I was originally skeptical of the concept of running a tubeless setup until I started to research it and talk to people who had been running tubeless. I have been running tubeless for about 5 years now and am totally sold on the benefits!
For those who are wondering what a tubeless setup is, it is a bike wheel set up where you eliminate the tube altogether...so all you have is a rim, and a tire - much like today's car tires that mount directly onto a rim. There are essentially 3 components in a tubeless set up: tubeless specific rim, tubeless tire, and sealant
Tubeless Rim:
Ideally, you want to have a specific tubeless rim and a specific tubeless (aka UST) tire to mount on that rim. You can run non-tubeless tire on a tubeless rim but the results are not as consistent. What makes a tubeless rim or tire different than a regular tire? The rim has a little C-channel on the edges so that the tire bead can fit into that little channel and seal (pic below is from Stan's No Tubes site). The diagram is what you would be looking at if you cut a rim and were looking at it head on...so you can tell that there is a little lip at the top that helps keep the tired seated and sealed:
Tire;
A tubeless tire is also different than a regular tire in two ways. The bead that fits into that little channel has to be specific so that it fits and seals. The other difference is that the sidewalls of a tubeless tire are a little thicker and sturdier than a regular tire that would have a tube in it. The thicker sidewalls also mean that there is usually a weight penalty associated with a UST tire. This is why people try to run non UST tires on a UST setup...they try to shave a couple hundred grams by using non UST tires on a tubeless rim and some people also choose to not run the sealant inside the tires.
Sealant:
The sealant is what seals the tire to the rim. It essentially finds anywhere air is escaping and seals it up. You usually want about an ounce in each tire and it will actually seal any punctures as you ride such that you don't even notice that something might have punctured your tire because it seals up right away.
Benefits of a tubeless setup:
For those who are wondering what a tubeless setup is, it is a bike wheel set up where you eliminate the tube altogether...so all you have is a rim, and a tire - much like today's car tires that mount directly onto a rim. There are essentially 3 components in a tubeless set up: tubeless specific rim, tubeless tire, and sealant
Tubeless Rim:
Ideally, you want to have a specific tubeless rim and a specific tubeless (aka UST) tire to mount on that rim. You can run non-tubeless tire on a tubeless rim but the results are not as consistent. What makes a tubeless rim or tire different than a regular tire? The rim has a little C-channel on the edges so that the tire bead can fit into that little channel and seal (pic below is from Stan's No Tubes site). The diagram is what you would be looking at if you cut a rim and were looking at it head on...so you can tell that there is a little lip at the top that helps keep the tired seated and sealed:
A tubeless tire is also different than a regular tire in two ways. The bead that fits into that little channel has to be specific so that it fits and seals. The other difference is that the sidewalls of a tubeless tire are a little thicker and sturdier than a regular tire that would have a tube in it. The thicker sidewalls also mean that there is usually a weight penalty associated with a UST tire. This is why people try to run non UST tires on a UST setup...they try to shave a couple hundred grams by using non UST tires on a tubeless rim and some people also choose to not run the sealant inside the tires.
Sealant:
The sealant is what seals the tire to the rim. It essentially finds anywhere air is escaping and seals it up. You usually want about an ounce in each tire and it will actually seal any punctures as you ride such that you don't even notice that something might have punctured your tire because it seals up right away.
Benefits of a tubeless setup:
- Weight savings - despite the heavier tires, you can usually save weight running a tubeless setup
- Lower pressure on the tires - instead of running between 40-60 psi on your tires, you can run sub 30 and have a much smoother ride
- Better rolling resistance - with a lower pressure, you have a better rolling resistance - instead of a firm tire (like 40-60 psi), the lower psi allows you to roll and absorb some of the impact...where a higher psi tire would bounce off some of that
- little to no flatting - in the 5 yrs I have run tubeless, I have never flatted (knock on wood) with this setup. You don't ever get pinch flats like you would with tube. Once you do your initial work to get the tire sealed properly, the tire should remain that way.
Possible downsides:
- Tubeless tires are more $
- You have to find the right PSI based on your style of riding - if you run too low a PSI, the tire will burp and lose air.
- If you do flat, you should carry a tube just in case you can't get everything sealed back up.
- Initial setup is cumbersome the first time - follow the instructions and all is well though
The issues that people tend to have with tubeless setups is when they try to run non UST tires on UST rims or try to run the setup without the sealant. I highly recommend sticking with UST rims, tires, and sealant which should eliminate virtually all issues.
There is another option if you don't want to fork out the $$ for a tubeless wheelset...you can retro-fit your current wheels to be tubeless. At this point you are giving up the bennies of weight savings but you can still enjoy running a lower psi, etc.
my current tubeless setup on the singlespeed - I am running the Stan's Crest rim, with a DT hub, a 2Bliss tire, and sealant:
my geared bike is also running a tubeless setup with a Stan's ZTR Flow rim, Hope II hubs, UST tires, and sealnt....
At the end of the day I am a big believer in the tubeless setup - lots of bennies that far out-weigh any possible downsides.
30 psi ? that's really low
ReplyDeleteI thought the main reason to ride tubeless was specifically for the higher psi.
rolling resistance is reduced with a higher psi.
meaning - you can roll further with a higher psi because there is less resistance.
If you're riding like a dead corpse and not flowing with the terrain, it may seem like the lower pressure is more beneficial.
The benefits of the higher psi vary depending on your knobby selection.
How does one insert the spoke nipple for a tubeless rim? Does each nipple have to seal? There is a sealed rubber strip right? Isn't that really just a tube that is not a tube?
I'll stick with my 45psi kevlar beaded tube tires.
30 PSI is really low and that is the beauty of it! From what I understand, rolling resistance is actually better with lower PSI (assuming you are talking about a MTB tire and trail)
ReplyDeleteYou can roll further on a higher PSI if you are on a smooth surface like a road, etc, but that does not translate to going through rougher terrain where a higher PSI bounces you around more and cannot roll through things (in regards to smaller items - not anything as large as boulders or trees) like a lower PSI
another bennie of the lower PSI is it has MUCH better traction on terrain (obviously depends on tire choice, but I typically run more aggressive tires up front and faster rollers on the back).
UST rims don't like high pressure - I inflated my tire to around 60 PSI to seal it and it blew off the rim (sounded like a shotgun), recommended max psi is around 40 for UST's
For a true tubeless setup, you use stan's yellow rim tape which is much lighter than the rubber strip and lighter than normal rim tape. Are you thinking of the conversion kits that run a rubber strip to seal around the rim? I am not as big a fan of the conversion kits.
all I know, is it works for me - my set up is a rigid singlespeed so the lower PSI is a huge difference maker in my book. then again, personal preference...as long as I have some rubber on dirt, it is all good!
Valid points.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the rim tape.
I've never ridden a tubeless or sew-up tire and am skeptical of anything roadies bring to MTB (cough! hgh! cough!)
Given a blindfold and a bike with tubes a bike with tubeless, can you tell the difference? Or is all about fewer flats?
I hear you on the skepticism - I was too but after running the UST setup for 5+ yrs (have also run the conversion but am a much bigger believer in the true UST rim with UST tire with Stan's) the bennies (to me) far outweigh any downside.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely about fewer flats and being able to run lower pressure which helps with traction on the trail.
If you were to run the same PSI on a tubeless and a tubes setup, you would not notice a difference (all things being equal like trail, tire, etc). The huge difference in performance comes from running the lower PSI which just provides for a smoother ride, better rolling resistance (on trail), better traction, lighter wheelset, and also the minimal flats.