Tubeless commuting: aye or nae?

drhaggis

As per topic. My front Zonda's rim is worn and will need a new set. I might actually go tubeless this time.

Is the faff worth it? What are the chances of witnessing a disaster if I bring the bike home? If I puncture, is a tube repair much more difficult than usual? There are currently two days a week when being late is not an option, and if a repair takes longer than 30m I can't really afford it.

drhaggis

oxoman said:

Been commuting last 4yrs or so tubeless and only had one occasion I couldn't repair and tbh if I'd been tubed I would still been walking as tyre was slit full width after catching sharpened metal blade. I've got tyreworms just in case. I used to carry a tin of repair foam and a spare tube in my work bag but stopped doing that a long time ago. No doubt the naysayers will be along to say why you shouldn't.

Thanks! Is that on 25mm? 28mm? I'm not sure I'd be able to do 28mm on my rim braked bike.

andrew_s-2

drhaggis said:

If I puncture, is a tube repair much more difficult than usual?
...if a repair takes longer than 30m I can't really afford it.

It is likely.

a) You'll have already spent some time trying to persuade the hole to seal (tyre worms etc) before you start to put a tube in.
b) There may be a number of sharp objects that did seal, and these will need to be found and removed, as well as the current item. If you don't find them all, your new tube will puncture a bit down the road.
c) A number of people have reported that getting the tubeless valve out can be difficult enough to require pliers.
d) The tyres can be harder than normal to remove and refit, and you'll be out of practice.

alwaystimetotorque

Absolutely and especially for winter commuting when there is nothing worse than trying to sort a puncture in the freezing cold dark and rain. Some good pointers above already.
I've never had an issue in removing the valve from a tubeless set up at the side of the road and nothing a bit of improvisation can't sort if absolutely needed i.e. using your bars/pedals to knock out the valve.
One thing to consider is that tubeless sealant isn't a fill and forget item. You will need to top up from time to time. All manufacturer's have different suggested top up and refill periods so just follow the instructions and keep a record of when you have topped up etc.
Oxoman is right with the tyres being a tighter fit and some rim/tyre combinations are an absolute pain and I would personally stay well away from. Mavic UST rims can be a pig to try and install anything other than a Mavic UST tyre.

A good rim that I have had no issues with fitting for a number of different tyres (Hutchinson Fusion/Pirelli Cinturato/Mavic UST/Continental GP5000 TL) is the H Plus Son Hydra - I can fit all of those tyres by hand although I do need a large volume pump to seat them but that's fairly standard.

singleton

My personal experience is that it's not as simple as asking "tubeless or not", and the broad range of experiences seems to back that up.

Some tubeless setups seem to be fairly easy to fit and seat, reliable, robust and fixable at the roadside.
Other tubeless setups seem to be very hard to fit and mount, risky and hard to fix roadside as the tyre unseats when deflated (so needs a tube) but it's very tight.

If I were to go back to tubeless, I would either:
- Be very careful and specific about which wheels and which tyres - possibly something like Mavic UST, or another rim / tyre combination that is known to be reliable together.
- And / or use a tyre insert like Vittoria Airliner so I know I had a "get-you-home" option if I did flat.

davidof

andrew_s-2 said:

drhaggis said:

If I puncture, is a tube repair much more difficult than usual?
...if a repair takes longer than 30m I can't really afford it.

It is likely.

a) You'll have already spent some time trying to persuade the hole to seal (tyre worms etc) before you start to put a tube in.
b) There may be a number of sharp objects that did seal, and these will need to be found and removed, as well as the current item. If you don't find them all, your new tube will puncture a bit down the road.
c) A number of people have reported that getting the tubeless valve out can be difficult enough to require pliers.
d) The tyres can be harder than normal to remove and refit, and you'll be out of practice.

e) the tires will be full of sealing goo and you'll arrive at work looking like you've taken a few too many money shots.

Personally, after a lifetime of commuting on normal tires it takes me a couple of minutes to change the occasional puncture. Just fit a decent tire with some protection, the bigger the better (28mm+) and save the tubeless faff.

MattFalle

i commute on tubs with a can of foam in my pocket.

never had a problem.

drhaggis

I went with the devil I knew. I would have gone tubeless if I could fit a 32c, and probably with a 28c, but the pressures I do with a 25c are probably a tad too much.

andyh01

drhaggis said:

I went with the devil I knew. I would have gone tubeless if I could fit a 32c, and probably with a 28c, but the pressures I do with a 25c are probably a tad too much.

I've only used 32mm tubeless at around 80psi with no issues.
I think you're right on 700c x25mm high pressure you'd probably lose too much pressure before it seals and blow out any worms when plugged and pump back up to that road pressure...

andyh01

I've only used 32mm tubeless at around 80psi with no issues.
I think you're right on 700c x25mm high pressure you'd probably lose too much pressure before it seals and blow out any worms when plugged and pump back up to that road pressure...

Yeah I'd agree although I've gone from 32mm on my Mason bokeh adventure bike that was stolen to 28mm pro one's on Giant Defy and still no issues, at probably high pressure too although I'm light only -65kg minimal kit on mostly broken tarmac shared use cycle paths and road.