Tubless or not for road bikes?

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Definitely.

Maybe.
 

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
I've done nearly 6000km on tubeless.

My front blew out at speed and I couldn't get it resealed so had to get picked up. Damage to the sidewall - probably could have limped home with a tyre boot on tubed tyres- though because the tubeless clicks into the rim, that probably helped me stay upright till I stopped (I was doing about 40k/h when it happened)

No other issues to report with them so far.
 
OP
OP
Scott addict

Scott addict

Active Member
Location
Cumbria
I've done nearly 6000km on tubeless.

My front blew out at speed and I couldn't get it resealed so had to get picked up. Damage to the sidewall - probably could have limped home with a tyre boot on tubed tyres- though because the tubeless clicks into the rim, that probably helped me stay upright till I stopped (I was doing about 40k/h when it happened)

No other issues to report with them so far.
Wow 40k thats flying,I'm not so fast 15mph is my average speed.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
I'm still on tubes and probably will never switch. Heard too many stories of tubeless not sealing, very difficult to put on and still need to carry tubes to get you home. My tyres are 20mm to 28mm on my various bikes and reading the stories, tubeless work well on wider tyres, but not so good on the narrow ones.

Think I am just too old now to change my spots.
 
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13 rider

Guru
Location
leicester
I bought a new bike in Feb 2019 which came with tubeless ready wheels so I gave it a go . 8100 miles later Ive not had to stop at the roadside to fix a puncture . Had a couple of punctures that sealed while still riding .
A bit more of a faff to set up and I believe will be difficult to fit a tube at the roadside and get it to seat properly is the downside to it
Another plus is you can run lower pressures as no worries abou pinch flats so a comfy ride
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
I bought a new bike in Feb 2019 which came with tubeless ready wheels so I gave it a go . 8100 miles later Ive not had to stop at the roadside to fix a puncture . Had a couple of punctures that sealed while still riding .
A bit more of a faff to set up and I believe will be difficult to fit a tube at the roadside and get it to seat properly is the downside to it
Another plus is you can run lower pressures as no worries about pinch flats so a comfy ride
What size tyres do you ride?
 
You'll get 3 answers:

1) Many that have never tried it and say it's crap because xxxxx
2) Those that have tried it and have had a poor experience as it is more complex to set up, they'll of course say they won't try it again
3) And those that have had success and are brainwashed by it's advantages

I'm in category 3 and enjoy riding without any spare tube but do rely on being able to have a minor puncture that seals itself or something more serious that needs a worm and maybe some milk (i do carry 60ml of milk). One day i'll have a TL tyre failure that can't be fixed at the roadside and for that i have a plan (it does involve a kitchen upgrade though:ohmy:)
 

AndyRM

XOXO
Location
North Shields
You'll get 3 answers:

1) Many that have never tried it and say it's crap because xxxxx
2) Those that have tried it and have had a poor experience as it is more complex to set up, they'll of course say they won't try it again
3) And those that have had success and are brainwashed by it's advantages

I'm in category 3 and enjoy riding without any spare tube but do rely on being able to have a minor puncture that seals itself or something more serious that needs a worm and maybe some milk (i do carry 60ml of milk). One day i'll have a TL tyre failure that can't be fixed at the roadside and for that i have a plan (it does involve a kitchen upgrade though:ohmy:)

Milk? Surely not the stuff you drink?
 

footloose crow

Über Member
Location
Cornwall. UK
Tubeless 32mm Panaracer Gravel Kings on road bike. Riding rural back lanes. Pressure at 50/55psi. Mavic All Road wheels. Bike + me weigh 82kg.

Small punctures have sealed without me noticing them at the time.

Previous tyres (Mavic) both got big splits from hitting potholes. First time I fixed it with a tyre worm. Went in easily enough and got me home where I patched the tyre. Second time the gash was too big to use tyre worms (I tried!) so put an inner tube in and rode a further hilly fifty miles without a problem. Putting an inner tube in is a bit messy because of the sealant but I had been advised to carry latex gloves and a small rag and that kept the mess to a minimum.

Mavic tyres are unimpressive (IMO) but the Panaracers have been brilliant and I can even set them up with a basic track pump. So if you run wider tyres (say 30mm +) at lower pressures, like to ride on dirty, thorn infested, broken back lanes and don't want to stop for puncture repairs, tubeless works well. Putting in an inner tube in the worst case scenario is no harder than it is with clinchers.
 
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