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Re: go tubeless they said… it will be fun they said. [Geek_fit] [ In reply to ]
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Geek_fit wrote:
I went tubeless about 8 years ago and my experience is the same as you.

Every time I read a thread like this I almost get a little anxious. I think "Did I do something wrong here because I've not had any of the problems that people seem to have or are afraid of?"

The only issue I've ever had is that I did a kind of crappy tape job on a rear race wheel. If I did a race where it was left out overnight and the temp range was big, the rear tire seemed to deflate. Not a big deal because I would just pump it up. But aside from that, I honestly see no downside to tubeless.

This is like the guys that say they have been racing Corsa Speeds for years and never flatted and so therefore Corsa Speeds offer good puncture protection...if 1/20 guys have no problems with tubeless that doesn't mean they have no downsides. It means that one person got lucky.
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Re: go tubeless they said… it will be fun they said. [zedzded] [ In reply to ]
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zedzded wrote:
tomk407 wrote:
Reading through this thread I know I made many rookie mistakes. Still, left with the impression tubeless is more of a hassle than it is worth. Only question is once the seal is broken what can you do reseal it?


This is 2022 and we're still fucking around with this shit technology. I've never used tubeless, but have read about so many people having issues. I'm sure people will argue "rookie mistakes", but seriously it shouldn't be this hard. For every person that states they've had no issues with tubeless and never flatted despite riding on roads covered in razors, glass and syringes, there are 20 that have had issues. I'm kind of getting the impression that people on ST that rate tubeless are somehow connected to tyre companies as I'm yet to actually meet someone in real life who is happy with them and still uses them. The only ones I know who used them have gone back to clinchers or tubs.

As in all things forum bitching related, you're only aware of folks IRL who aren't happy with tubeless. The countless hordes of those satisfied, or perhaps ecstatic, with their tubeless setups are going on about their business without mentioning it. Based on comments on forums, you might think tubeless devotees are akin to vegans or triathletes, spouting off to all who'd listen about the virtues of tubeless, but the vast majority are not blathering on about it.

You couldn't pay me to go back to tubes.
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Re: go tubeless they said… it will be fun they said. [zedzded] [ In reply to ]
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zedzded wrote:
Mudge wrote:


You couldn't pay me to go back to tubes.


Because you've either never or rarely flatted. People only stop racing with Corsa Speeds when they start flatting. Until that point they're "awesome" for puncture protection. Literally the best. Better than Gatorskins. And faster. Seriously.

You're kidding, right??? If you're flatting with Corsa Speeds, you're probably not paying attention to road conditions and thus not selecting the right tire for the job. I've raced TTs on Corsa Speeds almost exclusively since they first came out, have had no problems at all, and that's frequently on courses that some might think were a tad less than optimal. I say 'almost exclusively' because every now and then I'll choose to ride to/from a local TT series I do every year, and for the 40 mi round trip, I choose to ride Conti 5000 TL, or more recently, the 5000 S TR, for the increased flat protection.
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Re: go tubeless they said… it will be fun they said. [hiro11] [ In reply to ]
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I have never found tubeless tape to be fragile.

It also isn't expensive. Just buy this:

https://www.amazon.com/...e-8896/dp/B00C0Z1Z5C
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Re: go tubeless they said… it will be fun they said. [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
I have never found tubeless tape to be fragile.

It also isn't expensive. Just buy this:

https://www.amazon.com/...e-8896/dp/B00C0Z1Z5C
I've tried 8896. In my experience, over time sealant creeps under the adhesive and you'll need to retape. More importantly: in my experience you really need tape cut to the exact millimeter width of the rim. Generic tape is rarely available in the exact width you need.

In my experience, the vast majority of tubeless issues I've had and seen others have comes down to the tape. Get rid of the tape, use a rim with a solid rim bed and everything is much easier. Just my opinion based on my experience.
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Re: go tubeless they said… it will be fun they said. [hiro11] [ In reply to ]
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I'm interested to see how tubeless rides, but I imagine some of the hesitation comes from leaving the tried and true.

I remember buying tubular race wheels, gluing my fingers together in the garage while desperately trying to center a tire keep the dog away from the glue residue before it sets at 1am before a race while screaming "never again!" in my head - and the idea of having a similar kind of headache again with a different technology sets off alarm bells.

I guess there's probably three types of riders -
1) those that have some mechanical aptitude that enjoy doing their own wrenching,
2) those that aren't thrilled about bike maintenance and just want to ride, but don't want to go to the shop for minor work, and 3) those that take their bike into the lbs for virtually everything.

I have a feeling that a lot of riders fall into category 2), and they're better served with clinchers/inner tubes until the technology improves such that tubeless is literally easier to maintain than clinchers, performance notwithstanding, because that's the requirement for a good segment of us. When I hear stories of weeping sealant and impossibly tight tires, it's a hard pass for now.
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can we talk about how hard it is to mount tires + tubes on tubeless ready rims though [ In reply to ]
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I fall into #2. However, here's my latest issue. When I bought my new TT bike, bought it with race wheels because my previous bike was 650C and also rim brake. I wanted to have a spare set of wheels, and wanted them to ALSO work as a set of road wheels for my gravel bike. Got a set of Shimano tubeless ready wheels.

I got the TT bike back in February and finally got around to trying to mount tires. I figured since I was going to use them infrequently - I'd just use tubes + tires. Tried mounting. To say it was a herculean effort to get these tires over the darn rim is understating it. I broke two tire levers in the process, and I somewhat bruised my palms and thumbs from the effort. Busted the first tube as I was wrenching the tire on. Two and a half hours later I had two tires (each with a tube) mounted, but discovered after 15 minutes that one of them had a hole in it as it slowly leaked all the air out. The wheels + tires have been sitting in the same position since last Friday as I don't have the energy to try again.

Honestly I don't know what I could even do if I got a flat with one of these out on the road because I don't think I could reliably change it. I might rip them off and attempt to mount them tubeless - but I had started the process with tubeless tires to begin with (that I was going to use tubes with) and those were WORSE and I didn't think it was physically possible to get the tires on so I gave up with put Conti 5000s on.
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Re: go tubeless they said… it will be fun they said. [tri@thlete] [ In reply to ]
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tri@thlete wrote:
That sounds like a tough fall and bad luck, sorry!

I went tubeless for about 6 months but couldn't deal with the upkeep of new sealant, pain in the ass putting on new tyres, and sealant spraying when flatting.

I am happy with LaTeX tubes and clinchers. Takes me less than 5 min to change incase of a flat. Easier to deal with in races. If a tyre goes in a race, it's pretty much game over.

Look at the ST poll, looks like over 50% of voters still want clincher/tubes.

Thanks, as for the fall, I guess I was lucky I managed to break my AC completely, dr told me that I couldn't make injury worse so just go for it (he is an ex german pro triathlete).... even so when I told him that I managed to complete Roth in 9h40m less than 2 weeks after accident, he was a little surprised.

I have stuck with tubeless, and sometimes it really pays off. I am currently on vacation near Girona, apparently Garmin doesn't know that many local roads are actually gravel.... and 2km was single track that would have been a challenge on my full suspension Mountain Bike. Looking at tires, I think I had at least one flat that resealed, pressure held up well, losing max 10psi (I inflated to 90, and rear had 80 after ride)
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