Who here is running tubeless tires?

[bikerboy337]

Planning to run a set of campy two-way fits as tubeless. going to us Hutchinson Fusion 3s

Anyone have any advice? What sealant have you used? Any good/bad experiences?

I'm running conti 4000s clinchers right now, and the wheels are amazing, but i figure i should give tubeless a try to decide if i like it...

any thoughts would be great...

not looking for thoughts on wether the technology is good/bad, etc... just looking for thoughts from users on use/sealants/etc.

[SpeedyChix]

Started with Stans in a set that I was using for CX, not a good thing on the Shimano tubeless rims. So when I set them up for road use with the Fusion tires I switched to Cafe Latex. Working well enough and doesn't attack the rim. Ran this set up over a host of terrain, fine pavement and some rough gravel descents that resulted in some of the folks on tubulars getting flats.

Some tires and rims will set up easier than others. Also hold air, the S-works tubeless road tires I have on their now need to have air added from time to time. If I don't ride them for a few weeks, they don't stay seated.

Still have another wheelset with fatter road tires / wider rims that I grab other days.

[maxn]

I've been running Fusion 3 tubeless on Dura Ace 7900 C24TLs for ~500 km and am quite happy with them. I will say that mounting those things was hell. The first one went on after a lot of swearing, and popped into place with a floor pump. The second took much longer to mount, and would not lock into the channels with a floor pump or compressed air. I eventually dismounted and remounted it, and I was able to get it to work with a floor pump. I used effetto caffe latex injected through the valve (the valves that came with the wheels do not have a removable core so i just hoped for the best and cleared them with a jet of aur afterwards). I was amazed at the number and quantity of small holes that the latex sealed... my guess is that they were damaged in the mounting process. I found that Pedros levers were the only things that would work. Getting them on by hand is crazy talk.

Once mounted, I've had no problems, and while the rubber doesnt feel quite as sticky as say Pro 3s, the lower pressure = a comfier ride with plenty of grip.

[Cinci Jim]

I've been running Fusion 3 tubeless on Dura Ace 7900 C24TLs for ~500 km and am quite happy with them. I will say that mounting those things was hell. The first one went on after a lot of swearing, and popped into place with a floor pump. The second took much longer to mount, and would not lock into the channels with a floor pump or compressed air. I eventually dismounted and remounted it, and I was able to get it to work with a floor pump. I used effetto caffe latex injected through the valve (the valves that came with the wheels do not have a removable core so i just hoped for the best and cleared them with a jet of aur afterwards). I was amazed at the number and quantity of small holes that the latex sealed... my guess is that they were damaged in the mounting process. I found that Pedros levers were the only things that would work. Getting them on by hand is crazy talk.

Once mounted, I've had no problems, and while the rubber doesnt feel quite as sticky as say Pro 3s, the lower pressure = a comfier ride with plenty of grip.

I have the same setup. I did not use any of the goo that some use - I find I have no trouble with out it. I have some worries about being goo less and getting a flat, but not too much.

Mounting is a bear! I used some water sprayed on the bead to help get a seal. I could not have done it with out an air compressor. My advice - drop them off at abike shop and have them do it, money well spent.

[maxn]

ah, forgot to mention that I used soapy water on the tire.

As far as the compressor goes, I only had our lab house which goes to 7 bar I think.. i.e. not very high. I think some people recommend removing the core (if you have one) to get a larger volume of air in to seat the beads

did you use levers?

[SpeedyChix]

I did swap out the valves to some w/ removable cores. Also use the mtb tire mounting method of soapy water to help with the initial mount/seat.

[Ray]

I have two sets of tubeless. If you ride a lot, they're definitely worth the small extra hassle relative to clinchers. I never had the problems mounting them that others have, was able to do it by hand on one set of Fulcrum Racing Zeros and one set of Shimano carbon rim tubeless. I use Cafe Latex as well. The only real hassle I've had was getting one tire to seat well was kind of tough - I had to put a tube in it and nuke the psi and just leave it for a couple of days and then I took the tube out and all was fine. And I had one flat that I had to fix with a tube on a ride and the biggest problem was getting the tubeless valve out of the rim to get the tube in - I needed to use a rock and pretty well trashed the valve. But they're not that expensive and I was able to get home.

I have both sets on sale in the classified because I'm not riding as much anymore, but I'm kind of hoping only one set sells because I really like tubeless and, who knows, I may have just taken a year off - I'm feeling the urge to get back in shape and get back on it next spring. We'll see.

-Ray

[dekindy]

I have Shimano 7850SL's that I initially ran Hutchinson Road Tubeless Fusion 2's but switched to Intensives when they became available for the extra durability.

Two punctures have not been sealed with Stan's and they were small enough that I thought they should and besides that since I do not have removeable valve cores it is extremely messy. Plan to switch to CaffeLatex because it can be installed through the valve core but currently running without sealant until Spring.

Installing the tire requires soapy water and manipulating the bead near the valve to get a seal. Much easier if I take it to the LBS and use their compressor. Seals right away and you don't waste sealant sealing the bead.

Last rear Intensive got 3,000+ miles which is twice the mileage that I get with a Continental 4000S. Some say the Intensive ride is harsher but I do not notice much if any difference. I have new Fusion 3's that I will try next and they are supposed to be more puncture resistant than the 2's but not sure about durability.

I like the ride, lack of tube to mess with or pinch flat, and extra safety that the bead will not come off the rim. Still hopeful that the CaffeLatex will be more effective at sealing punctures.

[Tommasini53]

Planning to run a set of campy two-way fits as tubeless. going to us Hutchinson Fusion 3s

Anyone have any advice? What sealant have you used? Any good/bad experiences?

I'm running conti 4000s clinchers right now, and the wheels are amazing, but i figure i should give tubeless a try to decide if i like it...

any thoughts would be great...

not looking for thoughts on wether the technology is good/bad, etc... just looking for thoughts from users on use/sealants/etc.

I started riding tubeless this summer...its very nice ride. I have 3 sets of wheels and all are tubeless now. They are all ghetto tubeless with Stan's conversions. Like I said, they are a great ride, similar to tubulars.

My thoughts:
Installation-- use alot of soapy water. I installed my tires with 12g co2 cartridges and as long as I soaped up the tire, it took on the first try. If the tire is not sealing to the rim immediately....you're not using enough soapy water.

I'm using Stan's solution and that works well. Keep in mind that the latex coagulates in 5-6 weeks. So you'll need to add that to the maintence schedule.

Flats: I had my first puncuture last week. I used a Hutchinson latex/co2 can to get home. It took a couple minutes to seal so I suggest also having a co2 cartridge along. When i removed the tire that night, I found the Stan's solution had coagulated so it did not have all the sealing abilities since it had been in the tire for 5 or 6 weeks.

I do like the set up...and I'm looking forward to the new tires coming out.
Currently I'm usinge the Fusion 23c and Intensive 25c. Both are nice, but I like the Intensives for gravel and training. Enjoy... :beer:

[weaponsgrade]

dura ace 7850sl w/ Hutchinson fusions. Getting them mounted was a nightmare. They seem to offer a nicer ride than the pro races I was running previously. Not using any sealant but I carry a can of fast air. One of the tires leaks a lot more air between rides than the other

[brook_63]

me been riding tubeless on mtb for over 5 years, and a 29er for over 8 years, so i like to try new ideas.

switched over to road tubeless 2 years ago, not one flat, and i live in norcal and we have crap roads.


first set of fusion 2's almost had a heart attack trying to mount..then went to Stan's site and followed the directions exactly.

tons of soapy water, mount tire in opposite direction of valve stem, seat in middle, hang on stand, pump with hand pump. easiest mount ever.

using Stan's and Fusion 3's now, and hope for more manu's to give us more choices. maybe some day vitt evo corsa tubeless, nah i am dreaming.

best ride quality with my steel custom frame ever. fast smooth and quiet.

good luck

[martinrjensen]

Here in the North West I get an easy year out of the sealantI started riding tubeless this summer...its very nice ride. I have 3 sets of wheels and all are tubeless now. They are all ghetto tubeless with Stan's conversions. Like I said, they are a great ride, similar to tubulars.

My thoughts:
Installation-- use alot of soapy water. I installed my tires with 12g co2 cartridges and as long as I soaped up the tire, it took on the first try. If the tire is not sealing to the rim immediately....you're not using enough soapy water.

I'm using Stan's solution and that works well. Keep in mind that the latex coagulates in 5-6 weeks. So you'll need to add that to the maintence schedule.

Flats: I had my first puncuture last week. I used a Hutchinson latex/co2 can to get home. It took a couple minutes to seal so I suggest also having a co2 cartridge along. When i removed the tire that night, I found the Stan's solution had coagulated so it did not have all the sealing abilities since it had been in the tire for 5 or 6 weeks.

I do like the set up...and I'm looking forward to the new tires coming out.
Currently I'm usinge the Fusion 23c and Intensive 25c. Both are nice, but I like the Intensives for gravel and training. Enjoy... :beer:

[Ray]

I'm using Stan's solution and that works well. Keep in mind that the latex coagulates in 5-6 weeks. So you'll need to add that to the maintence schedule.

Wow, really? Using Cafe Latex, I get a full riding season. So I'd just replace it every spring, ride through Autumn, and then probably just use clinchers for any winter riding anyway. The sealant wouldn't be much use those last few months of the year, but then neither am I.

-Ray

[SHOCK]

My Ksyriums have Hutchinson Fusion 3 Tubeless and my Zipp 101's are running the Intensive 25c...converted with Stans. I run sealant in both and I have had great luck with this set up. I did have one issue with the Stan's valves on the 101's. The drilled hole is just slightly too big...the rubber seal can pull through the rim hole. This happened on a ride and I was able to actually pressurize the tire enough to get home on it. I think that the Stan's sealant sealed enough for it to work. I did have to get the sealant out of the rim which was a PITA...but it is all good now. I have since switched to a Mavic valve and I have been trouble free. I run 90 psi in the front and 95 psi in the rear...I am 170 lbs. The Intensives are my favorite and once I run through the Fusion 3 tires I will put Intensive on the Ksyriums.

I did have a funny incident when removing a piece of glass on a rear tire earlier this spring. I used a pick to pull it out and I got shot right in the forehead with some Stan's...which immediately filled the hole. I wear saftey glasses when I do it now!

[bikerboy337]

does anyone know what sealant Campy reccomends for their two-way fit? I thought i read somewhere that they're pretty specific with the sealant, some have ammonia or something and cant be used with the campy wheels (for warranty purpose)?

Any insight?

Thanks all... good to see all these thoughts... i'm not planning on running these until spring, so i'm just getting stuff ready to set them up in a few months... the roads are too bad right now, dont want to start off with bad roads...

[maxn]

Cafe Latex does not contain ammonia

http://www.effettomariposa.eu/en/products/caffelatex-family/caffelatex-sealant/

[Vientomas]

Campy Zonda 2 Way Fit. No sealant. Followed directions for mounting Fusion 2's with little problem. They lose more air pressure than a tubed tire between rides. Running 80 to 85 psi. Great ride overall. Hope you enjoy it.

[reidbeloni]

Cafe Latex does not contain ammonia

http://www.effettomariposa.eu/en/products/caffelatex-family/caffelatex-sealant/


I've been run a variety of DA wheels tubeless with hutchinson fusion 3 or atom tires in the past. Generally I love it. My advice is in regards to sealant. I've used Caffe Latex mostly because I have a bunch of it for whatever reason. In theory it should work really well, especially on the sidewalls because of the foaming action. However, to my knowledge, Caffe Latex only sealed two out of approximately six flats I got while running it. One time it sealed I didn't even have to stop riding for it to seal! Which I thought was super cool. However, every other time, even if I stopped and put more air in it with a frame pump, rolled the tire around, and all the other tricks; I couldn't get it to seal. I would have to throw a tube in it to get home. I think the problem is two fold. Caffe Latex is too thin to stick in the opening. I tried to fix this by putting glitter in my sealant. It didn't help. The other is that road tires are high pressure low volume. This means that often when pumping the tire back up once sealed, the pressure would force the latex "plug" back out. Also, it seems to me that for sealing while riding, there isn't enough volume in the tire to seal before the tire has lost all pressure.

In closing, I wouldn't recommend caffe latex as a riding sealant. It works well to set up your tires, but not to seal while riding. I have no experience with other sealants, but I would take the risk of an ammonia sealant if it worked better to actually seal a flat.

[oldpotatoe]

I've been run a variety of DA wheels tubeless with hutchinson fusion 3 or atom tires in the past. Generally I love it. My advice is in regards to sealant. I've used Caffe Latex mostly because I have a bunch of it for whatever reason. In theory it should work really well, especially on the sidewalls because of the foaming action. However, to my knowledge, Caffe Latex only sealed two out of approximately six flats I got while running it. One time it sealed I didn't even have to stop riding for it to seal! Which I thought was super cool. However, every other time, even if I stopped and put more air in it with a frame pump, rolled the tire around, and all the other tricks; I couldn't get it to seal. I would have to throw a tube in it to get home. I think the problem is two fold. Caffe Latex is too thin to stick in the opening. I tried to fix this by putting glitter in my sealant. It didn't help. The other is that road tires are high pressure low volume. This means that often when pumping the tire back up once sealed, the pressure would force the latex "plug" back out. Also, it seems to me that for sealing while riding, there isn't enough volume in the tire to seal before the tire has lost all pressure.

In closing, I wouldn't recommend caffe latex as a riding sealant. It works well to set up your tires, but not to seal while riding. I have no experience with other sealants, but I would take the risk of an ammonia sealant if it worked better to actually seal a flat.

From Mike at Stan's NoTubes-
"As for ammonia in our sealant, the actual amount is less than 1/10th of 1 percent at the time it is mixed. Ammonia also quickly out gases so by the time of installation, the amount is even lower. Less than 1% it's not even required to be mentioned on a label or MSDS sheet. The small amount does not damage rims or tires. Our sealant, like several others is actually glycol based and contains natural latex (allergy warnings do apply). "

I use Stan's in tubies, cross and road, buytl and latex w/o any problems or issues.

I rec Stan's, sell CaffeLatex only for valves that can't be removed.

[dekindy]

My research indicates that there are about as many people have success or lack of with both Stan's and CaffeLatex. My conclusion is that if you have a valve that you can remove to install the sealant, use Stan's since it seems to have a slight advantage. Otherwise, go for less mess and use CaffeLatex. CaffeLatex seems to keep it's effectiveness much longer so that is another consideration.

I have been using Stan's and it has not sealed a hole yet so I am going to try CaffeLatex next. I inflate my tires before every ride so if I lose air between rides I don't care. If I have another flat that is not sealed with CaffeLatex I am just going to do without and avoid the mess involved with installing a tube with sealant all over the inside of the tire.