Basstar

Strange question here I’m sure.

I put Gravelking Slicks on my All Road bike primarily to go to a wider width and basically all of my riding at the time was on paved multi use paths.

I mounted them with tubes for ease of mounting and since speed wasn’t my focus I wasn’t concerned with weight.

I’ve since moved to an area with some nice gravel riding and in two consecutive rides have gotten a flat. Both times it was a very tiny pin hole in the tube.

I’ve decided to give tubeless a try and am going to a more “gravel” tread as well.

Question: since I know the Slick tire has a puncture but also know it is so small I basically can’t even see it, should I consider using this tire tubeless with sealant or simply toss it?

Thanks

P.S. I’m in Southwest Florida

Atlas Shrugged

Tubless is perfect for those type of punctures. With your specific problem their may be a small piece of flint which is embedded in the tire and it causes small punctures as you ride. I speak from experience.

icemilkcoffee 

Are your rims tubeless ready?

FBinNY 

Add an approximate location to your profile because sometimes the right answer depends on where you ride.

For example it seems like your tiny punctures might be from thorns or goatheads ---- common issues in the southwest.

In any case tubeless and sealant are perfect for pinhole leak issues.

As for tread, "gravel" comes in all forms, from pea gravel which is pretty easy on tires, to crushed bluestone whose sharp edges that can be murder on thin tread rubber.

Basstar

Yes

t2p

what width are you riding ?


just related comments -

GK SS is more flat resistant than the GK slick ... even if I rode almost entirely road I would use the GK SS instead of the GK slick

Basstar

38

Thanks for the tip.

base2 

Going tubeless after a tire has been used with tubes can sometimes be an unsuccessful venture. Especially with extralight skinwalls. The problem arises because the tubes stretches out the threads of the casing & the walls become far too porous & there isn't enough wall thickness to make any sealant created plug stay put. It's much less of an issue starting with a virgin tire as the sealant has a head start and works it's way in from the get-go.

That being said, I have (& probably many others, too) have successfully run tubes for awhile then converted with out issue. But be aware & have a dart kit ready should a previously unknown puncture make itself known. Odds of success are very likely but are not 100%

Rolla

It's your money, but tossing a tire with a pinhole puncture seems wasteful. I would run it tubeless with no hesitation whatsoever.

Ghazmh

Maybe wait until those tires are worn out and go tubeless with the next set.

Yelbom15

Those are some awesome tires. If I remember correctly, Panaracer is pretty dead set on having most of their tires equipped with some sort of “puncture resistant” belt within the tire like Gotorskins. Now how tough, who knows.

Like someone said before, if you’ve already put a solid amount of miles on them, I’d say wait for a fresh set of tires to run tubeless. Not saying you can’t. I don’t see why not but it’s almost like prepping a chain to be waxed after you already put 900 miles on it.

If you only put maybe 100 miles on the tires, then go for it.

sincos

Puncturewise, running tubeless will be fine. The real question is whether a file tread is appropriate for your sort of gravel.

tommymc

I have a pair of 35mm Gravelking Slicks on DTSwiss R460 rims (rim brake version). I ran about 1,000 miles on mixed pavement and hard Florida trails with tubes and without a puncture. But since both rim and tire are rated tubeless I gave the changeover a try. As a first attempt it took a little effort to get it right but now they are good even when sitting for a couple weeks. They definitely feel smoother. I couldn't be happier.

Basstar

I’ve looked these tires over to the best of my ability and although I do see a couple of pin holes I do not see any major cuts nor anything in the tires.

I’m giving them a try tubeless and am certain I will have sealant oozing out in a couple of spots.

Hopefully they will seal up and I can get several miles out of them. If not then to the trash they’ll go and a new set of tires will be on the way.

Thanks everyone for sharing your insight and experience.

t2p

I typically use a fair amount of talc / ‘baby powder’ when I install tires with tubes - so changing from tube to tubeless would not be an option for me

t2p

38 - ok - good

if you were using 32 mm (or smaller) I was going to recommend some other tire options

cantiger

Is this still conventional wisdom? Pondering slick vs semi myself. Cheers. (Or G One Speed / Allround)

t2p

not sure if it is conventional wisdom - ? - but it is the case

the GK SS tread is approximately 1 mm thicker - therefore more durable and flat resistant - but heavier and rolls slower … still a recommended / decent tire though

the exception is the 32mm GK slick - which (at one time at least ?) included a puncture proof layer under the tread … but in a 32 mm slick tire there are other / better slick tread options

btw / please note: the Gravel King lineup is new / improved for 2024 … includes updates to existing tires and a new tire