I settled on both, clincher and tubeless. My everday wheels are tubeless. I found that the alternate (clincher) wheels sit around too much and that can be a problem for the sealant thickening. Clincher wheels are more forgiving of being in storage. I agree that the tubeless setup can be more of a fuss. On the other hand, when it's time to discard a tubeless tire, I can see evidence of a few punctures that would have interrupted my rides, if I had been on clinchers.
It’s temping to have one pair set up tubeless but I have six pairs between three bikes and it was getting expensive and time consuming to maintain all of them. Plus I’m concerned about what to do with old sealant and how it will impact the environment.
I went full tubeless in 2019... on all my training, racing, granfondo and gravel bikes... the only tubed one is my first roadie CIRCA 2003. Dont know how many people are having bad experience with TLR unless they are cyclocrossers(tubulars), liars or idiots. Cheers and ride safe!
I switched when the Air-Liner Road became available. When I hear or read people complaining about whatever on their bikes, it almost always sounds like they do zero maintenance. Clean your bike, check your bike, ride your bike. In 35+ years of riding, I have fixed a handful of issues while out on a ride - usually on someone else’s bike.
I get a handful of flats over the space of a year (going to regret saying that), which take all of 10mins to fix. Tubeless absolutely isn’t worth the faff on road for me. Tubed is also lighter, cheaper and doesn’t cover my ride buddies in sealant. Each to their own though!
Exactly inner tubes can be swapped out in minutes ( like 3!). But putting an inner tube in a tubeless tire can be a fight to get the bead off, which will take you much longer.
I had a puncture a couple weeks ago while out with a new cycling club. I was quite pleased I was tubeless as this would have meant everyone sitting around waiting for me to put a new tube in…but mostly I was pleased people didn’t have to wait as it was a carnage filled ride with people coming off their bikes left, right and centre! 🙂
I got three flats in one day last week just trying to get to work 😅 Got a pinhole from a stapler, walked home, patched it. Patch failed, walked home again, replaced the tube with a spare I bought like a month ago. It had dry rot and burst while it was sitting on my friends porch 15 psi under the maximum. Did a lot of walking that day. I'm lucky my job is kind of a "show up within a couple hours time frame and do the thing then lock up on the way out" type gig.
@@justincase3230 Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! Always have 2 fresh spares on me. Patching is for when i have spare time at home. Glad you get sorted in the end.
Tubeless really came late to roadie... the amount of stranded situations I´ve been before tubeless makes me even more thankful now!! Cheers and ride safe on that great looking C68!
I have had some great success with tubeless and the sealant fixing punctures. However, this is not why I run tubeless. I run tubeless because of the feel and performance of the tire. Confident cornering, fast rolling, and really responsive. Love them. This is often overlooked, and the focus always seems to be on no flats. To get over the anxiety of changing tubeless tires I simply took a day out and watched a few 'how to' videos, took some notes, had a big bottle of sealant, and walked through removing and installing my tire several times over. The first time took me about an hour with a lot of swearing involved, but by the forth attempt I had it down to 5 minutes using a standard foot pump and no tire levers. It might also be worth practicing the steps of installing a tube to make sure that you are able to remove your valve stem by hand. Just be careful as the valves on tubes can damage the rim tape around the valve hole.
Was in a crit race and on the last lap, my back tyre felt squishy. I forgot about it, focused on the final sprint, pipped at the pist, came second. After that, i hopped off the bike, and saw the spray of sealant, and realised the last lap was done with a puncture, and half normal pressure. Tubeless is the way to go.
It'll be interesting to see if the puncture opens up again. You may be okay because it's on the side wall but my experience is if it's on the crown of the tyre then on the next ride the hole reopens. As a result, for road tyres I've gone away from tubeless - it's much better on low pressure mountain bike tyres
Hi David glad you got home safe and sound, but my experience was very different from yours though an extreme case was enough for me to go back to tubes. I was having a lovely night ride with a friend (thank god) and the temps were very cold -5/-6 and I got a puncture very similar to yours, not that big, tier went down, no bother I’ll pump it back up, it wasn’t having it spun and failed to seal, didn’t get a chance to slick a plug in it as the tier had unseated at this point, no getting that back on with a hand pump (not mention the pump had pulled the valve core out a few time at the point) major problem number 1. for tubeless. Been there 10mins at this point. Right, time to dig the tube out, lifted the bead (top tip bring a paper towel with you to wipe the tier out) check for whatever is there, nothing, fine good to go with the tube. But remembered I need to take the valve out, major problem number 2. with cold fingers wet/damp wheel probably a little bit grit and salt and sealant holding it in, I fought with that valve for 30mins in the dark all the while our lights draining. Finally, I got it out and shoved a tube in cut the ride short and got back home. I had serviced everything a week beforehand replacing sealant and making sure the valve wasn’t all stuck. And I was using modern tubeless tiers with gravel wheels from the last 3-4 years. I very much thought like you and a lot of others up until last November, that tubeless was the dogs! but in light of that tubeless is far from ready for prime-time. It doesn’t seal in the wet and cold, tiers are still a problem in the field and the valves need a redesign That id say is an experience I think many would be look to avoid and make people think twice, if that was just a tube id had been out of there 5mins tops.
@@davidarthur Ive used all sorts but at moment in time Panaracer gravel kings (slicks) 2020/21 edition and DT swiss GR wheelset, forget the number 1600 i think sold them off and treated myself to a set of Parcours Ronde run with tubes, Latex, for that tubeless ride feel (which is something i can't argue with tubeless) I really want to embrace tubeless and I'm all set when I feel it's ready but for me on the road at this moment its a solution to a problem that really doesn't exist, adding unneeded complexity to a situation that doesn't take 45mins sort. Like you, i was tubeless before tubeless tiers were even a thing (MTB) but low pressures and high volume works so much better, Also the amount of rubber the sealant has to work with is so much greater and it's sticker. I never had a problem off-road and didn't have a puncture in 10 years that caused me to stop never needed a plug either.
The tire mustn't get unseated or you're screwed. Good you brought a tube with you but to have to use it is such a pain. I tried running tubeless but I realised that running narrow tires 23/25 (higher pressure) and random chinese rims, isn't going to keep the tire seated. Also, having to spin the wheels off season is also crap, and checking sealant levels, buying sealant, and worrying about unseating the tire. Unscrewing the valve core while trying to pump the tire is also enfuriating. All these things made me stay away from tubeless. Maybe later I'll try again but only on certain bikes and certain tire combinations. I'd never switch tire kinds and then go on long ride. That's just asking for trouble.
Had the same issue on a long ride. Sealant didn’t work, valve came loose, tyre unseated. Luckily I had an inner tube but then had all the gloop to deal with. Got back and have switched back to inner tubes.
That's why I carry a silver or white permanent marker in my saddle bag - I mark the puncture on the sidewall right when it's happened, and when I get back home I can put a patch on the inside of the tire to repair it properly
I use a mix of tubeless and tubed bikes and I even own some tubulars. My gravel bike and mountainbike are definitely tubeless. Lots of advantages there, especially for lowering the riding pressures. But the higher the pressures the less the advantage and the lower the change of rapid sealing. The bigger the tire and the lower the pressures the better it will work. At least on mountainbikes I have yet to notice any of my flats. Since the volume if much bigger, the perceived pressure drop is not as noticeable. Nobody likes the feeling of getting sprayed by sealant on group rides either. And some sealants leave nasty stains on your bibs if not washed immediately! Plus you have to wash the sticky goo of your bike frame. And If you have to resort to changing to an inner tube often the tubeless tires wont fully seat out on the road, leaving you with a wobble limping home. Plus the hassle of getting the stiffer beads on and off. I get the advantages, but for road its not big enough that I start looking for replacement tubeless compatible wheels for now.
@Luuk Rutten - Agree with you totally and my experience exactly. MTB and gravel tyres have a much thicker carcass as well. Road tyres are too thin and the pressures are too high for tubeless.
Just had the same thing, mine took a bit longer to seal and lost a lot of sealant. My mates were more concerned than I was, I explained that I will let the system do its job. Rode 40 miles with no issues. Big clean up operation tomorrow to clean the bike, but we’ll worth the hassle. I will top up the sealant as well and do a full check over. Been running tubeless for yrs now and I swear by it. Great content as always David, keep it coming.
Hi David. I totally agree. Although, I think you have to think about tire size based on your body type. I'm a bigger guy (85kg) and found that tubeless only really works well on 30c or wider tires. On narrower tires, sealant will plug a puncture, but not at a high enough tire pressure to keep me from riding the rim. Requiring a plug.
Have ridden home on flat clinchers several times, squirming about on the edges on the alloy rim, great fun! Got home new tube in and carried on with life as we did back then!
I’ve tried to like tubeless on my mountain bike, but it’s always either an outright struggle to get the wheel to hold pressure consistently, or having to clean or replace valve cores when the sealant inevitably gums them up and makes filling the tire regularly difficult or impossible. On the road, I flat about 3-4 times a year. Several of those flats have been slashes where no tubeless sealant could have possibly saved me. While it’s a little irritating to swap a tube for a puncture that’s literally a pin prick, I’d rather deal with that than a slashed tire that has slung sealant all over the rest of the bike, requires a tube, and now I’m dealing with a messy tire and a valve swap to boot. For those who like supple tires like I do, Rene Herse and Vittoria tires feel fantastic with tubes in them. You can go a step further and put either baby powder or corn starch on the inside of the tire to prevent the tube from sticking to it. That will keep that nice, new, supple feel for longer.
There never seems to be a shortage of success stories, as if people want to prove naysayers wrong all the time. The tubeless evangelism is really extraordinary, approaching overbearing. So much so, it makes me all the more happy with tubes.
Did a road bikepacking race in May. Punctured on the way to the start. Sealant did its job. Got to the start and pumped it back up. Rode more than 300 miles before any issues
I had a tubeless puncture a few weeks ago, it sealed but kept weeping. Today for the first time I used one of the worm plugs and it's worked! Tyre has sealed, no weeping and has stayed at pressure.
One thing I don't understand is why the minimum pressure printed on tubless tires is so high... for instance, those turbos you're on have a minimum pressure of 85psi written on the sidewall.. but you're running at 75... am I missing somthing here?
Tubeless is a winner. I've been using it on my MTB for a couple of years and my road bikes since February. Only thing you need to check for is some sealants dry out quicker than others... Best to check every 3 months
Mountain bike is a different case scenario. Lower pressures. Tubeless has struggled with road tyres due to the higher pressures. It only works sometimes
I'v riden home on a tire with a 4mm open hole just off the center of the tread by using my spare tube with a dollar bill as a boot over the hole, between the tire and tube. Can sealant plug a 4mm hole? Also when I was riding alot years ago and working at a bike shop, there were times when I chose to change my tires quite often, sometimes twice in a week for different types of road surfaces. From the little I know about tubeless, changing tires on a whim could be a sticky icky mess.
I just returned to latex tubes. Tubeless setup was leaking and deflating constantly. It was a caffelatex conversion kit, so maybe that was the issue. However, after trying that, I don't trust them to retain air for long enough and that's without puncturing.
After you've set a few tubeless tires it's pretty much the same as a regular inner tube clincher. There might be a learning curve to get used to them, but once you are, it's hard to go back.
Problem now is most tubeless rims no longer have the hook, or simply called hookless rims. If you do have a puncture that the sealant cannot seal (this happened to me) you’ll have to replace the tubeless tire with a regular clincher tire but since there is no inner hook the tire will not hold on to the rim since clincher tires (backup tire) sit inside the hook of rims - which are no longer in modern tubeless rims. If you’re out in the boonies you either walk or hail an Uber/taxi.
You can use an inner tube with a hookless rim and tubeless ready tyre, the main thing with hookless rims is that they MUST be used with a tubeless tyre. For this reason it's okay to stick an inner tube in to get you home
Good point, David. I was on tubeless for 10 years and the times I had to shove in a tube inside a tubeless tire it was not as easy because the sidewalls of tubeless tires are not as pliable as clinchers. Also have to undo the tubeless valve and by the time you’re done you’ve got liquid sealant everywhere. Now, I’m back on clinchers - since inner rim width, and tires/tubes are now wider, thus less volatile to pinch flats with lower running psi. One thing i did try is put orange sealant inside the inner tubes (have to get tubes with removable core). Cheers!!
Happy to hear that it held up in the rain. That has been my concern with the water soluble sealants like Muc-Off and riding in the rain having the rain wash away the seal. Otherwise been very happy with tubeless.
Thank you for sharing your experince! For me tubeless was more a mtb or gravel thing in the past but I'll we give it a try with my next road bike (which will come in a few days)
Had a good friend who built up a bike as specifically tubeless, but the hassles, he has gone to tubes again, our mutual friend is so scared of changing the tyres as they are so tight it takes at least 2 people
Haven't been commuting much this summer, but I've made the tubeless conversion, and am interested in seeing how it goes when the weather cools and I start riding more.
My tubeless puncture experience feels like an aberration from the mean. I am running Conti GP5000 which are very painful to mount I should add. Middle of the tire I got not a straight hole, but angled to the point it created a little shear and it was impossible for the sealant to cover. No plugs, wouldn't hold air, I had to call home for a pickup. Unmounted the tire, cleaned it up, patched the inside, and sanded down the sheared side so it wouldn't catch, been running without problems. I guess no tire system is immune from the unpredictable nature of life on the road.
On my local club ride, a guy with a tubeless that a bulb in the tire (vittoria corsa) and it flew right off the rim. Rim was luckily not damaged (thanks to a quick stop), but the guy had liquid all over his bike and he couldn't fit it back on without a compressor. So this can, and still happens with tubeless (having to call home to pick you up), and the main reason why I'm hesitant. FYI, I haven't got a flat in 2 years of riding on tires + inner tubes (approx 16.000K), and I ride tubulars occasionally.
Lots of anecdotal evidence here for and against tubeless. I was an early adopter for road bikes when I got a set of Dura-Ace wheels that were "tubeless ready" so I thought I would give them a try. I liked the grip in corners but eventually found the disadvantages outweighed the positives. I was able to get in a tube once after a puncture somehow but the next time this happened it was almost impossible to get the tire back on (even with the help of a pro rider from Lampre!). Subsequently I had two occasions when sidewalls failed, leaving me stranded. These were expensive Hutchinson tires. I switched back to tubes and regular tires six years ago and except for one summer with a lot of punctures no big problems. I can take off and mount my Vittorias without tools and don't need a floor pump or C02 cartridge to get them up to pressure. And the sealant thing? No thanks. Nice to read that people have had good experiences with them but for myself I think it is a solution to a problem that really doesn't exist.
@@username8644 and yet, I rarely have any punctures I can't throw a tube in and fix in under 3 minutes. It's not like people get all these flats all the time. But convince yourself that it's money well spent while the industry drains your wallet and your brain
Agree tubeless is the way to go. Had it for last 2 years. Had one failure in that time where my tyre wall split, apart from that a few punctures which the sealant did it’s job. Never go back to inner tubes.
I switched all my bikes to Tubeless a couple years ago. I slowly grew to prefer the technology. Couple weeks back I got out about 20 miles and the tire was really soft. I put some air in and got back OK. Then found a gash in the tire sidewall and the fluid plugged it enough to get me home. The tires were Vittoria Corsas.
I had a puncture on my tubeless tyre just outside Streatham, South London. I cycled to Brighton and back to Enfield North London. I plugged the tyre the following day. I am a tubeless fan.
I agree tubeless is great for me in the city where many pieces of broken glass are on the road and they lodge in the tire and creat slow leaks, but not with tubeless tires they hold the air and great for city ridding.
I tried it and found it hard work. I put some Corsa Clinchers on this year had one slow puncture in 2000 miles. Ok my wheels aren't tubeless ready perhaps I might have tried it but I really see no need. Things are going that way though with the newer zipp wheels.
yep tubeless tyres are amazing tech after riding regular tyre and inner tubes for more than 30 years switching over to tubeless a few years ago i would never go back to tyres and inner tubes again the only thing i have changed is the sealant i use from muc-off to stans no tubes i find that stans sealant is much easier to use and the wheels feel more balanced compared to muc-off sealant. Great video 👍
Tubular tires went out of fashion, likely due to people being scared of sewing them after a puncture. Tire changes were so easy! I could slap a new tubular on in a couple minutes. Sidewall cuts were no issue as the whole tire is replaced. Today there isn't much selection in tubular wheels and tires, and they're expensive. I really miss them. It might take an extra 10 minutes to fix one, max, but it takes longer to clean off sealant.
Blimey not gone tubeless yet next week hopefully, but if I just vented a load of gunk on my black Colnago I would have been in a bad way until it was cleaned off. Just about to convert my Titanium Ribble CGR which is tubeless ready and cant wait.
I’ve spent the last 18 months running tubeless on my commuter bike & when it works it’s brilliant. However I’ve now gone through 3 different sets of tyres (2 Pirelli & 1 Bontrager - all are 32c), where the cut won’t seal on the rear tyre at air pressure above around 35 psi or the plug will fail after 20 - 30km. Cuts are around 6mm so it’s on the limits of what tubeless technology can achieve. I’ve attempted to patch the cuts with no success either. I have found that MUC Off sealant does a better job than Stan’s. I recently upgraded my commuter bike, it came setup tubeless so I’ll see how long they will last on the stock tyres. I’ve purchased a Dyna plug kit to see what they are like vs plugs. The $$$ involved in running tubeless on my commuter bike however is not worth it. If my current set of tyres fail Im planning to switch back to tubes + tyre liner. That said I like tubeless as I love how you can run lower pressure & I run my mountain & gravel bikes tubeless.
My first puncture on tubeless was really bad. Felt sealant all over my legs. I had to get off the bicycle, don't have a pump on me. 2 other cyclists stop to lend and hand and basically tell me the worst. So I walked with the bicycle putting light pressure on the frame for about 5 minutes while periodically spinning the wheel freely. Got on the bicycle and kept riding for 45 minutes. Only lost 17psi. Fortunately the pressure was still within spec.
The issue I have with tubeless is that as soon as I pump back up to 70+ PSI the sealed puncture breaks again and starts loosing pressure and sealant. I think 28mm is therefore the practical minimum tyre size for road tubeless.
So now you have half the sealant you did before, maybe less with all that was sprayed on the frame. Please post the video of your next puncture where you insert an inner tube on the side of the road. I needed a 4" C-Clamp to break the bead on a Schwalbe tubeless mounted to a Hunt alloy rim. Luckily I was at home because it would have been impossible to do mid-ride. That tire never went back on the rim. Save tubeless for Mountain and Gravel.
In the last 10 years I had to change the inner tube once on my bicycle and during summers I commute with the bicycle almost daily and ride for fitness on top of that. If the tubeless can last longer than that trouble free I might consider it.
I've only had one puncture since going tubeless, I ran over a nail. Within 2 minutes I pulled the nail out, put in a plug, added just a small amount of air and I was was off and that plug held for the life of the tire. No more pulling wheels off and fumbling around with inner tubes on the side of the road for me, after that I swore I would always go tubeless!
Been running the Silca sealant for about a year and have had a number of punctures that all sealed and was able to continue my ride with a bit less pressure no issues.
Six of us were out on a ride today and the only one of us with tubeless tyres on got a front and rear puncture in two separate incidents. The front didn't seal and sprayed him and his bike with sealant so needed a tube. The rear sealed, eventually.... It would have been quicker to put a tube in.
You mentioned the pressure dropping down to 36psi after puncture. Would that make the tyre more likely to roll off rim for example on a corner. Worried about you Mr Arthur!
Well as I demonstrated, I was able to ride home including bombing down an 80kph descent, which of course I wouldn't recommended! I'd always stop and top up the air pressure with a mini pump before carrying on
I had a puntcure that drained all the air out of my tire in 2 to 4 hours. I rode on this for 5 days before I got around to replacing the tube. I guess I don't understand what the "benefit" of tubeless is.
The sealant is used to help seal the bead, not to help fix flats, no? In other words tubeless without sealant is a no go, right? It's so nice that one of the best selling points is a side effect.
So, what we are talking about is our attitude! (As would have said a pretty famous English schoolmaster... ;) Will carry a pump and an inner tube anyway if I switch to tubeless. A foam liner is interesting, but I assume it has a weight limit.
hi david, what if i puncture out on road and tubeless unable to seal and only option is to use tube, i have had huge difficulty seating tire at home but now i'm on the road without options and need to install tube. how can i reseat the tire with only a hand pump? thank you.
Use Co2 cartridges. Pop the seal and drain the whole thing. 15g cartridge will put about 100psi into a 25c tire instantly. You can soften tire, check seating , and top off with a small pump if you even need to.
Tubeless tires is the next great gimmick by the cycling industry to get us to buy something new. It solved the problem that didn't exist and created a new problem. I experience far fewer flats than occasions where I need to simply pump up my tires. Now I get to experience the hassle of pumping up a tubeless with sealant and a special pump. And you get to replace an entire tire instead of just the tube. Tubeless are for riders who think electronic shifting was also revolutionary.
HAHA! There´s always some keyboard warriors that dont know what they are talking about but still get their word in! Ride a bike and leave the internet alone for christ sake!
I really love tubeless tech. Currently running Ksyriums on my Synapse. Perhaps it's because I just haven't done enough research, but I just don't have a clear picture of hooked vs hookless; "Tubeless" vs "Tubeless Ready"'; and other nuances like proper rim tape width if your wheels aren't UST (or some other type of closed rim system where rim tape is not necessary). I feel like these "standards" are as varied as the ongoing "bottom bracket wars" among frame designers. I do have a question, David; You said you were running those tires at 75 PSI, but I noticed on the sidewall of the tire that 85-100 was the recommended range. I wonder if you didn't puncture because you were running a slightly lower pressure?
Right Hookless, has no bead lock hook to hold the tier in place, you can't easily run tubes with this system if you need to put one in to get you home. also, the pressure range is reduced they have a max of 73psi in most cases. Zip 303s for example Hooked is the system that's been in place since day dot. Parcours strada/ronde for example you can run any tier and tube/selant combo you like both these system require tape, mostly there are outsiders that dont. Tubeless, literally no tubes and in most cases no sealant is needed, the best example i can give the Conti gp 5000 tubeless tier which was recently replaced by the TUBELESS ready sTR version tubeless ready can be run with tubes and sealant. Pressure recommendations are bit of a funny thing a lot of tier manufacturers have to put them on to cover older legislation, its another example of standards not matching and adding to the confusion
I think just about everyone runs tubeless tyres at a lower pressure than the “minimum” shown on the tyre. I’m running 60-65psi on 28mm. Sounds crazy low but it works so well.
@0:35 So you looked down between your legs and noticed a white substance sprayed all over your frame?!! Sounds like a typical day on a Colnago to me;) #ExhilaratingBikes
Tubeless is the perfect solution for me. I'm riding regularly in a city and there are so many pieces of glass on road which cut into my tires. Since I'm using tubeless the sealant inside closes holes perfectly and rolling resistance is even better than on regular tires :)
A couple of questions for you David... 1) what are your thoughts regarding riders with a much higher total system weight? Like, over 200 lbs. Is the solution to ride a larger volume tire so that you can ride at maximum 75 PSI? I'm pretty sure I would crush the rim on a pot hole at 35 PSI. 2) where do you stand on hooked versus hookless? I'm only daring to use hookless on lower pressure wheels... Like, for gravel / cyclocross. Thoughts?
@@DaveCM Thanks... I'm currently riding a mixture of tubed and tubeless setups. For my cyclocross bike, 33mm to 40mm. PSI from 30-50 depending on the tire and usage... I have only one set of wheels set up for tubeless on the road. 25mm Conti GP 5000 TL. For those I'm running a little over 80 in the front and about 85 in the rear. The rim is an older profile with a slightly narrower internal at 18mm. So far, so good. The Conti's seem to be holding air well. I double taped the rims.
Ironically this happened to me on my ride in the New Forest 3 weeks ago. I’m so pleased with how my tire performed and how it sealed which allowed me to finish the ride, but had to get a new tyre a couple of weeks later. An annoying expense but still better than being stuck by the side of the road!
It depends on many variables - on 1st place LUCK, then on size of puncture, sealant type and age, ... got 2 punctures this year in TL tires - both without significant pressure lose.. one of them i recognized at home after ride. Love TL
I tried tubeless on my recumbent it’s a 20” front and a 26” back tire and I used schwalbe pro one. Unfortunately that didn’t work I got punctures to easy and often and the holes were sometimes to big for the sealant. And it didn’t work to plug that tyre it was to weak to hold the plug in high pressure. I suspect high pressure, low volume and weaker tire probably was the unfortunate combination. I’m using tubeless on my 28” road bike now it seems to work better, so far no punctures. The feeling with tubeless is also better I think.
I think tubeless is great for MTB, Gravel and wider tyres. But for my road bike 25-28mm I still not convinced. I setup one of my bikes tubeless last year. Saved me one puncture that I could find. Have to top up fluid, I change tyres for winter riding so setup again. Still not sure it’s worth the faff for my road bikes.
Hi David, good to know that the sealant sealed the puncture for you. I had a puncture last week, but the sealant could not seal the leak. Now I have only 2 options, either get a new tire or use an inner tube (which defeats the purpose of a tubeless system). In my opinion, it's a complicated and expensive solution for a simple problem.
A plug would likely have sorted you out, have you seen my video on using plugs? You can also patch the inside of a tubeless tyre, have a google for such products, which avoids buying a new tyre
You have 2 more options. Invest in a plug tool like Dynaplug which will permanently seal small holes (and even bigger ones) or when you get home get a patch on the underside, just like you'd use/do with a tube. I had a massive tear on a brand new tubeless tyre recently. I bought proper car patches for radial repairs and vulcanising glue. Held as good as new.
@David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes I would try the plug first. I can see there are 2 small holes next to each other. If the plug doesn't work then I will try using the tubeless patch. Thanks for the suggestion!
75 psi seems a bit high. Have you considered running lower pressures? I use SRAM/Zipp pressure calculator as a starting point which is based on wheel type, tyre width, rider weight. Im running sub around 60 psi right now and have had no punctures as of yet.
Agreed. I’ve been wondering how long before road tubeless tire pressures migrate down. I imagine many hedge their bets so the tires stay seated, given the higher top speeds possible and variance across tires and rims. If it had been lower, though, topping off would have been a necessity.
The trade off here is how long does it take to change a tube on the side of the road vs setup tubeless at home. It will be interesting if the puncture repair holds and for how long. I have had punctures re-appear after sometime and they re-seal again at a lower pressure. I don't think tubeless are there yet for road tyre systems at higher pressures. Inserts may solve this, but then the setup time becomes longer. 🤔 So the question is, is it worth the cost, extra maintenance and time to have some increased level of puncture protection?
I race and primarily train via fast group rides. Stopping to change a flat is not an option. Setting up tubeless becomes second nature after a few attempts.
Interesting. I'm still on a 8 year old bike and I'm ok with tubes and patches, I don't race anyway. Probably I'll go with tubeless in the long future, when I buy a new bike. I think you still need to take a spare tube and a lot of new tubes have been launched on the market, so I've heard about people going back
Yes you still need to carry a tube for the case where the tyre is cut too much for it to re-seal. But I would only carry one tube because it’s so rare for that to happen. Pinch flats aren’t possible and most punctures are going to be resolved by the sealant or even a tyre plug. No need to remove the wheel and tyre. It’s important to have a good rim & tyre combo and a good sealant.
Very hopeful I’ll have similar experience ie non event I do need to get some tubeless plugs and new mini pump as my present one screws in so will unscrew the valve which is tedious enough with tubes let alone tubeless ie full of sealant!
Iv had a sidewall gash 1 inch wide on my mtb tire...and I was able to make it back to my starting point only stopping twice to re pump the tire tanks to the muc off tubeless tire sealant...I swear by the stuff and only use muc off. Before that i use stans and I don't think it works as well...either way tubeless is the best way to go
Everyone has their story I suppose, for me it’s riding behind someone on tubeless and getting covered in sealant when he punctured and finally rode home on about 30psi at 10mph. Funny how the people who endorse them are the ones who’ve splashed out money changing their tyres. Personally I don’t want the mess and hassle when you can just stick in a tube.
My point of view, those that say they love it most likely never did the labour side of tubeless themselves. Easy to say you love it when you never have to do the hard work at all.
HAHA! There´s always some keyboard warriors that dont know what they are talking about but still get their word in! Ride a bike and the internet alone for christ sake!
Does the sealant come off the frame ok? I tried removing what looked like dry sealant, from a second hand frame, a while back and it wouldn't budge. I ended up trashing the paint!
It's worth noting that if you are a heavier rider (lets say 91 kilos) that tubeless is not that great an option. As the amount of sealant you'll be sprayed with will be too much. I think a slightly more robust clincher tire with a tube is best for heavier riders, as most tubeless tires seem to be a bit thin in my opinion. And of course, the heavier you are the higher the tire pressure must be.
The only negative going tubeless is the pricing for good tubeless tires. And wheels ofc, if you have an older bike that is not TLR or some tape and valves away from it. Period. Haven't touched inner tubes for years mountain biking, swapped my gravel bike to tubeless as soon as I got it home and never ridden it off road on tubes. Or with more than 35psi (700x40+ though).
Why not just bask the entire tire under the sun for a while? I don't want any heat source near carbon parts. P.S: I never got the chance to do that anyway, there's simply no time for that in a workshop.
@@sbccbc7471 You can heat up the tire away from the wheel. It also doesn't need to be super high heat for it to work. It just loosens it enough to slip on easier.
David , would you consider riding with inserts so that if your pressure drops that much your rims will be better protected? What do you think of inserts for road bikes?
If you enjoy the sight of white glue spraying all over your groupset, you and your mates in the middle of a sportive, and then spending the rest of the weekend clearing it up, tubeless is definitely the way to go. Still relied on an inner tube to fix, so can’t see the point.
Amateur hour, in the 90’s I ran over a piece of debris in the road which cut my tire and tube almost completely in half. No cell phone, and no spare tire which as a kid never really crossed my mind so I rip the shit off and rode 3 miles on a Mavic Open 4cd across the city. The wheel made it and I took sandpaper to the rim installed a new tube and tire and away I went the following evening. Aluminum rim slipping and spinning up gradual climbs and turning right and left with the bike completely vertical. It was hilarious to say the least but I made it home in one piece.
I m a big fan of tubeless. But not so much of the tyres you have used. With the same tyres I have got three punctures in a month. Two punctures got sealed by the milk and on one puncture it didnt seal and I had to insert a inner tube. I prefer the GP5000 STR or the Pirelli Race TLR. They are much more punctreresistent than the S-works Rapid tyres.
agree with all the positive experiences after 3+ years running tubeless..the faff has reduced (or the knowledge of settign up has increased) but its still there - for me faff at home is preferable to faff out on the road. Have also stopped carrying tubes..anything that bad means the tube is unlikely to help and if the plugs dont work then i'll call a cab - happened once when a bit of metal sliced the tyre and i had to walk 30mins to somewhere semi civilised, then sit on the side of the road for an hour in the countryside waiting for a cab...i've had similar experiences with tubes in my 30 years of riding
Just not worth it if you can't run 50psi or lower. So on gravel and MTB it's a no-brainer. At my size I can't run that low on 28mm road tires. So even when it seals, I'll still need to stop to add air. We joke that you have to stop 3 times for a tubeless flat. Once to get it to seal, then again to put more air in, then a third time to put a tube in because it can't hold.
And the gunk all over the frame and varia and probably your beautiful saddlebag. I change a tube in 5mins. I prefer it over the gunk all over the place.
@@user-nu5fx6en9h Well tbh it's actually not a bad comment, some tubeless sealant can stain/mark paint and carbon fiber and alloy for that matter leaving unsightly "tide" marks. In my bag of tricks, I carry a bunch of paper towels gloves and alcohol wipes to clean it all up and off my hands if I have to dig around in the tire. On the road, I dont bother with tubeless in the time that you have tried to clean, plug and add more air I've changed the tube a ridden off. Each system has its own cons, which ones are you willing to live with is up to you.
I've removed the gunkiest of sealant from my frame and saddlebag that was combined with a lot of dirt from the woods with a bit of alcohol. That was pretty painless.
@@davidarthur i ride tubeless on my mtb for a long time. I had one puncture and the sealant stain is still on my 2000 carbon rim, i cant get it off :/ got unlucky there but im glad you could remove it easily.
I am all for tubeless also David. I have been tubeless on a road bike since 2013. I would usually push a Dynaplug in and top off the air with my pump. I used to carry 3 co2 + inflator head ( being a bit worried of not having enough air if things go wrong), but found I can carry an exceptional Silca Tatico pump for less weight and help friends out too. Which sealant did you use in this instance ? Thanks Dave
I have been putting sealant in my road tubes for Years. Easy, clean and quick. I even put sealant in my tubulars. Go Continental. No tubeless phaffing.
I have been running sealant in my inner tubes for decades. I have literally had hundreds of punctures seal exactly the way they do in tubeless tires. So your argument doesn't quite hold air.
I’m glad it worked out for you. I went back to tubes for my road bike, less fussy and less expensive.
Same here. Tubeless is too much faff and mess!
Same here
I settled on both, clincher and tubeless. My everday wheels are tubeless. I found that the alternate (clincher) wheels sit around too much and that can be a problem for the sealant thickening. Clincher wheels are more forgiving of being in storage.
I agree that the tubeless setup can be more of a fuss. On the other hand, when it's time to discard a tubeless tire, I can see evidence of a few punctures that would have interrupted my rides, if I had been on clinchers.
It’s temping to have one pair set up tubeless but I have six pairs between three bikes and it was getting expensive and time consuming to maintain all of them. Plus I’m concerned about what to do with old sealant and how it will impact the environment.
I went full tubeless in 2019... on all my training, racing, granfondo and gravel bikes... the only tubed one is my first roadie CIRCA 2003. Dont know how many people are having bad experience with TLR unless they are cyclocrossers(tubulars), liars or idiots.
Cheers and ride safe!
I switched when the Air-Liner Road became available.
When I hear or read people complaining about whatever on their bikes, it almost always sounds like they do zero maintenance.
Clean your bike, check your bike, ride your bike. In 35+ years of riding, I have fixed a handful of issues while out on a ride - usually on someone else’s bike.
I get a handful of flats over the space of a year (going to regret saying that), which take all of 10mins to fix. Tubeless absolutely isn’t worth the faff on road for me. Tubed is also lighter, cheaper and doesn’t cover my ride buddies in sealant. Each to their own though!
Exactly inner tubes can be swapped out in minutes ( like 3!). But putting an inner tube in a tubeless tire can be a fight to get the bead off, which will take you much longer.
I had a puncture a couple weeks ago while out with a new cycling club. I was quite pleased I was tubeless as this would have meant everyone sitting around waiting for me to put a new tube in…but mostly I was pleased people didn’t have to wait as it was a carnage filled ride with people coming off their bikes left, right and centre! 🙂
I haven't had to put is a tube in several years. I've seen quite a few sealant bubbles in those few years. Pump up and go.
I got three flats in one day last week just trying to get to work 😅
Got a pinhole from a stapler, walked home, patched it. Patch failed, walked home again, replaced the tube with a spare I bought like a month ago. It had dry rot and burst while it was sitting on my friends porch 15 psi under the maximum. Did a lot of walking that day.
I'm lucky my job is kind of a "show up within a couple hours time frame and do the thing then lock up on the way out" type gig.
@@justincase3230 Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! Always have 2 fresh spares on me. Patching is for when i have spare time at home. Glad you get sorted in the end.
Tubeless really came late to roadie... the amount of stranded situations I´ve been before tubeless makes me even more thankful now!!
Cheers and ride safe on that great looking C68!
I have had some great success with tubeless and the sealant fixing punctures. However, this is not why I run tubeless. I run tubeless because of the feel and performance of the tire. Confident cornering, fast rolling, and really responsive. Love them. This is often overlooked, and the focus always seems to be on no flats. To get over the anxiety of changing tubeless tires I simply took a day out and watched a few 'how to' videos, took some notes, had a big bottle of sealant, and walked through removing and installing my tire several times over. The first time took me about an hour with a lot of swearing involved, but by the forth attempt I had it down to 5 minutes using a standard foot pump and no tire levers. It might also be worth practicing the steps of installing a tube to make sure that you are able to remove your valve stem by hand. Just be careful as the valves on tubes can damage the rim tape around the valve hole.
Was in a crit race and on the last lap, my back tyre felt squishy. I forgot about it, focused on the final sprint, pipped at the pist, came second. After that, i hopped off the bike, and saw the spray of sealant, and realised the last lap was done with a puncture, and half normal pressure.
Tubeless is the way to go.
It'll be interesting to see if the puncture opens up again. You may be okay because it's on the side wall but my experience is if it's on the crown of the tyre then on the next ride the hole reopens. As a result, for road tyres I've gone away from tubeless - it's much better on low pressure mountain bike tyres
Hi David glad you got home safe and sound, but my experience was very different from yours though an extreme case was enough for me to go back to tubes.
I was having a lovely night ride with a friend (thank god) and the temps were very cold -5/-6 and I got a puncture very similar to yours, not that big, tier went down, no bother I’ll pump it back up, it wasn’t having it spun and failed to seal, didn’t get a chance to slick a plug in it as the tier had unseated at this point, no getting that back on with a hand pump (not mention the pump had pulled the valve core out a few time at the point) major problem number 1. for tubeless. Been there 10mins at this point. Right, time to dig the tube out, lifted the bead (top tip bring a paper towel with you to wipe the tier out) check for whatever is there, nothing, fine good to go with the tube. But remembered I need to take the valve out, major problem number 2. with cold fingers wet/damp wheel probably a little bit grit and salt and sealant holding it in, I fought with that valve for 30mins in the dark all the while our lights draining. Finally, I got it out and shoved a tube in cut the ride short and got back home.
I had serviced everything a week beforehand replacing sealant and making sure the valve wasn’t all stuck. And I was using modern tubeless tiers with gravel wheels from the last 3-4 years.
I very much thought like you and a lot of others up until last November, that tubeless was the dogs! but in light of that tubeless is far from ready for prime-time. It doesn’t seal in the wet and cold, tiers are still a problem in the field and the valves need a redesign
That id say is an experience I think many would be look to avoid and make people think twice, if that was just a tube id had been out of there 5mins tops.
That’s a pretty bad experience! What tyres and rims where you using?
@@davidarthur Ive used all sorts but at moment in time Panaracer gravel kings (slicks) 2020/21 edition and DT swiss GR wheelset, forget the number 1600 i think sold them off and treated myself to a set of Parcours Ronde run with tubes, Latex, for that tubeless ride feel (which is something i can't argue with tubeless) I really want to embrace tubeless and I'm all set when I feel it's ready but for me on the road at this moment its a solution to a problem that really doesn't exist, adding unneeded complexity to a situation that doesn't take 45mins sort. Like you, i was tubeless before tubeless tiers were even a thing (MTB) but low pressures and high volume works so much better, Also the amount of rubber the sealant has to work with is so much greater and it's sticker. I never had a problem off-road and didn't have a puncture in 10 years that caused me to stop never needed a plug either.
The tire mustn't get unseated or you're screwed. Good you brought a tube with you but to have to use it is such a pain. I tried running tubeless but I realised that running narrow tires 23/25 (higher pressure) and random chinese rims, isn't going to keep the tire seated. Also, having to spin the wheels off season is also crap, and checking sealant levels, buying sealant, and worrying about unseating the tire. Unscrewing the valve core while trying to pump the tire is also enfuriating. All these things made me stay away from tubeless. Maybe later I'll try again but only on certain bikes and certain tire combinations. I'd never switch tire kinds and then go on long ride. That's just asking for trouble.
Had the same issue on a long ride. Sealant didn’t work, valve came loose, tyre unseated. Luckily I had an inner tube but then had all the gloop to deal with. Got back and have switched back to inner tubes.
That's why I carry a silver or white permanent marker in my saddle bag - I mark the puncture on the sidewall right when it's happened, and when I get back home I can put a patch on the inside of the tire to repair it properly
I use a mix of tubeless and tubed bikes and I even own some tubulars. My gravel bike and mountainbike are definitely tubeless. Lots of advantages there, especially for lowering the riding pressures. But the higher the pressures the less the advantage and the lower the change of rapid sealing. The bigger the tire and the lower the pressures the better it will work. At least on mountainbikes I have yet to notice any of my flats. Since the volume if much bigger, the perceived pressure drop is not as noticeable.
Nobody likes the feeling of getting sprayed by sealant on group rides either. And some sealants leave nasty stains on your bibs if not washed immediately! Plus you have to wash the sticky goo of your bike frame. And If you have to resort to changing to an inner tube often the tubeless tires wont fully seat out on the road, leaving you with a wobble limping home. Plus the hassle of getting the stiffer beads on and off. I get the advantages, but for road its not big enough that I start looking for replacement tubeless compatible wheels for now.
@Luuk Rutten - Agree with you totally and my experience exactly. MTB and gravel tyres have a much thicker carcass as well. Road tyres are too thin and the pressures are too high for tubeless.
Just had the same thing, mine took a bit longer to seal and lost a lot of sealant. My mates were more concerned than I was, I explained that I will let the system do its job. Rode 40 miles with no issues.
Big clean up operation tomorrow to clean the bike, but we’ll worth the hassle.
I will top up the sealant as well and do a full check over.
Been running tubeless for yrs now and I swear by it.
Great content as always David, keep it coming.
Hi David. I totally agree. Although, I think you have to think about tire size based on your body type. I'm a bigger guy (85kg) and found that tubeless only really works well on 30c or wider tires. On narrower tires, sealant will plug a puncture, but not at a high enough tire pressure to keep me from riding the rim. Requiring a plug.
Use Orange Seal.
@@kidsafe I do. :)
Have ridden home on flat clinchers several times, squirming about on the edges on the alloy rim, great fun! Got home new tube in and carried on with life as we did back then!
If you remove the valve stem, you can use a cable tie as a dipstick for checking sealant. Saves taking off the tyre
I’ve found out good taping is the key to good tubeless set up.
I’ve tried to like tubeless on my mountain bike, but it’s always either an outright struggle to get the wheel to hold pressure consistently, or having to clean or replace valve cores when the sealant inevitably gums them up and makes filling the tire regularly difficult or impossible. On the road, I flat about 3-4 times a year. Several of those flats have been slashes where no tubeless sealant could have possibly saved me. While it’s a little irritating to swap a tube for a puncture that’s literally a pin prick, I’d rather deal with that than a slashed tire that has slung sealant all over the rest of the bike, requires a tube, and now I’m dealing with a messy tire and a valve swap to boot.
For those who like supple tires like I do, Rene Herse and Vittoria tires feel fantastic with tubes in them. You can go a step further and put either baby powder or corn starch on the inside of the tire to prevent the tube from sticking to it. That will keep that nice, new, supple feel for longer.
I been using tubeless tires for the last 2-3 years. This same thing happened to me like 2 times and I just kept on riding with no issue.
My experience... likewise...
Anyone that talks down on tubeless simply never rode them.
Cheers and ride safe!
@@wsbygt I think this is exactly it!!
There never seems to be a shortage of success stories, as if people want to prove naysayers wrong all the time. The tubeless evangelism is really extraordinary, approaching overbearing. So much so, it makes me all the more happy with tubes.
Well for many of us tubeless isn't a hassle at all. Maybe it's a user issue?
Did a road bikepacking race in May. Punctured on the way to the start. Sealant did its job. Got to the start and pumped it back up. Rode more than 300 miles before any issues
I had a tubeless puncture a few weeks ago, it sealed but kept weeping. Today for the first time I used one of the worm plugs and it's worked! Tyre has sealed, no weeping and has stayed at pressure.
One thing I don't understand is why the minimum pressure printed on tubless tires is so high... for instance, those turbos you're on have a minimum pressure of 85psi written on the sidewall.. but you're running at 75... am I missing somthing here?
Tubeless is a winner. I've been using it on my MTB for a couple of years and my road bikes since February. Only thing you need to check for is some sealants dry out quicker than others... Best to check every 3 months
Mountain bike is a different case scenario. Lower pressures. Tubeless has struggled with road tyres due to the higher pressures. It only works sometimes
It has yet to fail for me. So I can only speak from my own experience.
I'v riden home on a tire with a 4mm open hole just off the center of the tread by using my spare tube with a dollar bill as a boot over the hole, between the tire and tube. Can sealant plug a 4mm hole? Also when I was riding alot years ago and working at a bike shop, there were times when I chose to change my tires quite often, sometimes twice in a week for different types of road surfaces. From the little I know about tubeless, changing tires on a whim could be a sticky icky mess.
I just returned to latex tubes. Tubeless setup was leaking and deflating constantly. It was a caffelatex conversion kit, so maybe that was the issue. However, after trying that, I don't trust them to retain air for long enough and that's without puncturing.
After you've set a few tubeless tires it's pretty much the same as a regular inner tube clincher. There might be a learning curve to get used to them, but once you are, it's hard to go back.
Problem now is most tubeless rims no longer have the hook, or simply called hookless rims. If you do have a puncture that the sealant cannot seal (this happened to me) you’ll have to replace the tubeless tire with a regular clincher tire but since there is no inner hook the tire will not hold on to the rim since clincher tires (backup tire) sit inside the hook of rims - which are no longer in modern tubeless rims. If you’re out in the boonies you either walk or hail an Uber/taxi.
There are still many tubeless-compatible rims out there that are hooked, but I'm running clinchers anyway.
You can use an inner tube with a hookless rim and tubeless ready tyre, the main thing with hookless rims is that they MUST be used with a tubeless tyre. For this reason it's okay to stick an inner tube in to get you home
Good point, David. I was on tubeless for 10 years and the times I had to shove in a tube inside a tubeless tire it was not as easy because the sidewalls of tubeless tires are not as pliable as clinchers. Also have to undo the tubeless valve and by the time you’re done you’ve got liquid sealant everywhere. Now, I’m back on clinchers - since inner rim width, and tires/tubes are now wider, thus less volatile to pinch flats with lower running psi. One thing i did try is put orange sealant inside the inner tubes (have to get tubes with removable core). Cheers!!
Happy to hear that it held up in the rain. That has been my concern with the water soluble sealants like Muc-Off and riding in the rain having the rain wash away the seal. Otherwise been very happy with tubeless.
Thank you for sharing your experince! For me tubeless was more a mtb or gravel thing in the past but I'll we give it a try with my next road bike (which will come in a few days)
Had a good friend who built up a bike as specifically tubeless, but the hassles, he has gone to tubes again, our mutual friend is so scared of changing the tyres as they are so tight it takes at least 2 people
Haven't been commuting much this summer, but I've made the tubeless conversion, and am interested in seeing how it goes when the weather cools and I start riding more.
My tubeless puncture experience feels like an aberration from the mean. I am running Conti GP5000 which are very painful to mount I should add. Middle of the tire I got not a straight hole, but angled to the point it created a little shear and it was impossible for the sealant to cover. No plugs, wouldn't hold air, I had to call home for a pickup. Unmounted the tire, cleaned it up, patched the inside, and sanded down the sheared side so it wouldn't catch, been running without problems. I guess no tire system is immune from the unpredictable nature of life on the road.
You should carry a tube on you just in case.
On my local club ride, a guy with a tubeless that a bulb in the tire (vittoria corsa) and it flew right off the rim. Rim was luckily not damaged (thanks to a quick stop), but the guy had liquid all over his bike and he couldn't fit it back on without a compressor. So this can, and still happens with tubeless (having to call home to pick you up), and the main reason why I'm hesitant. FYI, I haven't got a flat in 2 years of riding on tires + inner tubes (approx 16.000K), and I ride tubulars occasionally.
Lots of anecdotal evidence here for and against tubeless. I was an early adopter for road bikes when I got a set of Dura-Ace wheels that were "tubeless ready" so I thought I would give them a try. I liked the grip in corners but eventually found the disadvantages outweighed the positives. I was able to get in a tube once after a puncture somehow but the next time this happened it was almost impossible to get the tire back on (even with the help of a pro rider from Lampre!). Subsequently I had two occasions when sidewalls failed, leaving me stranded. These were expensive Hutchinson tires. I switched back to tubes and regular tires six years ago and except for one summer with a lot of punctures no big problems. I can take off and mount my Vittorias without tools and don't need a floor pump or C02 cartridge to get them up to pressure. And the sealant thing? No thanks. Nice to read that people have had good experiences with them but for myself I think it is a solution to a problem that really doesn't exist.
Newer tubeless is better now, super easy to install without tools and lighter
Either way both tubeless and clincher have their bad and good 😁
@@username8644 and yet, I rarely have any punctures I can't throw a tube in and fix in under 3 minutes. It's not like people get all these flats all the time. But convince yourself that it's money well spent while the industry drains your wallet and your brain
Agree tubeless is the way to go. Had it for last 2 years. Had one failure in that time where my tyre wall split, apart from that a few punctures which the sealant did it’s job. Never go back to inner tubes.
I switched all my bikes to Tubeless a couple years ago. I slowly grew to prefer the technology. Couple weeks back I got out about 20 miles and the tire was really soft. I put some air in and got back OK. Then found a gash in the tire sidewall and the fluid plugged it enough to get me home. The tires were Vittoria Corsas.
I had a puncture on my tubeless tyre just outside Streatham, South London. I cycled to Brighton and back to Enfield North London. I plugged the tyre the following day. I am a tubeless fan.
Depends on the tyre you use, those rapid airs never seal, go for Pirelli Cinturato or Pirelli Race TLR
I agree tubeless is great for me in the city where many pieces of broken glass are on the road and they lodge in the tire and creat slow leaks, but not with tubeless tires they hold the air and great for city ridding.
Just happened to me this morning. Ended up scratching my rims. Damn schwalbe pro tt.. lol
Someone on your side that day. Tubeless on my mountain bike hybrid not set up tubeless yet. Lucky that day
I tried it and found it hard work. I put some Corsa Clinchers on this year had one slow puncture in 2000 miles. Ok my wheels aren't tubeless ready perhaps I might have tried it but I really see no need. Things are going that way though with the newer zipp wheels.
yep tubeless tyres are amazing tech after riding regular tyre and inner tubes for more than 30 years switching over to tubeless a few years ago i would never go back to tyres and inner tubes again the only thing i have changed is the sealant i use from muc-off to stans no tubes i find that stans sealant is much easier to use and the wheels feel more balanced compared to muc-off sealant. Great video 👍
Tubular tires went out of fashion, likely due to people being scared of sewing them after a puncture. Tire changes were so easy! I could slap a new tubular on in a couple minutes. Sidewall cuts were no issue as the whole tire is replaced. Today there isn't much selection in tubular wheels and tires, and they're expensive. I really miss them. It might take an extra 10 minutes to fix one, max, but it takes longer to clean off sealant.
Blimey not gone tubeless yet next week hopefully, but if I just vented a load of gunk on my black Colnago I would have been in a bad way until it was cleaned off. Just about to convert my Titanium Ribble CGR which is tubeless ready and cant wait.
I’ve spent the last 18 months running tubeless on my commuter bike & when it works it’s brilliant. However I’ve now gone through 3 different sets of tyres (2 Pirelli & 1 Bontrager - all are 32c), where the cut won’t seal on the rear tyre at air pressure above around 35 psi or the plug will fail after 20 - 30km. Cuts are around 6mm so it’s on the limits of what tubeless technology can achieve. I’ve attempted to patch the cuts with no success either. I have found that MUC Off sealant does a better job than Stan’s.
I recently upgraded my commuter bike, it came setup tubeless so I’ll see how long they will last on the stock tyres. I’ve purchased a Dyna plug kit to see what they are like vs plugs. The $$$ involved in running tubeless on my commuter bike however is not worth it. If my current set of tyres fail Im planning to switch back to tubes + tyre liner.
That said I like tubeless as I love how you can run lower pressure & I run my mountain & gravel bikes tubeless.
My first puncture on tubeless was really bad. Felt sealant all over my legs. I had to get off the bicycle, don't have a pump on me. 2 other cyclists stop to lend and hand and basically tell me the worst. So I walked with the bicycle putting light pressure on the frame for about 5 minutes while periodically spinning the wheel freely. Got on the bicycle and kept riding for 45 minutes. Only lost 17psi. Fortunately the pressure was still within spec.
The issue I have with tubeless is that as soon as I pump back up to 70+ PSI the sealed puncture breaks again and starts loosing pressure and sealant. I think 28mm is therefore the practical minimum tyre size for road tubeless.
So now you have half the sealant you did before, maybe less with all that was sprayed on the frame. Please post the video of your next puncture where you insert an inner tube on the side of the road. I needed a 4" C-Clamp to break the bead on a Schwalbe tubeless mounted to a Hunt alloy rim. Luckily I was at home because it would have been impossible to do mid-ride. That tire never went back on the rim. Save tubeless for Mountain and Gravel.
In the last 10 years I had to change the inner tube once on my bicycle and during summers I commute with the bicycle almost daily and ride for fitness on top of that. If the tubeless can last longer than that trouble free I might consider it.
I've only had one puncture since going tubeless, I ran over a nail. Within 2 minutes I pulled the nail out, put in a plug, added just a small amount of air and I was was off and that plug held for the life of the tire. No more pulling wheels off and fumbling around with inner tubes on the side of the road for me, after that I swore I would always go tubeless!
MTB or Racebike tire?
@@Robke250 gravel bike (700x45) and I have a new road bike coming shortly which will be set up tubeless as well.
@@LagunaRider1961 good luck! not as smooth sailing as fat rubber
what plug did you buy and how to plug it correctly without the plug coming of and not or not being able to in
@@annukun7318 Dynaplug you check TH-cam there are plenty of videos how to use it
with the new Silca sealant I lost 4 psi with a 2-3mm puncture. Didnt know till I got home.
With the new Silca sealant I lost all the sealant and it didn't seal a 5mm slit just off the centre of the tread ☹
Same here crazy sealant !!
@@user-nu5fx6en9h 'Same here' as it worked, or didn't?
Been running the Silca sealant for about a year and have had a number of punctures that all sealed and was able to continue my ride with a bit less pressure no issues.
Six of us were out on a ride today and the only one of us with tubeless tyres on got a front and rear puncture in two separate incidents. The front didn't seal and sprayed him and his bike with sealant so needed a tube. The rear sealed, eventually.... It would have been quicker to put a tube in.
You mentioned the pressure dropping down to 36psi after puncture. Would that make the tyre more likely to roll off rim for example on a corner. Worried about you Mr Arthur!
Well as I demonstrated, I was able to ride home including bombing down an 80kph descent, which of course I wouldn't recommended! I'd always stop and top up the air pressure with a mini pump before carrying on
I had a puntcure that drained all the air out of my tire in 2 to 4 hours. I rode on this for 5 days before I got around to replacing the tube. I guess I don't understand what the "benefit" of tubeless is.
The sealant is used to help seal the bead, not to help fix flats, no? In other words tubeless without sealant is a no go, right?
It's so nice that one of the best selling points is a side effect.
So, what we are talking about is our attitude! (As would have said a pretty famous English schoolmaster... ;)
Will carry a pump and an inner tube anyway if I switch to tubeless. A foam liner is interesting, but I assume it has a weight limit.
hi david, what if i puncture out on road and tubeless unable to seal and only option is to use tube, i have had huge difficulty seating tire at home but now i'm on the road without options and need to install tube. how can i reseat the tire with only a hand pump? thank you.
Use Co2 cartridges. Pop the seal and drain the whole thing. 15g cartridge will put about 100psi into a 25c tire instantly. You can soften tire, check seating , and top off with a small pump if you even need to.
Tubeless tires is the next great gimmick by the cycling industry to get us to buy something new. It solved the problem that didn't exist and created a new problem. I experience far fewer flats than occasions where I need to simply pump up my tires. Now I get to experience the hassle of pumping up a tubeless with sealant and a special pump. And you get to replace an entire tire instead of just the tube. Tubeless are for riders who think electronic shifting was also revolutionary.
HAHA!
There´s always some keyboard warriors that dont know what they are talking about but still get their word in! Ride a bike and leave the internet alone for christ sake!
I’ve got to ask: special pump?
I really love tubeless tech. Currently running Ksyriums on my Synapse. Perhaps it's because I just haven't done enough research, but I just don't have a clear picture of hooked vs hookless; "Tubeless" vs "Tubeless Ready"'; and other nuances like proper rim tape width if your wheels aren't UST (or some other type of closed rim system where rim tape is not necessary). I feel like these "standards" are as varied as the ongoing "bottom bracket wars" among frame designers.
I do have a question, David; You said you were running those tires at 75 PSI, but I noticed on the sidewall of the tire that 85-100 was the recommended range. I wonder if you didn't puncture because you were running a slightly lower pressure?
Right Hookless, has no bead lock hook to hold the tier in place, you can't easily run tubes with this system if you need to put one in to get you home. also, the pressure range is reduced they have a max of 73psi in most cases. Zip 303s for example
Hooked is the system that's been in place since day dot. Parcours strada/ronde for example you can run any tier and tube/selant combo you like
both these system require tape, mostly there are outsiders that dont.
Tubeless, literally no tubes and in most cases no sealant is needed, the best example i can give the Conti gp 5000 tubeless tier which was recently replaced by the TUBELESS ready sTR version tubeless ready can be run with tubes and sealant.
Pressure recommendations are bit of a funny thing a lot of tier manufacturers have to put them on to cover older legislation, its another example of standards not matching and adding to the confusion
I think just about everyone runs tubeless tyres at a lower pressure than the “minimum” shown on the tyre. I’m running 60-65psi on 28mm. Sounds crazy low but it works so well.
@0:35 So you looked down between your legs and noticed a white substance sprayed all over your frame?!!
Sounds like a typical day on a Colnago to me;)
#ExhilaratingBikes
Perhaps you mentioned it, but I didn't hear it. Which brand of sealant was in the tire?
Tubeless is the perfect solution for me. I'm riding regularly in a city and there are so many pieces of glass on road which cut into my tires. Since I'm using tubeless the sealant inside closes holes perfectly and rolling resistance is even better than on regular tires :)
A couple of questions for you David... 1) what are your thoughts regarding riders with a much higher total system weight? Like, over 200 lbs. Is the solution to ride a larger volume tire so that you can ride at maximum 75 PSI? I'm pretty sure I would crush the rim on a pot hole at 35 PSI. 2) where do you stand on hooked versus hookless? I'm only daring to use hookless on lower pressure wheels... Like, for gravel / cyclocross. Thoughts?
@@DaveCM Thanks... I'm currently riding a mixture of tubed and tubeless setups. For my cyclocross bike, 33mm to 40mm. PSI from 30-50 depending on the tire and usage... I have only one set of wheels set up for tubeless on the road. 25mm Conti GP 5000 TL. For those I'm running a little over 80 in the front and about 85 in the rear. The rim is an older profile with a slightly narrower internal at 18mm. So far, so good. The Conti's seem to be holding air well. I double taped the rims.
Ironically this happened to me on my ride in the New Forest 3 weeks ago. I’m so pleased with how my tire performed and how it sealed which allowed me to finish the ride, but had to get a new tyre a couple of weeks later. An annoying expense but still better than being stuck by the side of the road!
was always curious how much pressure you would lose on a tubeless tire when you get a puncture
It depends on many variables - on 1st place LUCK, then on size of puncture, sealant type and age, ... got 2 punctures this year in TL tires - both without significant pressure lose.. one of them i recognized at home after ride. Love TL
I tried tubeless on my recumbent it’s a 20” front and a 26” back tire and I used schwalbe pro one. Unfortunately that didn’t work I got punctures to easy and often and the holes were sometimes to big for the sealant. And it didn’t work to plug that tyre it was to weak to hold the plug in high pressure. I suspect high pressure, low volume and weaker tire probably was the unfortunate combination.
I’m using tubeless on my 28” road bike now it seems to work better, so far no punctures.
The feeling with tubeless is also better I think.
I think tubeless is great for MTB, Gravel and wider tyres. But for my road bike 25-28mm I still not convinced. I setup one of my bikes tubeless last year. Saved me one puncture that I could find. Have to top up fluid, I change tyres for winter riding so setup again. Still not sure it’s worth the faff for my road bikes.
Hi David, good to know that the sealant sealed the puncture for you. I had a puncture last week, but the sealant could not seal the leak. Now I have only 2 options, either get a new tire or use an inner tube (which defeats the purpose of a tubeless system). In my opinion, it's a complicated and expensive solution for a simple problem.
Use a plug to seal the hole
A plug would likely have sorted you out, have you seen my video on using plugs? You can also patch the inside of a tubeless tyre, have a google for such products, which avoids buying a new tyre
You have 2 more options. Invest in a plug tool like Dynaplug which will permanently seal small holes (and even bigger ones) or when you get home get a patch on the underside, just like you'd use/do with a tube.
I had a massive tear on a brand new tubeless tyre recently. I bought proper car patches for radial repairs and vulcanising glue. Held as good as new.
@@vongdong10 Thanks I will try that
@David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes I would try the plug first. I can see there are 2 small holes next to each other. If the plug doesn't work then I will try using the tubeless patch. Thanks for the suggestion!
75 psi seems a bit high. Have you considered running lower pressures? I use SRAM/Zipp pressure calculator as a starting point which is based on wheel type, tyre width, rider weight. Im running sub around 60 psi right now and have had no punctures as of yet.
Agreed. I’ve been wondering how long before road tubeless tire pressures migrate down. I imagine many hedge their bets so the tires stay seated, given the higher top speeds possible and variance across tires and rims. If it had been lower, though, topping off would have been a necessity.
The trade off here is how long does it take to change a tube on the side of the road vs setup tubeless at home. It will be interesting if the puncture repair holds and for how long. I have had punctures re-appear after sometime and they re-seal again at a lower pressure. I don't think tubeless are there yet for road tyre systems at higher pressures. Inserts may solve this, but then the setup time becomes longer. 🤔 So the question is, is it worth the cost, extra maintenance and time to have some increased level of puncture protection?
I race and primarily train via fast group rides. Stopping to change a flat is not an option. Setting up tubeless becomes second nature after a few attempts.
That's not really the tradeoff since obviously spending time at home is better than sitting there on the side of the road trying to change a tube.
75 psi?? Is that different from psi here in the states? Who rides tires that soft?
Interesting. I'm still on a 8 year old bike and I'm ok with tubes and patches, I don't race anyway. Probably I'll go with tubeless in the long future, when I buy a new bike. I think you still need to take a spare tube and a lot of new tubes have been launched on the market, so I've heard about people going back
So many new wheels are tubeless only, what I run on road and gravel.
I always carry a spare tube with me, sometimes two on very long roads just for the worst case scenario
@@davidarthur me as well schwalbe aerothane w park patches, approved by schwalbe and Park boot(s) 1 each for gravel and road, just in cases.
@@davidarthur Really?
Yes you still need to carry a tube for the case where the tyre is cut too much for it to re-seal. But I would only carry one tube because it’s so rare for that to happen. Pinch flats aren’t possible and most punctures are going to be resolved by the sealant or even a tyre plug. No need to remove the wheel and tyre. It’s important to have a good rim & tyre combo and a good sealant.
Since going tubeless in 2016(Stan's Avions) , not one pinch flat in all that time.
Very hopeful I’ll have similar experience ie non event I do need to get some tubeless plugs and new mini pump as my present one screws in so will unscrew the valve which is tedious enough with tubes let alone tubeless ie full of sealant!
Been using Michelin Power Road tyres and latex tubes for the last two years and no punctures.
Iv had a sidewall gash 1 inch wide on my mtb tire...and I was able to make it back to my starting point only stopping twice to re pump the tire tanks to the muc off tubeless tire sealant...I swear by the stuff and only use muc off. Before that i use stans and I don't think it works as well...either way tubeless is the best way to go
Everyone has their story I suppose, for me it’s riding behind someone on tubeless and getting covered in sealant when he punctured and finally rode home on about 30psi at 10mph. Funny how the people who endorse them are the ones who’ve splashed out money changing their tyres. Personally I don’t want the mess and hassle when you can just stick in a tube.
My point of view, those that say they love it most likely never did the labour side of tubeless themselves.
Easy to say you love it when you never have to do the hard work at all.
HAHA!
There´s always some keyboard warriors that dont know what they are talking about but still get their word in! Ride a bike and the internet alone for christ sake!
Does the sealant come off the frame ok? I tried removing what looked like dry sealant, from a second hand frame, a while back and it wouldn't budge. I ended up trashing the paint!
It heavily depends on the sealant's composition, no two formulae are the same.
It's worth noting that if you are a heavier rider (lets say 91 kilos) that tubeless is not that great an option. As the amount of sealant you'll be sprayed with will be too much. I think a slightly more robust clincher tire with a tube is best for heavier riders, as most tubeless tires seem to be a bit thin in my opinion. And of course, the heavier you are the higher the tire pressure must be.
The only negative going tubeless is the pricing for good tubeless tires. And wheels ofc, if you have an older bike that is not TLR or some tape and valves away from it. Period. Haven't touched inner tubes for years mountain biking, swapped my gravel bike to tubeless as soon as I got it home and never ridden it off road on tubes. Or with more than 35psi (700x40+ though).
Use a hairdryer when you're installing the tubeless tire. Basically, heat up the last area you're trying to get over the wheel. 100 times easier.
Why not just bask the entire tire under the sun for a while? I don't want any heat source near carbon parts.
P.S: I never got the chance to do that anyway, there's simply no time for that in a workshop.
@@sbccbc7471 You can heat up the tire away from the wheel. It also doesn't need to be super high heat for it to work. It just loosens it enough to slip on easier.
David , would you consider riding with inserts so that if your pressure drops that much your rims will be better protected? What do you think of inserts for road bikes?
If tubeless is so great why do you need inserts?
If you enjoy the sight of white glue spraying all over your groupset, you and your mates in the middle of a sportive, and then spending the rest of the weekend clearing it up, tubeless is definitely the way to go. Still relied on an inner tube to fix, so can’t see the point.
riding for 3 years tubeless, never an issue. bought a new bike with tubes and punctured after the second ride, immediately changed on tubeless again….
Amateur hour, in the 90’s I ran over a piece of debris in the road which cut my tire and tube almost completely in half. No cell phone, and no spare tire which as a kid never really crossed my mind so I rip the shit off and rode 3 miles on a Mavic Open 4cd across the city. The wheel made it and I took sandpaper to the rim installed a new tube and tire and away I went the following evening. Aluminum rim slipping and spinning up gradual climbs and turning right and left with the bike completely vertical. It was hilarious to say the least but I made it home in one piece.
Great video! Definitely tubeless for the win! What sealant are you using
Thanks! This was Orange Seal but just about to start testing that new Silca sealant
Silca is the most impressive I’ve used. Look forward to seeing your impressions David.
Plus lower pressure not always good
I m a big fan of tubeless. But not so much of the tyres you have used. With the same tyres I have got three punctures in a month. Two punctures got sealed by the milk and on one puncture it didnt seal and I had to insert a inner tube. I prefer the GP5000 STR or the Pirelli Race TLR. They are much more punctreresistent than the S-works Rapid tyres.
Those S-Works Turbo RapidAir are the worst. Offer no puncture protection. Went through 3 in 3 months. Switched to contis.
Is the Colnago your personal bike? What happened to the TCR?
Definitely staying tubeless clearly everyone on tour de France agreed this year
they have pro mechanics waiting on them hand and foot, alas, I do not.
agree with all the positive experiences after 3+ years running tubeless..the faff has reduced (or the knowledge of settign up has increased) but its still there - for me faff at home is preferable to faff out on the road. Have also stopped carrying tubes..anything that bad means the tube is unlikely to help and if the plugs dont work then i'll call a cab - happened once when a bit of metal sliced the tyre and i had to walk 30mins to somewhere semi civilised, then sit on the side of the road for an hour in the countryside waiting for a cab...i've had similar experiences with tubes in my 30 years of riding
I carry boots
Hello David. May I ask what sealant that you are using?
It was Orange Seal on this occasion
This would be an advert for tubular tires with sealant...
Just not worth it if you can't run 50psi or lower. So on gravel and MTB it's a no-brainer. At my size I can't run that low on 28mm road tires. So even when it seals, I'll still need to stop to add air.
We joke that you have to stop 3 times for a tubeless flat. Once to get it to seal, then again to put more air in, then a third time to put a tube in because it can't hold.
And the gunk all over the frame and varia and probably your beautiful saddlebag. I change a tube in 5mins. I prefer it over the gunk all over the place.
Lol 😂
@@user-nu5fx6en9h Well tbh it's actually not a bad comment, some tubeless sealant can stain/mark paint and carbon fiber and alloy for that matter leaving unsightly "tide" marks. In my bag of tricks, I carry a bunch of paper towels gloves and alcohol wipes to clean it all up and off my hands if I have to dig around in the tire. On the road, I dont bother with tubeless in the time that you have tried to clean, plug and add more air I've changed the tube a ridden off. Each system has its own cons, which ones are you willing to live with is up to you.
Took 1mins to wash the sealant off so quicker than changing an inner tube ;)
I've removed the gunkiest of sealant from my frame and saddlebag that was combined with a lot of dirt from the woods with a bit of alcohol. That was pretty painless.
@@davidarthur i ride tubeless on my mtb for a long time. I had one puncture and the sealant stain is still on my 2000 carbon rim, i cant get it off :/ got unlucky there but im glad you could remove it easily.
I am all for tubeless also David.
I have been tubeless on a road bike since 2013.
I would usually push a Dynaplug in and top off the air with my pump.
I used to carry 3 co2 + inflator head ( being a bit worried of not having enough air if things go wrong), but found I can carry an exceptional Silca Tatico pump for less weight and help friends out too.
Which sealant did you use in this instance ?
Thanks Dave
I have been putting sealant in my road tubes for Years. Easy, clean and quick. I even put sealant in my tubulars. Go Continental. No tubeless phaffing.
35psi on a 26c tire and it wasn't hitting the rim? Not sure I believe that
Im all about tubeless also david. All day long!
I have been running sealant in my inner tubes for decades. I have literally had hundreds of punctures seal exactly the way they do in tubeless tires. So your argument doesn't quite hold air.