TLDR: tubes vs tubeless for road use nowadays? what’s the latest trends here?
backstory: So I have been running tubeless and went to switch tires today and found all of my sealant had completely formed into clumps.
so basically I was running with not only no sealant, but all this stuff flopping around in there.
random aside: as I go to put my new tires, they aren’t seating well. manufacturer says to inflate with a tube first to stretch it out. I only have this backup tube I’ve been carrying around for 2 years and the valve wasn’t even long enough. sheesh. i’m way pairing down my tire repair kit.
Current trent for road at least seem to be TPU tubes. Supposedly quite puncture proof, light, low rolling resistance, low packing volume - and most importantly less of a hassle than tubeless. If you use one of those electric mini pumps, there might be issues, but otherwise solid enough. These days there are even some patch kits for some of them.
It remains to be seen if this trend lasts, especially once road tires got as big as gravel tires used to be.
~2 months ago I put these tires on and put in sealant. I haven’t topped up since.
I switched tires today just cause I wanted to go back to 35mm (those were 32mm) - unrelated to the sealant. I’d still be riding around like this if I didn’t change.
I’m not a trend setter so I’m not sure what the sheep are running these days.
I have been using TPU tubes on my road bike for about 3 years now. 28mm tires on Roval wheels. No issues with flats or inflators. To me they feel like latex without the air loss. As fast as road tires wear out here in Texas I don’t want to mess with cleaning up sealant every tire change.
Fat tires like the 45’s on my gravel bike wear a lot longer so I run them tubeless. Plus I can go low on the pressure without snake bites. Knobby tires with sealant are pretty flat resistant. Plus there is always a dart I case I hit some trade trash that came off the back of some pick’um up truck.
I’m running tubeless on all my bikes, probably 5-6 years. I’ve never seen this or experienced anything like this with sealant. What brand are you using?
Tubeless > TPU by a long shot. I’ve had nothing but issues with TPU. So fragile. Went through half a dozen that broke or popped that I gave up on them.
I think I actually was riding my other bike for like a month in late jan-mid Feb and didn’t touch this one…I didn’t think to spin the wheels and all. so maybe it didn’t like just sitting around.
I will try to spin the tires 1-2 times a week if I don’t use a bike from now on.
yeah I really really don’t wanna deal with flats. a bunch of my rides are commutes and dealing with a flat on the way to work will be a monster pita as I can’t really be late. on the way home it’s usually dark - so that’ll suck too (but not the end of the world I guess). and I ride when it’s raining / freezing. just overall I’d rather not.
just SMH I was riding around like this. so glad I didn’t puncture.
I’ve been on tubeless for a number of years now and the roads in the UK are in a terrible condition so don’t think I will be switching to TPU. I’ve never really had an issue with tubeless. The two times the tyre hasn’t sealed I have just plugged it with a dyna plug and been on my way in less than 5 minutes.
Beats being cold at the side of the road trying to change a tube.
I’ve recently converted to tubeless and so far it is working out quite well…though I’ve not had a puncture so I guess it is moot at this point.
I service my bikes and have for decades…40 years to be precise. I make sure I have the tools and knowledge to perform all necessary maintenance tasks. I check the sealant on my gravel bike every few months and once a year I remove any ‘gunk’ and replace with fresh sealant when/if necessary. It’s not a bit deal.
In any other forum but this one, this type of reply would get some sharp rejoinders as it’s not really all that welcome and makes you sound like someone who does your own maintenance because stores close when they see you coming.
lol…considering at age 70 i still work, part time, as a shop wrench and have done so since the late ‘80’s generally shops prefer someone with knowledge and experience…perhaps that is why many/some shops have such poor regard when servicing/repairing customers bikes…unlike ours…and as a participant in the ‘bike forums’ group this post would generally be met with unsolicited support…
Anyone who wants to do their own service and maintenance must understand that having the correct materials/parts and tools is required…today’s diy’ers have it much easier due to the plethora of instruction manuals…ie GCN’s version, etc. and especially videos often giving step by step instructions on service/maintenance and repairs on most bikes…if not available sites like ‘bike forums’ provide detailed info and instruction often far beyond the detailed knowledge of parts, etc. that I have garnered over the past four decades of wrenching…I learned on the job by wrenches that learned on the job…if we didn’t have the tool or it wasn’t available we often made the tool…servicing/repairing/maintaining headsets, bottom brackets, hubsets and freehub bodies was and still is just another tuesday on the bikes of the 80’s and forward until sealed units and sealed bearings came into being…replacing caged bearings with individual bearings in order to add one extra bearing, and use Swiss bearings when asked for added better surface contact and a far smoother experience than the standard bearings which to some degree continues today…we got Swiss bearings from machine shops where they were/are common place…not from our vendors lol who only offered standard bearings.
We all start with zero knowledge and experience and likely tools as well but like any other job in any category, ie carpentry, plumbing, auto service, etc., having the correct tool/s for the job is often as important as the knowledge and experience to do the job safely and properly…musings over…moving on…enjoy your day lol.
Some tires have a slimy oil on the inside. I always scrub the inside of new tires with soap and water in order to give the sealant a better change of adhering to the inside of the tire.
IMO, thin layers of dried sealant on the inside of the tire casing is what makes tubeless tires nearly flat-proof.
I had a dreadful and very painful start to tubeless with 3 front tyres failing on me I think the batch must have been faulty, but since switching over to Conti and Schwalbe been really good, and I give my inner tube bike a miss. Can’t see me ever switching back.
Trends? More people are trending towards tubeless as tyres get wider. And more people are running “racier" tyres as tubeless sealant all but solves the puncture risk.
Partly the use of rubeless varies by discipline:
Tubeless for gravel and mtb is a no brainer. Very few people still run tubes.
For road it depends on the tyre pressure. In my experience anything over 70psi and the sealant blows out.
So for me, 28C on my race bike is the narrowest I’d run tubeless as the tyres are at 65psi. At 25C I need closer to 75.
On my winter bike with 32c tyres I’ve been running tubeless since 2018 and had very few issues. The tyres are at 55psi (bike weighs 12kg).
