Tubeless Tyres

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Glasgow44

Veteran
I've been looking at Giant TCR bikes and most of them have tubeless tyres whereby a sealant plugs a puncture. Are these any good or do you think it's better to do it the old fashioned way with an inner tube? The bike shop said either the sealant or the inner tubes can be used
 
Avoid Finishline sealant; the promise of never drying out sounds good but in practice it can't seal even the smallest of holes. The the sealant I've used either side of that have been good (Joe's and Stans) and I've liked running tubeless. It might be more down to the aero gains but I set some reasonable PRs with my tubeless disc last year :okay:
 

Milzy

Guru
Avoid Finishline sealant; the promise of never drying out sounds good but in practice it can't seal even the smallest of holes. The the sealant I've used either side of that have been good (Joe's and Stans) and I've liked running tubeless. It might be more down to the aero gains but I set some reasonable PRs with my tubeless disc last year :okay:
I’ve got a MTB that was sealed with Joes juice 4 years ago, the tires haven’t been re-pumped for 3 years & they’re still hard.
 

Will Spin

Über Member
Most of the tubeless tyres that are available for road bikes are lightweight, fast tyres. They can be run at a lower pressure than tubeless so you will also get a more comfortable ride. However being lightweight tyres means that if you ride in the wet and on puncture prone roads the tyres won't last very long before you get a large cut that cannot be repaired. Be prepared to spend a lot of money on tyres with a short life. The other downside is that in my experience there is quite a lot of effort involved in fitting and maintenance.
 
I wouldn’t advise running tubeless tyres ( in tubeless configuration) on a road bike. They work brilliantly on a mountain bike, where you can run them at lower pressures than you can with a tube in tyre combo, which aids comfort, grip, and traction, on rough surfaces, without risking a pinch flat. The typically relatively lower pressures used in mountain bike type tyres, also means that should you get an intrusion puncture, the loss of pressure, and the rate at which the pressure is lost, is not great enough / makes enough of a noticeable difference in handling, as quickly as with a typical road tyre. If you get an intrusion puncture, with a tubeless set up, on a typical road bike, as you’re coming into a downhill corner, you’ll discover a whole new level of scary. If you cut the tyre badly enough to be beyond the help of the sealant, and or a ‘worm’ ( little plugs you can put in bigger holes) and you have to resort to using an inner tube to get you home, you a) negate the point of having the tubeless set up, and b) probably won’t be able to seat the tyre properly, at the roadside, with a hand pump. So basically, tubeless on an off road / MTB, is a great idea, but on a road bike, it’s about as good an idea as Hitler invading Poland, in 1939.
 

iluvmybike

Über Member
Tubeless tyres are perfectly ok on road bikes and there is a reasonable choice of tyre - getting better all the time. Have never had to use worms or anything and getting a slashed sidewall is bad whatever tyre type you might have. If you have a non-tubeless tyre on a tubeless rim the only 'problem' may be it being hard to get tyres on/off - I say may as it depends on exact tyre/rim combo. I've run tubeless for a few years now and never had any problems. Care in setting them up is the key - or if unsure get your LBS to do it for you.
 
Currently running IRC Formula X-guard on the commuter ;

https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collec...irc-formula-pro-fusion-x-guard-tubeless-tyres

Had no issues(or punctures) over the last four months and wearing well with few cuts, no problems holding 30kph+ either so not a 'slow' tyre.

Just swapped them from an Archetype rim to a Halo Vapour rim and they popped on first time (with the scary/satisfying 'crack" that Vapours do:blink:).

Oh and use Effetto sealant;the other better one I've used for road tyres has been Orange sealant,jury's still out on the Finish Line.
 

colly

Re member eR
Location
Leeds
If you get an intrusion puncture, with a tubeless set up, on a typical road bike, as you’re coming into a downhill corner, you’ll discover a whole new level of scary. .

If by 'intrusion puncture' you mean a catastrophic deflation I agree that would be awful. But any more awful than on a tubed set up?
 
If by 'intrusion puncture' you mean a catastrophic deflation I agree that would be awful. But any more awful than on a tubed set up?
A lot worse, because on a tubeless set up you’ll probably only lose enough pressure to make the bike squirm, but not enough for you to notice it’s happened. If you get a puncture on a descent with a tubed set up, the tyre will usually be completely flat so quickly that you won’t accidentally turn into the corner, because you’ll have a very obviously flat tyre. I’m not talking the sort of “catastrophic” puncture that would totally flat either set up, just the ones that will end up in a total flat on a tubed set up, but be caught by the sealant ( with a loss of enough pressure to catch you out in the corner) on the tubeless set up.
 
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Glasgow44

Veteran
Thanks everyone who replied. I'm going to think about things as the whole tubeless thing is new to me; the bike shop did say that I don't have to have tubeless, I can put in an inner tube if I like. I'm going to have a think.

Thanks again.

J
 

Milzy

Guru
Thanks everyone who replied. I'm going to think about things as the whole tubeless thing is new to me; the bike shop did say that I don't have to have tubeless, I can put in an inner tube if I like. I'm going to have a think.

Thanks again.

J
Put in latex tubes.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
Thanks everyone who replied. I'm going to think about things as the whole tubeless thing is new to me; the bike shop did say that I don't have to have tubeless, I can put in an inner tube if I like. I'm going to have a think.
Thanks again.
J
Both the wheelsets for my commuter are tubeless ready, but I run tubes in them. Largely because tubes are actually pretty damn reliable and I get one or two punctures a year - usually when the tyre is close to end of life. It's nice to know that I have the option of moving to tubeless, but I'm in no real rush.
 
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