Tubeless?

tezboy1234

I will be looking at getting a new bike in 12-18 months or so. Untill then, i'm going to make some upgrades to my current bike, a CUBE LTD CC 2012. The first thing i'll upgrade is the wheelset. The wheelset that comes with the LTD as stock, ain't too bad, but not the lightest or best by any stretch of the imagination.

So, i was searching the net for a new wheelset, when i realised that i hadn't even taken a tubeless wheelset in to account. I had a brief look for opinions on the net and was left a little lost. I thought tubeless, on paper at least, sounded the perfect answer. I'd save weight and not have to worry about punctures, as i believe there's a fluid in the tyre that quickly seals the puncture up.

The thing that got me confused, was the number of people who dislike tubeless and say there a nightmare! The thing is, why are they a nightmare? Are they more susceptible to puntures? If so, why is that such an issue if there's sealent in there?

As you can tell, i'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to tubeless, so any info/suggestions would be appreciated. Should i go tubeless? Yay or Nay? Also, any recommendations for wheelsets would be welcome, tubeless or otherwise. I currently have 3 strong contenders, 1 from superstar, (the german ones, cant remember the full name), a set of Shimano xtr trails and a set of Easton ea90's. Any suggestions for any other bike upgrades are also welcome.

Thanks!

warpcow

Putting a tyre on tubeless is slightly more involved than just sticking a tube in, and there are some combinations of tyres and rims that don't mix well, but that's a small minority. Otherwise puncture protection, rolling resistance and weight (less so) are improved. A lot of complaints are just down to user error when fitting: mainly not following the instructions properly, getting frustrated cos it's a bit different to using a tube and then channeling their almighty wrath on the internet.

From the three you've picked I'd take the Superstar ones, avoiding factory wheels altogether in fact. Easier and cheaper to get parts for if you need them.

Stu Coops

XTR wheels are really good but the Eastons stay well away from they have lots of problems with hubs and really overpriced, read the reviews on them, not good.

allthegearnoidea

ive been tubeless for a couple of years now and have had hardly any problems, most of them My own fault,
you run sealant inhe tyres to help with any issue like thorns etc. and they self seal, for m the benefit of running normal pressures on the rear was the winner!!
if you coose a tubelesswheel set you can run tubes on normal tyres no issue, just a little tighter to get on therims to begin with, savs you having to buy new tyres too! ;-)

Monty Dog

As long as you go for a proven rim and tyre combo you should have few problems. Stan's Crest and Conti X-King or Race King tyres have been great for me. Just built some wheels with Velocity P35s and they were a doddle too - managed to fit the tyres without levers and bead seated straight-away with just a track pump. Noticeable difference in both rotating weight and reduced rolling resistance too - I've been running the tyres as low as 20psi to cope with really soft conditions.

andyg1966

I've been a tubeless fan for over 3 years and have two wheelsets both tubeless without any phaffing over rim strips etc.

. Fulcrum Red Metal 3 which are good, but spares a pricey, rim is £85 + fitting. . Mavic XM819 (on hope hubs), great.

I've used both full on UST tyres which I've never had a puncture. I now use tubeless ready tyres (Conti Mountain King Protection) which are lighter and seem OK.

cat_with_no_tail

IME, Most of the problems people moan about with tubeless are a result of 2 things.

Either:

They've not done it properly. By which I mean either tried "Ghetto" tubeless, tried to make non-tubeless tyres work etc.

OR

They have never actually tried tubeless, but they heard from a girlfriends mates babysitters dog that it didn't work and have used this as a basis to tell everyone that it's rubbish.

If you buy some proper tubeless rims, and some proper tubeless tyres, and some proper sealant, you'll be good to go.

Don't expect to save any weight if you currently run XC tyres and XC tubes, because you probably wont.

I love my tubeless setup, because where I ride we have mahoosive, sharp-edged rocks and coupled with the fact I plough through stuff rather than cautiously picking my way though it, it was pinch-flat city with tubes. Not so with tubeless. Been running tubeless for over 2 years now with Stans rims and schwalbe tyres and the only problem I have had was slashing a sidewall, which would have happened regardless of tube status.

Greer_

It's a bit of a faff to start with, but I think its great. I only do XC but a lot of racers (including me) were using tubeless yesterday for less trouble with punctures. I've had no trouble with Schwalbe Nobby Nics/Racing Ralphs on Stans Crest.