jimincalif

Got another puncture today, didn’t even know til the guys behind me yelled, they got sprayed with Orange Seal. But it did the job, I kept on rolling with just a slight loss of pressure. Tire still inflated this evening. I’m liking tubeless more and more. Not sure my riding mates feel the same though! 😱

DrIsotope

Then gonna lay in the draft, they gonna roll the dice.

I've pulled at least one sealant-bubbling goathead out of a tire on every ride for five consecutive rides. One day it was three bubbly thorns.

jimincalif

Hey Doc, what are those Giant tubeless tires you like? I’m thinking I should convert my wife’s bike. She has the Giant PR-2 rims so I figure their tires should be compatible. She doesn’t really get flats, but when I’ve showed her how to change a tube she really can’t get the tire re-mounted on the rim. Figure if I put tubeless on her bike then she is protected against all the routine little punctures and would be stuck only in the case of tire damage that won’t seal.

DrIsotope

I'm running the Gavia AC1, the wife is running the Gavia Race1. I've also tried the SL and SLR (which have now been re-named,) and aside from cosmetic differences in the tread, they all seem pretty much the same to me.

Giant also has the AC0, the Ac0 Kevlar, the Race0, and the Race0 Kevlar. The difference seems to primarily come down to thread count. The AC1 and Race1 are 60tpi. The 0 series are 170tpi. My LBS usually has the AC1 in stock, so I just buy those.

dagray

would you have a comparison between these and the Maxxis Padrone tubeless? I see Giant makes a Kevlar model.

I ride the Maxxis Padrone tubeless here in goat head country.

DrIsotope

I've run the 700x25 Padrone TR in the past, and am currently running a 700x23 Padrone TR on my Cervelo. The longevity of the Padrone is better than say a Schwalbe ONE, but the hardiness is nowhere near that of the Gavia AC1. I see the AC1 as a proper tubeless "training tire." It's heavier, it doesn't roll quite as well, the grip isn't outright amazing-- but they have a lower pricepoint, will last at least 3,000 miles as a rear, and I have never had one lose a battle with goatheads.

The 700x23 Padrone on the bike right now has a couple of little nicks and cuts on it, after about 115 miles. The Gavia on the rear looks similar, but has 1,200 miles on it. I picked up the Padrone for an absolute steal off of Amazon, and it mounts to 24.9mm wide on my 25mm external wheels, so it will stay onboard until it gets cut or the tread wears through, whichever comes first. Now if it's a "what to buy" between the Padrone TR and the Schwalbe ONE, then it's Padrone all the way. I imagine the Race0 Kevlar is comparable, as it's priced around the same as the Padrone.

dagray

I found the Schwalbe One tubeless wouldn't hold up as I was getting rock punctures that wouldn't seal. I put them on my son's bike with tubes so he can ride the tread off of them. I have only had one Maxxis Padrone 25mm wide tire go bad and it was due to a cut that made the tire useless even with a tube (it would need to have been booted to get me home, and luckily my wife drove by when it went flat and gave me a ride home).

I might have to try the Giant Kevlar tubeless one of these days

DrIsotope

Yep, my tires pretty much come in 2 flavors as well: cut by glass, or they last until cords are showing. Some tires just seem to be more resistant to cuts than others. I mean, I think I could ride a Panaracer RibMo through a field of thumbtacks and broken beer bottles and it wouldn't even be fazed. But the ride quality is like the tire is hewn out of granite.

dagray

and riding square granite tires is so not fun.... Octagonal granite tires are more fun, but I know exactly what you mean.

I wish I could go tubeless on my old steel road bike, but its wheels are 27 inch and not 700R..... yes it predates our wheel size.