Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,808
Likes: 188
From: Denver area (Ken Caryl Valley)
Bikes: 2022 Moots RCS, 2014 BMC SLR01 DA Mech, 2020 Santa Cruz Stigmata, Ibis Ripmo, Trek Top Fuel, Specialized Epic Pro, Pivot Les Fat
At the point where tubeless tires are easy enough to take on or off, I think they will become far more widespread. Right there are are too many variances in rims and even tires, to a degree. MTB tires are easy to take on and off, and I no longer know anybody here running tubes on trail bikes. Even the most ardent detractor friend of mine switched 2 years ago. I'm running my Tarmac and Crux tubeless. The Crux makes a lot of sense since it is a bad weather, winter, gravel bike, with 33s. However, each time I get on the Tarmac, the smooth ride quality is impressive. While the Roubaix is comfy and has tubes, the ride quality is better on the Tarmac as long as the roads don't get rough to the point where big cracks and joints are present. At that point, the compliance of the Roubaix frame is evident. As far as sealant goes, I have switched back to Stan's from Orange Seal. So far, Stan's has been the benchmark and remains so even though OS did seal up the one puncture I had on the road. I have some long rides coming up in a few months and would rather use tubeless. What I need to do though, is not use sealant (for test purposes) and test how easy it is to take the tire off and throw in a tube if needed. While the Tarmac wheels hold air very well, I am not sure how easy the tire-bead off/on would be on the road. Some rims really lock that tire-bead on with a bead shelf.