Reynolds Strike Tubeless

jpower
jpower Posts: 554
Hi,

So finally decided to go tubeless main reason is for the supposed extra comfort.

I’m thinking gp5000 or Pro One’s (hard to know which model)

Anyone have experience of which fits on this rim without too much bother?

Comments

  • jollygiant
    jollygiant Posts: 117
    I had Pro one tubeless on my Reynolds Strike and the tires were a real pain to get on and off, I also had a puncture pretty much every ride, it did seal but ended up coving the bike while it was sealing. I gave up with them after about 6 or 7 rides and went back to tubes.
    I now use tubed GP5000's, dunno if the tubeless version would be better!
    I do know the normal 5000's fit well and are easy to get on and off.
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Hmmm that doesn’t sound too good on Pro One side.

    Anyone else?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,172
    Comfort is not a good reason to go tubeless... bigger tyres with less air might help, as well as using better quality tyres with higher TPI count, which are more elastic and supple.
    Most Tubeless tyres are not particularly supple... or elastic

    If you think about it, why would an inner tube give you discomfort?
    left the forum March 2023
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554

    Comfort is not a good reason to go tubeless... bigger tyres with less air might help, as well as using better quality tyres with higher TPI count, which are more elastic and supple.
    Most Tubeless tyres are not particularly supple... or elastic

    If you think about it, why would an inner tube give you discomfort?

    Oh dear I just spen a bunch of money on some gp5000's and all that other tubeless stuff.
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    from a comfort point of view the ability to run lower pressures might help but as Ugo says its not the defining reason to go tubeless.
    I run Reynolds strikes and have just moved from Schwalbe pro one tubeless to GP5000 TL's. I can say without a shadow of a hesitation that the GP5000 were by far and away the easier to fit (i did both in an evening with minimal swearing compared to much longer and much more swearing with the schwalbes).
    I did need a decent tyre lever (crank brothers tyre lever) to help and the following hints
    1) put the wheel 'inside the tyre' i.e. a bead on each side of the wheel before you start
    2) make sure that the bead you are fitting is in the well of the rim bed as you fit it
    3) prepare to use a bit of brute force to get the bead over the rim
    4) you will need to use an air shot to pop the tyre onto the rim for the gp5000's (or, as I did remove the valve core and use a CO2 inflator to pop it on.) a track pump was sufficient for the pro ones I found.

    also worthy of note is that the GP5000's came up thinner that the pro ones, 25's come up as 23.5mm for me. Can't comment on speed and handling yet cause I only did it last night and its raining at the moment :-) Rolling resistance is supposed to be lower for the GP5000s tho.

    ooh, as a final bit of advice, carry a tubeless repair kit (with the tyre anchovies) I don't fancy my chances of getting either tyre off to put in a tube on the road.

    hope that helps.
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Thanks rj2013 thats good advice, especially being the same setup. Yeah those rims are tough with almost all tyres so I am expecting a battle and know about using the well. I don't have an airshot so will try the co2 without valve if track pump fails.

    Damn if they come up that small I should have gone for a 28, please do post back once you finally get to ride them, be interesting.
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    no worries! will try to remember to, very weather dependent :-)
    I thought the same after I'd fitted the 25's although I have read a few anecdotal things saying that gp5000 25's are more comfortable than pro one 25's despite being thinner, might still get 28s next time mind.
    I was expecting a proper battle fitting them and was pleasantly surprised!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,172
    edited April 2020
    rj2013 said:


    I thought the same after I'd fitted the 25's although I have read a few anecdotal things saying that gp5000 25's are more comfortable than pro one 25's despite being thinner, might still get 28s next time mind.

    Don't obsess about the size... TPI is a better indicator of how flexible and elastic a tyre is, which means t can absorb more of the road roughness... if you then increase the size, the ability to run lower pressure does the rest (but also makes you a tad slower on smooth roads).
    So, the old Vittoria Pave' were probably the best for comfort, at 290 TPI and 28 in size. Tubeless tend to have relatively low TPI count (150 typically) and a lot denser rubber to make them air tight, which does not help for comfort.
    The inner tube can numb a tiny bit of the suppleness of a tyre, not a lot, but even there, you can buy a pair of supersonic inner tubes and you don't even know you have them.

    Moral, with TPI you get what you pay for and an expensive 23 might be more comfortable than a cheap 28
    left the forum March 2023
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    fair point, thanks Ugo :-)
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    rj2013 said:

    f

    also worthy of note is that the GP5000's came up thinner that the pro ones, 25's come up as 23.5mm for me.

    One thing I wonder though is will the 28's stretch wider or will they fit taller which can effect clearance
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    jpower said:

    rj2013 said:

    f

    also worthy of note is that the GP5000's came up thinner that the pro ones, 25's come up as 23.5mm for me.

    One thing I wonder though is will the 28's stretch wider or will they fit taller which can effect clearance
    didn't measure height, tbh I've always assumed that height would stay the same and width would change but I guess that depends on the rims thinking about it.
  • step83
    step83 Posts: 4,170
    I tried the old version of the strikes Tubeless, not the smartest idea given the hook on the rim but it seemed to behave, I will say though the Pro One's I had where an utter pig to get on or off. Did the usual trick with them on a tubed rim for a day which helped but had to get the shop lever to seat them.
    Out of interest did you have any issues with the valve? I had to use an extender as at the time no one had 80mm tubeless valve cores, an well, it leaked :D

    Since reverted back to latex tubes and Corsa G's you dont get much road feel out of the wheel anyway but they tubes make it a bit more supple.
  • david37
    david37 Posts: 1,313
    ahhhhh tubeless the promised land. Load of twaddle for road bikes.
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Just what I wanted to hear after fighting for 2 hours getting the first tyre on. Saving the second tyre for tomorrow
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    david37 said:

    ahhhhh tubeless the promised land. Load of twaddle for road bikes.

    surely that depends on what your definition of the promised land is? For me a reduction in punctures and the knowledge that the tyres I wanted to use would quite frankly not come off the rim in any sort of timely manner out on the road lead me to go tubeless. since doing so I have had fewer punctures (that I have known about) and those that I have noticed have sealed and I have not had to stop except for a few seconds to let the sealant take effect and once to put an anchovie in and re-inflate. pretty happy with that, my promised land achieved :-)

    @jpower you do get a knack for fitting them and the tyres do get easier to fit once they've been on a while (although this doesn't help with new..)
    hoping to take my new tyres for a spin at the weekend, will report back.
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    edited May 2020
    rj2013 said:

    david37 said:

    ahhhhh tubeless the promised land. Load of twaddle for road bikes.

    surely that depends on what your definition of the promised land is? For me a reduction in punctures and the knowledge that the tyres I wanted to use would quite frankly not come off the rim in any sort of timely manner out on the road lead me to go tubeless. since doing so I have had fewer punctures (that I have known about) and those that I have noticed have sealed and I have not had to stop except for a few seconds to let the sealant take effect and once to put an anchovie in and re-inflate. pretty happy with that, my promised land achieved :-)

    @jpower you do get a knack for fitting them and the tyres do get easier to fit once they've been on a while (although this doesn't help with new..)
    hoping to take my new tyres for a spin at the weekend, will report back.
    Ah now this is the same promised land I am looking for, I totally agree even after learning all the tricks and I can even get the non tubeless tyres on without levers now however in a nice warm garage - on the road I don't even want to think about it.

    Tyre 2 at somepoint today, when my will returns :neutral:

    Look forward to the review
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    jpower said:

    rj2013 said:


    Ah now this is the same promised land I am looking for, I totally agree even after learning all the tricks and I can even get the non tubeless tyres on without levers now however in a nice warm garage - on the road I don't even want to think about it.

    Tyre 2 at somepoint today, when my will returns :neutral:

    Look forward to the review

    indeed! faffing round for ages while the rest of the club looks on doesn't appeal to me :-D when I'm on my own its even less appealing. good luck with tyre 2,
    make sure it is warm, it'll help!
  • shortfall
    shortfall Posts: 3,288
    edited May 2020
    jpower said:

    rj2013 said:

    david37 said:

    ahhhhh tubeless the promised land. Load of twaddle for road bikes.

    surely that depends on what your definition of the promised land is? For me a reduction in punctures and the knowledge that the tyres I wanted to use would quite frankly not come off the rim in any sort of timely manner out on the road lead me to go tubeless. since doing so I have had fewer punctures (that I have known about) and those that I have noticed have sealed and I have not had to stop except for a few seconds to let the sealant take effect and once to put an anchovie in and re-inflate. pretty happy with that, my promised land achieved :-)

    @jpower you do get a knack for fitting them and the tyres do get easier to fit once they've been on a while (although this doesn't help with new..)
    hoping to take my new tyres for a spin at the weekend, will report back.
    Ah now this is the same promised land I am looking for, I totally agree even after learning all the tricks and I can even get the non tubeless tyres on without levers now however in a nice warm garage - on the road I don't even want to think about it.

    Tyre 2 at somepoint today, when my will returns :neutral:

    Look forward to the review
    Get some VAR levers, they give you miles more leverage than a standard one. Also there's no need to take a tyre off at the side of the road. Small punctures should seal themselves with sealant, those that don't can be plugged with a worm with the tyre and wheel in situ and takes only a couple of minutes. If you get a gaping hole then you might have to ring the wife up but then the same goes if it happens on a tubed set up.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,172
    The tyre that doesn't puncture is the holy Grail, but tubeless has somewhat fallen short of expectations... yes, it sorts most punctures on its own, but the amount of faff involved in installing a very tight fitting tyre, topping up the sealant, checking the sealant is not dry, cleaning sprayed sealant from clothes and surfaces, combined with the fact that once the tyre is on, it's on for life, because changing tyres is too much hassle... well, all of that is a lot of drawbacks!

    I found that having a clincher that is easy to install and easy to fix at the side of the road takes away all the puncture anxiety, at the cost of having to do a 10 minute repair 2-3 times per year... overall that half an hour is a lot less that the time spent swearing at a tubeless tyre or a can of sealant
    left the forum March 2023
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Got the second there on in under 20 mins still damn tight and hard but just experience from the 1st.

    But no way I can inflate without an airshot as tyre in the well and I can’t shift them out.

    Great fun this during isolation, keeps me busy.
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    jpower said:

    Got the second there on in under 20 mins still damn tight and hard but just experience from the 1st.

    But no way I can inflate without an airshot as tyre in the well and I can’t shift them out.

    Great fun this during isolation, keeps me busy.

    take the valve core out and use a CO2 inflator in place of an airshot if you don't have one, it worked for me. obviously don't put in the sealant when you do this.. just use it to pop onto the rim then deflate, add sealant and re-inflate with a track pump.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,172
    I should really sell my Air shot, now that it comes to think of it....
    left the forum March 2023
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21

    The tyre that doesn't puncture is the holy Grail, but tubeless has somewhat fallen short of expectations... yes, it sorts most punctures on its own, but the amount of faff involved in installing a very tight fitting tyre, topping up the sealant, checking the sealant is not dry, cleaning sprayed sealant from clothes and surfaces, combined with the fact that once the tyre is on, it's on for life, because changing tyres is too much hassle... well, all of that is a lot of drawbacks!

    I found that having a clincher that is easy to install and easy to fix at the side of the road takes away all the puncture anxiety, at the cost of having to do a 10 minute repair 2-3 times per year... overall that half an hour is a lot less that the time spent swearing at a tubeless tyre or a can of sealant

    granted the faff of initial fit is annoying but the rest doesn't really bother me, I can do all the rest at home whenever I fancy and check/top up sealant and wipe down bike and wash clothes.
    the last puncture I had to fix by stopping took me less time that it would to replace a tube so I'm happy overall. each to their own :-)

    of course, now I've said that I am almost certainly doomed next time I go out :lol:
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,172
    rj2013 said:



    granted the faff of initial fit is annoying but the rest doesn't really bother me, I can do all the rest at home whenever I fancy and check/top up sealant and wipe down bike and wash clothes.
    the last puncture I had to fix by stopping took me less time that it would to replace a tube so I'm happy overall. each to their own :-)

    of course, now I've said that I am almost certainly doomed next time I go out :lol:

    Removing sprayed latex from surfaces is a PITA... and if you get it on your goggles whilst you cycle, then you can't use them anymore, until you get home and you give them a thorough clean.

    Over the years I've had strange things happening with tubeless... tyres that kept spraying as the temperature rose... fine to go to work in the morning, spray on the way home on a summer afternoon.
    Tyre mileage very limited, after a thousand or so, punctures occur frequently, spraying is frequent, top ups required... PITA.

    Maybe I am unlucky, but honestly, I've had IRC, Maxxis Padrone, Hutch Sector and Fusion, Mavic, Schwalbe One and they all gave me some grief in a way or another... especially the Hutchinson!
    left the forum March 2023
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    God I hate this rim. So my mistake but I can hear air leaking into the wheel, meaning under the rim tape.

    Now do you think I can get this tyre unseated, hell NOOOOOO. Arrggghhhhh
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,172
    ... that's the kind of grief you experience with tubeless tyres. You will realise, in time, that you've spent 100 hours sorting them out to avoid spending 10 minutes at the side of the road.

    As for the specific problem, it's difficult to say where the leak is, soap might help you rule out leaks between the rim and the tyre
    left the forum March 2023
  • jpower
    jpower Posts: 554
    Luckily in lockdown it gives me something to do :smile:

    I can hear going into the deep rim, so its the tape.

    Fresh day and i got it unseated and remove from rim in 5 mins, now to order some new rim tape
  • rj2013
    rj2013 Posts: 21
    I had some rim tape issues when I fitted my Schwalbes initially, I bought so other rim tape and it was sorted after that, I am not sure I like the reynolds rim tape personally
    @jpower went for a spin on the GP5000's last night, they felt smoother that the pro ones and subjectively felt a bit faster, although that could be just because I was outside and I've spent the week inside on zwift. :-)