Tubeless road - it actually works

Have you added the sealant at this point?

Several brands of tubeless wheels - particularly those that are designed for disc rather than rim brakes - are back to using pinned rather than welded rim joints. A mate was having considerable issues setting up his wheels due to air leaking into the rim internal cavity via the rim joint and out the spoke holes. Faffing around with the rim tape had no impact as the air was leaking at the sidewalls above the edge of the rim tape. he contacted the vendor who told him to add the sealant as it would plug the gap at the rim joint and, to be fair, it did.

I've read most of the posts in this tread and i've come to conclusion that a tubeless setup is great...as long as you don't get a puncture! would that be a fair assessment?

But that implies that tyres with tubes are uncomfortable in some way. Are they? what size tyres do you have? I have 32mm tyres (with tubes) and IMO its the tyre size that makes them more comfortable?

yeah you must have a very "sensitive" rear to be able to tell the difference! :)

Fair enough. But is this extra comfort worth the hassle of maintaining a tubeless wheel setup? I totally agree that tubeless is the way to go for racing, where a puncture can ruin your race, but it seems to me that the convenience of tubes (combined with wider tyres) is comfortable enough for commuting/club spins etc. no?

See that's my point.. i communte all year round. i just dont like the thought of getting a puncture (that does not seal) on a cold, wet, dark night on my way home and having to either A: try and fix a a tubeless tyre, B: fit a tube into a tyre covered in sealant (and maybe have difficulty removing a tubeless valve thats siezed onto the rim) or C: call my wife to collect me! Even if it only happened once every few years i think its too much of a pain. I find that i don't really get that many punctures anyway (maybe one per year) so for me, the convenience of tubes trumps the comfort of tubeless.

its alright just keep few tissues and a tube..i sorted myself in 10 mins…same process with a tube just the sealant bit is diff

Yeah that's what i meant, its the tyres/tyre pressures that make a bike comfortable, not the lack of a inner tube. I have 32mm tyres inflated to 60psi, while my road bike tyres (25mm) are at 100psi. Both have inner tubes.

Im new to the club having just bought a new Giant, whats the best race tubeless tyre and sealant about? Silca sealant and replenisher rated? Im also on hookless rims so thatll be a factor!

further update, the front panaracer tlc slick despite not being worn out, got a very small cut on the commute along grand canal greenway. Will not fully seal despite topping up with copious sealant. so thats lasted 10 months.

Went for panaracer semi slick replacement. a fair bit thicker. not fitted yet, will report back. will swap it onto the back.

the slicks were not plus. I got one plus to try it. And one semi slick which it turns out is not plus, but is thicker than the plus slick. Lets see how these go.

Good to hear you got on well with the plus.

have plugs and used them on mtb tyres in past. but these cuts have all been smaller than the thinnest plug or the tool for pushing them in. like, tiny.. 1-2mm

Option D, run a ride flat capable insert?

It does sound like it was a tyre issue.

I'm currently using Hutchinson Fusion 5 All Season 11 Storm (to give them their full title...) on my commuter and am very happy with them. Mostly used around Dublin where there's plenty of glass on my route. I pick out any little bits of glass from my tyres every few days and generally don't get many punctures.

I have GP 5000S tubeless on my 'good' bike and am very disappointed in their quality. No puncture issues as they're used on rural roads but they are falling apart.

I’ve used Stans in the past, but find I’ve to funnel it into a smaller bottle or use a syringe. The last couple of times I used Giant, and Joe’s in smaller bottles that can be inserted into the valve.

If I recall the likes of CyclOn, and Challenge can be inserted into the valve.

As you probably guessed, I’ve no preference on manufacturer, as I haven’t had issues with any of them, but allegedly some brands don’t mix too well together if topping up.