Tubeless tires that can take a beating?
 

Looking for recommendations to replace my 700 25c tire with something that is the same size but has more puncture protection than the oem giant gavia and tubeless compatible

I have at least 8000 miles on various Continental GP 5000 tubless tires (both TL and S TR) in sizes 25mm- 32mm, every ride starts in the city, and have yet to have a puncture that didn't seal up on it's own. I frequently encounter broken glass/grit and other urban nastiness on my rides and with tubes I'd get flats every few months. Now I never get flats.

I wouldn't buy the TL version anymore because they're extremely difficult to mount. The S TR solves that problem. I'm sure other tires would be fine too, but I see no reason to buy something that is specifically "puncture resistant" for a tubeless setup.

YMMV

the oem Gavias started having punctures that don’t seal right away in the rear tire and it was annoying. Now the tire can’t take more pressure than 60 psi before it starts spraying sealant on a ride

That sounds like it could be more of a sealant issue than a tire issue. A 4-5mm puncture is borderline for a good sealant; if you're having issues with stuff smaller than that, and there's still decent tread life on the tire, I'd look at trying a different sealant, first. Orange Seal, regular or Endurance, have worked well for me.

Good point. I will add 2oz of Stan’s sealant and pump it back to 100 psi and see what happens!

There's the problem.

Stan's is great for MTB but has seen mixed results, to put it kindly, at road pressures. My general recommendation would be to use a sealant that has particulate (often glitter, or at least appears to be so) to help with plugging up punctures at higher pressures.

Yep. Orange Seal ftw.

And the OP should get a plug kit. This one is inexpensive and works just fine.

If your still thinking tires after your try different sealant, I've been running Pirelli P Zero Race TLR and they have been wonderful. I got this in my rear tire and I was able to ride home 7 miles and not loose any air. That is what is left of a 9 penny nail and luckily it hit the base of the valve and not the rim. I had to pull the nail out with some pliers and then put in a plug and have about 1500 miles on since with no issues.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b4527b4a65.jpg

+1 on Orange Seal. Also +1 on plugging the hole.

. Another+1 for Orange Seal and GP5000s. I use the endurance or the subzero. I'm riding on GP5000s and I also would only buy the S TR variety. I've had two sidewall ruptures with the 25c TL, and I don't want to press my luck.

The 32 mm TL tires on the tandem have been fine. Over 2000 miles and not a problem. Other than the two sidewall ruptures the 25 mm tires have been good. But those are down right scary.

No flats from punctures in at least 6000 miles on the 25 mm tires. Several times I have found dried sealant on my frame or forks but never had to fix a puncture.

Also, I used a tire jack to mount the 25s. The 32s are on Spinergy wheels, the 25s on Rolf and Light Bicycle wheels.

The Spinergy were easy to mount, levers only or by hand. The Rolf were not too bad, levers and now that I have one, the tire jack. The Light Bicycle are doable in 10 minutes with the the tire jack.

I get way too many flats on 25mm & 28mm gp5000s clincher & tubeless ( using orange sealant ).

I am envious of you guys with good luck with gp5000 because they roll faster than my 32mm gravel king slicks that I have switched too.

my lbs sold me Stan’s before I read this. Can I mix both sealants in the same tire or should I drain the Stan’s? I’d rather not break the bead if I can get away with it.

Yeah, you can mix sealants if they're both latex based (which is the most common), you're just not going to have the same amount of particulate per oz, which may or may not affect the effectiveness.

Another recommendation to make life easier in terms of maintenance - get a syringe with a thin plastic "needle" that can insert all of the way through the valve stem, so that you can easily and cleanly add and remove sealant without breaking the bead - https://www.amazon.com/Tubeless-Seal...dp/B07WR9MMDW/

Note: some valve stems have a constriction in the middle and won't pass the needle all of the way through. The machined aluminum ones, like from Muc-Off, will pass them, though.

Yea the stems that came with my wheels have a smaller opening at the base restricting the flow of the sealant and it takes longer and can be so messy if you push it in to fast. I bought some aftermarket stems and they have a larger opening and using the syringe tool is so much easier and far less messy.

IMO, anything would be better than Gavia tires... However, I suspect that the sealant is your problem. Giant's OEM sealant (which is Stans) is horrible. I'd also switch for a thicker one that has particles in it to help clogging such as Orange or Muc Off.

Did you replace your oem tires on the TCR? If so what did you get?

have you tried 32mm GP5000's ?

my guess is the GP5000 is almost as puncture resistant as a GK slick ... and would not be surprised if GP5000 is same or more puncture resistant

I too was not impressed with the Gavia tires. They fit so loose that they fell out of place any time I let half the air out and I couldn't even get them to seat after taking them off to clean the old sealant out. Replaced them with Vittoria Corsa which picked up punctures galore and even a gash that wouldn't seal (Orange Seal). I have been much happier with the GP5000 tires, but they are expensive as hell so I have a pair of American Classic Timekeepers on the other set of wheels which seem to be working fine (at about half the price of the Contis), and a pair of Goodyear F1 on deck for when the Contis wear out.

Yes. I do not use or like Giant tires. I currently run a set of Schwalbe Pro One for a 2nd season in a row. Very happy with the tires, but they wear fast.

<br /><br />Am using the GP5000TL 32mm for mostly gravel and some road and city riding. The back one did wear out in 1.5 years, with use in spring, summer and autumn, but not winter season. That said, I was probably running relatively high pressures and am relatively heavy. I suspect would last longer at lower pressures

I experienced excellent puncture protection in that time. Zero flats that I could find. And some of the gravel was fairly crunchy.

The most puncture resistant tubeless tyres I know of are Pirelli Cinturato Velo (available in various widths from 26C+). They are still reasonably fast too and have fantastic grip in all conditions. I've had good luck with a set of the latest Conti GP5000S TR too (in 30C), but the Pirellis are certainly more durable and puncture resistant. The Contis are a bit quicker and more supple. Both are better than the Giant Gavia, although I didn't think they were too bad either.

Just to clarify, 'Gavia' is a range of tires, not a single tire model. I had some of the top tier Gavia - somewhere around $80-100 each - and they were great tires.

It’s not uncommon for (non plugged) punctures to re-open when narrowish road tires are pumped back up to their normal pressure.

thanks that makes sense. I added more sealant and it seems to be resolved. I will keep an eye on it and try a different sealant in the future if it reopens again

One thing to keep in mind when dealing with frequency of flats is the element of chance. The last puncture I had with road tubeless was riding over an industrial staple. No tire, no matter how tough can prevent a puncture like that. Sadly for me, I was riding without sealant. In any case, I stopped and pulled the staple out. The hissing from escaping air stopped, and since I was about 3 km from the end of the ride I rode on. After about 1.5 km the tire started to go soft, so I pulled out my trusty Zefal HPX and pumped my tire back up. Made it back to the starting point riding carefully. I could have made a roadside repair with the spare inner tube I carry on that bike, had done it once before years earlier. Had I been using sealant, a puncture that small would have healed easily. The tires? Hutchinson Fusion5 all season tubeless 700 x 25. I currently have the same tires in 700 x 28, no punctures so far, but that may be as much about me as about the tires. In 12 years of riding road tubeless tires I have had only a handful of punctures and only once have had to make a repair out on the road