Koyote

Did they seal up, or did you have to stop and deal with them?

mstateglfr 

I had to stop and deal with 2 that wouldnt seal on their own. One was bad enough that I removed the tire and used an inner tubeless patch to cover the hole since it wouldnt seal after a day. I pumped up the tire every 10min or so for about 15mi.
Honestly, that was annoying in the moment, but it was a freak incident that would have destroyed a tube too so its not a big deal.
Setting up tubeless tires on my wheelset has been the more frustrating part of tubeless. My first pair, WTB Resolute tires, set up easily on my first try. When remounting them it was brutal and they wouldnt sit right no matter what tricks and efforts I tried. My next pair, Panaracer SS tires, were horrible to set up I eventually took them to a shop after a few hours of trying over a few days time, and even a quality shop struggled. My current pair is the same- Panaracer SS tires, and they were tough to set up but I eventually got them to seat with 3 strips of tape.

Maybe my skills in tubeless setup are lacking or maybe I picked a couple pairs of tires that dont love my rims?...though I think you have my rims- Hydra. So I guess that pushes blame back to my lack of skills.

zandoval 

The cost of Wheels, Tires and Tubes is going up. The cost of Tubless tires and wheels is becoming more reasonable. Who knows...

Maybe some day even I'll be riding Tubless... Ha

But then again, I don't even use indexed shifting so probably not...

Koyote

I do run WTB Resolutes on Hydra rims, and have had none of the problems you have described --including the weeping sidewalls that you have described in other posts. (I think that was you -- apologies if I am mixing you up with someone else.) But I don't doubt that you have had these issues, nor that your skills are fine. I think there is plenty of variation in production runs (rims and esp tires), and tubeless is very unforgiving of such things.

mstateglfr 

I have definitely thought about going back to WTB for my next gravel tires. They introduced a + version(SG2) to tires that are supposed to take care of the comically thin sidewalls that weep, but still allow the tires to roll quickly. Based on online reviews and comments, I am pretty sure WTB tires weep from the sidewalls more than any other brand with the exception of ReneHerse.
I am vain and like tan sidewalls though and the + version doesnt come in tan. Saddening.

Paul Barnard

Accounts like yours are enough to steer me away from tubeless.

wolfchild

Too much of a hassle to set up tubeless and still not immune to flats, no real benefits over regular tires with tubes.. I will continue to use regular tires with tubes.

mstateglfr 

- Pressure can be run at lower levels without worrying about pinchflats. That is a very real benefit.
- Most punctures will seal up on their own and many will seal without you realizing you got them to begin with. That is a very real benefit.
- Net weight of a wheelset with tubes vs tubeless typically(basically always?) ends with tubeless weighing less.

Besides those things, there is no benefit.

jonathanf2

I'm surprised latex hasn't been brought up as an alternative to butyl and tubeless. Compared to butyl tubes, they weigh less, are more supple and have better puncture resistance. The only downsides is that they require a pump before every ride since latex will lose air overnight and the valve-to-latex connection is fragile so it requires some care not to damage the tube. Overall I though I think it's a viable alternative and has it's own set of advantages depending on your riding style.

Koyote

On several occasions, I have finished a ride and found sealant on the back of the seat tube. And yet, my rear tire’s psi was right where it belongs. If I’d been running tubes on those rides, I would’ve been changing flats on the side of the road.

cyclezen

Been 14 days since I converted from Butyl to tubeless front and TPU rear.
Tubeless setup had some moments - mostly because I wasn't sure how much pressure was needed to properly set the bead.
I thought I had it 'set' properly, using about 70 psi (on a 42mm tire on 23 internal rims - FSA Convertible). Wasn;t getting a good seal...
easy to tell because the bead was leaking sealant...
so I took the pressure up to 85 lbs... and then you could hear that very light, high pitched PING, as the tire finished seating properly.
Rotated the tire very slowly for about 5-8 minutes, mostly horizontal and flipping a few times, to make sure the sealant was reaching all parts of the tire and tire/bead interface.
Went much better.
14 days later the tire is still holding air close to what I set it... 34 psi (front tire)
The rear, with TPU, was no issue, simple - holding well at 38 psi in a 35mm tire.
Both seem equally good - have yet to have a puncture or tire damage requiring 'sealing', so can;t really report on that ...
I will say that my Mountain bike, which is fully tubeless with 2.5 x 27.5 tires hasn;t required any additional air in over a month...
so, tubeless for higher volume tire - all good and TPU also seems good... not sure which way I'll settle into.
Ride On
Yuri

chaadster

If you have the right tire/rim combo such that the tire mounts easily and seats securely, tubeless is the best combination of performance attributes going: self-healing puncture protection, low risk of sudden catastrophic deflation, low weight, easy puncture repair without tire removal, low rolling resistance, high snakebite resistance, and best low pressure stability.

Sure, there’s periodic sealant top-up, but I’d rather do that at home than deal with a flat tube out on the road.

The trick is finding the right tire/rim combo, because there are some combos which don’t work well together, complicated by the fact some tires are not great for tubeless despite being designated for such use. It’s best to run a known and proven combo, or follow wheel manufacturers’ suggestions for tires. It may be, of course, that some rim designs are better than others, so that complicates things as well.

Of course, one also needs the right equipment (tools) for tubeless setup and maintenance to reduce hassle; the tool kit is not the same as for tubes. I wouldn’t bother with tubeless without a good air compressor and inflation head, and it’s probably more efficacious to carry tire plugs than a spare tube and tire levers.

In my own situation, I have two road bikes running perfect tubeless combos, one running a decent tubeless combo, one gravel bike with a good tubeless combo, and one gravel bike on TPU tubes, which offer the second best combination of performance attributes. I went with TPU because I selected tires, Herse Extralights, which were impossible to set-up and get to seal tubeless, despite using their recommended sealant and employing all the tricks, including curing time. I think the casing was too thin and supple, because even when the sidewalls would stop weeping sealant after being well coated and curing overnight, when riding, there would be substantial air loss and sidewall weeping again.

So is tubeless worth the hassle? Yes, because there is no hassle if you have the right equipment. Tubeless is not a no-brainer, however, as best experiences require consideration in wheel and tire selection, likely financial investment in equipment, and perhaps patience and commitment to resolution in case the first two things don’t work out right.

If any of that is uncertain or unappealing, stick to tubes, preferably TPU, and Schwalbe Aerothan at that.

tdilf

To to OP - if you have to ask then probably not worth the fuss for you.

KJ43

Well the OP made his post about 3 years ago and hasn't posted on these forums since June of 2019 so you might need to hunt them down.

sean.hwy

I agree with you if running at 80 psi +

At the low psi I have hit stuff seen the orange stuff oooz out. Tire was low on pressure. I got of my bike rolled the tire to where all the orange liquid would cover the hole. Took a a few minutes but it worked. I put some more air back into my tire and rode home. I was going to take the tire off and patch it from the inside except the tire does not leak. lol That stuff works great on mnt bike and gravel tires at 32mm + or bigger.

The smaller 23mm to 28mm road tires at 80+ I am still on fence on.

sean.hwy

I just recently switched to tubeless.

I have 16 + wheels between all the bikes, gf bike and extra wheel sets. Is it necessary to break down the wheels, clean out the old sealant and start over again every six months?

If so I might just go back to tubes. ha-ha

chaadster

As a data point, my best performing tubeless setups are 23/25mm tires at 95-105psi, Schwalbe Pro One on 19.4mm internal AC Argent wheels, a perfect combo.

Koyote

Why do you think that it needs to be cleaned out?

I've been running the same front tire on one bike for 2+ years now...It's never been removed from the rim since being set up tubeless. I just check the sealant level and top-off as necessary every month or two. No problems.

sean.hwy

I guess you read my post you missed the part where I quoted the person that said he cleans the sealant out every six months. post # 48
Are tubeless tyres worth the fuss?

I have only been running tubeless only a few months. I don't have a good idea on how to maintain 16+ tubeless tires over several years.

Koyote

Interestingly, that poster does not explain why he cleans out his tires every six months. I can’t think of a good reason to do it.

as regards your 16+ tubeless tires… Most riders who run tubeless do not use it for each of their bikes. It really only makes sense for some bikes in a collection, in most cases. I’ve got five bikes, with two set up tubeless. No plans to set the others up tubeless in the near future.

“Maintenance“ for tubeless tires consists of checking the sealant level as appropriate and topping it off. Easy.

sean.hwy

bummer. I was hopping to only use inner tubes in an emergency when the dart/bacon did not work.

Koyote

That is precisely when you would use a tube with a tubeless setup. What is the bummer?

Sardines

I think you have to change your routine if you are all tubeless. I don't inflate or even set up the spare wheels unless I'm about to use them. , I use the Panaracer Smart Sealant, which uses walnut shells as hole fillers. When the latex dries up, it can leave the walnuts stuck with the residue, which is harmless but may leave the residue stuck in one spot with your spare tires since you don't move them. So I only setup wheels if I want to use them. With my tire changes, say from commute/road to gravel, I switch them out at least once a week so it doesn't really dry out.
Depending on where you are, you probably need to top up the sealant every 1-2 months, if you live where stuff dries out fast (usually hot/dry places). If you change tires annually, which I do for my commute/fun bike, then just top up and ride. I don't bother to clean it out unless there's a problem with the tire. I also try to keep the fiber fillers for the new sealant.

sean.hwy

The gf and I each have have gravel bikes. She has two wheel sets ( carbon road, factory alloy gravel tire). same size cassette for her wheels.
I have four wheel sets for my gravel bike with different size cassettes and few different length chains to match the cassettes. Just bought a mountain bike that came tubeless. Currently just the factory wheel for that one. Thinking about getting a carbon wheels for the mountain bike.

The gf has two other bikes. those I would be fine with just tubes.

I guess not practical to rotate through many tubeless wheel sets.

Sardines

Well it also depends on which sealant you use. The Panaracer Seal Smart isn't the best performing in terms of sealing leaks, but good enough for my needs. What it does well is the residue does nothing to the tire and rim tape, except leave a little sticky goo with the walnut fibers, unlike heavily chemical fortified Stan's race sealant, which can stiffen the casing. So I just slowly rinse out the residue, which is water soluble, and sieve the walnut fibers for the new sealant.
I have 4 sets of wheels for my pinion bike, which functions as flatbar gravel, touring, commute/transport and fitness. I use them regularly enough where the sealant doesn't sit for weeks to dry out in the same spot. There is no real need to clean out the sealant if your tires are changed every 1-1.5 years. Just top up and ride. The biggest pain to tubeless is really initial set up.