Grambo

New to CX racing and was contemplating trying a tubeless clincher disc setup. Looking to get some of the benefits of tubular setups without the gluing / changeability downside. Was planning on a wide profile / tubeless specific wheelset (most likely Stan's Iron Cross) along with a true tubeless CX tire. I weigh ~ 165lbs and was hoping to run pressures in the mid to upper 20s. Not too worried about burping issues given the wide tubeless rim / tubeless tire combo but wondering / little concerned about tire roll over. Currently running tubed clinchers @ 40 psi. Anyone have any experience with this type of setup? Pros / Cons?

bdcheung

Been racing a combination of Clement MXP and LAS all season, tubeless, on Stans IronCross rims.

Cons? They're not tubular.

Pros? They're easy to mount. Easy to swap tires. Lower pressure. No pinch flats. And all the other "Pros" of tubeless.

I'm 5'10" and 155 lbs

Grambo

Excellent. Thanks for the feedback. Just out of curiosity what spoke count r u running on the Iron Cross (I was planning on 24F / 28R) and r u running Stan's hubs?

bdcheung

I bought the Stans wheelset, so it's 24fr/28r with the Stans 3.30 hubs

Niloc

I thought about tubeless, but read too many bad stories about burping and rolling. However maybe that's solved, seems bdcheung is having good success. My conclusion was that tubeless is relatively new tech for road bikes, and the kinks are still being worked out. On the actual road where you'd be riding at reasonable pressures, say over 80psi, ok there's a lot of force to hold that bead in place. But in 'cross where you're deliberately underinflating the tire and then trying to twist the tire off the rim on off camber slopes etc, it seems like you're taking too many chances. Plus there's not a lot of selection yet and you have to buy everything new - $$.

I went tubular and am about to glue up my second wheelset. Got the wheelsets used for cheap - the second pair cost me $100 off craigslist. Gluing is a bit of hassle, but on the plus side with cyclocross getting it perfect isn't as important, I mean it's a wide knobby tire running at <30 psi, you'll never notice that little imperfect wobble in your glue job. Just make sure they are on solidly.

So now I'll have two wheelsets, one with an all-purpose tread and one mud tread. Swapping them is easier than changing tires on a tubeless wheelset. I figure total cost about the same. They feel great and have improved my riding and my enjoyment of it significantly. Of course I still have my clinchers for training and farting around. Ok I'll have more wheelsets, is that a bad thing?

fotooutdoors

I don't have tubeless experience, but I do have about 12 races under my belt with tubes. I routinely run those pressures and lower (down to 22/24 front/rear) with Clement PDX's at roughly your weight (160). I have gotten two pinch flats over that time, including in practices; unfortunately, one of the two was in a race. However, that happened in a wreck, and resulted in a slow leak. My point? Depending on your cross season length, you may not have much time to experiment this season with tubeless. However, you can mess with tire pressure regardless if you are careful with your lines. Just a thought for something to do while you mull over your options.

Grambo

Thanks for the feedback. I actually have experimented with running lower pressures on a tubed setup but like you have run into pinch flat issues. Even at 40 psi I have had a couple of close calls during races where in the heat of the moment and trying to put the power down I have felt my rear tire bottoming out against the rim when rolling over a root or obstacle. I have raced tubeless setups on my mtb bike over the past couple of years with very good success so I'm pretty optimistic that tubeless CX will work for me assuming a dedicated tubeless rim and tire combo.

Huffandstuff

Anyone have luck with a ghetto tubeless set up? I've had a couple issues pinch flating lately but not wanting to drop the cash on a tubular set quite yet. I normally don't run too low of pressure, maybe 45ish psi at 510 155 but I tend to take pretty aggressive lines that have caused me grief.

I might wait till the season is over then experiment with it and see how well I like it since it doesn't cost me race fees when I flat out on a trail.

grolby

Don't do it.

Sounds pretty clearly that your problem is technique.

rusheleven

Do it.

Work on your technique!

They can happen at the same time. There is no reason you can't work on bike handling, line choice, and gear choice all at once.

Tubless has its own set of flaws and options just like running tubed clinchers and tubulars. Ghetto tubless is cheap and simple to set up and try. Gorilla Tape + Sealant + Valve = (+-)$20
Compare that to start up for tubulars and you have a lot of reasons ($) to just try it.

nickw

I think tubeless is still a big liability. I thought I was an exception, works great for me on the MTB, used tubeless rims + tubeless tires and am a smooth rider. Made it 2 laps before it burped and I had to run 3/4 lap to pits.

It may be cheap to try, but how much is driving and paying for a race only to find out it doesn't work worth? Practicing is one thing, racing is the only time I feel like I can properly stress components consistently.

Tubulars are a PITA and expensive but they work...

BenPS

I've been riding stans Crest ZTR rims with Clement MXP (not tubeless ready) tubeless for about a year, and have had no problems. The MXP's kind of sucked to mount, but with some sealant in there they've been running fine. Usually do 32 in back, 30 in the front, myself being about 140#

digita6

I've been riding Specialized Trigger 2Bliss on Pacenti SL25 rims tubeless for about 6 months with no issues. Did a 95 mile gravel fondo over 3 mountain passes with up to 14 mile stretches of horrible rutted chunky rock road descents with no issues. Have been running at about 32 psi in cross so far this season, and no issues so far.

Skankingbiker

Yes. I am running racing ralphs tubeless on a bicycle wheel warehouse wheelset. I am probably going to go back to tubes. The tires seated up and sealed fine. But if I go below 40, they burp...about 40, and I might as well use tubes. (Rec'd tire pressure is 45 psi. I am 210 lbs. YMMV)

atp0726

Been riding/racing Stans Grails at 24 psi front 26 back with Kenda Kommando pro x tires. Have never burped them and had them as low as 22 in the front 24 in back. Just set them up with WTB Cross Boss tires and will be trying them out tomorrow.

jfmckenna

I don't see how tubulars are a PIA. I've had the same tires glued on my race and pit wheels now for 4 years. No problem at all and still on nice and strong. Expensive? Yes true.

Hammonjj

I've been running tubeless on my current setup (stock wheels and tires of a Giant Advanced Pro I) and have been really happy. No issues at all. I'm ~150 lbs and run pressures in the mid to low 20s