Tell me about your experince with tubeless tyres.

bjl

Hear good things about tubeless tyres on internet but dont kno anyone who is using them. Is anyone using and how do they compare to clinchers.

me-109

They used to give a better ride (but clinchers may have improved over the years).
They're expensive.
They are harder to repair punctures and you may wreck the tub if you can't sew it up properly.
They are more bulky to carry.
They may give a faster change for race repairs, if you can get the punctured one off the rim.

gloomyandy

Are we talking tubeless or tubular tyres here?

Tubeless don't have an inner tube but are sort of conventional tyres with a gloop to seal the tyre to the rim. Seem to require some sort of Ninja Zen to get them to seat and seal. Seem to be popular with MTB types.

Tubular (or Tubs in the UK at leas) are the traditional racing tyre that is circular in cross section and has an inner tube that is stitched inside of the tyre. The tyre is then glued (perhaps using a tape), to the special purpose rim. Popular with people that shave their legs.

Not used either myself!

kayakerchris

I have used tubeless for about a year since I got a pair of DT Swiss Tricon wheels which are clincher or tubeless. I use Hutchison tubeless tyres.

Just like a car tyre they pop onto the rim and for the first couple of times there is a knack to getting them to seat.

i have some sealant in them to allow me to get home on a small puncture but carry a tube with me for big punctures on the road.

I would never try to inflate them with a hand pump and so now only carry canisters.

Overall i like them and have absolutely no problems with them. never had a puncture yet. I am not good enough to tell any difference over clinchers except that i run them at between 80 and 90 psi so a little more comfortable.

MartinB2444

I've been looking for a wheel up grade recently. My LBS suggested I give tubeless a try and loaned me some Easton EA90's with Hutchinson Fusion 3 tyres. I'm currently using Schwalbe Ultremo R.1s on Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels. So the tubeless wheel tyre combo was a little lighter but with more weight around the rims. I normally run at 115psi but dropped the pressure to 100 for the tubeless.

Had a couple of good hilly rides around the Peak District including some fast bendy descents. The lower pressure does improve comfort although not dramatically (my bike is a carbon GTC race, might have made more difference on an aluminium frame). Rolling resistance seemed similar to my ultremo's. Nicely reassuring on fast descents, grippy and a bit less jumpy on rough surfaces.

With the tubeless I didn't bother carrying spare inner tube, pump or levers. If I didn't have mobile phone back up i guess I would have done though.

In terms of performance, I didn't find enough to persuade me but I can really see the benefits of reduced puncture risk. Having said that, during the course of the 2 rides I managed a few PBs on Strava as well as a couple of very rare (for me) KOMs. As a result I've ordered some Fulcrum Racing Zero 2-way wheels and will be using Ultremos in the Summer and switching to Hutchinson Fusion 3s in the Winter. Next year, if all goes well, I might just leave the Hutchinsons on

me-109

gloomyandy wrote:

Are we talking tubeless or tubular tyres here?

Ah! I read it as tubular, because of the "compare to clinchers" question. Tubeless are still clinchers, right?

bjl

Yeah , Me 109- tubeless are clinchers, seem to be quite expensive and was wandering if anyone thought they are worth it or are a bit of a novelty. I reckon a couple of special valves, rim tape, some sealant fluid and a couple of decent tyres would be over £120 - would consider if everyone is raving about them but if they are just ok I don't think I'll bother.