Tubeless On My Touring Bike?

Any thoughts?   http://www.amclassic.com/en/products/road-wheels/road-tubeless

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Permalink Reply by Elliot Bennett on April 3, 2014 at 9:52am

Road tubeless is different from tubular tires, and they can be a pain to change in a field setting. I would not recommend it.

Permalink Reply by S on April 3, 2014 at 10:43am

Huh?  Worst case with tubeless tires, you take out the valve assembly and use a regular tube in it. But with some sealant, you shouldn't have to worry about punctures as much. Tubular tires are whole different beast since you need to carry a spare tire and then later reglue the tire onto the rim.  

Elliot Bennett said:

Road tubeless is different from tubular tires, and they can be a pain to change in a field setting. I would not recommend it.

Permalink Reply by Lee Roy on April 3, 2014 at 10:58am

I think the only reason to go tubeless would be to save weight.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 3, 2014 at 11:36am

Because a tubular is so easy to change on the road?  This answer makes no sense.

I see little to no point in road tubeless beyond making something simple more complex and WHEN you get a flat it's going to be gross inside when you have to put a tube in it anyway.

How low a pressure would you want to run on a touring bike?

Elliot Bennett said:

Road tubeless is different from tubular tires, and they can be a pain to change in a field setting. I would not recommend it.

Permalink Reply by Gecko on April 3, 2014 at 12:43pm

This was my thought as well.  The only real benefits to tubeless tires are low psi for better traction offroad, i.e. mountain biking.  Otherwise, they're generally heavier, they require messy sealant, and are a real pain to get on and off the rim because of the super tight beads.  I wouldn't want to be struggling with that on the side of the road, even if I was just putting a tube in one.

notoriousDUG said:


How low a pressure would you want to run on a touring bike?

Permalink Reply by Tom Z on April 3, 2014 at 3:38pm

I went the way of Stan's NoTubes with success so far.

I did purchase a set of Stan's alpha wheelset and put Conti Top Contact II tires on them.

The only other item needed was the sealant. About 2 oz per tire. I get over a year before needing to refresh through the removable valve cores.

Stan's also offers conversion kits for regular rims. I have not used those, so I can't comment.

Overall the sealant is lighter than tubes, but it's a small difference.

So far I'm liking the combo.

It was tricky getting the tires to seat the first time. A little soapy water and an air compressor to push a quick volume of air did the trick.

I do ride with a tube just in case something happens. I can remove the valve and put a tube in place.

Good Luck

Permalink Reply by Drewbacca on April 3, 2014 at 6:34pm

I'm with DUG and Nick.

Just get a decent set of clinchers with shielding, like Panaracer RiBMos. I have a few thousand miles on a set of Bontrager Hard Case tires without a single flat (although, the tires themselves are starting to get flat spots). Vittoria and Schwalbe also have good touring tires. 

Permalink Reply by Richard Stiers on April 4, 2014 at 1:58am

I have 5 bikes, steel touring to carbon racer, with tires from 50mm to 23mm, pressures from 55psi to 90psi. I have never had a pinch flat since I learned how to properly mount a tire. Don't use a tire tool, do use talc powder, inflate 1/2 pressure, ensure bead is seated properly, deflate, straighten stem, inflate to pressure.

peter moormann said:

Yes.

No tube, no pinch! 

For me it's  not about weight so much as  being able to run low tire pressures.

Inner tubes are susceptible to pinch flats.

Permalink Reply by Dave D on April 4, 2014 at 2:12am

I run my Salsa Vaya with regular tubes 700 by 38 tires and have no problems with flats. On my Salsa Fargo I have Stans No Tubes rims and I am thinking of running those big 29er tires tubeless to get low pressure for comfy off-road riding. Plus off-road and far away I'd rather go tubeless. I feel less of a need for tubeless with road riding. I used to get flats on my skinny road race bike tires 700 by 25, but when I switched to the Continental Gatorskin tires the flats went away.

Permalink Reply by Gecko on April 4, 2014 at 2:50am

I can honestly say I haven't had a pinch flat in nearly 10 years, and that one was caused by messing up a trick on my BMX.  Properly mounted and inflated tires, and making every effort to avoid road hazards have helped, but I have still hit some pretty bad stuff and not flatted.  I even got hit by a car a few years ago - the rim was bent 4-5" off center and the tire didn't blow.  I was able to straighten it by slamming it on the ground, then I loosened the brakes, which was just enough to get me the rest of the way home.  I'm still running the exact same tire and tube to this day.  Also, my mountain bike has full suspension, so the only issue I have running my tires at higher pressures is slightly less traction, which I've learned to cope with, and is an ok tradeoff for me to eliminate pinch flats.

My personally optimal tire sizes and pressures:

BMX - 20X2.0 - 50psi

MTB - 26X2.0 - 50psi

700X35 - 60-80psi

700X28 - 70-90psi

Keeping tires properly inflated goes a long way.  Any bike I haven't ridden in more than a week gets air put in the tires before I go on a ride.

Permalink Reply by Michael A on April 4, 2014 at 3:00am

I have tried tubeless tires on my cx bike and ditched it immediately , It may be ok for a light rider but those days are long past for me. Another thing to think about it latex sealant does not work at lower then freezing temps. At the resent state of road tubeless tire and rim technology I do not think  there is any benefit over using a nice tire and a latex tube. Conti gator skins are ok if you like riding on a garden hose.

Permalink Reply by Tom Z on April 4, 2014 at 3:18am

Peter,

I hate saying this for the fear of jinxing myself. I haven't had a flat since running these Conti with Stan's Notubes.

I am prepared by carrying a tube. For Stan's not to plug a flat it would have to be huge, big enough that something would have to be corrected on the tire. I guess I could try the dollar bill / duct tape trick on the tire with the replacement tube.

I may have had punctures, but wouldn't know it because, the Stan's sealant would stop the leak in a rotation or two.

I'll see how this season goes.


peter moormann said:

Tom,

How do you deal with flats?

If you get a big hole in your tire can you repair it on the road and re-inflate without a compressor?

Or is installing a tube the only effecient solution?

Tom Z said:

I went the way of Stan's NoTubes with success so far.

I did purchase a set of Stan's alpha wheelset and put Conti Top Contact II tires on them.

The only other item needed was the sealant. About 2 oz per tire. I get over a year before needing to refresh through the removable valve cores.

Stan's also offers conversion kits for regular rims. I have not used those, so I can't comment.

Overall the sealant is lighter than tubes, but it's a small difference.

So far I'm liking the combo.

It was tricky getting the tires to seat the first time. A little soapy water and an air compressor to push a quick volume of air did the trick.

I do ride with a tube just in case something happens. I can remove the valve and put a tube in place.

Good Luck

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