mack_turtle

I am looking for some fatties to put on a mostercross type build for dry, rocky conditions. I can find very few tires over 35mm that are truly tubeless and my frame might be able to handle something as wide as 45mm. so far, Specialized and Bontrager only seem to have tires in this size range that are actually tubeless-ready and I don't have access to those brands. does anyone else sell such a tire? Vee Rubber is the only other thing that comes to mind.

I don't think Conti has anything tubeless in this range. Clement tires are NOT tubeless ready. Surly Knards are not tubeless compatible either!

why is there such a giant gap in the market for this kind of product?

mack_turtle

I can't find any confirmation of this, but I think Bruce Gordon Rock N Road tires might fit the bill.

AlTheKiller

WTB Nano 700x40, there is a tubeless version. Pretty cool tire, IMO

Monster Cross It: WTB's Nano 40c Tire | The Radavist

egear

The tire dosnt need to be tubeless ready in order to be setup tubless. I just went tubless on my all-city using conti travel contact tires. It's more about having an air compressor to use than anything else. The selected tire should be somewhat difficult to fit on the rim, tighter the better. New tires work best.

mack_turtle

I disagree, egear. I have tried several different tires on my Velocity A23 rims, which should work just fine tubeless, and none of them will seat. if they do seat, they blow off the rim at 30 psi a few minutes later. not worth the risk IMO. I am sick of trying non-tubeless tires and having failures. I also had some tires fail on my mountain bike with Stan's rims when I use non-tubeless tires. Having a blow-off or a leak from thin-walled tires when you are 30 miles from your car is not fun. walking back to the start in the middle of a 100 mile gravel grind is not fun either.

non-tubeless tires might also fail because of the chemicals in sealants. this is why I refuse to use Clement tires, otherwise I would have some MSOs or some Knards on my bike.

There are definitely tubeless-ready tires in the 35mm size, so maybe I will just have to do that for now.

WTB makes a 40mm Nano but it is NOT tubeless. bummer. TCS | WTB

edit: 40mm WTB nanos are coming soon!

Dream Cyclery

Kenda Slant Six comes in 29 x 1.8 SCT. Kenda is usually under their claim so should be under 45mm.

Also Kenda is super easy to setup Tubeless.

MileHighMark

WTB will be releasing a tubeless version of the 40C Nano. I saw hand-labeled samples at Interbike, but don't have a release date for the production versions.

The dearth of mid-sized tubeless tires is probably due to potential liability issues. Pressures on mid-sized tires are generally higher than high-volume MTB tires, and if someone over-inflated a tubeless tire that was mounted on a rim that wasn't rated for the pressure, a blow-off may occur.

mack_turtle

yeah, I just saw TCS Nanos on QBP. I have those on my "item watch" list. I might just spring for them the moment they are available.

I see your point about tire pressures though. If I can only get my tires to 40 psi, that might be fine for gravel and such, but if I use that bike for commuting to work, it could be a chore.

MileHighMark

If a tire's recommended pressure range is 40-85psi (for example), you just know that someone will pump them up to 85psi. That might work with some rims, but the hookless rims typically don't play nicely with pressures that high.

alex jb

Buy an innertube?

just wondering why the lust to go tubeless?
tried it for a year while I had a big garage space and compressor, didn't find it that much benefit.

Kopsis

The two key motivations are puncture resistance and the ability to run lower pressures without the risk of pinch flats. If you don't need those, then tubeless is probably not worth the effort (until better tire selections become available). But OP specifically refers to dry, rocky terrain where lower pressure and self-healing can be significant benefits.

mack_turtle

I tried riding this bike with 42mm Conti tires and got a pinch flat within five miles. central Texas is all thorns, cacti, and rocks! the "gravel" roads are quite foul. I have my mountain bike set up tubeless and never have any problems. sometimes I want to ride longer distances and mixed surfaces of road, gravel, and singletrack, so tubes are just going to cause me to stop every few miles with a pinch flat. no thanks.

I pump up the tubeless tires on my mountain bike with a regular floor pump. never had a need for an air compressor.

edussanchez

I´m in the same situation as you. Looking for a 38-42mm tubeless tire but there are no options in the market. After search a lot I have found only two options:

1.- WTB Nano 700x40c tubeless TCS. I have emailed to wtb (usa and europe). Wtb USA has told me that the tires will be avaible in a month. WTB Europe in february. I´m from Europe so shipping costs from USA to my adress will be probably too expensive, so maybe I will go for the option 2.

2.- Specialized Trigger 700x38c 2Bliss. Are avaible right now on the market. Seems to work worse on soft than the nanos but very good on hardpacks.

Anyone knows another option?
@mack_turtle: what model is the Vee Rubber tubeless?

mack_turtle

I think the V Rubber model I had in mind is called the XCX or something.

I am starting to have a change of heart regarding tubeless tires on this bike. My mountain bike is tubeless and perhaps I should be riding it on the kind of terrain where I think I need 45mm tubeless tires. I need some reasonable light, supple tires in the 38-42mm range with puncture protection and maybe a little Slime, and then just know the limits of where those tires can take me, and what terrain I should leave to the mountain bike.

edussanchez

I´m looking at the VR website but in the XCX specs it not appear the sealant compatibility
VRB-323(X-C-X) - Vee Rubber| vehicle tires, motorcycle tires, bicycle tires , truck and bias tires,bike tires,fat bike

mack_turtle

I spoke to a Vee Rubber rep about 2 years ago and he told me that all Vee Rubber tires are sealant-compatible. maybe he didn't know better.

edussanchez

Anyone has tried the BG Rock and road in a tubeless set up? I have read some people that has tried it and seems that work really well

bgcycles 

Technically they are not what Panaracer says is a Tubeless Bead - but, everyone I have heard from including Panaracer, Stan's No Tube, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cyclery and many others have said the work Great Tubeless. I have never had anyone say the did not work.
In addition - I have some 650b x 43 Rock 'n Road tires on the way - these are with the tubeless bead that Panaracer says IS tubeless - they should be in my shop and available the middle of December 2014
Regards,
Bruce Gordon
Nothing is better than a bike that fits

Hdpearson13

I have 38mm triggers they are a nice back tire for hard packed. And a great gravel tire front and back. I've ru. Them down to 25psi without a problem but seem best at 34-36 psi. There easy to setup also. I have a stans raven 35mm nice tire for everyday won't race on them again after compared to triggers for hard packed.The guy who said his tires kept blowing off the rim at 30 psi might be a psi reading issue. I've only found on psi guadge that seems to read the pressures right. I had same issue with a Mso blowing off because of bad reading on both compressor and pump.

Kopsis

I just set up a pair of BG Rock & Road tubeless on Pacenti SL23 rims. It took a compressor and a good dose of soapy water to get the beads to pop onto the shoulders the first time (which I take as a good sign that they're a tight fit and less likely to blow off or burp). The sidewalls were pretty porous, but 2 oz of Stan's sealed them up almost instantly. Sitting overnight they didn't lose any pressure at all.

Saturday I put them on my SSCX bike and raced a course with some really rough downhill sections. I know they're not meant to be a CX tire, but I wanted to give the setup a real trial by fire before doing any long unsupported gravel rides. They proved to be pretty slow in grass (any wide tire will be), but they sure were comfy on the rough bits And on the short sections of hardpack and pavement they rolled much faster than I expected. I ran them at about 30 PSI (bike & rider weight 170 lb) through some pretty abusive stuff and they held up beautifully. Checked 'em this morning and they're still at the same pressure I set them to before the race. If you have good rim, I would not hesitate to run the R&Rs tubeless.