Isn’t this called a tube?
no. My scariest descent issue was with a tube.
There have been a plethora of reports of the GP5000 (even the non-tubeless) being extremely tight at launch, to the point that people gave up on mounting them. Later batches seem to have had a change to resolve this. But if one of the biggest bike tire manufacturers can screw it up, so can anyone.
You attribute the reduced costs of wheels primarily with hookless. I don’t. I mainly attribute it to the growing Chinese competition. So many people started using them now that we have disc brakes and you don’t have to worry about overheating the rim. That put a lot of downward price pressure on the big brands. Chinese prices haven’t dropped much for hookless as far as I can tell.
lots of good takeaways from this article:
including why manufacturing costs decrease when a wheel is made hookless.
The best system I have used is on Bontrager MTB wheels (I’m not sure if the road wheels do the same). They have a rigid molded plastic rim strip that not only is super reliable for ensuring no leaks through the nipple holes, it has big ridges that keep the tire bead pushed against the rim. Even with a fully deflated tire you really have to work the bead to break the seal. That’s what the industry should move to, IMO.
Yup, I am still shocked that they seem to be the only ones with that style of trip. Works amazing on the road & MTB wheels I use. Unsung hero in a way.
Has anybody used a bit of mastik on the beads? Not like bolting it on but in conjunction with an insert might make it bombproof. Course good luck getting it off. Still….tire failure even at flat time trial speeds 25-30mph seems plenty bad.
Joe
In that article they talk about how only certain tires will work (and implicit in that is that those tires have consistent quality). I don’t wish to limit myself to a small compatibility list nor put so much faith in their QC. A tire that looks and acts completely fine 99% off the time but had disaster the other 1%, which I have no way of detecting myself until it’s too late, is a big part of my objection.
Yes, if I put on a tubeless tire and it is too easy to install, I take it off and sell it. Same if its too hard to install - like the pair of 5000 S TR that I bought and sold.
Yeah bit that article says ours not just diameter. It’s also how easily the bead stretches. And they don’t mention it, but bead shape also has to be a factor. Material changes happen due to poor QC, supplier change, new PFAS regulations, etc. I work in the auto industry, I know how often silent changes happen or QC fails.
I’m not categorically rolling them out forever, but there’s no good incentive IMO to justify me being a Guinea pig
FWIW I haven’t had bead stretch since the early days (for me thats 2018 and 2019). I still have a few used tubeless tires from 2020 and 2021 and they are not easy to install.
on road wheels the plastic rim strip interferes with installing tires. For that reason every Trek shop around here will put tape in a Bontrager road wheel.
All of this is why I’m still running old school tubed clinchers. I’m waiting for the industry to get through teething problems with tubeless road tires (I run tubeless gravel bike tires) before I switch
I guess I am lucky then, with the road and CX wheel/tires I have used. No real issues to complain about compared to some other beasts I have battled (older Shimano sealed rim tubeless in particular).
Same. Victoria Competition Latex tubes are awesome for road as long as you pump them up before every ride.
A tube flat every 3 to 4 weeks is why I’m running tubeless. IMHO tubeless just works now, and has since 2020.
easy tradeoff, I’d rather continue riding than stop on the side of the road and replace a tube.
I have the Hunt X-Wide Gravel Wheelset, which is hookless, and just got the email below.
IIRC the recommendation for 32mm tires was 70psi, but I could be wrong.
I run either pathfinder pros in a 42 on these wheels at 30-40psi, or GP5000 S TR in a 32 at 40-50psi.
Screenshot of the new lower recommendations:
We hope you are enjoying your wheels.
Here at HUNT we pride ourselves on serving you, the riders, and that includes our after sales care.
You are being contacted because you have purchased wheels from us which use a hookless, or Tubeless Straight Sided (TSS) rim design.
With this in mind, we’re taking the opportunity to update you on the maximum tyre pressures to be used with hookless rims based on the latest 2023 guidance from the European Tire and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO).
For safety reasons you must not exceed the maximum tire pressure limits set out in the table below, or the maximum limit set by your tire manufacturer if this is lower.
To read about the recommended width tires to use with your wheels please see the product pages on our website. From there you can also choose from a range of our favourite tires to purchase.
In my experience I say „it depends“ i have two gravel wheelsets: raceface arc25 and berd gvx25. Both 25mm id one hooked and hookless. I ran different tyres on those rims. Maxxis XC tyres and gravel tyres from WTB, Schwalbe and finally Rene Herse. The only tyre that gave me problems was a Schwalbe G-One Bite. This thing was so loose on the rims it didn’t even seal with a compressor. Went straight to the trash as the distributor wouldn’t take it back.
I‘d say a good gauge is
- if the tyre deflates and stays on the bead, it is probably a good match
- if it holds air overnight without sealant and hasn’t lost more than 15psi it is probably a good match
- how hard or easy it is mount a tyre can be used to assess (although supple tyres will mount more easily than more rigid ones, duh)
I run RH Snoqualmie Pass EL on my GRoadbike. Was descending at about 80kph this weekend with a loaded bike and about 34 psi in those 44mm tyres. I‘m 85kg, bike was easily 11-12kg and this setup felt and feels bulletproof. Unfortunately you have to assess from rim & tyre combo to another. But the pointers above are a good gauge imho.
You need to include a timeframe here…because new tires will can often leak air relatively quickly (within a few hours) without sealant to seal fully seal the casing.