Hopefully you're using the ENVE supplied rim tape, I'm guessing you don't want your wheel to explode on you....

I have started started using tubeless more frequently this year with my new gravel and mountain bikes. On those bikes I couldn't imagine anything different. I can't tell you how many times I have thought "well, if I had tubes in I would be changing a flat right now".

Last summer I was riding tubeless on my road bike around Philly and got flats like crazy. The amount of crap on the roads there is insane and most of it sealant won't handle. I ended up on the side of the road multiple times putting a tube into a tubeless setup with sealant going everywhere. In that situation I would rather just change flats than deal with that mess every 8/10 punctures I got that didn't seal.

Where I ride now (Colorado) there in no reason (IMO) not to ride tubeless. I have had some issues getting wheels setup (Reynolds Assault) but in the end it is worth it I would say. I haven't had a race ruined by a tubeless setup failing though, so as soon as that happens I may change my mind. For training I'd run tubeless all the way but tris I'll stick to my Conti TT & latex tube setup.

I would give them up for now at least. Clinchers w/ latex have been so reliable for me, have tested fast and have been fast during races and in the event that I need to change one it isn't a problem. I love the idea of tubeless. So far for road it has been shite for me and others I've known for many of the reasons you have posted.

In my opinion. No
If you get stressed out because you don t know if your tires are good.
Maybe even life threathing. No. Its not worth the hassle.

All that trouble doesn't sound fun at all.
Racing and living should be about fun right.

Just FYI, btrr, the site, uses butyl tubes when testing clinchers. So if you use latex tubes the non-TL GP5000 should be fully equivalent to the TL.

I love tubeless, personally, and haven't experienced your issues, but if you fly a lot, that part would seem annoying.

I heard that ENVE's SES rims are particularly tough to install - sample of several. So I'm not surprised to hear you are having issues. As others have said, you want to use the ENVE tape because of the air may leak and causing explosion if the tape is not wide enough.

I understand the pain of air travel with sealant. My view is that if the tubeless setup doesn't work WITHOUT sealant, then I won't use them racing. Yes, I like the benefits of sealant, but for me, I need to be sure the tire/rim to be airtight. I may use sealant in the original install or on occasions for races, but I want my tubeless to work without sealant. That way, you can trust them.

I've been running tubeless on my Cannondale SuperSlice for the past year with no (well, one) issues. The wheelset I was using was Reynolds, and the front has been very stable with Specialized s-works tires. A bit of a tight fit but nothing crazy and no worrisome leaks, no sealant making a mess, holds air well, etc. Right now I have a Roval CLX 64 in the rear because of a rear wheel issue with Reynolds that has not been fully resolved (that's a whole other story). The Specialized tires on the Roval wheel set up like a dream. No tools. Sealed the first time. Yes, not the fastest tires, but I'll trade that for worry free tires. I do want to try the new GP5000 but that can wait. My valves are Silca with the speed shield thing, and they have not leaked at all. Tape is Stan's. (As for traveling, I use a Scicon bag and never deflate my tires.)

All in all, I don't think the tubeless is the issue as much as with tubeless you just have a lot of things working together (tape, valve, sealant, tire, wheel) and it all has to be right. It is one of the reasons why I didn't run out and get the GP5000 even though they tested great. The setup I have is perfect so I'm not ready to mess with it by switching tires.

I almost bought the 321 disc last month when the LBS finally got one, since I am looking for tubeless, disc, thru axle, and choices are limited, but I haven't yet decided on 321, the new Enve SES, or the new Zipp. What are your thoughts on the 321?

I started with road tubeless 7 years ago with Campy Eurus 2 way fit wheels. First set of Hutchinson tires were great. More miles than usual and no flats before they wore out. Had to pump them about once each week. Had trouble getting the second set of tires to seal. After a few tries, I took them to the LBS. Watched what they did. Looked like exactly what I had done. Sealed for a few days, then started go go flat after about 6 hours. Went through very similar situations with My Hed Belgium C+ rims. First set of tires (IRC Roadlites this time) were great. Second, not so much. I've switched both sets back to traditional clinchers. Last year I bought a set of Hed Jet + disc wheels. Used traditional clinchers to from the start.

I stopped using tubeless on any wheel that requires tape with the exception of my Bontrager wheels which have a solid hoop that inserts. I've a set of Shimano tubeless wheels that does not have spoke tightening holes in the rim bed and a hook bed for tubeless tires that never leaks and works great. The Bontragers work great. I think the ride feel is better on the tubeless set-ups. I have the same problems you have with your Enve's with my only other set of wheels which I converted with a Stan's kit. So for bike races, short races where I'm going to drop out if I flat, training, they're great.

For a longer race where I'd change a flat, no way. It's simply too difficult to get the tire off, put a tube in and get the tire back on, especially with sweaty hands. I can't imagine running them on a front wheel with a history of deflating 50psi. For a travelling pro I can't see using tubeless over a well talc-ed tube. Mess, hassle, confidence in the set-up? I'd rather glue up tubulars. I'm still not convinced that for distance triathlon tubeless isn't a solution looking for a problem.

Unfortunately at this point in time, individual successes and if they like tubeless or not comes down to having a good rim/tire combo. Me personally, I would never run a tubeless setup unless installation was easy and I have the ability to insert a tube for a flat out on the road easily. First set of wheels I had when I decided to go tubeless were DT Swiss PRC 1400 35's (Pro One's). Set up and inflation was super easy...almost didn't need a tire lever. Decided to get a deeper set of wheels - DT PRC 1400 65's and installation was much more difficult using the same tires - sold the wheels as wasn't going to deal with the hassle. Recently bought a set of Reynolds Aero 45's and they were simple to install and air up the same tires so now looking for a set of the Aero 65's and hoping they will be just as simple - if so, I'll keep the wheels - if not, will get ride of them.

I have tubeless, tubular and clinchers on my three bikes. I will be switching to tubeless on all. 90% of flats seal themselves. Bigger holes can be plugged in 10% of the time it takes to replace a tube. I am a convert

I made the switch to tubeless and I've made the switch back to tubes. I've got an inventory of tubeless tires that I will likely never use again. I don't have that many flats with either type of tire and, the flats I have tend to be cuts that neither type of tire will withstand. For me, with maybe two or three flats per year over a distance of 8,000 miles, going tubeless meant a lot more maintenance. If you never have a flat, with tubeless you still have to check the goop and top it off on a regular (for me, monthly) basis. If you never have a flat with a tube, you never have to maintain the tire at all -- other than checking the pressures. Plus, if tubeless sits unused for a couple weeks, you again have to check to make sure the goop hasn't dried in a glop at the lowest point of the tire. Tubeless is heavier and more work. And I never sensed any performance advantage. So . . . I'm back to tubes.

If I had a tiny pinhole leak once per week, my answer would be different.

I have been a bit of a road tubeless evangelist for many years, but for your instance I would not recommend it. You're getting the same rolling resistance whether you use latex or sealant/tubeless. The benefits goes down and the hassle goes up as the tire gets more narrow.

Plus it sounds like something is going on with your wheels to make it darn near impossible to run anyways. Good luck!

Stay tubeless, in a different sense. Solid rubber tire made by Tannus

Not if you're riding on 30psi :)

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What's your CdA?

If that was true, it would be worth it. But it isn't. BRR uses butyl tubes and it isn't a very good test anyway, IMO.

Regular GP5000 should have better Crr than the tubeless version with a latex tube. But the GPTT would be even better. And there are some tires faster than that as well.

You need to spray soapy water around the valve stem and around the entire circumference of the rim on both sides to see where air is leaking.


The valve doesn't need to be on super tight. Air pressure will press it against the rim to create a good seal. Apply some sealant around the area where the base of the valve will sit before installing it. I used some glue from my spare tubular glue tube and haven't had any leakage issue.

So far I have not experienced any issues with my tubeless setup (Hutchinson Fusion 5 Galactik tires mounted to Reynolds Assault SLG rims). Had to invest in a Schwalbe Tubeless Tire Booster to get the tires to seat and seal, however.

Too soon

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I am not sure why I dont get my Enve front wheel to seal because the Enve back wheel I only tried to install ones and it is close to 100 % air tight (losses 1 psi each 24hours). I had absolutely no issues what so ever with that one, expect from a tight fit to mount.

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I don't know why you guys are screwing around with this. I really really don't. Get known good low resistance clinchers like GP 4000, and latex tubes, and call it good. Why carry a spare tire? Same goes for tubular. ESPECIALLY tubular. Leave it to pro cyclists who have a team car following them with spare wheels and a whole spare bike if need be. It isn't for us.

I have reiterated for the past few years that tubeless is not for everyone. Some of your concerns I can echo as well. Having to deflate your wheels to fit in the case would probably be deal breaker for me, too many things can go wrong if you deflate and being able to redo a tubeless setup in a far away place would just add stress that it is not worth it. With that being said, for me I prefer tubeless at the moment.

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What kind of plug do you use?

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Dyna plug

Since it is winter in Norway I have not actually ridden with the 321 yet. They sure look and feel very good, and weighing in at 1020g I cannot see why you should go for Enve or Zipp as I have not heard they have better aerodynamic performance.

Getting the Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless tire to fit was a really hassle (much harder than the Enve), but when the tire was on it was really good. It also nice to not have to worry about rim tape.

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Like I mentioned in a previous comment. I got a Enve 7.8 back wheel as wheel and that is close to 100 % air tight after losing only 1 psi each 24 hours. I had absolutely no issues with it.

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