Road tubeless rims and sealant

[bobswire]

I'll be installing some tubeless tires on a new set of DA 7850-tl's tubeless wheels. I've never used "tubeless" before and getting conflicting messages :argue: from friends.
Some say to use Stans or some other sealant and others tell me just run them without sealant because the sealant will foul up the rims and to just carry a tube in case of a flat.
Any sage advice would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Bob

[oldpotatoe]

I'll be installing some tubeless tires on a new set of DA 7850-tl's tubeless wheels. I've never used "tubeless" before and getting conflicting messages :argue: from friends.
Some say to use Stans or some other sealant and others tell me just run them without sealant because the sealant will foul up the rims and to just carry a tube in case of a flat.
Any sage advice would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Bob

Tubeless ready rims and tires require no goop. That is there to seal small holes.

For holes big enough to not be sealed with the goop, putting a tube in on the road is truly a mess.

[crownjewelwl]

I think you should go for sealant. While it is a mess in the case that you the puncture is so big that you need to put in a tube, it'll definitely seal up the little nicks. Sometimes the seal won't be perfect, but you will be able to get home at least.

I've had 2 punctures that the sealant "fixed" and one catastrophic puncture that required a tube. The times that the sealant did its job, I still had to patch the holes when I got home.

[Ray]

I got conflicting messages too. I've run them both ways. I've now settled on using Caffelatex sealant (the only kind that's reputed NOT to foul up the rims over time). I also carry a tube on the road. I've only had to do one on-road repair with tubeless and I didn't have any trouble at all getting the tire off the rim, getting the valve out, and getting the new tube in place with the tire back on the rim. But I've heard horror stories. And I did have an experience once where I had a hell of a time getting a tubeless valve knocked out because it was so well jammed into place and sealed. This was in my basement, so not too big a problem to solve, but would have been a bugger on the road if it had happened there. I think the sealant gives you the best odds of not having to do on-road repairs, keeps more air in the tires between rides (without sealant, I've had 'em go flat in a couple of days) and the tube gives you some level of peace of mind for on-road repairs, which should be very rare.

-Ray

[LegendRider]

I got conflicting messages too. I've run them both ways. I've now settled on using Caffelatex sealant (the only kind that's reputed NOT to foul up the rims over time). I also carry a tube on the road. I've only had to do one on-road repair with tubeless and I didn't have any trouble at all getting the tire off the rim, getting the valve out, and getting the new tube in place with the tire back on the rim. But I've heard horror stories. And I did have an experience once where I had a hell of a time getting a tubeless valve knocked out because it was so well jammed into place and sealed. This was in my basement, so not too big a problem to solve, but would have been a bugger on the road if it had happened there. I think the sealant gives you the best odds of not having to do on-road repairs, keeps more air in the tires between rides (without sealant, I've had 'em go flat in a couple of days) and the tube gives you some level of peace of mind for on-road repairs, which should be very rare.

-Ray

I've been using road tubeless for nearly 2 years and I agree 100%.

[dekindy]

I've been using road tubeless for nearly 2 years and I agree 100%.

Just to confirm, you are using CaffeLatex with good results? How often do you have to refresh?

[Pete Serotta]

Thanks, PETE


I got conflicting messages too. I've run them both ways. I've now settled on using Caffelatex sealant (the only kind that's reputed NOT to foul up the rims over time). I also carry a tube on the road. I've only had to do one on-road repair with tubeless and I didn't have any trouble at all getting the tire off the rim, getting the valve out, and getting the new tube in place with the tire back on the rim. But I've heard horror stories. And I did have an experience once where I had a hell of a time getting a tubeless valve knocked out because it was so well jammed into place and sealed. This was in my basement, so not too big a problem to solve, but would have been a bugger on the road if it had happened there. I think the sealant gives you the best odds of not having to do on-road repairs, keeps more air in the tires between rides (without sealant, I've had 'em go flat in a couple of days) and the tube gives you some level of peace of mind for on-road repairs, which should be very rare.

-Ray

[bagochips3]

I must be doing something wrong. I'm running tubeless on 2 bikes and I'd be out of air in less than 5 minutes without sealant.

Road bike has DT Swiss rims, Stan's rim tape and Hutchinson tubeless tires (Fusion until they wore out, now Intensive).

Cyclocross bike has Stan's 355 29er rims, Stan's rim tape and Hutchinson tubeless piranha tires.

I can inflate/seat the tires with a floor pump, but there is a lot of air leaking out between the tire and rim until I put sealant in and shake to distribute it.

Even if I could run these without sealant, I would use sealant. In almost 2 years, I've only had 1 puncture that I noticed, and the sealant took care of it. I use Stan's sealant, for what it's worth.

[CNY rider]

I must be doing something wrong. I'm running tubeless on 2 bikes and I'd be out of air in less than 5 minutes without sealant.

Road bike has DT Swiss rims, Stan's rim tape and Hutchinson tubeless tires (Fusion until they wore out, now Intensive).

Cyclocross bike has Stan's 355 29er rims, Stan's rim tape and Hutchinson tubeless piranha tires.

I can inflate/seat the tires with a floor pump, but there is a lot of air leaking out between the tire and rim until I put sealant in and shake to distribute it.

Even if I could run these without sealant, I would use sealant. In almost 2 years, I've only had 1 puncture that I noticed, and the sealant took care of it. I use Stan's sealant, for what it's worth.

I have the Shimano Tubeless DA wheel set, it sounds like things are different from yours.
I run them without goop, Hutchinson tubeless tires. They need air about every 3-7 days.

[Ray]

Right, running non-tubeless specific rims you pretty much HAVE to use sealant - the beads just don't seat on the rim well enough for a really tight seal otherwise. With rims that are made for tubeless, there are pros and cons to using sealant, but they'll hold air without it.

-Ray

[bobswire]

Appreciate all the replies. I just went with air this time around to see how they hold up before going to sealant.

http://i55.tinypic.com/es41g2.jpg

[Vientomas]

Campy Zonda 2 Way and Hutchinson Fusion w/ no goop. No problems holding air. No worse than latex tubes. I carry a tube for on the road punctures. I also have the Hutchinson Repair'air that I sometimes carry with me on longer rides along with a tube.

Towelie likes the Repair'air. I have to hide it from him.

[steampunk]

caffelatex for me.

and i use it with RT tires on regular (non 2-way fit) Eurus clinchers.