Use at own risk.  

you are a braver man than me.

apparently the issue lies in the tire bead not being strong enough - not reinforced for hookless

so it has a chance of stretching and blowing off the rim

[DieselnDust]

I don;t have any issues with Pirelli Velo Race or std . Cant say anything about punctures but I don't stop often

[BigToe]

19 hours ago, craig.anavi@gmail.com said:

Hi Everyone,

I see I am resurrecting an old thread but cannot find anything more recent on the hub. If there is you are welcome to point me in that direction.

I am looking at converting to tubeless on my road bike. I am based in Jhb and mostly ride at the Cradle. I am looking at choosing between the Schwalbe One or the Continental GP 5000's. Are there any other worthy and possibly cheaper alternatives?

 I would lean towards a tyre which has more puncture protection as they will be used on my training rides as well.

My current setup is 23mm Gatorskins

Lastly let me know from your experience if you believe tubeless is a bad idea!

Thanks in advance!

For what it's worth. I ran Pro One's which stick like *h*t to a blanket on the road, loved them. The GP5000TL have been disappointing in that they have perished quite badly on the wheels I had hanging in the garage. I was surprised at how bad it got and how quickly, but they were also great. 

Edited July 15, 2021 by BigToe

[Furbz]

4 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

I don;t have any issues with Pirelli Velo Race or std . Cant say anything about punctures but I don't stop often

JHB? - mine all happened riding the cradle route.

 

[DieselnDust]

46 minutes ago, Furbz said:

JHB? - mine all happened riding the cradle route.

 

 

46 minutes ago, Furbz said:

JHB? - mine all happened riding the cradle route.

 

COCT

[jackievs]

20 hours ago, Nico van Loggerenberg said:

Pirelli Cinturato. Have had zero problems with them tubeless and they are a really good compromise training tyre. 

I have been riding tubeless on the road for about 4 years now... tried Continental GP5000, Hutchinson and Pirelli Centurato!  The Pirelli is the best of all the tyres I fitted by far!  Good resistance to punctures and max pressure is 6 bar... gives a comfortable ride!  

Will never use Continental again, almost impossible to insert a tube on the road if the tyre gets shredded by glass... the bead is too tight!!!  

Centurato not cheap at R1,000 but the best available in my experience!  I use the 26mm ...