Should you ride Tubeless tires on your bike?
Tubeless tire technology was rapidly adopted by mountain bikers in the mid 2000’s. Oddly enough, Road tubeless tires have been around since the mid 2000’s as well but still have not been adopted by most riders. For a technology that has been around for so long, it is quite surprising to see that there is still no real consensus on what should be the ”norm” for road tubeless tires.
They first ever tubeless wheels I rode were the Shimano Dura Ace (WH-7850-C24-TL) wheels with Hutchinson Fusion tires. Back then, there was no sealant used and it was said that the most popular sealant then, made from Stan’s, was corroding the rims. I went on riding 2000km with that wheelset and tires with no issues, not even a puncture and on top of that, the whole setup was easy, effortless and safe.
So why is it that in 2023, we have about as many tubeless rim standards as there are seatpost sizes and so little confidence in the technology? How can tire companies make some of the most efficient tires in terms of rolling resistance but not endorse a wheel design or brand while some others just develop their own tires to match their rims.
Unfortunately I do not have answers to any of these questions. All I have is experience riding many, many different setups, tires and rims brands.
Tubeless is (finally) getting some traction.
One thing is for sure, riding tubeless tires is a consideration a lot more people have, especially since there was a road cycling boom a few years ago. Now everyone can find (good or bad) advice on social media, internet, youtube and blogs, about any cycling technology. Needless to say all those multiple sources can create a turmoil of clashing and contradicting informations.
I think this is another reason why companies, wether they manufacture rims, tires, valves or inserts, should sit down and come up with some sort of standard. I liked the Mavic Tubeless standard, called UST. It was simple, reliable and safe. But modern bikes, with modern wheels, getting wider and wider caused the death of UST road. Enve is working to create a standard, but will other brands jump in that boat? who knows…
So, should you ride hookless rims vs hooked rims, tubeless vs tubes, what sealant type, inserts or not?
It depends. Of course.
If you don’t want to bother with sealant and keep the possibility of swapping tires easily without spending too much; i’d say keep riding tubes.
If you only have one set of wheel/tires, and the rims are Tubeless ready, and the valves were included with the wheels and the rims have hooks: I’d say try tubeless tires. No more pinch flats, easy to set-up, more comfort, a bit more grip if needed and a relatively simple tire set-up for you or your local bike shop.
If you are an experienced cyclist, looking for the latest innovation on the market, you feel comfortable with messing around bike maintenance or have a great local bike shop, you are the perfect candidate for riding hookless tubeless tires.
Hookless rims are often a bit harder to setup, they, most of the time, require specific tires to match the rim and they are a nightmare to deal with when you have a puncture and the sealant does not do its job. Some hookless rims can’t even be used with a tube, so you are stuck riding tubeless.
Now if you heard horror stories from your friends or online, about tubeless tires exploding while trying to set them up, most of the time, those stories involve hookless rims, tires that have not been ”approved” to work with a certain rim, or the person had little experience installing a tubeless tire.
How to avoid Tubeless failures
Here is a short list of advice:
- Follow instructions
- Don’t try to do a tubeless conversion the day before your ride
- Don’t race new stuff
- Pick a reliable, known setup over exotic stuff
- whatever you do, safety first.
Think about the people riding around you and their safety. Not just yours. No one wants to crash and get injured because you cut corners while working on your bike.
Tubeless made easy
So if you are looking for specific advice on what products to use, I’ve got you covered. I have installed about every types of tires you can think of. Some good, some bad and some that were impossible to setup Tubeless. When I am stuck with a rim or a tire that does not want to seat properly, that shows signs of exploding off the rim while inflating or that leaks air and sealant and can’t be fixed, I always revert to this: Grab any Pirelli Tubeless compatible tire and it will work.
For real. You might go through the usual tubeless struggle, but I have never failed to install a Pirelli tire on any rim regardless of the brand, type, width, shape or material. They might not show as the fastest tires when comparing with other brands, but they will work. And this is where reliability stomps speed. A reliable setup will always be somehow fast, at least much faster than spending 40 minutes on the side of the road with your hands painted with pink, orange or smelly sealant, a tire around your neck and a bunch of dudes that are only thinking of leaving you there and get back home.
I am not saying other brands are not good. I am saying if you want a good first experience installing tubeless tires, pick a Pirelli tire, for you road or gravel bike.
My tubeless setups
I do have a wheelset that has Continental gravel tires installed. They are good tires. But they sure are not easy to install. I also have a set with Rene Herse tires, which are fantastic to ride, but a nightmare to install and I got 3 wheelsets with Pirelli tires. Again, installing those was easy. You can see the installation videos on my instagram and youtube page.
Boards and Peaks - Von Westfalen 
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