Originally Posted by
BrockLee
Would tubeless tires have been safer, faster, or in any way more suitable?
Safer? Marginally. With tubeless, you at least have the possibility of the sealant sealing a puncture before the tire loses all its air. Also, the fit between a tubeless wheel & tubeless tire is much tighter than a traditional clincher wheel/tire combo, so a tubeless tire is less likely to separate from the rim when deflated.
Faster? Slightly. There is less rolling resistance with tubeless when compared to clincher. I really doubt you'd see any tangible speed increase, but the data is pretty clear that there is less rolling resistance.
More suitable? Nope. Absolutely nothing wrong with a traditional clincher setup.
I prefer tubeless to clincher because 1) the ride quality is smoother, 2) the puncture sealing really works, 3) I can run a lower pressure for even better ride quality without having to worry about pinch flats.