Originally Posted by
Atlas Shrugged
What always baffles me is that even after it is pointed out that this is not an issue, the same rhetoric keeps coming back. The other bizarre response whenever Tubeless comes up is the response that flats are not an issue for certain individuals as they have ridden for up to 7 years and never get flats. Those individuals completely miss the point; flats are an issue for most active cyclists who choose to ride supple performance tires outdoors. Comparing tubeless to Gaterskins or Marathons is ridiculous as nothing ruins a good riding bike more than crappy dead tires. Tubeless allows people to ride supple high-performance tires and virtually eliminate ride-stopping punctures. Squirt in some sealant through the valve every 6 months or so and replace the tire once worn out what is so hard about that? If a puncture does not seal, jab a plug-in (Dynaplug for me) keep on riding and replace the tire when worn out.
When these folks claim that they don't need tubeless because they rarely (or never) get flats, I really wish they'd give us their annual mileage and riding conditions. I mean, if you're riding a couple thousand miles per year on nicely paved roads, then sure, maybe you rarely flat -- and when you do, a roadside repair is no big deal. I ride 7k-8k miles per year, much of it on Flint Hills gravel -- and tubeless is a game-changer. More times than I can count, I've gotten home from a ride to find sealant on my frame -- and yet, I never even noticed that my tire had been punctured. I just rode.
And to reiterate a couple more points before I leave this thread:
--You don't need to clean old sealant out of a tire.
--You still need to carry a spare tube and inflation system even when running tubes, so that's not a rap against tubeless.
--You don't need to clean old sealant out of a tire.
--You don't need to carry a sewing kit, sewing machine, or floor pump when riding tubeless.
--You don't need to carry super glue when running tubeless. (Honestly, where did THAT come from? Crazy.)
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YOU DON"T NEED TO CLEAN OLD SEALANT OUT OF A TIRE.