Danpennyuk

I have a Giant TCR Advanced 1. It comes with tubeless tyres as standard. I’m upgrading to carbon wheels and debating whether to switch over to Continental GP5000 tyres. Should I?

DrIsotope

Do ya get a lot of flats? If yes, tubeless might be for you. If you don't get a lot of flats, just run whatever tires you want.

Robert A

I don't think it's quite that simple. In addition to being more resistant to flats, tubeless tires are faster and lighter than tubed tires.

MidTNBrad

Russ Roth

Not according to Specialized any more, though I can't stand their constant back and forth but they're saying due to tire stiffness on tubeless and the extra weight that tubes are faster.

OP, pick what you want. Personally I never found a benefit to tubeless on my mtb and have switched back to tubes to zero detriment and no discernible change in handling so far. Never bothered with road tubeless, why bother with the extra work and expense if I didn't notice a difference on the MTB, maybe the road would be different. If the new rims are tubeless and you like what you have stick with tubeless, the 5000s has a tubeless version I believe that could let you have both the new wheels and tubeless. If the rims aren't I certainly wouldn't let tubeless get in the way of wheels I really liked.

Koyote

It’s generally a wash.

Sy Reene

And, while we 've figured out what the OP is asking about, it is worthwhile to reiterate that Tubeless tires ARE Clinchers. All Clinchers are not tubeless however.

noodle soup

+1

my bike lost a pound of weight when I went to tubeless(and wider), but that was all wheel weight. The tires + sealant weighs about the same as the tires + tubes.

DaveSSS 

I just built up a new bike with mechanical/hydraulic disc brakes and tubeless tires, but I did not choose high priced carbon wheels for the build. I ride hills and mountain roads where gusty cross winds preclude deep profile aero wheels. I chose Fulcrum Racing 3 wheels that only cost $500 and don't require any rim tape. I also chose Michelin Power Road tubeless tires because I really like their Power Endurance tubed tires. I run 28mm tubeless tires with a pressure of around 65 psi in front and no more than 75 in the rear, since I only weigh 135-140. So far, I like the ride and I got an indication that they roll faster, just yesterday. I started a descent that I've done many times and hit 51 mph quickly, where I've hit no more than 49 before and there wasn't a big tail wind pushing me.

The only punctures I've had in the last 10,000 miles with tubed tires are two pinch flats from hitting rocks strewn along the road side. The tubeless tires should prevent most of that problem.

I should add that mounting tubeless tires is more difficult and so is removing them. Putting a tube in on the road should probably be practiced. I had no trouble at all getting the beads sealed up, using my air compressor and a blow-off nozzle with a pointed rubber tip.

deacon mark

i see no reason to go tubeless unless you have lots of flats. They seem to take up a lot of cyclist time preparing and working on them. I change a tube with a flat and ride, patch and can use it again later. For road riding in generally decent conditions tubeless seem worthless to me.

WhyFi

fify

popeye

kiss

WhyFi

For some people, tubeless *is* the more simple option.

merlinextraligh

I’m not totally sold on road tubeless. However, running tubeless on a mountain bike and a gravel, tandem, in my experience there is very little hassle in running tubeless. It is an easy setup, and other than replenishing sealant every year or so, it’s pretty much set it and forget it.

Tubeless by definition eliminates pinch flats. This is a major advantage off road because it allows Lowe pressures. Less of an advantage, on the road but still advantage, And small punctures that flat a tubed wheel don’t flat tubeless with sealant.

You can debate weight and rolling resistance. But for hassle factor, imho, the reduced susceptibility to flats substantially offsets any effort in initial setup

noodle soup

If that's how frequently you replenish the sealant, you're gonna have a bad time.

rubiksoval

Latex tubes with the clincher version are potentially lighter (especially if you use sealant in the tubeless). For some tires they are also just as fast with the latex tubes.

rubiksoval

The GP5000s come in a clincher version. Just get those. I wouldn't bother with tubeless, personally.

merlinextraligh

pretty sure I’ve gone at least 2 years on my MTB without replenishing sealant with no flats. Admittedly, there was not a ton of usage in that time frame.

if it’s not holding air, add some sealant. If it is no need to fix what is not broke.

AlgarveCycling

Tubeless for MTB - I was getting a puncture at least once per week where I live but switching to tubeless has resolved that 100% from the thorns that were causing them, only puncture since has been a big tyre tear from a sharp rock which destroyed the tyre completely. I do get my LBS to replace the sealant every two months and before every race though.

For road...I have done nearly 10000 miles / 16000km so far this year on Conti GP5000 tubed tyres, only one puncture and that was just unfortunate, rode through a patch of road where the council were actively cutting back roadside trees, bushes etc and sharp thorns were on the road that I hadn't seen. I have Zipp 303's and Conti GP5000's on one bike and the new Roval Rapide CLX's with Conti GP5000's on the other. Prefer tubes for road.

jadocs

You'll never know....

Unless you try tubeless yourself. Personally I will not go back to clinchers. I went tubeless simply for the ride quality, all the other benefits were just icing on the cake for me. None of my tubeless tires needed the use of a tire lever and they all sealed with a floor pump....but do your research first. Learn which tires are troublesome on different rims, what type of sealant (I'm just going to tell you right now Orange Seal), what to do in the event of a flat that wont seal (learn to recognize which answers are from someone knowledgeable with practical experience. You would be surprised at how many people do not know how to change a tire properly/efficiently.

topflightpro

We tried road tubeless on one of my wife's bikes, but ultimately we decided it wasn't worth the hassle and went back to tubes.

noodle soup

Keep believing that if you want to. That’s how you get stranded.

Ymerej

I have tubeless setup on both my bikes. While it is kinda a pain to get everything dialed in, I’m glad I did.

Iride01 

What do you want to do?

GP5000's come in both clincher and tubeless so your desire for GP5000's isn't a limitation.

I don't flat very much, sometimes going two or more years. So the only benefit to tubeless for me will be the possibility of less rolling resistance. I've still got other areas of performance to improve so I'm still clinchers.

The only negative I can see for tubeless is having to learn new ways to deal with them. The talk of messy goo and what to do with a flat in the middle of nowhere is becoming much like those that think carbon bikes are fragile and break easily. Admittedly I used to be one of those people.

merlinextraligh

pump, tube and 2 ounces of sealant in the bag, doubt i get stranded