mrfizzed

Can you folks chime in and either from experience or reading somewhere etc tell me why or why not I should not get Shimano Ultegra Tubeless wheels over my stock Fulcrum Racing 6's I have on my 2011 Roubaix SL2? I have heard some mixed things btu am hoping the educated folk can sway me one way or the other, or for that matter should I still upgrade but not to tubeless for some reason?

Things I have heard that may or may not be true...
1. tubeless will be lighter
2. tubeless will almost eliminate flats (which I do not get a lot of now)
3. tubeless are not as strong (i fluctuate my weight between when I am fat around 205, and when i am in shape around 185-190)
4. rolling resistance will be decreased due to tubeless
5. better tires associated with tubeless will help a lot

Andy Somnifac 

I typically ride my Mavic Ksyrium Elites tubeless. I definitely prefer it to traditional clinchers.

1. Maybe, maybe not. Are there combinations or tires/tubes on both sides of the equation? Probably.
2. I only got one flat in a season and a half with tubeless, and it was a flat nothing was going to prevent. Periodically I dismount the tires to clean the wheels and renew the sealant and would find punctures that the sealant plugged with no problems.
3. If you are referring to how they wear, the tires I run (Hutchinson Fusion 3s) aren't the longest wearing tires I've ever run, but they weren't the shortest.
4. Maybe, but if so it's not going to make you say "Holy carp! The rolling resistance is so much lower!".
5. Again, there are tires on both sides of this equation in all different types (tubular, tubed clincher, or tubeless clincher).

And one you didn't mention:

6. I find them to be more comfortable, due to the fact I would run them at a bit lower pressure. I started running them when I was 200+, now I am 140ish, and the difference diminished as I did.

YMMV.

mrfizzed

thanks for the updates...with regards to how strong they are...i meant how do they hold up to potholes etc.....i am looking at going to ultra tubeless.. do you recommend a tire to go with these? i was told by someone else that my specialized all weather stock tires on my roubaix sl2 are very thick and therefore slowing me down. i don't want to put something on there that will risk a lot of flats, but i would like to notice a difference if possible.

Andy Somnifac 

This is not an insult, so please don't take it as such, but your tires are not slowing you down to any significant degree, unless you're somehow squeezing some huge knobby tires on and riding on the road. This is true of 99% of the people on BF, and I certainly include myself among that 99%.

As for flats on potholes, etc, the tubeless typically fares better because there is no tube to pinch flat.

And tires, I've only ridden the Hutchinson Fusion 3s, and I have no complaints about them, and will buy them again. The Hutchinson Intensives are supposed to wear a bit better, but I have no first hand experience with them.

ColinL

I'm in the 99% too. I don't like the road feel of a squirmy, slow-rolling tire but I bet if I used that tire one day and then my favorite 'premium' tire the next, on the same route, my time would have very little to do with the tire and a lot to do with wind, how strong I felt, and even traffic.

That's what this is really about. If the tire feels slow, sluggish, harsh, etc that is all solveable. If you get too many flats that is mostly solveable. If you want to actually go faster just ride more and ride with a training plan.

NWS Alpine

I just converted my RS10s to tubeless with the fusion 3 tires and the ride quality is much improved. That seems to be a common theme. Grips and handling plus road vibration/bumps. The tire they replaced was a just stock Schwalbe lugano though. I notice that tubeless is much more beneficial to larger rides like myself at 210lbs. I can now run them 95 and 100 psi and they feel awesome. About 15-20PSI lower than the stock tires.

STP

I probably won't answer any of your questions, but I will give you my impressions and experience. I have a 2010 Specialized Roubaix. I swapped out the stock Mavic CXP22's for a set of wheels that I had built myself (105 hubs, 32h Velocity Aeroheads, double butted spokes), but put the stock Roubaix rubber back on. Those tires I typically run at 115 psi. They are heavy wheels and heavy tires, but very rugged as well. At 115 psi, they're quite "bouncy" on rough roads. That's due to the pressures and I know that. I'm using them strictly for training so they need to resist punctures, wear for a long time on all sorts of roads (sometimes even a stretch of dirt/sand).

I recently built up another set for that bike for the purpose of road racing. I put together C-4 hubs (20/24) with CXray bladed spokes and Stan's Alpha 340's with Hutchinson Atom tires. I run those at 80 psi. My first impression was that the ride was more enjoyable at lower pressures. They were less likely to bounce around over rough surfaces. I'm using them only for racing so I'm not concerned with tire wear and I don't worry about puncture resistance. The Hutchinson's are quite expensive, though.

That's all I have.

mrfizzed

great comments and great advice guys. thanks!!! so basically me wanting to maybe replace my 105 cranks with sram red or ultegra cranks to save a few ounces, to go to tubeless from my fulcrum racing 6's so save a few ounces and to maybe swap out my handlebars and stems with carbon ones (all costing probably $800-1100) isn't really going to much for me as far as speed. this is what everyone is saying? pardon my ignorance

fa63

I am about to do a detailed review on my tubeless experience and post it on my blog, but to summarize I love the ride and also haven't gotten a flat that the sealant hasn't been able to take care of in about two years now. For reference, I also ride on standard clincher and tubular tires on a fairly regular basis as well, but prefer the way the tubeless ride the best (slightly better than the tubulars, lot better than tubed clinchers).

With all this said, don't expect them to make you any faster.

ColinL

the biggest contributions to ride comfort are:

tire pressure, tire type, vertical compliance in the frame, compliance in the handlebar (here's your carbon bar), compliance in seatpost and saddle, and then everything else.

you can spend a lot of money on bicycles. speed is dominated by rider ability. comfort, however, can actually be improved by equipment.

NWS Alpine

agree. Handling and comfort are the main bonus of going tubeless. When it's wet you can run the PSI a little lower to increase the contact patch. Haven't noticed any speed difference as rolling resistence means nothing to me as a non racer at 210 lbs. I battle the wind.

Hiro11

One note: I have these wheels and mounting tubeless tires on them is a serious pain in the ass. I can't imagine doing it on the side of the road. YMMV.

fa63

I just put up a detailed review of my road tubeless experience on my blog, in case you are interested:

My Road Tubeless Review

NWS Alpine

I just went tubeless and I put it in the dryer and it went on so easily. Before warming in the dryer it almost broke my levers. From what I have read they are much easier to take off and put back on after about a week or so on the rim. Should be easy to replace on the side of the road it they have been on a while.

Bob Dopolina 

Read and commented.

Definitely germane to the thread.

fa63

Thanks. This question comes up a lot, so instead of typing up essentially the same response every time, I figured I would make a blog post to share my experiences and point people in that direction instead.

Andy Somnifac 

Having had to dismount and remount mine on the side of the road (nothing short of a solid tire was going to stop that flat), they mount easier after they've been on the rim a while. I threw a tube in, remounted, and was off.