Latex or Tubeless? Its not what you think...

[crcycle]

I have run inner tubes, latex, Aerothans. Light tubes are amazing for going fast. But what a pain for tight tires on carbon rims. A lot of you don't like tubeless but they have served me well for the last couple of years. I have never been left stranded. That said I am jinxed

[crcycle]

Stans Race Sealant for new install and topped up through valve with Stans regular. I am currently running Silca Ultimate Sealant with carbon fibers. Carbon is faster

[DeBike]

I have been riding road bikes with tubed tires for about 50 years. I have called someone to come and get me once due to a flat, mini-pump was broken. I believe the longest walk with a bike was about 4miles, broken chain and I was in my teens, a long time ago.

[bigbill]

I'm in Wyoming for about 5-6 weeks. I brought two sets of wheels, both tubeless. I just want to ride and not think about flats. Tubeless has never left me stranded. My only calls of shame have been when I got the third flat and had no tubes left.

[CAAD]

Until it does then you have a mess of sealant on your hands, frame, kit, shoes, and the riding buddies behind you.

Low pressure, less then 40psi, tubeless works great.

[bigbill]

I've been on all tubeless since 2017 with 25-28mm road tires at 80ish psi and have never had a puncture that blew sealant everywhere. I only saw it once, and it was a sliced tire; nothing would react well to that. I run 32s tubeless at 60 psi and the same thing. Whenever there's a thread about tubeless, someone posts a horror story about a tubeless puncture. How many are anecdotal, and how many are personal experiences?

I have been on plenty of group rides where folks had their rear derailleur out of adjustment, which was annoying the entire time. We should all ride single speed or fixed.

[jch3n]

Also, tubeless tire plugs (Dynaplug, Stans Dart, etc.) are worth their weight in gold. For punctures that don't seal right away, being able to quickly stop, stab a plug in, and maybe add a little air, is so much better than changing a tube (even though I'm fairly quick at changing tubes).

[Chris(NJ)]

Tubeless has never left me stranded .....because I still carry 2 spare tubes and patch kits.

I'm somewhat cursed too. Have had 2 drywall screws, on two separate occasions, puncture the tire. Was not sealing and that dynaplug thing wouldn't work either. Not sure if it was because of the wet weather or what. But...
One of the screws also managed to puncture the tubeless rim tape, right through the spoke hole. There was no getting around that one w/o a tube.

That all said. I'm kinda over it for road. Not worth the hassle and mess of setting it up. For mtb, it's still well worth it though. Especially w/ a Tannus insert.

[biker72]

Originally Posted by DeBike

I have been riding road bikes with tubed tires for about 50 years. I have called someone to come and get me once due to a flat, mini-pump was broken. I believe the longest walk with a bike was about 4miles, broken chain and I was in my teens, a long time ago.

I've been riding 40 years with tubed tires and have never called anyone to come get me due to a flat. I did walk 2 miles home once because my spare tube had a stuck presta valve.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by biker72

I did walk 2 miles home once because my spare tube had a stuck presta valve.

I rode 5 miles on a flat tire once, when I forgot my spares at home.

What is this walking thing you speak of?

[crcycle]

My setup works for me. And yours work for you. Don't change if its not broken. I just wanted to share my positive experience riding tubeless road. I can't help but to be enthusiastic for new tech that gives me piece of mind while I am on the road. I too have previously ridden with tubed for 40+ years with good experience on that setup as well.

[deluz]

Why is tubeless better than using latex tubes?

[fogrider]

Originally Posted by deluz

Why is tubeless better than using latex tubes?

for the road, tubeless runs with lower psi, for 30c width, about 40 to 60 psi, sealant will seal small punctures. with the lower psi, it should be a smoother and more comfortable. and without a tube, it should be less rolling resistance. and yes, there is the hassle of setting it up...tight tire (hard to get on the wheel) this happens with many tire and wheel combos, not just tubeless. and then seating the tire, not a problem if you have a boost pump.

[biker72]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

I rode 5 miles on a flat tire once, when I forgot my spares at home.

What is this walking thing you speak of?

I did think of just riding home on the flat but I had a brand new set of Zonda wheels that I was afraid of damaging.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by fogrider

and without a tube, it should be less rolling resistance.

This claim has been repeated so often, that people often just assume it is true. But in reality, there is no statistically significant difference between the rolling resistance of a tubeless ready tire with either a latex tube, or with sealant. People forget that sealant adds rolling resistance (this has been measured).

Everybody's case is different of course, but for my riding, tubeless road tires are more hassle then then are worth. I have several bikes I use regularly, and multiple sets of wheels. At my desired riding pressure, I rarely get pinch flats, and in fact get few flats at all (maybe 2 in a bad year, some years I get no flats at all). The time it would take to set up tubeless tires and do periodic sealant maintenance on all of my wheels would be far greater than the time spent fixing flats on the road.