Current best thinking on tubeless

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Permalink Reply by Chris Mayhew on October 25, 2010 at 11:23am

I am not aware of anyone who is happy with tubeless. Someone will chime in and say that it works but the guys I respect don't. Dunno if you are on Twitter but Cyclocosm is taking some good natured abuse for trying to go tubeless.

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Permalink Reply by andrew on November 11, 2010 at 9:49am

Chris...umm, where have you been? Or are we a nobody? :-) Clearly you've read our articles (three parts) and mag. Tubeless is awesome. It takes time to get it right, not unlike tubulars but offers 85% of the benefit of tubulars plus 200% more benefits (cost, ability to swap within an hour of a race, better glass/thorn protection, and if done right, even weight (esp. over tubed clinchers).

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Permalink Reply by Dave Flanary on October 25, 2010 at 3:18pm

I have used the old Hutchinsons for the past 2 years. My 2009 Redline Conquest Pro came with them on Ritchey rims. They fit really tight! I have worn out at leat 6 of these and have never had a tire roll-off, or had a flat. I have "burped" air only a couple of times in all that use. The worst time, the burp caused the loss of maybe 5-10 psi (guessing). I finished the race with the tire - it was pretty soft, and wanted to tuck in corners, but didn't roll off.

I have some of the new ones coming. They will go on Easton EA90SLX rims. The old style Hutch's were not as tight on these rims as on my Ritchey rims. I Have heard the new ones fit tighter, but won't know till I mount them. I'll post again after I put them on.

I all, these are great. They don't flat (Stans). Ride good, and the hassles and $$ are way less than tubulars.

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Permalink Reply by Hamilton on October 26, 2010 at 7:20am

Most of the success that I've seen has been from people using a Stans rim and a good tight fitting tire. The bead inside the rim seems to have a lot to do with getting the tire to seat well even with low pressure. Everyone I know that has tried the rim strip option on some other brand of rim has had burping problems when running low pressures.

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Permalink Reply by Darren on October 28, 2010 at 2:12pm

I agree ran some on the 355 rims, down to 20psi, was hitting the rim too much. Now on New Stans rim and have had good results, only issue I find if I go lower pressure I get some tire squirm so I have kept them at higher psi. In saying this most of the racing has been on pretty hard ground in the Mid-Atlantic. Will go lower for the nov. races. Will let you know how the bull dogs go(old ones) on the Stans rims.

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Permalink Reply by cxchiva on October 30, 2010 at 5:45am

Check out the older discussions on the subject, a lot of information/opinions out there. I have been very happy with 6700- Stan's sealant and Hutchinson tires. Obviously they can't be run as low as tubulars but here in nor cal it doesn't matter because many of the courses are hard packed/fast. Last year I witnessed many racers with pinch flats riding clinchers while I finished every race and able to make the podium several times. One of the keys to being successful with tubeless is being your own best mechanic. Many of the negative reviews on tubeless setups I have read are by people that don't have a clue as to what they are doing. Personally, I like to keep it simple, tubeless compatible tires and rims, a little sealant. Use really soapy water and make sure your valve is seated and tight, should pump right up with a floor pump. Ultergra's 6700 are a nice way to go w/out spending major cash.

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Permalink Reply by Keir Stiegler on November 9, 2010 at 8:19pm

I wholeheartedly agree. My tubeless experience was best served by me doing it, screwing up, fixing the problem, and in doing so, knowing the ins and outs of the tubeless system on my wheels. My LBS mechanic said it would be troublesome, but after the initial setup, it's been trouble free!

I have HED Ardennes set up with a Stan's kit and Stan's Raven CX tubeless ready tires. I can ride 30 psi no problem (RIdley X-Fire, I weight 175lbs dressed to ride), and I could probably go lower but injuries ended my season early...

I think the only good way to find out if any particular setup will work FOR YOU is to try it. Chances are, you'll be able to make it work, the only question is whether you'll want to spend the time and effort to get it working. In my case, it was worth it.

Edit: Also, the fact that this is WAY cheaper and WAY less time intensive than tubulars is a huge plus, I think.

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