JeffOYB

How close is the Tubeless experience getting to the Tubular experience?

Like, what are the best most supple Tubeless tires -- and how do they compare.

dim

I'm using 2017 IRC Formula Pro RBCC ...

https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/collect...ess-road-tyres

very light and fast .... I cannot compare them to tubular, as I've never ridden with them

the faster clincher tyre that I have used is Specialized Turbo Cotton ... brilliant tyres

JeffOYB

That Cotton Turbo looks very nice -- for a road tire. It looks like it would be very close to tubular ride quality for the first time in clinchers. There is maybe another tire or two that is also getting close.

...But tubeless clinchers for CX?

I just read a Velonews report that says none of the pros are using them yet but they're better than they were. But what's that saying? How much better?

We need folks who've ridden them both.

ldmataya

Ridden and raced both. Tubeless is way better than tubes, but still acts differently than a good tubular. I use Challenge TE tubulars on my race wheels - these have cotton casings and really supple. So they really conform to the ground surface whatever it is. I've used Kenda, Hutchinson, and now Clement tubeless. The Kendas were most supple but wore out very quickly. Hutchinson were good but seemed slow so this year I'm trying Clement PDX tubeless as my mud tire.

I think the tubeless clinchers still have to have a firmer casing, and because of the way they lock into the bead channel they don't want to really roll over into a corner. But, I can run them very low which makes them faster. 20-24 psi front and 23-27 rear for my 155lb body.

The suppleness of the tubular is still noticeably better when the course is dry and fast. At the Trek world cup course there was a lot of dirt cornering and rocky rooted stuff, so the tubulars were still better for confidence - you can feel it slipping away a little quicker.

But I like tubeless for muddy courses. I think they grip just as good and then you don't wear out the sidewalls with all the mud and moisture getting into the tire and sometimes into the base tape. On mud your more concerned about going forward - your turns are gentle anyway. On dry you have to corner fast and tubular still seems better for that.

JeffOYB

thanks for the comparison info!