There's a lot of mystery around road tubeless that we've seen.
What is it? What's the point of it, and is it worth it? So here's what we think.
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First of all, what actually is it? Well, simply, using a tubeless specific tire and
a sealed rim, you can dispense with your inner tubes. Now, you either leave a setup
like that, or more usually, you add in a little bit of liquid latex sealant.
So, what's the point of it? Well, fundamentally, you get massively improved
puncture resistance. By removing the inner tube completely, you eliminate pinch
flats, and then with your liquid latex sealant, that actually seals small holes
in the tire as you're riding along, lending minimal loss of pressure.
Meaning that you don't have to stand by the side of the road, changing inner
tubes. Now, if you do get a puncture whilst you're out, you can simply stick an
inner tube in, and it will get you home, meaning you can then fix the tire with a
patch kit when you get back. In addition, some people claim that removing the inner
tube helps to improve rolling resistance, and that removing the inner tube also
helps to make the system lighter. And we check that one back at GCN HQ.
The wheels are the same, generally, whether tubeless or non-tubeless,
so any difference in weight is going to come from the tire and the tube,
or lack thereof. Now, we're using Schwalbe tires here, so first of all,
let me put the non-tubeless tire on the scales along with the inner tube,
minus valve cap and lock ring, obviously, and that comes up as 308 g.
Let's repeat that for the tubeless. First of all, obviously, we're going to have to
put our sealant on, zero there. Then the tire, which is significantly heavier,
it takes 100 g over the non-tubeless version, and then the valve as well,
with lock ring this time, has to be done, and that comes in at 382 grams.
So the extra 74 grams per wheel for the privilege of running tubeless,
which is quite a significant weight disadvantage.
What about installation? Now, if you've watched our "How to set up road tubeless"
video, you'll see that we didn't really have any problem. Regardless,
I still have reservations compared with how easily you can set up a standard tire,
especially if you've got a good rim-tire combination. Now, tubeless tires by their
very nature have to be really tight on the rim, and that can be a massive pain.
While it's unlikely that you'll puncture in the field, if you do,
and you have to pop a tube in the tire, then you don't want to get stranded by the
side of the road because you can't get the fricking tire off the rim. Now, obviously,
you can still use tire levers, but there is a high risk that you'll get stuck. It's
not a dealbreaker by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a consideration.
The most important thing, though, is how they actually feel when riding.
Now, I've been using these Stan's Alpha 340 rims with Schwalbe One tires and butyl
inner tubes for the last week or so. They feel great, just like what I'm normally
used to, but I've now swapped out to Schwalbe One tubeless tires so that we can
do a direct comparison and see how they shape up to one another. Let's check it
out. So, first impressions then, as you might imagine, I can't actually tell the
difference in 150 g of rotating weight. Now, that's not saying that there isn't a
difference, it's just that even a picky rider like myself can't actually do it.
One thing I have noticed, though, is that running them at 95 psi,
which is where I run normal tires, is that they do seem to transfer buzz from the
road, little vibrations that normally get absorbed. Now, potentially,
that's because the carcass in a tire is a little bit stiffer. Whether that's
essential for a tubeless tire, I don't actually know, but certainly,
conventional wisdom would have it that a tire with a high thread count
and a real nice flexible outer would feel a little bit more supple,
whereas these just feel a bit stiff. So what I'm going to do is stop,
let a little pressure out, and see whether running them lower is going to help.
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That's a heck of a lot better, actually. We've let the tire pressures down,
so I'm probably running about 20 psi less than I normally would.
And it quite feels a lot more comfortable and, dare I say, a lot more normal.
It handles like it did when I had the standard clincher tires on,
because I'm only using 80 psi in there. Normally, the tires would squirm a bit if
I'm cornering hard. So we're going to go check out, do some fast descending,
and see whether or not having only 80 psi on the tires, on 23s,
don't forget, is going to make a difference to the way the bike handles.
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So, is it worth it? Well, like so many recommendations for bikes or bits of
bikes, a lot of it depends on your riding style and where you ride it.
And this ride, for me, confirmed what I kind of already thought from previous
outings on tubeless tires, and that is that for pure performance-oriented riders,
I'm not sure there's all that much to recommend it. Obviously,
there's a slight weight penalty, but for me, it's the lack of feel and the lack of
suppleness in the tire casing that means that it doesn't feel quite as lively as
the kind of tires that I normally like to ride. If, however, you ride more steadily,
or you're a bigger rider, and you're more susceptible to punctures,
then, without doubt, they could be an absolute godsend. Certainly,
if you do ride steadily, you're not always accelerating and cornering hard,
then you certainly wouldn't ever notice that they're not quite as supple.
So what's my actual opinion? Well, if I was to get one of these new endurance road
bikes, kind of things with disc brakes and relaxed geometry, without a doubt,
I think tubeless tires are the way to go. Those bikes are so capable of more than
tarmac, but it's the standard tires and tubes that let it down.
If, however, you stick a pair of tubeless tires on there, and you're not going to
pinch flat, you could take that bike almost anywhere. And that, for me,
would be a serious recommendation. For a video showing you just how to install
road tubeless, click here, and to subscribe to GCN to get more tech
insights, click over there.