I've been using Gatorskins only for years now. Before the Gators I was getting 2 flats a ride through the crappier areas that form my routes. With the Gatorskins I got 2 flats in 5 years. However, the latest flat was Goathead through the main armor belt of a brand new tire, out in the boonies, during a Century. It was easy to change and fix but enough to make me look for alternatives.
I've been thinking about tubeless for awhile but was put off by the general lack of rigor and standards. Road UST seems to be the only standard that can approach the hands off car/motorcycle like maintenance that I want. However, Road UST is encumbered by patents and the various manufacturers have half-assed their way around them.
The Hutchinson Sector 32 has an armored belt and the profile is close to UST. Similarly, the Roval SLX 24 wheels are close to UST as well. So, good enough. I plan to move over to UST if/when Mavic et al start shipping wider wheels and tires.
My initial assembly was a comedy of errors. There is no agreed upon standard for machining stem surfaces, proper o-rings, or any of other engineered approaches that I am used to. With road tubeless you just sorta tinker about until you find something that seems to work. It annoys me.
The original Stan's stems were too small to seal and I managed to pull one through. Put the Gatorskins back on and ordered their
oversized stems. I also glued the stems with a bit of contact cement.
This is what the (blurry) Stan's stems look like. The small scratches are from my earlier attempt of trying to seal the tire with the standard stem.
If I was doing it again I would try the
American Classic Stems. Their usage of captured o-rings is what I am used to using in automotive and high pressure applications.
The completed wheels and tires look quite handsome I think. It was a muddy and chilly Century yesterday.
These 32mm tires measure 31.75mm at 70 PSI
There is about 2.5mm of clearance up front. I might be able to fit a 35mm.
"Copious" room out back. Maybe I can run a 40mm?
They work well. I've been running 65/75 PSI F/R. They handle nicely and I barely notice the various bumps and whatnot. With 23mm tires I was out of the saddle all the time. Now I just glide right over.
I did get 3 punctures through a really bad industrial area. Didn't even notice until this morning when I pulled out a staple. The sealant sealed things right up. Very nice. This is what my floor and the tire looks like.
There is another sealed hole in the rear tire, and third puncture in the front. I'm not sure that my old Gatorskins would have flatted but I am glad I was not on them or a less durable tire.
In summary, still grumpy about the lack of standards, happy with the performance, really like the comfort, and I would do it again.