SoldSpartan

I plan on going to the bike shop tomorrow to go tubeless on both my front and rear tires. Is there anything I should know like what kind of tires to get or how much this is going to cost; what are the advantage/disadvantages?

Teamprovicycle

I just went tubless

You need tubless ready wheels and tires
A set of tubless presta valves
Tubless rim tape
Sealant

Advantages are said to be almost flat proof , faster .

Disadvantages are mounting , overall change in tools needed to maintain them.

Also you can still carry tubes if you get a bad flat while out , thats all i have seen , i choose shwalbe pro one evolution tires because i couldn't find anything cheaper or better in price or reviews . i got them on merlin cycles piad 98.90 usd ...

pdoege

I would only buy tires and wheels that mount without fuss. The biggest pain points for me is the mounting. In practice that means buying tires and rims from the same manufacturer.

Once you are confident that you can pop the beads on and off when you get a nasty flat and do home maintenance without a mess tubeless is quite nice. Otherwise you'll spend more time screwing with your tires than riding, which is not what you probably want.

Items that make life easier:
O-ring valve stems make a better seal than the standard rubber bases
14 gauge injection needle and syringe so that you can inject/remove sealant through the valve with no mess
Small swivel tip pliers for stubborn tires and beads
Rubber super glue for fixing tears on the road
Patch kit for internal repairs on the road


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pesty

You didn't say if this was for road, mtn or CX/Gravel. I've been running road tubeless for about 10 years, and as that's generally the biggest PITA, my reply is geared towards that.

As has already been said, your rims need to be tubeless ready and you'll need a stem and tape. I'd also suggest a pump with a chamber (similar to Bontrager's TLR or Topeak's Booster). Being able to blast a tank full of air in at +180psi tends to work better for me at getting the bead seated than my air compressor that only gets up to 120.

As for ease of mounting, it's going to be very hit or miss depending on the rims, tires, etc. My Shimano Ultegra rims are by far the most difficult rims I've ever mounted tires on, tubeless or otherwise. Conversely, I just mounted a pair of Maxxis Padrone TRs on my hand built wheels with Kinlin rims without using a single lever. The one thing I will tell you is the trick is to make sure the first bead is all the way in the channel of the rim by flexing the tire over that side of the rim before you try to get the second one on. Also, start the second bead on the opposite side from the valve stem.

As for the benefits, more comfortable ride due to lack of tube and ability to run lower pressure, generally better rolling resistance, and less instances of noticeable punctures.

Regarding punctures... they will happen. Good sealant can help mitigate this, I personally prefer Stan's Race. The best thing I've found for punctures on the road that don't seal up all the way is a plug/worm. If I get something that doesn't seal up completely in 30 seconds or keeps opening back up, I can generally stick a plug in it and not have to worry about it. I also cary a pump. Hopefully, the worst case scenario is I have to stop when the pressure gets really low (about 40-50psi with 25c) and give it another 30-40psi. Realistically, the worst case scenario is you slice a tire or don't stop quick enough and the bead slips off the rim. In the latter case, you may be able to save yourself with CO2. In the first case, you're pretty much screwed. I know you technically can put a tube in a tubeless tire, but I've found that to be extremely difficult without pinch flatting the tube. That being said, In 10 years I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to walk home or call for a rescue.Far fewer times than I've had multiple punctures and run out of tubes.