Specialized Tubelesss- Observations and ?s

[WWKayaker]

So I just set up my my first set of tubeless tires on a road bike. Actually, my first set of tubeless tires ever. I mounted the Specialized 26 mm Turbo tubeless on my wheels with Pacenti SL 23 rims. I did this because I am headed to New Mexico for a trip where goatherds are rampant.

Before this I was running Compass Chinook Pass( 28 mm) tires with latex tubes. That combo measured out at 30 mm on my rims and were quite comfy, ( at 88 psi rear and 85 psi front), grippy and fast( by my perception). They did however tend to flat with the smallest glass shards, which didn't bode well for goatheads.

I rode the tubeless setup today ( 93 miles) at 85 psi. These rode remarkably more stiffly transmitting quite a bit of road noise from the chip seal. They felt more like the days of 23 mm Michelin Axial Pros at 105 psi. Next time out, I think I will try about 78 psi. The feel of these tires is so different from what I am used to that I am thinking that maybe I should have just gone with sealant in my latex tubes and stuck with the Compasss tires for the upcoming trip.

How low in pressure can I go without maybe burping a tire on a corner or pothole? They are tight enough that I don't think a bead coming off is going to be a problem at any pressure.

Is anyone here thrilled with these tires? They are reportedly fast, though I'm not.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by WWKayaker

So I just set up my my first set of tubeless tires on a road bike. Actually, my first set of tubeless tires ever. I mounted the Specialized 26 mm Turbo tubeless on my wheels with Pacenti SL 23 rims. I did this because I am headed to New Mexico for a trip where goatherds are rampant.

Before this I was running Compass Chinook Pass( 28 mm) tires with latex tubes. That combo measured out at 30 mm on my rims and were quite comfy, ( at 88 psi rear and 85 psi front), grippy and fast( by my perception). They did however tend to flat with the smallest glass shards, which didn't bode well for goatheads.

I rode the tubeless setup today ( 93 miles) at 85 psi. These rode remarkably more stiffly transmitting quite a bit of road noise from the chip seal. They felt more like the days of 23 mm Michelin Axial Pros at 105 psi. Next time out, I think I will try about 78 psi. The feel of these tires is so different from what I am used to that I am thinking that maybe I should have just gone with sealant in my latex tubes and stuck with the Compasss tires for the upcoming trip.

How low in pressure can I go without maybe burping a tire on a corner or pothole? They are tight enough that I don't think a bead coming off is going to be a problem at any pressure.

Is anyone here thrilled with these tires? They are reportedly fast, though I'm not.

I don't have a huge amount of experience with tubeless but 'no such thing as a free lunch'...sidewalls need to be stiffer to be able to be 'tubeless' and still be safe. ymmv and all that.

[CNY rider]

How much do you weigh? Your pressures seem high.
I'm 150 pounds and run my GB 700 X 28 at 70 rear/65 front.
I go about 5 pounds lower when using tubeless tires.

[thermalattorney]

They casing is probably very different, but don't forget that you also lost a lot of volume.

I went back and forth between Hutchinson's Sector 28 (30mm) and Fusion 3 25mm (26mm). They were both tubeless, but the smaller tires had a worse ride quality.

Consider a pair of Schwalbe Pro One 28mm or the Sectors I mentioned above. You'll get something in the 29-30mm range and a whole lotta cush.

[scharny]

I run Schwalbe One 28mm tires with Stans sealant on Ultegra tubeless-ready rims at 60 psi on gravel roads and cracked pavement and have experienced only one flat (large puncture, sealant was old) in a year. I weigh 180 lbs.

[ripvanrando]

The specialized s-works 26mm tubeless has not flatted in 1000 miles on my front wheel. The schwalbe pro one 28mm tubeless flat all the time for me. I hate them. I'm currently messing around with compass el Jon Bon tubeless. None of the have earned my love. I run the specialized 75psi and it is ok but not real comfy but it seems pretty fast as does the schwalbe. I might just go back to 28mm Conti 4000s with latex tubes and sealant but they are a bit stiff The specialized ain't worth $105 plus tax. I spent a decent amount of time evaluTing all four tires for a cross country ride starting next Saturday. The specialized are fastr than the 28mm compass tires but for sure aRe not s comfortable due to less volume and probably stiffer sidewalls

[nate2351]

I switched from tubeless back to tubed tires because of the ride quality.

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by scharny

I run Schwalbe One 28mm tires with Stans sealant on Ultegra tubeless-ready rims at 60 psi on gravel roads and cracked pavement and have experienced only one flat (large puncture, sealant was old) in a year. I weigh 180 lbs.

I was running the 30/32 Spec 2Bliss on the same rims with Orange Seal and had a burping problem out of nowhere while spectating stage one of the ATOC. I went back to tubes the next day.

[feta99]

For your application I would recommend the Schwalbe One 28mm. I have those on my cross commuter and they are great. I'm surprised about your experience with the Specialized tires. They supposedly have a nice tubeless tire, but very expensive.

[WWKayaker]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am not really considering any options other than riding the Specialized Turbo Tubeless and the Compass Chinook Pass until I wear those out as both of those tires are too expensive to just shelve/ give away. I'm thinking of using the Tubeless ones in goat head land and for in city riding and the Compass tires for the rural/ chipseal stuff here in Western WA.

I rode the Spec. Tubeless today for 73 miles at 78 psi front and back. No chip seal today, but even on average pavement there was a huge difference in comfort on these tires between 85 and 78 psi. If I look at Leonard Zinn's tire speed test, dropping to the lower of these two pressures with the Hutchinson Atom 23, and assuming that these tires behave similarly to the Hutchinsons( not necessarily a valid assumption) I would be giving up about 1.5 watts per tire. Not terrible for the change in comfort.

Too bad Mr. Zinn didn't review the Compass tires. Probably too low a market share to get on his radar. Maybe Jan Heine can send him a few tires.