Faux tubeless tyres

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Drago

Legendary Member
It doesn't need to adhere. You can use a gel wrapper, crisp packet or a fiver. It just needs to bridge the slash and the inflated tube holds it in place. Agreed it can be a messy job but you will be mobile again once it is done. With this 'innovation' there is no fixing a slash cut. Where I ride these are not uncommon due to the amount of flint around.

I've tried it all, including swearing. At 0230hrs in the dark 4 miles from the nearest civilisation, pithing down with rain, it just wasn't happening for me.
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
I assumed it was a spoof, but nobody seems to be pointing and laughing.

I would have many questions if I could be bothered to take it seriously and ask them. But I can't.

I shan't bother with the touring bike because it runs low-pressure 38mm tyres, and the tubeless set-up works fine. Tubeless is more problematic with narrow high-pressures (though I've had very few issues), so I'll probably go this route with those.
 

Dogtrousers

Lefty tighty. Get it righty.
I shan't bother with the touring bike because it runs low-pressure 38mm tyres, and the tubeless set-up works fine. Tubeless is more problematic with narrow high-pressures (though I've had very few issues), so I'll probably go this route with those.

I've used both tubes and tubeless. I don't have major problems with either. This new idea seems to massively overcomplicate things for no reason at all.
 

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Über Member
Location
Hampshire, UK
One day I'll get around to trying tubeless on a bike, but getting less than ten punctures in the last ~8.5 years of spring-autumn recreational riding, doesn't give me a sense of urgency... Last one I can remember was summer '21, coming back from finally climbing the Southwick roundabouts climb for a first time into a headwind.

Mix of latex and butyl tubes on my bikes.
 

figbat

Former slippery scientist
I’m a huge advocate for tubeless… in the right place. All my MTBs are tubeless and have been for years. Absolute game changer. However I have not gone tubeless on my road bike and likely never will as the benefit case is much weaker IMHO.
 
Location
Loch side.
You're deforming more material than pure tubeless, but by joining them youre eliminating movement between the two surfaces which is responsible for a fair sum of rolling resistance on tubed tyres.

The hysteresis in tyre and tube will depend on the type of glue used. And by the very nature of the bond, it has to be the wrong type of glue i.e. flexible. There will be damped movement between the tyre and tube, in the glue. That will suck some return energy out of the combo. It is the same effect as soft glue on tubular tyres. In tdhe old days before rims were anosised, there was always black rouge on the rim underneath the glue. That's from the tubular squirming via the glue, on the aluminium rim.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
I would have many questions if I could be bothered to take it seriously and ask them. But I can't.
This is rather dismissive. Buckle up and let's hear a few of your "many questions". "Can't" means "haven't yet done" my father used to say (bang on about).
 

Dogtrousers

Lefty tighty. Get it righty.
This is rather dismissive. Buckle up and let's hear a few of your "many questions". "Can't" means "haven't yet done" my father used to say (bang on about).

There's a reason why it sounds rather dismissive. It looks to me like a Heath Robinson contraption designed to solve non existent problems, and problems that are more easily solved by other, simpler, means.

The ability to remove a tyre without "Bathing yourself in solvent". Anyone who has removed a tubeless tyre with the intent of changing the sealant will know that the it is very happy in the tyre and doesn't want to come out. It sloshes around in the U of the tyre and if you want to get it out it just won't comply. "bathing yourself in solvent" my backside. A bit of solvent on your hands is not "bathing".

"Without the usual struggle of mounting." It's a learning curve. I did struggle to begin with, it's a matter of acquiring skills. But there are easier ways of mitigating this such as high throughput valves. I regard it as a non problem. Granted it would be tricky at the roadside but that's a very rare scenario and one that hardly warrants a complicated solution like this when it's adequately catered for by the simple expedient of carrying a spare tube.

"This provides rigidity" No it doesn't. Air pressure provides rigidity, and it does this regardless of whether a tube is present.

"provides ... thickness to enable sealant to plug the hole" another non problem. The tyre alone provides this in a tubeless setup.

"But what if you have a non-tubeless ready wheelset" Then use Slime tubes (or similar). I've never tried these so I don't know what problems they present. "But the thin casing and flexibility mean that, if you get a puncture, the tube doesn’t tend to seal properly and will leak air and sealant into the space between the tube and the tyre casing". Oh really? I didn't know that. So this contraption might have some advantage, I'll grant that. Score one to the weird glued in tubes. However, my solution to having a non tubeless wheelset is simply to run tubes, carry spares and patches, and not bother with sealant at all.

And what are you supposed to do in the event that your glued-in tube fails? (Valve failure; Tyre split and blowout needing a boot; Sealant all expelled ... ) How are you supposed to fit a spare? Faff around unpeeling the glued in one? Cut it away leaving the glued in remnants in place? Carry a spare tyre?

"Tubeless tyres also run the risk of rolling off a rim in the event of sudden air loss." Not in general they don't. It's a specific problem with hookless rims. If anything, tubeless setups tend to be harder to get off.

"It solves all the problems with tubeless," he claims. No it doesn't. It might solve some problems with sealant filled tubes in non-tubeless setups, but as far as tubeless goes the problems it solves are either non existent or more easily solved by much simpler means.
 
Last edited:

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
what are you supposed to do in the event that your glued-in tube fails? (Valve failure; Tyre split and blowout needing a boot; Sealant all expelled ... ) How are you supposed to fit a spare? Faff around unpeeling the glued in one? Cut it away leaving the glued in remnants in place? Carry a spare tyre?
Ah a question at last! @Ian H has explained that the beauty (OK attraction) is that you can just peel out the tube from the tyre (adhesion achieved with tub glue) and insert the tube you carry, inflate and ride on. No faff; we are told.
HTH
 

Dogtrousers

Lefty tighty. Get it righty.
Ah a question at last! @Ian H has explained that the beauty (OK attraction) is that you can just peel out the tube from the tyre (adhesion achieved with tub glue) and insert the tube you carry, inflate and ride on. No faff; we are told.
HTH

Oh joy. So, not irreversible. I'll take a dozen
 
Top Bottom