Lanceoldstrong

I have been on road tubeless for over 5,000 miles.
I started using them the last weekend of April, 2016.
They have been a game changer.
Fast, comfortable and amazing grip when I'm whipping it down Mt. Diablo.
I'm not going back to tubes.

Hiro11

I highly doubt this. Tubeless already dominates in MTBs and is highly adopted in cross. There are several distinct advantages inherent to tubeless. I think it's more likely that a standard will emerge and the process will improve. Based on my experience, it's already much improved over the past couple of years. Also, the current trend to wider tires at lower pressures lends itself well to tubeless.

nycphotography

I think that is unlikely.

I think it is more likely that it will continue to improve and eventually everyone will be using the VHS version (instead of BetaMax) without even realizing there was/is a different standard out there.

The passing fad that I think will pass with time is the murdered out black on black on black bike. As the milk bar white bikes of 2008/9 have passed from this earth, so too will the murdered out specials. However, to be fair, Assos and Rapha with their all black kit, will cause them to remain as a "elegant european" well after the fad appeal has moved on.

JohnJ80

It't got a way to go. I've switched over to tubeless tubulars - tubulars that have no inner tube. My flats from riding clinchers are down to being so low I can't remember the last time I had one (been three years without a puncture). That gives me the low weight of tubulars and the benefit of not having inner tubes.

J.

Seattle Forrest

With the growing popularity of wider-tire "gravel bikes" and the waning of road race bikes among recreational riders, I doubt very much that tubeless will go away. More likely it'll converge on some kind of standard.

DOS

Mine were <$40 from UK website Probikekit.

dvdslw

I'd have to disagree with your thinking that road tubeless is a "passing fad". Yes, the industry needs a standard mostly for safety reasons but also to help eliminate 90% of the frustration that stems from installation errors. Nothing wrong with riding on tubes if that's what you want to do but know that there's a puncture friendly almost tubular ride feel setup out there waiting for you if done right the first time.

I know I'll start another debate by saying this again but if you look at all of the threads started by someone having problems setting up their tubeless tires, what was the issue? 9 times out of 10 its something to do with the tape! It can be too much tape, not enough tape, wrong width tape, tape not sticking, or even an imperfection on the surface of the rim where the tape adheres? Easy fix, buy a wheel that does not need it like a Shimano or an Easton Certified Road Tubeless wheelset and you can almost guarantee a trouble free experience. Let me also point out that we're talking road tubeless here where the pressures are typically 80-100psi, not mtb's where you run much less air pressure which decreases the chance of issues.

My belief on why there's a reluctance to have a standard is it would require every other manufacturer of wheels including the smaller well known wheel builders to completely change their rim designs and building techniques to sell a Certified Road Tubeless wheelset which requires the use of double threaded spoke nipples that are installed from the outside of the rim in order to have a smooth sealed rim bed and no need for the problematic tape. I should also point out that this is especially important for carbon wheels because of their hollow rim cavities where escaping air and sealant can travel when the tape fails. An aluminum rim has a much better chance to work with tape because of its smooth surface but I still consider any tubeless wheelset that requires the use of tape to be a CONVERSION and will likely fail one day if not the first.

beatlebee 

I think with some recent tests showing Crr being quite low for some options, tubeless will gain more traction with TTers.

I have been on tubeless for a few tens of thousands of miles and will not being going back to tubes. With modern sealant working so well, tubeless was a stepping stone for me to tubular but if I could afford the new Spec. wheels, I'd probably go back to tubeless.

chaadster

Damn, I bet that's a sweet setup!

chaadster

No argument from me regarding the superiority of solid bed rim for tubeless, but while proper and reliable taping isn't that hard, the necessity of getting it right is why I stressed doing it right. But yeah, all else being equal, I'd take a solid bed rim every time. The double threaded nipple that Easton use is a fine solution, it seems, but even using a standard nipple with the magnet drag-to-place technique isn't bad; at least I'd rather deal with hassle of building rather than periodic and predictable tape replacement.

Also, while taping troubles account for a lot of the problems, almost all of the issues people have are user errors, either trying to jimmy rig a solution or using the wrong stuff (like wrong tape, wrong rims, wrong tires, wrong pump, etc.)

Seattle Forrest

I need some good weather so I can get a picture.

nycphotography

I think there was a standard that pretty much everybody ignored because... it resulted in much heavier wheels and tires.

I think the Stans style wheels and tires have pretty much become the defacto standard... but we could use some industry wide agreement on the exact rim bed diameter and clincher design.

MTB tubeless is going to a hookless design. Maybe road will be next. But that's yet another standards shift that everyone has to get past.

Carbonfiberboy 

I agree about the necessity of standards which produce reliable wheel/tire combinations. What I don't see is any steps toward adherence to standards. There's no Microsoft to force them on everyone. The road bike market is so fractured. Everyone has their own way to make a profit. So far, among those in my riding group, I don't know anyone who's tried tubeless who hasn't gone back to tubes. Which says a lot about wheel design and tire/wheel matchups, eh? One of my friends bought new "compatible" wheels and tubeless tires and the tubeless expert at his LBS couldn't mount them. Another buddy got a hole the sealant couldn't stop, which sprayed that crap all over his bike. He was a good half hour getting back underway and had quite a cleanup job waiting for him.

OTOH we had a rare flat on our tandem today. I put on a spare tire and tube (different tire and tube brand from what was on there) and we were gone in about 5 minutes. Gave us a nice rest is what it did. Tubed clincher standards are quite forgiving. Some tires are easier to mount on some rims, but they all work.

dvdslw

I agree completely, ordering tires or should I say tyres from the UK is the cheapest option. I got a set of Pro One's from Merlin delivered for less than $80.00 for the pair. I was just pointing out that local pricing has dropped quite a bit and if you happen to need one now it wont hurt the wallet as badly.

garciawork

Love it. Been 100% tubeless since... 2009 I think, never going back.

Seattle Forrest

I got a pair of gravel road wheels. They use a hookless design. Your prediction has come true.

JohnJ80

I use tubeless tubulars (Clements/Tufo) but this would apply to both. I saw this thing in Velonews and ordered one. This ought to make flat repair pretty easy and painless.

Reviewed: Dynaplug Micro Pro tubeless tire repair kit | VeloNews.com

The idea is that you force one of these sticky plugs through the hole without even removing the tire. Very similar idea to how car tires are repaired. Supposed to be fast and easy according to the review. Either way, I would think this would be an advantage for any tubeless setup.

Seattle Forrest

Me too. From Chain Reaction. With some brake rotors.

Jiggle

I got a puncture about 200 miles in. Sealant was sprayed all over my bicycle and person. The wheel flatted. I took the tire off and got goo all over my hands and shorts and there was nothing to wipe them on. I threw a tube in and rode home. Then I took the front off, cleaned out the sealant, and put in a tube. Then I cleaned my bike, then I took a shower.

Thus ends my tubeless road experience.

danimal92sport

Seems to me that a quality plug kit is necessary on rides to hopefully prevent most of these types of issues. You'd still get sprayed with sealant, but you potentially avoid having to dismount the tire and put in a tube for certain types of punctures.

I've also carried a paper towel or two in my flat/tool kit for a while now, ever since a chain failure that covered me in grease during the repair.

Dan

SpeshulEd 

Curious what you mean by "tubeless in-ride disasters" - like just a flat and not the proper items to fix it, issues with initial setup, or disaster as in damage happening to the rider?

I was very cautious at first with my Pro1s and non tubeless ENVE 3.4s, worried that I might roll a tire on a high speed turn or something, but after 1000 miles or so I stopped even thinking about it. To be quite honest, I'm blown away by how well the tires work on the rims. Once I worked out a couple of kinks, they're probably one of the tubeless combo's I've come across. The tires stick to the rim better than some of my tubeless specific wheelsets (both road and mtb).

Carbonfiberboy 

No, no big deal, just frustration that didn't need to happen. The usual thing that happens: during a group ride, a tubeless rider flats. The group stops, waits for a bit to see what's going to happen, then splits. Some riders go on, while others of us become onlookers, like at accidents on the freeway. The tire eventually comes off and the green slime is revealed. Then the struggle to get a boot in place in the slime, then the struggle with the valve, then the struggle to get the tire back on, now with a tube in it. I don't offer my spare tire because I don't want to get slime all over it and I'm not sure it'll work with their rim anyway. Our legs are all cold and no one is happy. And it's all the fault (as it were) of the poor person who thought they'd never flat on a ride again. So they're the least happy of all of us, plus they have that crap all over their hands. It's not always like that. Sometimes the tire comes off and the sealant is all dried cobwebs all over the tire and rim and it's obvious why the flat. But it's not obvious that, even had the rider their syringe and sealant that the tire could be reseated without an air compressor, so the tube goes in and at least we're spared the struggle with wet sealant and the boot.

Regular clincher flats, 2 or 3 of the stronger riders usually stop, we split up the tasks, someone produces a spare tire so we don't have to look for the object, and we're back on the road quickly. If there's enough ride left, we might be able to rejoin the group. But they're rare, so no big deal.

DrIsotope

If any color other than white is inside that tire, the person is either not running tubeless, or is an idiot. Latex sealant is white. Even Orange Seal is white. If you put Slime in a tubeless tire, you deserve what you get.

Beyond that, aside from a few months of horror with Schwalbe Ones, I have not recorded a puncture on my Maxxis tubeless-- not one-- and I've pulled copper staples, bottle glass, and spring steel out of my tires. Ten thousand miles. Never even had to add air.

Planemaker

I agree 100% if there are that many rider flatting while tubeless there are by far more flats from others or the installation was incorrect.

Also, just because a rider is tubeless it doesn't mean that its fair game to ride through any hazards on the road.

Two years here with tubeless on road and gravel (14,000 miles). The only flats I've had is from running a sharp rock though the sidewall.

FYI - American Classic Hurricanes for gravel and American Classic Argents for road. both have two seasons with no truing needed.

rbrsddn

I went Tubeless 5 years ago, when I got some Ksyrium SL's, and realized they were Tubeless friendly. Have had to use a tube once. Now running Schwalbe Ones 75/80 lbs. Love the comfort and grip.