Originally Posted by
Steve_sr
I am afraid t hat I am not yet sold on the need for a tubeless setup. In the mid-atlantic where I live we don't have goatheads or other causes for small punctures. Usually issues are a rare tube pinch or road shoulder trash which may leave a bigger hole than sealant can fix. Although I have not done it I can't imagine trying to put a tube AND a boot inside of a tire full of sealant in a roadside repair. Sounds like a colossal mess.
Actually I am still running the A23s. The tires are Continental Gatorskin 700x25mm. I have been running 80-85 psi in the rear and 70-75 psi in the front.
I actually have a spare set of wheels and I just checked the rims are about 19.5mm wide. If I get a chance I might swap the tires out and see the difference in the ride quality.
I wondered if you were riding Gatorskins - and indeed you are. There have been many people on these tire threads where the Gatorskins are described as having not very good ride quality. Also, as a person who has one of my road bikes set up tubeless - I must admit a secret: flat prevention is NOT my #1 reason for riding them. Ride quality is the #1 reason. With that said, my wheelset with the A23's is running regular tubed clinchers but with latex tubes. The latex tubes lose more pressure between rides and ALWAYS need to be topped up before each ride. A proper tubeless tire installation actually can hold pressure better between rides and they can be run at lower pressures in a pinch.
For tire recommendation: I know of no study or chart of all the metrics you are wanting to see. It might be better to just find a nice set of supple 25 mm clinchers and run them and see how they compare to the Gatorskins. 25 mm "open tubulars" are very supple. Veloflex, Challenge and Vittoria all make them. Oftentimes the thread count of the tire casing will be printed right on the tire casing. Generally speaking a higher thread count is generally considered 'more supple". I have experience with Challenge brand since you can sometimes find them on sale. Mounting them is a slightly different workflow and the first time you install them, you could end up pinching a tube under a bead unless you are very aware/skilled at what you are doing. But now that I have worked with them for a couple of years, the mounting procedure is not bad. And if you run them with latex tubes, you can eek out an even better ride over chipseal pavement. The Challenge tires are not as long wearing as tougher tires like the Continentals however.
But for real, it would take some faith on your part but if you could get your LBS do a double layer of tubeless tape and the correct tubeless valves with the A23's (and some sealant) you could install some grippy tubeless tires such as the Grand Prix 5000 TL's or the Michelin's or Hutchinson's or the Schwalbe's etc.. and see for your self what you are missing out on. I'm running Panaracer Race A Evo 3 tubeless 25 mm tires and they have been super nice. These tires are not currently available. I think Panaracer makes a bald tread tubeless gravel (Gravel King) tire that would probably work really well too. Sometimes these go on sale for under $40 which would be a good deal.