Myths of the road tubeless (or Go back to clinchers)
#151
just another gosling
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Simple enough for what?
If I cannot buy a bicycle and just ride off on it .... if I cannot immediately understand how the derailleurs work, if I cannot keep them adjusted, if I have to understand spoke tension enough to know that I need my wheels trues, if I cannot instinctively adjust my brake and derailleur cables when they take that first stretch ... then I guess cycling ls not simple enough.
We should ban it.
If I cannot buy a bicycle and just ride off on it .... if I cannot immediately understand how the derailleurs work, if I cannot keep them adjusted, if I have to understand spoke tension enough to know that I need my wheels trues, if I cannot instinctively adjust my brake and derailleur cables when they take that first stretch ... then I guess cycling ls not simple enough.
We should ban it.
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#152
working on my sandal tan
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It wouldn't surprise me either, but it would be disappointing. As the tubeless thing took off, I've always had this hope that it would drive better tolerances into bicycle rims and tires of all kinds. Issues with tires fitting too tight or blowing off certainly didn't start with tubeless, and having rims and tires that could theoretically do any job would be great!
#153
Senior Member
My opinions on tubeless are all strengthened after reading this thread. Your mileage may vary, but I think:
1. If you wan to run 23s at 100psi+, tubeless is probably not for you. If you weigh something close to what I weigh (165lbs) and your bike can fit them, I recommend 28s-30s at 60-75psi on the road. I think it's better in every way. On gravel, I run 30-40psi on various tires from 32-50mm.
2. I recommend real tubeless tape. Duct tape and other bodges just don't work as the sealant works its way under the tape eventually. Also, the precise width of the tape is important as the tape needs to go exactly bead to bead. One exception: Stan's tape seems to be custom width ivory 3M 8898 tape. If you can find generic 8898 in the specific width you need, it works great and is long-term reliable. For example, I've found that 1" (25mm) 8898 works great on both the ENVE 4.5AR SES rims I have on one wheelset and the cheaper aluminum gravel rims I have on another wheelset. One note: once I bought wider 8898 than I needed for a set of MTB wheels and trimmed it to size using a razor but that was kind of a pain.
3. I recommend an inexpensive compressor and a Prestaflator for anyone with several tubeless bikes. The combination costs about the same as a pressurized chamber tubeless pump and works much better with much less work. I will say that I've had success mounting several tubeless tires up to 32mm with a regular floor pump so give that a try first.
4. Stan's Darts and Dynaplugs seem to work very well. If you do buy one, keep it handy in a jersey pocket as you don't want to be fumbling around for a plug while air is jetting out of your tire.
5. Tubeless has become much easier in the last few years.
6. After about five tubeless setups, you start to get the knack for it and will develop a set of procedures that works for you. Practice makes perfect. I've done 10-15 setups now, the last one took about 20-30 minutes for both wheels including cleaning and retaping the wheels and plugging in the compressor.
All of my bikes have used tubeless setups for about three years now. There's no way I'd go back to tubes.
1. If you wan to run 23s at 100psi+, tubeless is probably not for you. If you weigh something close to what I weigh (165lbs) and your bike can fit them, I recommend 28s-30s at 60-75psi on the road. I think it's better in every way. On gravel, I run 30-40psi on various tires from 32-50mm.
2. I recommend real tubeless tape. Duct tape and other bodges just don't work as the sealant works its way under the tape eventually. Also, the precise width of the tape is important as the tape needs to go exactly bead to bead. One exception: Stan's tape seems to be custom width ivory 3M 8898 tape. If you can find generic 8898 in the specific width you need, it works great and is long-term reliable. For example, I've found that 1" (25mm) 8898 works great on both the ENVE 4.5AR SES rims I have on one wheelset and the cheaper aluminum gravel rims I have on another wheelset. One note: once I bought wider 8898 than I needed for a set of MTB wheels and trimmed it to size using a razor but that was kind of a pain.
3. I recommend an inexpensive compressor and a Prestaflator for anyone with several tubeless bikes. The combination costs about the same as a pressurized chamber tubeless pump and works much better with much less work. I will say that I've had success mounting several tubeless tires up to 32mm with a regular floor pump so give that a try first.
4. Stan's Darts and Dynaplugs seem to work very well. If you do buy one, keep it handy in a jersey pocket as you don't want to be fumbling around for a plug while air is jetting out of your tire.
5. Tubeless has become much easier in the last few years.
6. After about five tubeless setups, you start to get the knack for it and will develop a set of procedures that works for you. Practice makes perfect. I've done 10-15 setups now, the last one took about 20-30 minutes for both wheels including cleaning and retaping the wheels and plugging in the compressor.
All of my bikes have used tubeless setups for about three years now. There's no way I'd go back to tubes.
Last edited by Hiro11; 10-18-21 at 06:42 AM.