There must still be a few readers out there who have not followed the Dutch Monkey down the merry tubular path; for them I offer an update on an alternative. Road tubeless has been lauded as the best thing to happen to cycling since the introduction of seatpins. These have been around for years but the road version has not gathered the expected momentum. Michelin made them then discontinued, Continental* is not interested, Bontrager said they were coming out with a model or two, Maxxis has a model. Hutchinson has a nasty little near-monopoly on the road tubeless market. Basically, there are maybe six models total and Hutchinson makes three of them. The tyres are different from regular clinchers in two ways: their square carbon bead snugs into square extrusion in the tubeless specific rim and they have a butyl inner-wall layer. The bead makes an airtight seal. The addition of latex sealant inside the tyre prevents almost all air loss and self-seals.
For unexplainable reasons I was advocating for them long before I actually used them. I liked the idea of no pinch-flats but moving to 25mm tyres mostly solved that. I liked the idea of using lower tyre pressure, which also was solved by going to 25mm inner-tubed tyres. It is claimed tubeless ride like sew-up tyres due to the lack of inner-tube but the tubeless tyres have a butyl coating on the inside to keep them airtight so they can’t be as supple. They may ride better than clinchers but they are heavier than sew-ups. Tubeless require forty grams of liquid sealant, there’s some more weight.
Pros
Cons
Debatable misconceptions
I’ve been using Hutchinson Intensive tubeless tyres on Campagnolo Eurus 2-way fit wheels for nine months. I’ve had a total three punctures, all resulting in latex spew, sealing and riding. So the good news is I haven’t been sweating on the side of the road replacing inner-tubes. That never was a big problem, I can do that in seven minutes, I’ve been doing that for many years. Seven minutes is less time than it takes to clean the bike from the latex after-party. What I don’t know about are the slow leaking punctures that the latex handles without messy fanfare. Seven minutes is also about a tenth of the time one will spend fixing a flat on a sew-up tyre. Even if “fixing” means peeling it off, putting in a pile you will never touch again and installing a new sew-up tyre.
I can dispel some misconceptions. The tyres do easily seat with a floor pump. I’ve installed the last resort inner-tube in my shop for practice but not in the field. Installing an inner-tube with the sealant covering everything roadside would be nasty. If one keeps the bead at the center of the rim and finishes at the valve, most can install a tubeless tyre with cycling gloves on, no tools. They will also come off easily if the bead is kept in the center of the rim and one starts near the valve. It is no harder than clinchers. I haven’t tested the claim that they stay on the rim while riding deflated, nor will I.
Do they ride better? That is the Question. We would happily put up with the lack of tyre selection and latex cleanup if the ride was a lot better than inner-tubed clinchers. I wish I could proclaim right here, right now that they rule but I can’t. I find it very hard to qualify those differences without some real testing. My inaugural ride on road tubeless was also my inaugural ride on my new Eurus wheels. The bike did corner much better, that was obvious and I assumed it was the Eurus wheeels not the tyres. Maybe that assumption was wrong but there is no way to tell unless I had two wheelsets to test one after the other, which I don’t. If the ride improvment was definitive, should it be the tyre of the future? If more tyre manufacturers jump into the pool the technology would improve and remove a few of the problems.
What the world needs is this: three wheelsets, a clincher, a tubeless and a tubular. All built the same except for rim/tyre choice. Have a group ride where wheels are swapped and tested, blindfolded! It is the only way. We await the offers.
Are we all confused? Are you sorry you just read an article with no definitive conclusion? You are welcome.
*Continental won’t manufacturer a tyre unless it stays on the rim at double it’s maximum pressure. I can’t imagine clinchers perform better than tubeless for that particular test.
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@Jeff in PetroMetro
Understood. I went all Specialized for the mtb (Roval rims) 'cause my LBS owner, a friend, gave me a good deal on the wheelset. So it all went together.
I agree about the road options. Just going to the Conti 25s has improved my ride a great deal. I don't even want to get back on a pair of sew-ups...
@Oli - Yeah I have. Not easily, but do-able. I've saved a few tubis by going right through the sidewall into the tube.
@Chris
Not to mention that I can't imagine the sealant being more of a hassle than tubular glue, which every true Velominatus should happily endure in pursuit of maximum tire love.
@frank More importantly, does sealant make you light headed in the same way that tubular glues does?
I can weigh in on this, having recently made the jump to tubeless on my #1 Alaris. The result is so far positive.
I converted stock Neuvation clincher aero 4s using Stan's no tubes and hutchinson fusion 3s 23mms. The install is as Gianni describes, and concur with his comments and experience. The sealant money shot was minimal. I worked up a sweat getting the bead on, but it was doable. The stem nut is required, and The Rule is not violated because it does serve a function on this system, unlike the clincher tube. Gianni is right about cleanup. You must clean the braking surface thoroughly with alcohol, lest the Principle of Silence be broken first time you apply brakes on the first ride. Take the opportunity to clean the pads then too.
I switched from the Vittoria Diamanté pros; I still use them on #2, and the eternally badass MrsDr Eightzero uses those on her Cervelo. I however, am a fatass, so I'd run those at 140psi for fear of pinch flats. Had a few at lower pressures.
I am now experimenting with lower pressures on tubeless. I'm settling on about 105psi, but I want to try a little fiddling with different pressures front and back. I only have a few hundred miles on them so far. I do notice a difference in ride that is positive, but can compare it to the wheels, since I converted clinchers to tubeless. I am not a racer, and no aggressive on the bike. I like the ride, but it is unclear if it is the lower pressure or the tyres yet, the change wheel wasn't part of my equation.
The reason I switched is to no longer carry tubes to deform my kitte. I carry a small patch kit for really serious cuts, levers and CO2. A comment earlier was "how many flats do you plan to have?" Some of this is way over done. Many of my long distance rides are with MrsDr Eightzero, and she carries at least one tube, CO2 and levers. If the weather is really shitte, I'm on #2 with clinchers. Thus, a flat in shitte weather can be repaired on the old clincher system quickly when it counts. In shitte weather, I'm likely to have a jacket on....with room for toobs. And when the weather is shitte, tell me the ride quality matters?
I am curious to she how the fusion 3s wear, and what the repairs and replacements will be like. I submit to the velominati that components of the bike comprise a ride system, and multiple bikes, equipment and procedures vary with application. Tubeless is but one part of the equation. I have no role for tubbies in my ride system. As of now.
Cost to try this is modest. I got parts from Stan, I think the tyres came from eBay new for $35 each. (Cheaper than my Vittorias.) Maybe I spent $150? A few quid, but I can go back, although the cleanup will be significant. By then it might be time for new wheels....and I can try yet another ride system component.
@Gianni
Not unless you're a real whiz with a needle and thread and replace the whole tube. Which sounds like too much effort to me. My sensei uses tubulars with gloop in them for TTs and says he's never had to stop for a puncture. I'll have to ask him how long they last for before they harden up and have to be chucked.
I do have a punctured but relatively new Vitoria Pave that I keep meaning to have a go at patching.
Good work, Gianni! I have to admit I had a little preview of this since I inquired a couple weeks back (or months...I saw a few weeks for everything!)
I use a tubeless set-up on my cross bike & have been pretty happy with that. Over a year on hand-me-down Hutchinson Bulldogs set up with Stans. Only one puncture, which was a big tear that didn't seal, and I decided it was time to put new ones on. Turns out the new Bulldogs will not go onto Ksyrium rims due to a new carbon bead. Wish I'd known that before a) wasting a few hours of time, cusses, and hurt thumbs b) buying them. (anyone need a 700x34 Bulldog tire?)
Been on Vittoria XGs now for a month or two, also tubeless. Set-up was pretty easy though one tire needed to be hit with the compressor at the shop to get a perfect seal. It would go soft in a day or two.
On the road I'm still using tubes. One latex tube in one bike, as I've punctured the other two (one riding, one installing!) and still have yet to find anyone I know locally with an old latex tube. Does Sint Nick deliver small latex patches made from old tubes? Maybe one day as soon as the spring when I build a bike shed I'll venture into the land of the sew-ups.
After chatting with Gianni a few weeks back, I decided to stick with tubes on the road.
@G'rilla
Hey, when you're constantly mainlining Awesome, it doesn't take as long to figure out what rules and what sucks.
In troof, I probably recommended classics before I even had them in-hand. Yes, I'm that Awesome.
In unrelated news, the 3T Rotundo LTDs are absolutely revolutionary and will completely change your life and are totally different/better than the PRO model. I expect mine to arrive some time next week.
@Carl Interesting, I'll have to try this!