Road : Tubeless vs Tube

[Wobbles]

I have had 4 punctures in the past month and was advised to go tubeless. On asking around I have had conflicting replies. The Cons are seating issues and mess everywhere when you puncture. The Pros are no stopping for punctures and better ride. I have not met anyone who actually rides tubeless!! Any thoughts?

[Vetplant]

I ride tubeless.

 

Been on them for 2 full season now:

-At least 8 races on them

-Lots and lots of training rides

 

No punctures that I know of.

 

Plushest ride ever. (Schwalbe Pro One's. They fill out to about a 28mm width on the rim, run them at 5Bar, I weigh 92Kg)

 

CONS:

Took me two nights to get the tyres fitted to the rims, too tight a fit.

 

 

Luckily I can't comment on what happens when they do rupture though...

[Schnavel]

Have a read through this thread:

 

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/172965-tubeless-on-the-road/?hl=tubeless

 

This topic has been discussed in depth.

[Wobbles]

The Schwalbe Pro Ones seem to be the popular choice. Anyone tried the Conti 5000 TL?

[madbradd]

The Schwalbe Pro Ones seem to be the popular choice. Anyone tried the Conti 5000 TL?

 

There seem to be mixed reviews on tyres, but it really does seem that the most important thing is selecting the correct sealant.

 

Tyres - the Contis, Schwalbe and Hutchinson Performance seem be the sweetspot for allround tyres (again, Hutchinson and Schwalbe seem to get mixed reviews, and I can't find too many people with experience on the GP5000TLs, but they get recommended as the go-to by most the few bikeshops I've asked)

 

I'm hoping for a good special on GP5000TLs this week which will become my Christmas present.

[Veebee]

There's a post with from someone locally who has done some proper mileage on the GP5000TL and it was all good. Cant find it now, the search function doesnt bring up anything.

 

From what I've seen online, it seems like the Gp5000TL is much easier to mount and seat, there's been many guys who were able to do it with a standard floor pump.

 

I am also considering going tubeless on my next set of wheels, but thats only going be around Jan. Will be using Gp5000's

[badiejb]

I have had 4 punctures in the past month and was advised to go tubeless. On asking around I have had conflicting replies. The Cons are seating issues and mess everywhere when you puncture. The Pros are no stopping for punctures and better ride. I have not met anyone who actually rides tubeless!! Any thoughts?

 

Hello. I have been riding tubeless tires for a while now. During two of  my rides, I accidentally rode through some glass and the sealant did its job perfectly. It allowed me to finish my ride without stopping, but also sealed well enough that I did not have to put in a tube. I ride at 7 bar pressure mostly and after the ride checked the pressure again and it only dropped to just over 6 bar, which was plenty enough to keep riding. 

 

Things to consider. Not all wheels are designed for tubeless. The bead on the tire is different to a normal tire and not all tubeless tires work on all rims. Sealant is a big factor. Because of the high pressure, I have found that mtb sealant does not work on the road. I got road specific sealant. We can discuss wether this is a selling point or not, but having tested it myself, I believe that there are sealants specific for road tires that have different composition which works better on road tires. 

 

You can ride lower pressures which offers a smoother and more comfortable ride and in some cases the rolling resistance on tubeless tires are better too. 

 

Basically, it is a great system if you have rims that can take tubeless tires and you use the correct sealant. 

 

Hope that helps. 

[Kenty]

I have Schwalbes on my Alice...over a year now and I ride almost exclusively on the trails and gravel...touch wood not a single puncture...have cleaned , re juiced and res seated them once and no problemo....my son has a 2007 Specialised ENDURO which came with tubes and we converted them to tubeless ...few issues in the beginning BUT all sorted now....THAT being said my previous bike was an Axis entry level with SLIME in tubes...done many miles and still going on the same tyres and tubes...Sooo...verdict....the "JUICE" is the SECRET!!!!

[Veebee]

Found it.

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/172965-tubeless-on-the-road/page-13

[MudLark]

I mulled this thing for a long time. Was seriously tempted to go tubeless. But I seem to extremely rarely get punctures in my GP5000 clinchers (700x28). After thinking it over, I am going to stay with tubes. Mainly because I don't want to have the nuisance of cleaning out the old crud and topping up the sealant at regular intervals. Its hassle enough on my MTBs. If I got regular punctures it would be different.

[EddieV]

I have been road tubeless since August last year. Had to use an inner tube after 3000km on 1 tyre that I used on my commuter after wet weather commutes and glass just cut it too wide. Haven’t had a single issue on my race bike which had mainly been dry road training/racing. Had to remove a few thorns and it sealed very quickly. I’m using Stan’s Race sealant. Messy setup but works great, 25mm tyres, with pressure at 8 bar.

 

In all my time commuting tubeless I only had one complete failure where I couldn’t get home without a repair.

 

Giant Gavia’s on the commuter (heavier but cheaper to replace), Hutchinson/Mavic on my partner’s bike and Schwalbe on my race bike.

[DieselnDust]

I mulled this thing for a long time. Was seriously tempted to go tubeless. But I seem to extremely rarely get punctures in my GP5000 clinchers (700x28). After thinking it over, I am going to stay with tubes. Mainly because I don't want to have the nuisance of cleaning out the old crud and topping up the sealant at regular intervals. Its hassle enough on my MTBs. If I got regular punctures it would be different.

 

 

touch wood I rarely puncture too. Most of my punctures have occurred when the tyre tread is worn down. Only time I've punctured a new tyre was side wall cuts to GP4000s II. That I attribute to rotten luck.

 

Road Tubeless seems great on paper but a phaff to live with when you puncture. I use sealent in my tubes these days. Seems to work very well. 

[Eugene]

I have had 4 punctures in the past month and was advised to go tubeless. On asking around I have had conflicting replies. The Cons are seating issues and mess everywhere when you puncture. The Pros are no stopping for punctures and better ride. I have not met anyone who actually rides tubeless!! Any thoughts?

I've been riding with tubes for 20 odd years and can count on my one hand the number of punctures.

 

Make sure your tyres are at the recommended pressure.

[IceCreamMan]

I have one bike with tubeless, Giant Gavia and one with clinchers where I use COnti GP4000s. I do have the option of fitting tubeless to it but still have a batch of GP4000s I bought a while ago to get through.

 

In the last 2000 kms on each I have had one puncture on the tubeless tyres but it sealed up and got home no problems.

 

Which is better, I still prefer the ease of repair on clinchers should I puncture. More perception than reality I spose.

[Schnavel]

Messy setup but works great, 25mm tyres, with pressure at 8 bar.

 

Wow that's hard for a tubeless tyre of 25mm!

 

Why so hard?

[MudLark]

 

 

I use sealent in my tubes these days. Seems to work very well.

Interesting idea. I assume that you just push ut through the valve after having removed the core? What volume on what size tyre are you using?