This is why I stick to the brands I know and trust. Lots of people dislike the Big S, but they’ve got some pretty good tires, and are easy to set up and the S-works turbo isn’t too bad on the wallet, considering the cost of the Schwalbe.
Now that I’ve got a pair of 28’s on, I’m not going to mess with them just to test with a tube, but my 33’s had less rolling resistance at the same pressure without tubes as judged by the speeds necessary for me to reach specific power targets on my rollers.
Now if you’re swapping tires frequently, I could understand, but it’s still only about a 15 minute process if you pre-plan with a rag and receptacle for the old sealant.
An update to last night’s much longer post on Panaracers on Reynolds and Hunt rims:
Conti 5000 TL 25s on Reynolds Assault rims (17/25 mm) actual measurements:
Rim max width by my caliper - 24.8
Tire max width:
60 psi - 24.1 mm
80 psi - 24.4 mm
100 psi - 24.4 mm
I can tell with the caliper that the tires are indeed just barely narrower than the rim - these seem to be about perfect for these 17C wheels. Was worried as some people reported them being in the 26-27 mm range. Install was also surprisingly easy - I used one lever but was pleasantly surprised they seated with air tank on first try with no sealant - maybe 5 mins total to install.
Can’t wait to take them on the road and already thinking about what to do with those 20 free watts
I damaged some rim decals with it, though. If you have to use it, position the last section of tire where there aren’t any decals. Rim paint seems to be robust enough to resist scratching.
I have Reynolds Assualt SLG wheels and 25mm Pro One tires. The good news is that front tire popped on with no headaches and just a floor pump, it appears to be all good. The bad news is that I might of messed up the tape on the rear wheel which is causing a leak. I have been attempting to remove the tire to re-tape and it has been a nightmare to remove. The bead was and is still stuck and I can’t get it out.
Ultimately, this has me nervous about running this setup because there is no way I could do a roadside tube install if needed (unless the tires stretch?)
I have some new tape coming today and will try again but I’m close to writing this project off as a total loss.
I took me three goes and about three weeks to get my first wheel right in part due to a big oversight on my part not due to the “system”. Second one took 24 hours. I will be sticking close to home for the first few rides when the snow finally clears (and my new bike arrives) in case I have to make “the call”.
I’ve only had to make the call twice - a sidewall slice and a failed bead. The sidewall almost made it home - was able to use a boot and tube, and that took me another 20 miles before that failed and had to made the call only 5 miles from home.
@GPLama, how wide are your 25mm gp5000 tl on your rim? Aero issue or not? if the tire is wider than your 25mm rim then it creates turbulences.
I wanted to try 23mm TL (Victoria) on 25mm rim TL ready for this weekend HIM Galveston but failed to have the victoria seat on the groove (even bikeshop compressor didn’t work). Ending up putting tubes inside 23 mm TL tires
Another ride using my kit to help someone else. Dude rushed from work and forgot his kit, handed him:
tube
tire lever
valve extender for his Zipp 404s
co2 cartridge
inflator valve
I’ve used the kit for myself exactly once since going tubeless. And at least 5 times to help others. A couple times just handing guys a valve extender because they had mid aero wheels and a tube with short valve.
If you’re carrying a tube to fit in an emergency, one thing to check regularly is the nut holding your tubeless valves in place. If it is more than finger tight, or gets seized after a few rides in wet weather, then you won’t be fitting your tube, even if you can get the tyre off at the roadside, unless you have pliers in your kit… Maybe worth a drop of lube every now and then.
Something I came across on the net somewhere, and have used successfully with difficult to seal tubeless valves is to cut a small circle out of an old tube, and punch a hole a bit smaller than the valve stem and use it like an o-ring or gasket between the valve and the rim bed. Ive found a few advantages, since rim beds have different bends in them, this will allow you to seal better when the valve base doesnt exactly match your rim, and also with the valve nut, it allows you to have a bit of give by pushing on the bottom of the valve and relieving the pressure on the nut, making it a little easier to undo when necessary
Worth a try if you are having issues. I have a set of punches so its super easy for me to make one, would take a little more time without punches but still be worthwhile
I guess I’m not the only fool to mistake the supplied rim strip on Prime (ChainReaction) wheels for tubeless-ready when in fact it is just a very tight fitting standard strip.
I just received an unsolicited customer support from CRC as a “Prime Wheel purchaser” explicitly stating (again) that the rim strips provided are not tubeless so they must have received a number of complaints/inquiries about not sealing when installing tubeless.
Had my first race on 25mm gp5000tl’s on hed jet6 plus’s. Seems like a really nice set of compromises, deep without being too heavy, good braking, puncture resistance, great rolling resistance, and comfy wide inner width/tires.
I have a few questions, first how much pressure should I expect it to drop overnight? I’m coming from latex tubes so I always check my pressures, but it seems like it’s almost 10psi.
I put in 30ml of sealant, which is the minimum. I’m thinking about putting in another 10-20ml for training, then pulling some out before races. Does anyone do that, or is it not worth the effort?
I think there are two types of rubber gaskets. One “gasket” seats in the hole and the other “o-ring” sits between the rim and valve stem nut. Not all valves have the “o-ring” but I’m pretty sure it nests inside the valve nut as there is space cut away for it to fit snug-ly.
The tubeless valve stem should have its own built-in gasket, the Enve one is a substantial square block. Then put the o-ring on the outside, between nut and rim.
Threw on 25mm GP5000 TLs on my Giant SLR wheels last week. One tire went on fairly easy, but the second was super tight and probably took 30-40 min to mount.
I had no issues pumping up the tire with a standard floor pump and no sealant. Deflated, added 30ml Orange Seal, and re-inflated again with no issues. I’m guessing I didn’t need a compressor because the wheel/tire combination was so tight.
Did my first crit over the weekend, and while I couldn’t gauge the watt savings, the grip was fantastic and totally confidence inspiring (75psi @ 60kg). I can probably go lower, so going to play around with that in the coming weeks.
You need to look at the context of my reply (related to the post about cutting a chunk of tube out to make a homemade gasket). When you do, you will see my reply is accurate for the purpose of that specific situation. I added a bit of info to my post above for more clarity.
