I've only ever used clinchers with tubes. Since the 90s, I've only used high puncture-resistant tyres (Marathons and Vittoria Randonneurs). Iirc, I haven't had a puncture since the 90s. I ride mostly on rural narrow (single track) lanes but I will venture onto tracks, paths and towpaths; I also ride on city roads (utility rides). Some of my riding is fully loaded touring. I currently have a touring bike and a folding bike. I started cycling in earnest in the late 70s and certainly got more punctures in the 70s/80s/90s but they were never a common occurrence - I can't remember but I would be surprised if I ever had more than 5 a year and I suspect it was more like one or two a year (except for when I took to riding inside the factory I worked in and started picking up swarf in my tyres - I didn't do it for long).
Tubular vs Tubeless vs Clincher tyres
- Thread starter Anonymous1502
- Start date
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PaulSB
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
I have clinchers on my older bikes and now have two newer bikes with tubeless. I'm happy with either system.
I've never had a particular problem with punctures on clinchers as I am pretty anal about checking my tyres for foreign objects and correctly inflating them before every ride. A five minute task saving much roadside frustration. I've ridden Gatorskins all year round for as long as I can remember.
My experience with tubeless is very positive with one exception. Overall the ride is more comfortable, faster and I think safer but this is last one is more about the tyre quality - GP5000 are superb tyres.
The downside is if you do puncture fitting a tube is a real pain. This year I've been unlucky to twice hit glass which wrecked the tyre, no amount of sealant will fix a 0.5cm gash. Removing the tyre was easy enough but installing an inner tube in the rain was a nightmare. I've always talced my tubes. I found myself by the roadside battling wheel, tyre and inner tube each of which had was covered in a sludgy mess of sealant, water and talc!!! 😄😄
I've learned the lesson, spare tubes are no longer talced and I carry a small piece of cotton cloth to clean the sealant from the tyre and wheel before installing the tube.
I've never had a particular problem with punctures on clinchers as I am pretty anal about checking my tyres for foreign objects and correctly inflating them before every ride. A five minute task saving much roadside frustration. I've ridden Gatorskins all year round for as long as I can remember.
My experience with tubeless is very positive with one exception. Overall the ride is more comfortable, faster and I think safer but this is last one is more about the tyre quality - GP5000 are superb tyres.
The downside is if you do puncture fitting a tube is a real pain. This year I've been unlucky to twice hit glass which wrecked the tyre, no amount of sealant will fix a 0.5cm gash. Removing the tyre was easy enough but installing an inner tube in the rain was a nightmare. I've always talced my tubes. I found myself by the roadside battling wheel, tyre and inner tube each of which had was covered in a sludgy mess of sealant, water and talc!!! 😄😄
I've learned the lesson, spare tubes are no longer talced and I carry a small piece of cotton cloth to clean the sealant from the tyre and wheel before installing the tube.
Did you try plugging the puncture?
PaulSB
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
No I didn't as it was too large. When I say 0.5cm gash I really mean a 0.5cm gash!!!!! Really unlucky to get two of these in a month.
I do carry plugs and have used once. It did an excellent job. Well worth carrying if running tubeless.
Am I reading half a cm or 5cm, I have never used a plug yet but I have pulled a lot of thorns out of a tubeless tyres that never slowed the ride but would have done if I had tubes in.
PaulSB
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
Half a centimetre and tyre wrecking!! Nothing plugs a tyre which may as well have been slashed with a razor blade!
Yes, I've removed lots of foreign objects from tubeless tyres which might have punctured clinchers. Tubeless definitely work. When I bobbed in to the LBS to get one of the gashed tyres replaced we checked it over and found six nicks which might have caused a puncture on a tubed tyre.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
I plugged a mates tubeless disc wheel that had a 0.5cm gash, it took a couple of goes and patience, carefully rotating the wheel and tipping it to one side to allow sealant to seal round the plug. It was then good enough for him to do a 21minute 10miles TT
PaulSB
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
Worth knowing, thanks. I only looked at the gash and thought "no chance." I'll keep it in mind.I plugged a mates tubeless disc wheel that had a 0.5cm gash, it took a couple of goes and patience, carefully rotating the wheel and tipping it to one side to allow sealant to seal round the plug. It was then good enough for him to do a 21minute 10miles TT
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
The lowest rolling resistance is actually from a good wired-on tyre with a latex tube, which is slightly better than a good tubeless.
Of course, even a good tubular will be better than a cheap tubeless - the lightness and flexibility of the carcass are paramount, as well as the tread compound.
Of course, even a good tubular will be better than a cheap tubeless - the lightness and flexibility of the carcass are paramount, as well as the tread compound.
andrew_s
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gloucester
CO2 is acidic (or is when it dissolves), and the change in pH of the sealant makes the latex in latex-based sealants coagulate into lumps.
Not all sealants are latex based, but most are.
I use clinchers.
I'd need new wheels for tubeless, and don't intend to spend the money to avoid the minor irritation of having to mend the occasional puncture.
Besides which, sometimes you'd have to resort to a tube even with tubeless*, and my theory is that that's going to be infrequent enough that you would probably be unprepared when it doid happen. Apart from lack of practice, there would be several months for the tyre levers or other requisite tool to end up in a different saddlebag than the one on the bike.
* My most definitive "sealant wouldn't cope" puncture was hitting something outside Nice airport that put a two inch gash in one tyre, and an inch and a half gash in the other. Being properly prepared, I fixed it, made the flight, and rode home from Heathrow.
- Location
- Inside my skull
5mm easily pluggable.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Cost aside which is perfectly understandable; yes sealant wouldn't cope with that on solo rides (most rides just now) I'll carry a spare tube to back up tubeless. I needed it once on the lejog when my tyre unseated due to the aforementioned cr@p Finishline sealant but touch wood in 2.5 years (circa 12,500 miles) since Ive never needed its replacement but it is there for those emergencies
(given I'm getting close to 13,000 
).I really recommend tubular. Just make sure your butler carries a correct replacement wheelset if you puncture. It is so hard to find a good help nowadays.
Richard A Thackeray
Legendary Member
Many years ago, I used Tubs for 'cross
This was in the early-mid 90's, so there wasn't a lot of choice for a 'wired' bead tyre
Getting them running straight on the rim wasn't as important as it was for a road tyre
This was in the early-mid 90's, so there wasn't a lot of choice for a 'wired' bead tyre
Getting them running straight on the rim wasn't as important as it was for a road tyre
