Road Tubeless Tyres – Are They Worth It?

Road tubeless tyres offer increased puncture resistance and allow you to run lower pressures. But are they worth it? Simon Richardson finds out.

Tubeless tyres have been around for ages and it's safe to say that they near-dominate the MTB market. But, on the road it's a different story; they're just not very widely used and they're yet to make an impact in the pro peloton.

We got hold of a set of tubeless tyres and wheels to see what they're like. From weight, to tyre pressure and ride quality, Simon Richardson put them through their paces. What did he think? Watch the video and find out!

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[rjanderson]

It’s 2019 now and tubeless has improved a lot. I think they would redo it his video

[williammitchell]

My main ride is on a very old and rough back country road, mostly paved but some gravel as well. Running SECTOR 28 tires on Stan's alpha rims with Stan's sealant @ 55 psi. Incredible. Will never go back to tubes. I can comfortably ride over anything. Not a single flat in +1000 miles. I stopped carrying a tube and air.

[dizzlendrizzle]

I'd recommend you try a better tubeless tire. IRC while not great at marketing make by far the best Road Tubeless tire on the market, and available in 25c. I tried all the tubeless tire options while working for Fulcrum Wheels. IRC are ahead of the game by a long shot. Also Stand rims are not true tubeless, they are tubeless ready, there is a massive difference between tire bead and bead hook interfaces.. Give some Fulcrum/Campy 2Way-Fit wheels a try set up on IRC tires, you will change your mind on Tubeless. 

[EeroSoralahti]

Best summary of road tubeless I've found anywhere. Thanks GCN!

[whitemountainbiking]

I've been running Schwalbe 1s for six months now, really good. Very happy with the rolling and suppleness. No flat despite obvious branch embedded in the tyre after farmers hedge trimming.

[cookingconfessions]

I am really in doubt if I could go tubeless on my road-bike. On my mountain bike I did so ofcouse (or you feel so old and untrendy). You can run it at lower pressures - true, but with a gun to my head I could not tell you the grand difference between a tube and a tubeless setup in terms of it basic feel.

I have my system ready to go with rim-tape, valves and sealant so maybe I could give it a go next time I buy tires, which will be pretty soon. I am glad that the video debunked the myth about the weight saving, because I had already figured out that that argument simply did not hold up.

[COMBRICO]

Extremely well done examination revealing a handful of subjects I haven't heard mentioned in the mtb forums (lack of suppleness of tubeless tires, vibrational transference, difficulty of installation of a tube if flatted on tubeless, finally a scale comparison of both systems' weights). 

Extremely high level of video production.  And, I don't see how the host could have done a better job.

The only thing I can criticize is I believe you forget to mention the tubeless tires are much more expensive than regular tires (clinchers).

[kevinhicks]

What a brilliant video.  Highly informative and superb production.  Has saved me the hassle and unnecessary expense of changing to tubeless.

[TurkeyShaman]

I just wanted to tell you guys thank you for this video. Although the question I asked a few days ago was a little different, this video was very informative on the topic of tubeless. Thanks GCN.

[michaelrobinson]

As a tubular tire user for many, many years, then a standard tube/tire user for many more, I found the tubeless to feel much more supple, like a tubular.  I've been using tubeless road for the past 3-4 years (10, 000-12, 000 miles per year) and have only changed a tire on the road 3 times.  I've used Hutchinson, and Schwalbe tubeless with great success.  For everyday riding and training, I ride tubeless.  I've never had a problem changing a tire on the road.  For road racing, I still use tubulars on carbon rims...still the best ride, and still the lightest.  Ride your tubeless with a bit less pressure. For 23-25 mm tires, I run 85-90 psi, and I weigh 155-160 lbs.

[Velocite-bikes]

Nice overview. It is important to mention that not all tubeless tires are the same. Thus just like with normal clincher tires and tubular tires you are able to choose a tire that will potentially give you the road feel that you seek. Comparing the two Schwalbe tires - standard clincher, vs the road tubeless version - seems logical, but they are actually built on entirely different carcasses. The most recent IRC and new Maxxiss tubeless ready tires, for example, have much more supple sidewalls than the earlier road tubeless tires and start at just 240g per tire for IRC and 285g for Maxxis.

[carriegold]

Really interesting this. Ive not been cycling very long but Im struggling with punctures. Ive been on courses and know how to do it but Im finding that Im not very strong when it comes to doing it. I found myself yesterday in the freezing cold, on my own not being able to move anything at all. Called my other half to rescue me and am now seriously looking at tubeless because of this. I want to be able to go out on my own without the worry, if this is the way then I need to invest.

[Jamesah]

A good honest review. I don't think i'll be changing to tubeless just yet though. Conti Gaters are still my personal preference.

[MorganBrown]

I have been putting an ounce of sealant into the tubes (use a valve core remover) for several years. I basically NEVER get nuisance punctures. And if I do flat (from a larger tire tear) it's not a mess.

[markhipperson]

I decided to go tubeless and bought the mavic UST system. First puncture of 2mm sprays sealant everywhere, does'nt seal at anything over 60 PSI, does'nt seal in the wet, and is generally a massive pain in the )*(. Have since switched back to inner tubes....so much better!

[corentinoger]

An added advantage : with tubeless+sealant setup, you can afford to not carry a spare tube and tyre levers. Even if you only puncture your tubes once a year, you still carry the repair kit and spare year-long (I still carry a tubeless repair kit tucked inside my MTB handle bar, though).

[TheJeremyevans]

beautiful place tintern. used to use tyre weld (for cars) on my tubs. used to use tubs for time trialling and inner tubes for road racing. can't cycle anymore, but still love the sport

[philhouck]

I just don't see the case for discarding tubes. Tubes are far simpler to deal with and I believe safer. You can't tell when the sealant will have dried out and the tire will flat. Also, installation is more difficult and the rim and tire specs have to be much tighter. I am also skeptical about performance. I don't really believe there is that much difference in performance. Consequently, I'll stick with tubes. I'm also skeptical that riding tubeless is more comfortable.

Does this mean I won't use tubeless-ready tires and rims? Nope. I have converted all my bikes to tubeless-ready tires and rims because of the safety factor. With these tires and rims, the bead interlocks with the rim so in the event of a flat, especially in the case of a blowout, There is much less chance of rim to pavement contact that could lead to a crash. This is one of the reasons, some people use tubular tires.

[nihonbunka]

Most people i have heard and myself prefer the feel of tubeless even at higher pressures than clinchers indeed it is precisely the feel that is usually cited for the preference.

The downside is that if you get a bigger puncture that cannot be stopped by sealant e.g. in the side wall, then tyre replacement is more difficult and the spare more bulky than tube replacement.

But sealant is surprisingly good especially if augmented with flakes of nylon string, or glitter etc. Google homebrew sealant.

[Phaidrus]

From personal experience, Schwalbe 20 Extralight inner tubes are very light (70g actual weight) and durable. They cost as much as normal inner tubes and weigh about 30g less.