resurfacing a tubeless yes/no thread just to share my thoughts. i made the switch last year on one of my bikes to tubeless, and have now decided to go back to tubes and just sharing my thoughts. i gave it a good 2000 miles or so of riding.

sealant is a pain. it's a pain to put in, to know when to put more in, to put more in, and if changing tires, it's a freaking nasty mess.

seating a tire can be a pain. I didn't have much trouble, but it requires special tools/pumps, and more time to do.

it's more expensive. tires are more expensive. if you need to get a new pump, sealant injector, sealant, etc etc, that's an added cost.

i think the tipping point for me is that i don't get many flats on tubes, and im a smaller/lighter rider so i can run lower tire pressures without getting flats. therefore, the effort of tubeless isn't worth it for me. after my experience i'm somewhat skeptical that tubeless is going to be the universal tech choice the bike industry goes toward moving forward, like disc brakes have become. I know some brands are starting to treat tubeless this way, but I just remain skeptical. in the last year i also made the change from rim brake to hydraulic disc brake bike and it isn't bothering me the same way tubeless did. i love the discs. any issues are far outweighed by the benefit. I didn't get the same feeling with tubeless.

just my 0.02, and i know tubeless is a great fit for others who get lots of flats, don't ever change tires, need more security when running lower pressures, etc. but for me, it just wasn't a great fit. latex tubes are the best option for me.

See any cars with 100psi tires? No. You're comparing apples to bowling balls. Yes they are both round but...........

Made me chuckle.

I think about this when someone points out how cars have disc brakes, therefore bike riders ought to get with the program and jump on the disc brake bandwagon. Take it further. We had anti-skid disc brakes, a drag chute, and a tail hook to stop the airplane on F-4's. Wait until you get all of that on your bike.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

F-4s ?!!

Wow, you are not a young pup !

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You're only as old as you feel.

I'm feeling sort of old these days.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

No worries, it is pretty cool that you have flown F-4s, they were an icon.
I didn't have that kind of fun, but I operated a little bit of (civilian) heavy metal in my time ...


But, back on topic ...

For road, another vote for tubed tires for me.

Latex tubes for racing for sure.
For training, either latex or butyl, go with your personal preference.

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I'm a bit late to the party, as usual.

Bought a 105 Caledonia a few months back and have been exploiting the hell out of its off road capabilities.

Right now, it is about a 70 (road) 30 (all other) mix of riding.

I have a Zipp 303s on back - running tubeless with a Pirelli 28

I have the stock tubeless compatible wheel up front BUT with a tube in it. And the same Pirelli.

I won't be doing any racing on this bike this year, but like to go fast.

Last week, I suffered my first puncture, any guess where... yep - the front.

Changed the tube, managed to get a paltry ?? psi in the tube, flatted within 3 K and that was that.

From what I am hearing here, I would be better off getting rid of the tube in the front, as it would likely be less susceptible to punctures PLUS be faster.

Is this a correct assessment?

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

I am astounded by the amount of complaining about tubeless tyres.
I can change tyres, reseal, and put sealant in (plus deal with old tyre and sealant) for front and back in 15-20mins. That is not really that hard.

I never pucture and I never carry spares anymore. If you have issues I think that you are running your pressures way too high.

Also if you get a gash that doesn't seal you just put a plug in. A plug kit is way lighter than a tube to carry. And once it's done you ride the tyre as normal. You just might need to remove the valve core and squirt some more sealant in depending on how much came out when it flatted.

The benifit to comfort and speed, plus the hassle free worry about puctures is totally worth it. Just use the correct pressure. I'm 82kg and run 70psi in my 28mm tubless setup.

Tubeless all the way for me. Been on tubeless for 3 years or so now for road. Main reason is puncture resistance / fixing. I have had yet to have a race where I have had to stop because of a flat since switching to tubeless. Sealent has fixed it each time, racing full and half distance on Vitorria Corsa Speeds. Reciently did a 500 mile ultra, same tires, tubeless, no flats. They have gotten so much easier to set up over the last year, and I am happy with that, wont be switching back. I will say the lower pressure is also a bonus as I am a heavier rider, so having the freedom to not run 95-100 psi is great. I am currently running 70-75 in my 28's and its awesome!

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You'll be faster if your tube was butyl, probably effectively equal in speed if you were using a latex tube.

For pure technical accuracy, I wouldn't say less susceptible to puncture. I'd say far less likely for a puncture to interrupt your training or race. Almost every puncture with a non tubeless tires will end up totally flat. With tubeless some percent you never even notice. Another percent you notice but it seals up quickly enough that you can continue on without stopping. Then there's some percentage that lose enough pressure that you have to pull over. But you can plug and re-inflate without taking the wheel off or breaking the bead.

So that just leaves a relatively small percent of punctures that are so severe that you have to install a tube and/or boot. Which should be pretty rare. Though we could argue all day about what those percents are - and a lot depends on the conditions in which you ride.

The cost for this is you have to spend some more time in setup and maintenance of the system. Refreshing sealant, etc. It's a bit messy. But to me, a lot less time at the side of roads is worth a little more time in the garage. I'm a hardcore convert.

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You'll be faster if your tube was butyl, probably effectively equal in speed if you were using a latex tube.[/quote]
Latex tubes are compareable with tubeless. Butyl as much slower.
But latex have more puncture issues than tubeless

I'm astounded that you're astounded

Thanks for the information. This means that the next time I double or triple flat with that front tyre, I will go FULL TUBELESS in the front, as well.

Then do annual maintenance on the tubeless to ensure they are good for another season.

Faster and more puncture resistant over my current set-up is a call for action.

Thnx. again.

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

just got my new bike with tubeless: the guy at the shop told me, carrying a spare tube is useless because if you ever get a flat, it will be a cut that even if you put a tube, it will flat again because the cut is too big to protect a tube. if it is small, the sealant will make its job.

Huh. I wouldn't go that far. Though rarely needed, I've had tubes work in tubeless flats. Plus it's always good etiquette to carry for the community flat

CONS
- some tire/rim combos are hard to seat
- tire/rim combination can make it IMPOSSIBLE to reseat tire while on the side of the road.
- sealant needs to be changed every six months or removed in the winter if your bike sits like mine.
- need to carry/use tire plugs for big punctures
- tires cost more
- if you need to change tires frequently it's a pain in the ass
- need to use the tires frequently or the sealant dries out.


That's it for me.

Plus between my wife and I we have a small quiver of wheels that are clincher/inner tube that we are more than happy with.

For years my main set up has been Conti 4000 now 5000 and latex tubes for literally all kinds of every day riding - even extended excursions on easy/good gravel and dirt. Sure we get the usual 1 - 3 on-the-road flats a year with our larger than normal volume of riding. It's a quick and easy 3 min. change on the side of the road (with a butyl replacement tube), and off you go!

I fail to see the advantages of going to tubeless.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Yeah, that's BS. You can boot a regular tire with a sidewall cut, and if you install a tube in a tubeless tire, it's basically a regular tire.

But sure, no need to carry a tube and a tire boot, if you got cell phone reception to call for a ride.
.

One of my first rides on tubeless on my mtb, a stick put a hole in my tire and wouldn't seal. If I had listened to that advice, I would have had a 10 mile hike back to the parking lot. Instead, I popped in a tube and kept riding.