Is Tubeless Really That Good?

[@LebronPhoto1]

I run tubes on both my road and mountain bikes and I can't remember the last time I had a flat.

[@mgoo1713]

Well you got to ride to get a flat....

[@richardharker2775]

Same here.

[@LebronPhoto1]

@@mgoo1713😂 I actually do ride. It’s how I stay fit at age 63. Been cycling since 1975. Nowadays, I do more MTB than Road cycling but I do ride. Even took my hard tail down a black diamond trail in September without getting a flat. One thing I don’t do is run low air pressures, which I think contributes to people getting pinch flats.

[@frits8986]

It’s not only about that. Try riding tubeless with lower tyre pressures. Way more grip, way more comfort. The differences are mega.

[@jeffreyastjohn]

I’ve had good & bad experiences tubeless (gravel) and these guys are spot-on. With good sealant (I use Muc-Off) it’s better than tubes for me.

[@whynotride327]

Having suffered one flat in the last few years, I have zero reason to go tubeless.

[@michaeldewing1904]

I’ve had so many punctures that couldn’t be sealed with tubeless that I’ve gone to tubes and, touch wood, haven’t had any since..😂😂

[@Crossfire044]

You can run lower pressure!

[@difflocktwo]

@@Crossfire044 No you cannot. You will ruin the side walls... ask me how i know.

[@tovarin]

Comfort.

[@FuriousFilipino]

@@difflocktwo part of the problem is people running low pressure on narrow rims and tires not designed to run lower pressure. Modern 28-30c tires can handle down to 60 psi, but only suitable for riders up to 70kg or so. Again, everyone emulating professionals with an entire service team doesn’t apply to us that actually want to extend service life of our equipment.

[@sventice]

I tried tubeless for about a year and ended up hating them: the performance isn't any better than with tubes, air retention can be an ongoing issue, and the sealant is disgusting. Having a non-sealing roadside puncture that included spraying sealant, a tyre that was almost impossible to remount, and bleeding fingers did not improve my attitude. I've since switched to clinchers with TPU tubes and am very much happier (and cleaner).

[@diehardbikes]

Its sad when I hear things like this. It only tells me that you weren't properly set up by your local bike shop. I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience.

[@sempi8159]

Jea this is most people experience

[@RyonBeachner]

Just out of curiosity, What size tires, what inside rim width, what sealant, and what tire pressure? Your experience was basically the same as what I experienced years ago with an old tubeless setup. With wider tires and wheels, lower pressures, silca or mucoff sealant, and approx 50-60psi and I’ve not had a swingle issue for the last few years.

[@tbull1545]

@@diehardbikes yeah the bike store gave him the gigantic non sealable puncture. they bike store was the one that made the sealant go everywhere when trying to put a tube in it to get home. you're some kind of special.

[@markgalanter1171]

Amen. I can change a tube on the side of the road in 5-10 minutes. I flat once every 2 years. I'll stick with my tubes.

[@123moof]

About half my bikes are tubeless. My advice is to go with tubes for a while. If you get enough flats to be frustrated, or find yourself avoiding terrain you'd like to go on for fear of getting punctures, then switch. Many, many people get few flats per year, and simply won't gain anything for their area or style of riding. Others seem to commute to work on rock gardens, or live in goat-head territory where tubeless is just magic. Tubeless is kind of black magic. When it works it is amazing. When things go sideways with weeping sidewalls, mounting issues, sealant blobs, clogged valves, failing tape, etc you can be exasperated and will think about swearing it off forever. A downside is that the fit of modern tires, especially road tubeless, has gotten SO tight to meet the ERTO standard that it has made life miserable to change a tube on the side of the road (looking at you GP5000 S TR's). It is to the point that if you get them on a new bike you should immediately get rid of them unless you go tubeless or have the grip strength of a gorilla. We need deeper center rim grooves, or something to let mere mortal change a tube without an epic wrestling match.

[@benicetoyou]

Exactly my experience. Running tubeless for a season with 10k km, I had about 5 punctures that were not sealed by the sealant. To put a tube inside sounds easy, but it is not when both the tires and the rims are optimized for tubeless setup. The tire can be extremly hard to dismount and remount without damaging the new tube. Also, TR tires have gone down in puncture resistance. So my conclusion so far: Tubeless is great if you are near a good infrastructure (public transport, your wife will pick you up with the car and so on), but if not, in more remote areas like on tour, I will use tube-type rims and tires with a good puncture protection. Yes, you may have a puncture more here and there, but changing the tube will be easy and a matter of minutes. It's a reliable and easy system.

[@StopTheRot]

1. The issue with Tubeless is that their sidewalls are too firm for good grip in CX. Im surprised this isn’t an issue in gravel too. Personally I prefer tubs and even clinchers. 2. Sealant might seal 8/10 punctures but it’s easier to go through a tubeless tyre than a clincher and an inner. The inner is an extra layer even if it’s not that effective as one. 3. I also feel that Tubeless converts have started to believe that punctures were common place with clinchers. On the road I haven’t had a puncture for 3 years with clinchers and I live in a flint area. As for pinch flats, I’ve only ever had one and that was in a Cross race on frozen ground running 23psi. Edit: I’ve just looked it up and I’ve bought 15 inner tubes since 2013 and that includes the nine which are still in use.

[@mrvwbug4423]

The volume in gravel tires makes them more akin to a MTB tire, and you would never see a MTB racer on tubes these days. From what I can see a cross tire is like a road tire, but with really aggressive knobs on it and a gravel tires is like a XC MTB tire, just lighter and even faster rolling.

[@diehardbikes]

Challenge tires, man. Better grip than regular tubeless tires, but nothing compares to a damn good Tubular from Challenge.

[@stevevarga8621]

You just can’t compare CX to gravel riding although very often they seem very similar while riding. Here’s the key difference; if you flat your tubulars while doing laps you come in and get a new bike or fix it. Out on a big ride fixing a tubular is insane. I know from experience. Second you don’t typically ride a gravel bike like a CX bike ie repeatedly railing the same corners over and over trying to perfect it and feeling the limits of the tires. In gravel, every turn is new and for that reason you can’t focus on the nuances of the tires in the same way. Yes, you desperately want traction but more then that you also absolutely want the tires to bring you home. The solution is bigger beefier tires. Gravel and mtn get there traction mostly from the tread and width combo. To make up for that lack of width CX has to become super supple which is very vulnerable out in the real world of sharp rocks and pot holes. Effective gravel tires in serious terrain are very similar to mtb tires; strong, grippy and getting wider for comfort.

[@dleyyer]

Absolut nonsense

[@br5380]

At most I run 30psi in my gravel tyres (700x50c).

[@charlesblithfield6182]

TPU all the way. It’s sort of like tubeless lite without the mess of sealant.

[@samtesla2248]

Yeah, TPU and bring two spare TPUs on your rides. A TPU from Ridenow will set you back 5euros and weigh ~25g.

[@mechanicaldavid4827]

​@@samtesla22484 TPU tubes will come close to the weight of one rubber tube, but what's the flat from? Still waiting for a flat btw my Panaracer GKs and the Pirelli TPUs...

[@danalec4742]

I understood the Rhyno's? question. I think that TPU inner tubes are the best decision for them . I personally opted out from tubeless. Yes, puncture protection is better, but with TPU tubes tyre pressure is 50-75PSI. Rolling ressistence is low and puncture protection is better than the butyl tubes. TPU set up is lighter than tubeless, repair kit is cheap and the hand pump is a random one. I am happy to change my inner tube once per year, but I'm not happy to get an expensive wheels, tyres, sealing, pump, plugs and spare inner tubes as well. This is what I think. Best regards.

[@paddyotoole2058]

I run TPU inner tubes for my road bikes, and go tubeless for gravel and MTB bikes. Tubeless for Road bikes is a solution for a problem which doesn’t really exist. Only real advantage is lower rolling resistance, which using the TPU tubes solve, and avoidance of pinch flats. Personally I rarely get a pinch flat (about one every 5 years), so effectively this is a non argument as far as I am concerned. Also the much higher pressure in road tyres means tubeless sealants don’t work as well, and also are a lot more messy spraying everywhere.

[@danalec4742]

@@paddyotoole2058 Hi, Thanks for the reply. I had tubeless on my gravel and I change to TPU 2 years ago because of the mess and the heavy kit. I had a puncture only once so far. I know the tubeless puncture resistance is the best but the spare kit which I have to bring with me (sealing, plugs, tools, spacial lump and inners on the top) and the price are the cons. Normal tyres (non rubles) are easer to remove and to mange so basically the difference is few minutes per year for repair and no mess. It's not a competition end of the day.

[@paddyotoole2058]

@@danalec4742 When running tubeless the only things I bring with me if I’m just going on a single ride is a Dynaplug Race capsule, a CO2 canister and a multi tool. That’s it. No tyre levers or inner tube etc. If I get a puncture which the sealant can’t fix (rare) then I’ll use a Dynaplug. Pretty light set up and will get you out of 99% of situations and get you home. I use Muc off sealant and that is CO2 compatible. Only if I’m going on a multi day trip then I’ll take more gear.

[@grintalcycles8266]

I have tried going tubeless several times. Being a heavy rider (265lbs/120kg), sealants wouldn't plug a puncture and keep enough pressure in the tire. And when inflated a bit, would blow out where it had sealed. The Silca sealant is the only one I have found that will work for me. I am now in the process of switching all my tires over.

[@cardiaccyclist7477]

100% agree. I am to bike maintenance what Elton John is to rugby and yet, after careful review of a few KZbin videos, I have not had a single issue with, prepping rims, choosing tires, applying sealant, and maintaining the system in over three years of use. GREAT CONTENT GUYS, THANK YOU

[@Silidons91]

How many miles do you ride per year. I had punctures that literally left me covered in sealant. I went back to tubes. If you don't ride a lot, sealant is fine. If you do ride a lot, tubes are easier.

[@a1white]

I’m sure Elton would make a great fly-half

[@gavlptvbk8665]

Same here, it’s not difficult and for the price of a shop doing it, you can buy a pump with a canister attachment which can be used again

[@milkbunnies]

@@Silidons91what a load of crap. I put 16000 km a year on tubeless and had to use a tube once with a full sidewall tear on tour.

[@frediabolo]

I love the ability to get extra grip from semi slick xc tyres by running pressures that would be a major snakebite risk with tubes.

[@alwAudio]

Discovered a 25mm long pin in my wife's gravel tyre whilst doing a post ride clean after an uninterrupted all day ride. No flat with tubeless and not done any repair since. Rode for 6 hours yesterday on the same tyre, I'm a total convert to tubeless. Have had one flat from a glass slash which was sealed with a plug and we were on our way within minutes. I do carry a tube and some patches for belt and braces but not needed them in several thousand miles of riding so far.

[@furleyforever]

Starting out tubeless had me run into the same issues some have had, along with initial skepticism. Once you get comfortable handling tubeless you'll actually start to appreciate tires that can fix themselves as you ride. I've had punctures but I never noticed until after the ride. Only way to know is the spots of sealant that did their job.

[@zkilerex9661]

I have question i have tubeless tires if i run tru nail can i repomp my tire and run it for 2 more years?

[@furleyforever]

@@zkilerex9661 It all depends on the circumstances. If it's still inflated and a smaller nail is involved, you can plug it and theoretically forget about it. If it's already deflated, you can use duct tape in a pinch or for longer term use, remove the tire, clean the inside really well and use a patch with glue... not the quick stick-on type. Of course the tire's overall condition will factor into this. The newer and more pliable the tire is the more likely the patch or plug will take.

[@stevevarga8621]

A few quick comments: 1) Silca sealant is very effective but sometimes too effective. It can do a great job of sealing your valves and that becomes annoying to clear so I use a less aggressive sealant and 2) tire pressures are dropping on modern road tires as the tire widths increase and the tire carcasses are thicker on tubeless tires. I personally am running between 50 to 60 psi which is not too high a pressure for most sealants. Finally a quick tip for inflating your tire with a cartridge: hold the tire in a position where the sealant is pooling right on the puncture while you inflate. That way you reduce the over pressure effect of cartridges.

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

Tubeleas tires are thinner. Hence why sealant can get through tubelesstires to form a seal upon initial sealing.

[@stevevarga8621]

@@twillyspanksyourcakes That is absolutely wrong. Please take a normal tire and a tubeless and examine them together and you will see the tubeless tire is clearly thicker. Also note that you do not need sealant in a tubeless. It’s not a prerequisite. They can be used without sealant. The sealant may help seal the bead to the rim in some situations but it’s definitely there for punctures and nothing more.

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

@@stevevarga8621 I've seen it, that's why I'm telling you tubeless tires are thinner that their clincher counterparts because it is. Who would purposely ride tubeless tires without sealant though? That's the point of all the faf of using tubeless.

[@mrvwbug4423]

The solution to clogged valves is apparently filmore valves, they don't clog up like prestas do, though at least MTB sealant isn't hard to clean out of a presta core, the silca stuff sounds like it REALLY seals up everything.

[@stevevarga8621]

@@mrvwbug4423 Yes, it’s not hard to clean, I’m just surprised how often I have to do it. The fact that I’m using inserts maybe a contributing factor. I do have the new bigger valves on order. Not cheap.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

I run Silca Ultimate Sealant in both Road and Gravel bikes. GP5000 AS TR and Pathfinder Pro tires. No issues and very fast rolling.

[@christianb.1028]

I like tubeless in general and totally understand the benefits, but I find it so goddamn annoying to clean that shit out of the rims and tires when it's dried up even a little bit and you want to change tires. That's taken more time from me than all the punctures I've had in years. Also I could never get my Pathfinders to seal well and they kept losing air worse than a latex tube. Now I use tubes again but carry sealant to put in the tube in case of a puncture. That works extremely well actually.

[@captain1664]

I'm sorry to hear about your poor experience. My Pathfinders sealed well and I love tubeless. Mind, I'm with you with the cleaning of the dried sealant.....

[@christianb.1028]

@@captain1664 Only had the problem with those tires. Gravelkings sealed really well, Pirelli Cinturato, too. But I really like them and they're hardly worn, so it's tubes for them now... But there are more issues for me. I like to change tires, depending on the season and try different things, and since you can't really reuse sealant unless it's new it gets quite expensive using new stuff regularly. Then I have multiple bikes. If you don't use them regularly, the sealant will dry up and you'll have a lump in the tire, so cleaning again... Tubeless is without a doubt the way to go if you do a lot of hard gravel or mountainbiking, but for someone like me who does a bit of road, gravel, mountainbike, and commuting and might have a bike just sit there for a month or more it's just not the way to go...

[@davidnicholson6680]

I have seven bikes, including three road bikes. All are set up tubeless, it's not even a question for me. I haven't had a flat that required me to install a tube ever. Sealant stops slow leaks, Dynaplugs are the way to go in the rare case that you need a plug. I've found that regular Stan's sealant works fine at 70psi and below. I run 65 on the road and I've had it seal punctures. The nice thing about Stan's is that you can refill the sealant through the valve stem. The Silca stuff likely works better but you have to pop a bead every time you need to add sealant. That's a pain.

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

7 bikes all tubeless? Bet you wont love tubeless that much if you're actually the on cleaning your tire sealant and not going to the bikeshop just to clean it everytime 😂 it's a lot of faf just admit it. No shame in that

[@Chef-Chad]

My thing is I am 59 years old and can't get into the drop bar position. So I purchased 3 Bicycles of the same brand, Giant FastRoads AR2. The main one I drive is tubeless. The other 2 spare bicycle I put tubes into because I don't ride them enough to keep the sealant from drying out in there. So I always keep one bicycle tubeless and the rest with tubes. I could do all tubeless and put them into rotation. I have found out that I can only keep 2 of the 3 running a one time due to maintenance issues, so I don't rotate any longer. If the main goes down for maintenance I switch the tubeless tires to a secondary and it becomes my main ridging bicycle until whenever.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

I use the green slime for automotive applications on all my bikes I've never had to walk home, people often complain about this product but it still works great at freezing temp unlike most latex based stuff. Useful in Canada

[@mrvwbug4423]

Normal latex based sealant freezes at 11F, and if it freezes inside your tire it will crack the tire. Orange seal does make a low temperature sealant that is good to -20F that was designed for use in fatbikes but works fine for winter use in general. Though I still find the idea of tubeless on a fatbike to be kind of pointless, despite being a tubeless die hard on everything else. A fatbike ridden on snow has basically zero risk of puncture or pinch flat, and if you're riding it on dirt then you're rapidly wearing out a VERY expensive fatbike tire

[@jurisx85]

So if you don’t have the high end stuff (tyre, rim, and sealent) is not worth it to go tubeless. Got it!

[@Hippiehansie]

Silca sealant is the best there is! I have used several brands and for a year now Silca in Conti GP5000 Str and every hole is closed within a few tire rotations. Really top stuff

[@jonesjones7057]

Where I ride, I used to get a flat every single day with tubes due to thorns. Tried every tube, even with sealant inside. Tried various tires. Tried all the tube protector inserts. Again, flat the next day almost every time. Went tubeless. Worth every second of prep and time to do it. No flats in 2 years. Only have to add a bit of sealant every 6 months or so and add a bit of air every month or so. Its been a game changer. So much better.

[@almathol]

As I put winter tyres on my xc bike this week I thought about putting tubes in. I then pulled five thorns out of the old rear tyre which has never lost any pressure...... convinced me to stick with a tubeless set up.

[@SkarTisu]

I’ve already gotten tired of having tubeless mounting attempts go bad because the tape has a cut in it somewhere that I didn’t see before putting the sealant in and attempting to get it up to pressure. It happens around 25% of the time, and it’s really irritating.

[@deantranter1258]

Panaracer sealant has crushed walnut shells in it. Best sealant I’ve used personally and our go to in our Workshop.

[@johndef5075]

They always seem to have nice products.

[@dsa5394]

On the last couple of long rides with my husband, he has gotten a flat each time (tubed) while I had none (tubeless). I've finally convinced him to set it up tubeless. I like Silca too, and the Fillmore valves. His main reason to stay with tubes was that he likes to change tires. He has 2 sets of wheels, so the bikepacking wheels are going tubeless, and the other wheels will stay tubed. He can change tires on them.

[@br5380]

I went tubeless back in 2006/7 on my MTB's and when gravel came along, tubeless on that too - no one I ride with uses tubes, and interestingly unlike years ago when a group ride had a guarantee of at least one if not more punctures, I can't remember the last one anyone had.

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

"Mtb? Of course tubeless for off road is great. Now get multiple bikes and put themm all on tubeless. See how much a pain in the ass they are.

[@br5380]

@@twillyspanksyourcakescurrently my Enduro FS, eeb FS, HT bike packing, ancient 26ti HT, carbon gravel and old alloy gravel are all tubeless - along with 2 cars. And if I still had a motorbike, that would be too - as have all my motorbikes since I got a 250 in 1982.

[@richardyoung5201]

2Bliss all the way for 29er tyres for 7yrs now, will never go back to tubes 🙌🏻

[@s1alker564]

I run tubeless on my gravel bike because gravel tires don't have much built in puncture protection, and those that do are pretty heavy and slow. For road I run tubes and use a decent tire like a Conti 4-Season which still rolls reasonably well but offers good durability. Really light weight race tires are not really practical outside of the pro peloton imo.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Yet everybody and their brother runs GP5ks, Corsas, P Zero Vleos, etc. because of marginal gains haha. It's like on the MTB side when the XC bros run the thinnest, lightest XC tires they can find and then complain about sidewall cuts rather than running a trail tire with at least some sidewall protection.

[@diehardbikes]

I have 4 brands for you, Rhino. All these fit your constraints. Cushcore, WTB, Pirelli, and Orange Seal. One brand that fits the comfort category for tires, is Challenge.

[@timyoung338]

There is one aspect to this discussion that is almost NEVER mentioned - each time you switch out a tube for what ever reason you get a brand new, clean valve stem. A new tube & stem costs ( in Canada at least) about $10. A tubeless valve stem alone cost $35 cdn per pair. More recently tubeless valve manufacturers recommend switching out stems about once per year because they get gummed up, plugged by the various slimes. I have been using both systems on my bikes ( road, Mtb, & Gravel) since there were only 2 tubeless tire brands available ( Hutchinson & Micheline) One system, I have found simply replaces the inherent hassles with other inherent hassles. Years ago many bike shops would not work on Tubeless wheels because of the messy slime. Those days are gone of course but there really is no clear winner in the long run. Once a tubeless tire is seated, & is holding air well , LEAVE IT ALONE FOR YEARS. Do not get me started on latex tumor's banging around inside a tire after a few years of continuous inflation. When it works it works - but -

[@carlspringfels8503]

Instead of buying a new stem, why not just soak it in some cleaner like paint thinner to get the gunk out?

[@karlj711]

I run latex tubes on my road bike (tried tubeless twice & never again) & have run tubeless on the MTB since the very first days of stans where we used standard tyres with rim tape & sealant. Haven had a flat in either for years.

[@Over50sroadie]

Switched all my bikes to tubeless and never had to stop for a puncture in 4 years. Ive raced gravel and Grand Fondos, and do about 12,000km a year. Absolutely pain free. In fact, I punctured both wheels at a gravel event, and didnt even noticed until I washed the bike back home.

[@dominicmunson4480]

Same story here. Love it

[@delnayelan]

COME TO ARIZONA I WILL PROVE YOU WRONG! AND LINERS DON'T COUNT

[@veganpotterthevegan]

​@@delnayelanwe have similar stuff here in Utah and I couldn't fathom running tubes on purpose for anything but the front tire on the bike that lives on my Wahoo Kickr

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

Now tell it again but this time cut out all the BS. 😂 tubeless fanboys love to 🧢

[@silverburn55]

@@twillyspanksyourcakes No BS. Keep crying and seething though; really makes you look smart.

[@robincooney1263]

The best point here is about getting tyres and rims that match, although I'm not convinced that all the new tyres and rims onsale today comply with any standards for this. Either that or they're still selling old stock of non-compliant kit. You will see the difference immediately: the tyres will go on nicely trailside without broken levers or thumbs, will seat with a decent roadside hand pump, won't burp air over big bumps or unseat. I've converted lots of people in this situation who've done the sensible thing - go to someone who has done loads of tubeless setups. Only CX racers are still sticking with tubulars as they use really low pressures where tubeless will struggle - although even some CX teams are tubeless now.

[@MCBritta]

when doing long rides outside the city, XC and gravel i barely got any punctures. for commuting i got a puncture like every other month from glas shards lying around all over the city. that's the main reason why i converted to tubeless.

[@laneromel5667]

I just use Mr Tuffy with a tube, ride road, gravel, and MTB. Have not had a flat in 30 years. For me tubeless is not worth the hassle, they leak air too fast so when I am on a day ride I have to top up the tires with air. Mr Tuffy with a tube weighs slightly more than Sealant, I do not notice the difference, rolling resistance is the same as tubeless.

[@Radelbande]

Well, if done right, tubeless holds air for days and weeks. I top up the air on the tires every zwei weeks. On the MTB as well as on the Gravelbike. Ride feel is significantly better with TL, especially due to lower air pressure

[@TouKool4u]

You're supposed to check your tire pressure every ride.

[@gavlptvbk8665]

If you do get a big puncture, keep rolling otherwise the sealant won’t seal the hole. Only issue I’ve had is when a nail flicked up and put 3 large holes in my tyre, decided to change the tyre after that but with a tube, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.

[@sayno4137]

Tubeless on road and mtb. Have been for 2 years. No complaints

[@the_joe_reynolds_foundation]

I can’t believe this is still a topic for debate. Tubeless works. It works super well. It ain’t perfect, but neither are tubes. They each have their pros and cons, but some folk just drew a line in the sand and said “these cons I can handle and these I can’t.” That’s the debate here. Not tubeless or any other particular bit of tech.

[@elijg6104]

What about setting them up? That’s pretty hard to do with a floor pump

[@JanGoh-jb5ge]

I run with Rimpact foam cores and it changed everything. It's not as good as tubulars, but it's spitting distance for an amateur with a lot less cost.

[@Mith420420]

Ridden with a tube for years both mountain and road. My current mountain bike has only ever had one flat in the 4 years I have owned it. My roadbike has had 3 in the last 5 years ( i ride it a lot more ). I just avoid things that will pop my tires or could potentially pop my tires and use a puncture resistant tire on the roadbike to catch the stuff i miss. I think if you do not care about the weight it's mostly still a preference thing. It's just as "difficult" to change a tire with a tube than it is to go tubeless. There are just as many step and small finicky things can make the process a bit of an ordeal. It can go super smooth and easy for either as well. If you are just hammering through road debris and then act shocked when you get bitten by it you sort of deserve a flat tire.

[@PhilJohn1980]

The only issue with the Silca sealant is that it's not compatible with certain types of rim tape as the CF abrades the top decorative layer of some types.

[@grahambird4135]

Two weeks ago went tubeless fitted by shop, second ride punctured sealant (Muc-off) didn’t seal, fortunately had dynoplug which worked however the faff was longer than a regular inner tube change with sealant splattered everywhere from the puncture.

[@jordan1991r]

Stranded on the roadside covered in Semen - this was what I heard 😂

[@onacoffeeride]

Got three tiny punctures this week that likely would have been sealed by tubeless sealant. Went tubeless today. Let’s see how it goes.

[@Arcenicum]

Having tried it all, I'm now sticking with inner tubes on my road bike and tubeless on my MTB. I've pulled out thorns after a ride from my MTB tires which would have punctured any inner tube, here tubeless worked great. At 6+ bar pressures for road bikes, I find that the latex just doesn't seal, so the additional pain to set is up and maintain it isn't worth it. All the drawbacks, zero benefits for road bikes. On my TT bike I ride on TPU inner tubes nowadays, before that I rode latex. With TPU you don't have to pump your tires every ride, so that's a good development. I always get upset when I see people riding around on 5k€+ TT bikes for "buying speed", who can't be bothered to switch from butyl to latex/tpu.😅

[@BarringtonRobinsonII]

Stopped used Silca for Stan's race. In a shop. Life became a lot easier. Guess everyone is a 'Pro Mechanic ' with a brown envelope.

[@caseycook8071]

I think it depends on what kind of luck you've been having lately. I went years of no flats on tubes. Then i couldn't keep a tube whole to save my life. My b riding didn't change. Punctures and valve stem failures. I was chewing through tubes and patches and rim tape. I polished the valve hole and i still couldn't figure it out. Went tubeless and slashed a side wall first ride. I've stuck with tubeless though, and it's solved most of my problems since then. I just did a sealant refresh and it only took 5 minutes using Orange Seal through the valve. Both systems have issues just gotta pick your poison.

[@davidrowe8747]

You said to check and refresh sealant every 3 months - is that applicable regardless of how frequently you ride? And at some point, does sealant become "stale" (stop working properly) and need a complete empty and refill?

[@Heliosmaster]

Yeah it just dries out. Regardless of whether you ride or not

[@paulclark9968]

If Tubeless is so good , how come everyone i known still carry a spare just in case tube !!!!!!!

[@pbandjosh]

If you ride frequently and either puncture frequently or want the benefits of lower pressure and comfort it's great. If you don't ride regularly, don't puncture much, and can deal with slightly higher pressures, TPU tubes all the way. I have TPU in my commuter, road bike, and touring bike. Tubeless for gravel though TPU would be fine for my use case. For MTB, tubeless is near mandatory...

[@jeffreyastjohn]

First video I’ve seen where they’re on the money in terms of sealant recommendations. I’ve tried 5 sealants and settled on Muc-Off-I’ll try Silca next.

[@johnthompson5740]

The argument that "I never got a flat or puncture in 3 years" is never an argument in my mind. I ride with lots of different riders both road, gravel and mountain bike and some get flats and some rarely get flats. Among the cross section of people I ride with, there are some riding with tubes and some running tubeless. The chances of getting a flat or puncture is random, it has nothing to do with tube vs tubeless. That said, my experience has been that TPU tubes are the most economical way to go and have excellent performance. At this point, Tubolito, Pirelli and Schwalbe TPU's are about 4 times the price of a standard butyl tube, however, the low cost versions are now very close to the same as the very cheap butyl tube. Rolling resistance with TPU is far better than tubeless. Traction is identical to tubeless. The cost comparison isn't even close, TPU far more economical. Rotational mass is less with TPU without a doubt. Of course, if you have time and extra money to spend, then use what you wish. The marketing machine would have you spend more money on Tubeless (what a surprise) but my experience (from many km's of riding) proves differently for me. Umm....

[@seanicky]

Changing a tube is no hassle!! Unless you are racing, it's a nice break! If you are worried about dirty fingers just carry a pair of disposable gloves.

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

Tubeless fanboys over dramaticize changing tubes. As if having toxic af sealant squirted all over your skin isn't just as bad or even worse.

[@paddyotoole2058]

@@twillyspanksyourcakesoh no, some tubeless sealant got onto my skin!! My whole life is ruined. Quick call an ambulance!!

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

@@paddyotoole2058 You dont know that skin is absorbent? Yikes. Enjoy those toxic ass sealants just because you cant change a tube 😂 what a manchild

[@borasumer]

Waxed chain + tubes is the ultimate combo.

[@seanicky]

Did 66 miles today with TPU tubes for the first time. I tried to feel no difference, but concluded it was a better ride. Softer, less thumpy.

[@Spoolingturbski]

I just sold my Salsa Rangefinder which had tubeless. I just upgraded to a Cannondale Habit which has tubes with tubeless ready wheel. Should I upgrade to tubeless??

[@sandy_knight]

I agree with most of this but for lower pressure/higher volume tyres at least it's entirely possible to damage your tyre in such a way that it can't be plugged but could hold a tube. I carry a mini-pump and a CO2 inflator and an emergency TPU tube in case the plug doesn't hold 😜

[@brandonhoffman4712]

I should probably knock on wood. But my front mtb tire has lived 2 years on the same tubeless sealant. It's fully dry, adding air last time was interesting... (had to inflate through the sealant). It is surviving 120 miles a weeks right now. I know... I need to be a better human! Edit: I am using the orange sealant up front. I think the shop put something else in my rear end (pun intended) I bent my back rim so had to get a rim job (more puns!) It's either stans or muc off, I think it's slightly pink like strawberry milk, making me think much off. I run @ 40psi

[@Team5TL]

Went tubeless in my road bike around ‘08 and have never looked back. The only time I’ve been let down is when I tried Muc Off sealant, that stuff sucked. Went back to Stan’s and haven’t had any issues. The truth is if you like tubeless you don’t understand why everyone doesn’t use them. If you don’t like tubeless you don’t understand why anyone would use them. So why argue?

[@JoeW71]

Thanks for another great video. 2 questions...with Silca sealant is it ok to use the "with fiber" type for top up or do I need to get the "replenisher" variety? Is it ok to use aluminum valves with carbon wheels or do I need to be sure to get brass valves? Thanks much. Keep up the good work.

[@TnFruit]

What do you do, if you are covered your back with spray of sealant, it dries out cause you have to ride 2h home and how do you get sealant out of your expensive clothes?

[@paddyotoole2058]

If you get tubeless sealant spraying on your gear you should immediately try wash it off with cold water from your bottle it you have it, and then wash your gear properly as soon as you get home. If you let it dry into your clothes you are a goner and will likely never get it out. I agree it can be messy and spoil clothes. It one of the reasons I don’t use tubeless for Road as the higher pressures means it sprays way more than e.g. gravel or mtb. Tubes for road, tubeless for gravel & mtb.

[@Lanceweeda]

There are tubes with preloaded sealant - conspicuously missing from the conversation.

[@MTBryanH]

I carry a spare tube but every tubeless flat I've had I can plug, inflate and go super fast.

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

Duh you ride mtb's of course you should use tubeless. Now try using tubeless on a road bike and see how sht it is

[@MTBryanH]

@@twillyspanksyourcakes Good point! Ha!

[@mrvwbug4423]

@@twillyspanksyourcakes As they said, with the right tire (no GP 5000s) the right wheel (no hookless rims with non-hookless tires) and the right sealant it works fine. Dudes are trying to convert their 10 year old clincher rims that were never designed for tubeless, running GP5000s which suck tubeless and using stans and having the audacity to complain haha. Most of the pro peloton is tubeless these days (a few are still on tubulars) and you don't see them covered in sealant or having tires blow off rims.

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

@@mrvwbug4423 Oh no another tubeless fanboy. You one of those who always blame the user and not the equipment huh? Lol so everyone who dislike the faf of tubeless on roadbikes are using your example that's why it fails for them? 😂😂😂 Just admit you love having something squirted all over you. No shame in that ✌

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

@@mrvwbug4423 All pros use whatever tf the sponsors give them. Even ride hookless rim deathtraps. Your analogy is as stupid as your example. Just admit you're a tubeless fanboy bud. I bet you love running less than 50 psi on road tires and claim it's faster 😂

[@waynerenshaw-multi-outdoor4521]

I've used Stan's sealant since 1998 when I started mountain biking and went tubeless, also on road bikes and TT bikes I used Stan's sealant in the tubes, but mountain biking and gravel biking I use 100% tubeless all the way ... 😉👍

[@maxm6931]

So you're a true Stan's Stan 😀

[@ysteinr.2232]

Will tubeless work well in winter condition with minus -10 to -15 Celsius ? 🥶

[@stevejenkins6045]

I agree that it makes sense with high volume low pressure tires but in my opinion it totally sucks in small volume high pressure road tires

[@simonlynch4204]

Haven't had a puncture in 4000km and i run 35-38psi on 45c. I'm not seeing the benefit of low pressure or less puncture. But the math was a good point. Sealant will seal 8/10 puncture but tubes just won't....

[@CarlBaravelli]

But if the reason is puncture resistance, and on a road bike, I never have punctures, then there is not enough of a reason?

[@ynie1]

Yes! As much as people love to give hookless a bad rap (sometime the companies that push the tech do deserve it), I love the hookless wheels for 30mm+ tires. Install the tires most of the way, pour some Silca sealant in, push the tires the rest of the way, and just use a floor pump. I used to have to use an air compressor, but that's no longer necessary with hookless, and after 1000+ miles of riding, haven't had a puncture yet.

[@mechanicaldavid4827]

Just loving my TPU tubes🥰

[@paddyotoole2058]

As far as I know Muc-off sealant is CO2 compatible no problem. Silca isn’t.

[@owainstravels3381]

I’ve done some actual research on tubes/tubeless. I found there were 2 arguments for tubeless and 103,672 against.

[@LILDIRTNAPX]

i live in Philadelphia (absolute shit hole) and had 5 flats in a month. almost always in the slick part of my semi-slick of my 38mm gravel tires. always from verrrry small pieces of glass. i upgraded to 45mm (not slick in the middle )and also went tubeless and haven't had to do any maintenance on them for 3 months. i either haven't had a puncture at all or haven't noticed it happen! ...probably time for a top-off though

[@hrisko100able]

Why nobody talk about inner tubes with sealent in them?

[@RichardMigneron]

I'm going back on tubes for road (I don't do the other type of riding), it's too expensive and too messy.

[@Matii81]

I will just say Tubeless all the way. Cycling for the last 4 years 3-4 times a week, 7000-9000km per year. 28c GP 5000 S TR, Orange regular sealant, milkit tubeless kit and Topeak joblow booster (what a name😂😂) and you can do it at home no shop needed. I went tubeless 2 months ago for the first time and no problem. Much more comfortable ride compared to tubes!! Ps I did try Doc Blue sealant first and for me it was useless!!! unfortunately.

[@GeekonaBike]

How long does the Silica sealant last in very dry desert like climates? In the US southwest I DiY my own sealant because any sealant drys out very quickly & at least my homemade stuff is inexpensive.

[@Yoda-em5mt]

I love tubeless but and there is a big butt i really wish tyre companies maxxis would make there tyre thick enough that you can run them without sealant if you choose major pittfall in my eyes .

[@enigma1000]

Which TPU tubes are recommended?

[@Hebbs]

Silca makes tubeless work as it’s supposed to.

[@lovenottheworld5723]

If you know where the hole is you only need to expose a small section of tube and stick a Park glueless patch on without removing the wheel.

[@repairdrive]

Which weighs more??

[@stevemuzak8526]

If you do long gravel rides on a mixed terrain tubeless will make your life so much easier.

[@mpvsystems9302]

Putting Sealant in the inner tubes provides the best of both worlds. Lowest maintenance, highest reliability

[@voonyboy]

Haveing to break into your tyres once every three months seems a lot of effort. Frequently I won't touch tubed tyres for years.

[@paddyotoole2058]

You don’t have to “break into your tyres”. You can inject it easily through the valve after taking the valve core out. I can top up my tyre sealant on a bike from start to finish in less than 5 mins, and don’t touch the tyres at all.

[@DIY-DaddyO]

Has anyone tried putting the tubeless sealant in an inner tube? From my MTB racing experience if you had a pinch flat your pressure is too low

[@twillyspanksyourcakes]

Worst of both worlds. Ultra distance cyclist do that but a lot faf with that method

[@psclassy1123]

Im not huge into maintenance but if you take your time and use common sense anyone can set tubeless up. I used to run real low tire pressure on rigid bike with tough rims that would make contact with the rim over root and you guessed it no flat. If you ride where there are thorns or commute on a bike where road trash and boulevard plantings can cause flats tubeless is a life saver. Use whatever you want and if you ride enough you will know.

[@zachwhite2716]

A good tube sealant and tubeless is unnecessary. I’ve done thousands of kilometers on my sealed tubes and not gotten a single flat, compared with one every couple hundred before I added sealant.

[@n22pdf]

My view is tubeless for MTB and maybe Gravel.. Road go tubes.. for me anyway just my opinion.. Pete

[@edsandheinrich3759]

I really like going road tubeless.

[@john-p1n6l]

cushcore and stan's that all you need

[@qwertyazerty2137]

I think tubeless are overrsted. I recently switched to tubeless on a gravel. i opted for conti terra trail 40 mm and over 1500 km I had 4 punctures already. They all got sort of selead by the sealent. They leak but the drop in pressure is the same as in the other fine tire. This is too expensive. Tubeless tires are way pricier, then you need to buy the rim tape, the valve and constantly top the sealent up. And out on the ride you need to carry some plug knots and a spare tube as a last resort anyway so what is the point? I admit, they are faster than tube tires but it is not worth the price.

[@robertstan2349]

slime in the inner tube seals without all the hassle of tubeless

[@johnrodgers6049]

To years of tubeless without getting stranded. Still carry a tube

[@gavlptvbk8665]

Do it yourself, pump will cost you £50 and most shops would charge more than that for fitting two tyres, only thing that can go wrong is the rim tape won’t stick, so buy an extra roll.

[@paulappleyard5832]

Can't see why anyone would want to run inner tubes. Lower pressures = more comfort = more speed. Worst I've had in 3 years is 2 slow punctures one of which I rode on for 3 months because I couldn't be bothered to fix. The number of times a club mate has got a puncture for a small thorn and then missed it and got a second puncture. Tubeless you just pull it out and keep on riding. Schwalbe are my favourite tyre currently on GP5000 and they are far stiffer will be going back when I've killed the conti's

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

Can't see why anyone wastes money, time and effort on ROAD tubeless. High pressure/low volume is not the place for it. A 5 euro tube + tire you can change with just your hands = no mess and low cost, especially if you patch the punctured tube once you get home. You can run low pressure, just let some air out..there's nothing magical about tubeless! Spending more money, doing more work and cleaning up a mess isn't magical..its just profitable for the bike biz....so no surprise they promote the hell out of it.

[@paulappleyard5832]

@@larryt.atcycleitalia5786 from experience you are wrong. Tried it?

[@onemorething100]

I just don't understand how tubeless is better when it takes literally 5 minutes to replace a tube. I would love to love tubeless but I just don't get why it's better?? I'd love someone to persuade me. It's way more expensive too.

[@mcbohdo]

When your tubeless tire gets flat - and that happened to me twice - you'll be lost with just a hand pump.

[@paddyotoole2058]

You can use CO2. Mucoff tubeless sealant is compatible with Co2.

[@K777John]

I run tubeless in my 29’er hardtail and my gravel bike with 700c rims-I haven’t gone tubeless on my road bike yet but will when I change the tyres next spring.

[@discodave6153]

Nice videos, 5 mins is a good length

[@markday1714]

outstanding content.thanks!