9 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Went Tubeless On My Road Bike

Setting tubeless up on road bikes can be a tricky process and there are a lot of mistakes that can be made. However, Sam Gupta has taken his years of experience as a mechanic to share all his knowledge on how to successfully set up a tubeless system on your road bike. Starting at the very beginning, all of these top tips for setting up tubeless will mean that hopefully you can get it done right first time round.

00:00 - Intro
01:00 - The Right Components
02:24 - Stretch Your Tyres
03:35 - Don't Forget The Little O-Ring
04:32 - Do A Dry Fit First
04:58 - Tools Can Help
05:36 - Correctly Adding Sealant
06:05 - The Pop Is Your Friend
06:41 - Pressure Is Important
07:31 - Always Carry The Essentials
08:19 - Outro

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#cycling #bikes #bicycles

[rangersmith]

I haven't gone tubeless, and I have no plans to go tubeless. Carrying a tube, even two, is easy with TPU tubes, and they weigh about as much as the sealant in a tubeless tire. I might be jinxing myself saying this, but I haven't had an on the road puncture since I got back to riding nearly a year ago. I do enjoy watching videos showing and describing all the faffing about tubeless users have to endure, which is why I'm here and why I haven't gone tubeless.

[jamescaunt]

Swapped back and forth a few times but finally settled on tubeless. The only reason for me is comfort. The crap state of our rural roads is massively helped by running bigger tyres and lower pressure. Its like sitting on a comfy chair. Ive had a blackthorn (still attached to its twig) deep inside the tyre and when i pulled it out the sealant easily and quickly sealed the hole. I have had no further issues with it. Theres always the risk of glass ripping the tyre (it has happened once) but a tube and business card will get me home. No system is perfect but i am now tubeless and sealant until they invent better run flat technology.

[davidnicholson]

I have seven bikes set up tubeless and I've been using tubeless on the road for almost five years. This video makes it seem like tubeless is more work when in my experience, it's less work. Get a cheap compressor with a presta inflator, when getting new wheels buy ones with solid rim beds (tubeless tape is the weak spot of the system), use Dynaplugs in the rare event of a flat and keep your sealant topped up. Do that and you basically don't have to think about your tires again until they need replacing. Also, the ability to run far lower pressures without risking a flat means dramatically more comfort, lower rolling resistance and noticeably better grip in corners. It's better in every way, and not just a little better.

[andrewlabat]

I set up my SLR 1s with original 25mm Giant tires and Silca Ultimate and haven't looked back. No issues and have regularly run 75 psi, but I watched videos and took my time. Putting on training miles before putting on the 5000s, and new valves.

[moorhead]

I had used tubeless on mountain bikes for 12 years and never had a puncture that wouldn’t seal. So when I got a road bike that could run tubeless I decided to give it a try. In my opinion, the biggest obstacle is mounting the tire, but when I learned this trick it made all the difference. “Pull one side of the tire over the rim, but keep it pushed in toward the center of the wheel. Then start pulling the other side of the tire over the rim, while keeping that first side toward the center of the wheel. When pulling the second side of the tire over the rim, do the part near the valve last.” Mounting the tire like this makes it much easier.
I’ve done about 5000 miles on tubeless. I’ve had 1 serious puncture, but still made it home. I know I’ve had many other small punctures, but they all sealed without me being aware of it at the time. Tubeless has allowed me to avoid the part of road biking where you are sitting along the road changing a tube.

[thegorillaguide]

The people who tend to love tubeless are the ones that approached it methodically and thoughtfully and get the right tools right from the start. There is nothing happier than the sound of a puncture sealing itself. Once you've cracked it you won't go back.

[Z-u-m-a]

Really useful video - thank you. Been considering tubeless. To me the reduced chance of having to deal with a small/reparable roadside issue feels outweighed by the greater possibility of ending up with a much bigger one - which this seems to confirm.

[jonathan_f]

I really enjoy tubeless on my gravel bike with wider profile tires. Yet for road sizes (28c and under) I've leaned more towards lightweight clinchers paired with TPU tubes. Also glueless patches adhere very well to TPU material. You can easily fit 2 TPU tubes and an assortment of glueless patches with barely any weight penalty in your saddle bag. Also those Panaracer Agilest tires weigh even less in clincher form!

[agungnarendra]

Of all "things should know about tubeless" videos, this is one the most useful and informative. If you're feeling adventurous, tubeless is worth a try. But if you're a practical person, stick with tubes. Tubeless, especially on road bikes still has a lot of issues to justify the gains in my opinion.

[jdmitchell]

I have mostly used Gatorskin tires. Last year I bought a new endurance bike, and have used GP 5000 with a tubeless setup. In the last 2 months I've had more punctures than the previous 40 years, I think. Yesterday I had two punctures in less than 30 miles. Plus, I had sealant all over me and my bike. Today, I ordered a pair of Gatorskins, and tubes.

[randyg]

Just finished 4, 000 miles on a set of Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR 26mm tires using Muc-Off tire sealant. Zero flats riding here in southern AZ which is known for terrible roads and where every plant has some sort of thorn growing on it. I did have a couple of times where the bike and I got sprayed with sealant, but was able to make it home. Never in my life did I think is was possible to ride for week after week without getting a flat. I did find that the sealant dries out really fast in super hot, dry weather and the replenishment time should be cut in half. Muc-Off says to replenish every 4-6 months, but there wasn't much sealant left. I found 3 months to be a better interval. Also, watch the video where they test the sealants and you'll see why I picked Muc-Off. I tried Stan's in the very beginning, it doesn't seal very well and I had multiple flats....and a big mess. Can't recommend it.

[craighenry]

Tubeless on the road for the last four year, and only had to use one beacon strip because i forgot to add sealant to the wheels past four months. I have tubeless wheels on four of my bikes, and love it. Just remember to add sealant ever few months.

[jordanr]

Got my first gravel bike after having road bikes. 40c tyres vs the 25’s that were on my road bike. Fitting a tyre is easy, I’m loving it. I’ve set it up tubeless a few days ago, so too early to comment on that side of it yet but I was so surprised at how easy it was to fit the tyre. The rest of the tubeless process went fine too, tyres seated not a problem with valves removed and a standard track pump

[DeStraatz]

I have been running tubless now for about 3 years, and never had any issues with seating, or removing the tyres (although i have only used the GP 5000 variants). Yes first time fitting they can be a bit tight to get onto the rim, but nothing worse than the old Vittoria Corsa clinchers. Seating is also easy as, just with a normal pump, reseating after refillin sealant is a little harder, but my tip is to remove the old sealant on the bead, this allows for a better tyre rim interaction.
With tubes I would puncture about 5 times or more a month (yes im that guy), now with tubeless I puncture maybe 5 times a year, and thats because I have forgotten to top up the sealant, or I have a puncture that would be a puncture regardless of tyre. After being fitted the first time, i can easily remove the tyre with a lever, and put it back on just with my hands, with a tube in i need to use a lever due to the extra volume taken up by the tube.
Granted if I lived in a drier and warmer country, I would run latex, but alas, I do not, and for me tubeless is both cheaper, less faff, quicker, and allows for a good peace of mind.

[yecobs]

Finally a good honest video. Tubeless can be frustrating. And 2- 5x more expensive to setup and maintain.

[billkallas]

I've never felt the need to go tubeless. As long as I don't let my tires to become too worn out, I rarely flat. If I keep the rubber fresh, I'm liable to flat once in every 5, 000 miles (8, 000km).
PS I never use tires larger than 25mm (and occasionally only 23mm in front) and tend to use pressures in the 90-psi range. (Which is too high for tubeless)

[Afrikakorps]

Running tubeless for the 3rd season without no problems. At least 4 times, I realised I got a puncture only when back home, noticing some sealant sprayed on the frame. I got a spare inner tube with me...never used. I think it may be worth to try

[jedi]

Thank you for reinforcing my belief that tubeless tires on the road are FAR more trouble than they are worth.

[TheRickysee]

By the way, this is absolutely the most comprehensive tubeless set up for rode bikes video I’ve seen yet. Good job!

[Razamanaz]

Been running tubeless on 2 mountain bikes and a fat bike for years. Just installed 28mm Michelin Pro Cups on 19mm internal width rims and it was a piece of cake. No mess, set the beads before I added sealant, no soap or windex required. Simple.