Рет қаралды 1,185
I feel like I'm definitely in the minority here, but I want to discuss tubeless setups with narrow, high pressure tires. It seems as though it's taken over in most all bicycle categories, and I think it's definitely the way to go for mountain bikes, and gravel for the most part as well, but things are not always what they seem if you have a chance to see what kinds of things I see on a daily basis.
I'm not here to tell anyone road tubeless should be avoided, but I think most folks should know the whole story before they invest in the process.
I run-through the 4 most common causes of tubeless failure I see everyday.
The 4 things are:
- Lack of sealant (Yes, sealant has to be added every 2-6 months depending on your environment). If the sealant dries out, the tire WILL NOT hold air.
- Bad tape job. I run through a few common issues here, but there can be several causes.
- Wrong valve for the rim contour or damaged valve stem.
- Damaged tire. Yes, the tires can be plugged or patched, which can work, but there's no guarantees.
There are a few other cons to dealing with tubeless road tires I didn't mention in the video. Some are VERY difficult to install and remove. I've felt many times I was doing a customer a disservice for installing a tire knowing it would be close to impossible to service on the road if the tire were cut or had too large of a puncture.
I give some tips that I've found eliminate some of the basic errors I see in setting up a tire if this is your first time trying the process out.
It seems like for every person I talk to at the bike shop that uses road tubeless, for every person who loves it and has had no issues, there's another person whom it's been a nightmare.
Please feel free to discuss in the comments section...