cyccommute 

Yes and no. You get the same number punctures but the tires have sealant in it to seal up the holes. If you don’t use sealant, tire punctures have the same frequency. If you do happen to get a puncture that the sealant can’t deal with, fixing the problem becomes more involved and the hole has to be plugged.

Additionally, the sealant loses it’s effectiveness with time because the solvent either diffuses through the rubber or the rubber bits that seal the holes clump together. It needs to be “refreshed” or replaced every few months (3 to 6 depending on a number of factors).

Finally, mounting a tubeless is a little more involved. You need something that can put out a large volume of air quickly to mount the tire. That usually takes a compressor of some kind.

aggiegrads

I recommend against tubeless for the OP if their main goal is to never ever have to take off and remount the tires.

You have to refresh the sealant every 3-6 months, and at some point, you need to take off the tire to remove the dried up sealant.

cyccommute 

On that we can agree...although there is a squad of flamethrowers right behind us.

Racing Dan

Depends on your tyres. A thin unprotected tyre may puncture every other ride and a robust tyre may "never" have one.

wsteve464

Yes.

Before going tubeless I'd get a flat about 3 out of 4 rides, goatheads. Since going tubeless I think I have had 1 flat that wasn't a sidewall puncture and it was due to a puncture and dried out sealant.

Gresp15C

I've noticed that a lot of riders have an evolving relationship with flat tires. I remember one year when I got like a flat every week on my commute, and I kind of went overboard with puncture protection, in vain pursuit of the flat-free yet fast tire. At the same time, I got really good at fixing flats while out on the road.

These days, I don't worry as much about flats, but dealing with them has become more of a casual habit. I'm more careful when I ride over sketchy terrain. I inspect my tires for debris. I don't let my tires get worn down to the cords. There have been times when I've stopped to check after riding through glass.

After a few decades of cycling, I've concluded that the way forward in resisting punctures is to get them down to a reasonable level without doing anything freaky, and then be prepared to fix a flat once in a while.

djb

On average about one flat per year. Can go two, three without any. Got one last week and it had been 3 years I think.

on top of tougher tires, there's bad luck, but frankly some riders are not observant and run blithely over all kinds of junk without even realizing it.
other riders never think to check tire pressures, and get pinch flats.

bikebikebike

I tallied it up the other day, and I have to take care of 68 tires, in my world.
You get fluent with use.
If I only had 2 or maybe 6, it would be different.

sdmc530

I get one a year, its pretty rare for me to have it happen to me. I am lucky I guess? But now I will have one on my next ride because of this post!

djb

I just touched wood twice for both of us.

cyccommute 

Those of you who don't live in the land of the Goatheads don't understand that the number of flats you get is dependent on what you are willing to sacrifice to the Goathead Gods. Never brag before the Goathead Gods for they will smite thee. I was once on a ride where we had 27 flats between 4 bikes and none of them were mine (20 occurred on one bike, 6 on another bike...with tubeless tires...and one was on my wife's bike). I failed to humble myself before the Great Goathead Gods and even pridefully boasted about how I had been spared.

The next time I did the same ride, I stopped counting at 63 punctures on one tire. I didn't even count the others. Tires and tubes were just thrown out. The Goathead Gods had smited me mightily!

The next time I went on the same ride, I purchased used tires from my local co-op (intending to throw them away after the ride). I also put in Slime tubes (which I detest) And I had tire liners. I did this on two bikes and we never even picked up a goathead. A similar situation happen when I did the ride again with the same set up. The Goathead Gods are great and powerful but they are fickle.

Gresp15C

It's a great reminder that a bike is an adaptation between our bodies and the environment, and the environment definitely dictates the rules. Here, the greatest danger is getting eaten alive by mosquitoes during the time it takes to fix a flat. That's why I have bug spray in my sag bag.

cyccommute 

I don’t know where “here” is but I’ve been mugged by eastern US mosquitoes. Mosquitoes in Colorado are very polite and almost ask before tasting. The eastern ones I’ve run across will knock you down, call their buddies, drain you dry, and go through your pockets for change. They are mean!

Gresp15C

That's because you have trout to eat your mosquitoes.

Edit: "Here" is Wisconsin.

noglider 

I take my chances. I rarely get flats. I use tires with no protection. I don't know why I'm so lucky. Maybe it's because NY State has had mandatory recycling since the early 1980s. Maybe I'm good at steering around the few bits of glass. I have never ridden in goathead territory. That sounds rough. And Stuart, my ankles are stinging after an outdoor dinner tonight. Yes, we have mosquitoes.