Michelin Jets? Opinions?

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Permalink Reply by Shore Local on October 27, 2009 at 5:10pm

Yeah, I've got a set running tubeless on some Ksyrium Elite wheels ... they worked well for me in the dry races, in terms of grip and rolling resistance. The tubeless setup hasn't been ideal though ... largely due to my size (6'5", 195+ lbs), but other than that, they've worked. These are the only file treads I've tried though, so take my input with that in mind.

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Permalink Reply by Shane Christopher on October 29, 2009 at 9:56pm

I don't see the point of running Jet's tubeless...??
If you are running the tire, it's dry, and traction isn't your main concern, going fast is. The advantage with tubeless is running a low pressure for traction and not getting a pinch flat. If it's dry and you have a fast rolling tire like the Jet, pump it up and get less rolling resistance!!!

Yes, it works great for dry hardpack. Just run it with a tube, then don't worry about the problems with tubeless, and changing it will be much easier when the rains come.

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Permalink Reply by mpapet on October 30, 2009 at 9:03am

I second the idea you should run it with a tube.

The file pattern will get you through all dry conditions with wet thrown in. 90% Muddy courses? Not so much. But even then you could reasonably run it in the rear. The average human just doesn't develop the power to break traction with a file pattern versus a knobbier tire.

You will roll much faster in most conditions with a file pattern.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Ring on October 30, 2009 at 3:39am

I only run them as dirt and gravel road tires during the off season, not race tires. Hutchinson's dedicated tubless low tread tire (the Piranha?) or Stans Crow CX should work better. Ritchey speedmax or Kenda Kwiks might work well too. I am a tubular only guy for racing. The best file treads are Dugast Pipistrellos and FMB Sprints.

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Permalink Reply by Britton Kusiak on October 30, 2009 at 10:04am

I've used the Piranha, it works great as a semi slick.

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Permalink Reply by Big Red on October 30, 2009 at 1:54pm

I wanted to start racing tubulars, but decided the expenditure for multiple wheelsets and tires was out of my budget. I went with extra expensive rims instead. I’m running tubeless primarily to avoid pinch flats.

"it's dry, and traction isn't your main concern, going fast is. The advantage with tubeless is running a low pressure for traction and not getting a pinch flat. If it's dry and you have a fast rolling tire like the Jet, pump it up and get less rolling resistance!!!"

My experience in 6 odd years of cross racing is that unless it's a road-race, you will always be faster with low pressure. I think CXmag even did a test showing that. Most people don't need more than 30psi, I don't think anyone pumps their tubular slicks up past that. I'm running tubeless to hopefully prevent pinching, which was a big problem for me last year on Racing Ralphs.

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Permalink Reply by andrew on October 30, 2009 at 9:10pm

Yeah, Big Red is right - we looked at rolling resistance on a grassy slope with some bumps but nothing visible, lower pressure was quite a bit faster. Get issues 2 and 4, if I remember correctly.

If you have a dry AND smooth course (or one with a lot of pavement) you might be better off with higher pressure, but in general, a modest amount of bumps will make a lower pressure tire faster and give you a bigger footprint for traction if it's dry and loose. Around here in norcal, we have some dry courses, but many of them are so rock-hard and bumpy (from 6 months of no rain) that low pressure often is the way to go. But that's also the reason I don't love semi-slicks - it's when it's loose, a semi-slick to me isn't worth it, especially in cornering. I find something with a bigger knob, even like a rhino or mud, cuts through that pile of loose dirt way better than a semi slick. I love semi-slicks on dry grass or loamy, tacky dirt.

Getting back to the original topic, we've run jets tubeless without issue. You might check out Stan's Raven tire - which has a little more volume and a nice side knob. Currently testing a Duro tire that seems to work okay tubeless. I have not tried a Ritchey but mean to sometime.

Don't forget to check our list of tires that have worked well tubeless here. I have say that the Hutchinson tires work well only on certain rim/strip combinations - despite being one of the only "tubeless ready" tire besides Stan's tire.

Hope that helps!

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