# Any tubeless commuting regrets?



## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

Any regrets with tubeless commuting?

With a rainy day and trail work postponed, I'm tempted to put stems in and make 700 x 50 Clement (Now Donnelly) tires tubeless. I've hesitated with a different tubeless ready bike just because I don't have to fill the tires as often and keep thinking a problem would also mean the risk of some mess.

That inner performance geek and weight weenie can't help but know I get a higher performance setup but I never have to fill my tubed commuter setup like all the tubeless MTBs and fatties in the fleet.

I'd also take that advantage when I'm riding 50mm or 2.2 tires with associates on 32 - 38 mm tires.

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/tubeless-latex-butyl-tubes


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## Sage of the Sage (Nov 10, 2011)

None at all. I can’t afford a dedicated commuter bike, so my gravel rig does double duty. I refuse to run tubes on it, and my mountain bike has fenders for snow and bad weather, and it’s tubeless too. 

Running 700x43c gravelkings at about 40psi, and there’s no penalty on rolling resistance; there is however, a significant increase in ride quality. Our pavement gets chip-sealed yearly, so high psi skinny tires actually slow you down...


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

I regret the tires had to cost that much.....


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Knock on wood, or failure to knock on said:










Yesterday was my first full-on tubeless flat in years.

I'm gonna go ahead and say a tube wouldn't have helped here.

Replacing the tire about 2000 km ago might have.


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## Sage of the Sage (Nov 10, 2011)

ghettocruiser said:


> Knock on wood, or failure to knock on said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I suspect you are correct, sir. You can just about see the air through that side wall. How many miles (kms) on that tire?


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Sage of the Sage said:


> I suspect you are correct, sir. You can just about see the air through that side wall. How many miles (kms) on that tire?


Strava says 4100km. Most of it below 20PSI.

The tire owes me nothing.

In an unrelated story, my rear Schwalbe G-One on my road bike is wore through to the casing on the rear, also just over 4000 km. It's not going flat yet, but I should probably learn the lesson of Thursdays walk.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

Thanks for the comments. So far I'm liking the MSO 50s tubeless.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

FWIW, the MSO 50 tires tubeless continue to impress me. They hold air better than expected. They’re not the right choice for high speed paved commuting but roll well, are comfy, and really good for the non-paved riding I do.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

bitflogger said:


> Any regrets with tubeless commuting?
> 
> With a rainy day and trail work postponed, I'm tempted to put stems in and make 700 x 50 Clement (Now Donnelly) tires tubeless. I've hesitated with a different tubeless ready bike just because I don't have to fill the tires as often and keep thinking a problem would also mean the risk of some mess.
> 
> ...


I converted my bike to tubeless for summer commuting. Unfortunately i broke a spoke on Friday on the way home and that meant a whole tear down the tubeless setup, replacing spoke, truing and retensioning and then setting it back up tubeless with only the weekend between riding the bike. Due to parental obligations i was limited to doing this work yesterday afternoon so I am riding a tire with tubeless with only a half day of set up today. Made it in without a leakage or any noticeable issues. This is probably the only thing I dislike about tubeless for a commuter. With a tube you just swap in a new tube and, unless you missed some other road debris, you are good to go in a few minutes, even with a broken spoke. However I also have double flatted many times in the pouring rain because I either missed road debris in the tire or the excessive seattle rain made my rim strip travel and it was cutting down my tube.


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## squeeksox (Nov 26, 2018)

*Back to tubes*

I'veBeen running tubless to work and on the single track for the last year on my surly ogre and I recently put it to bed last night after re taping the rim.. I do not plan to take that slime fliked tube out.

The only way I've ever been able to do good seal with rim tape is to put a tube in and pump it up for a couple days anyway. I also never really used to get flats because I had slime in my tubes. Plus the tires are way cheaper clincher style and I'd much rather take a heavier tire with more protection than a light soft tire that will seal punctures. On top of thatthe most of the tires are not UST certified and the thought of a tire popping off the rim scares the life out of me. Back to tubes for me. It felt really good to do the right thing.

Tubesis has its application with performance mountain biking but other than that I feel like it is creating a problem where there isn't one I like to keep my biking as simple as possible


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

squeeksox said:


> The only way I've ever been able to do good seal with rim tape is to put a tube in and pump it up for a couple days anyway.
> 
> most of the tires are not UST certified and the thought of a tire popping off the rim scares the life out of me. Back to tubes for me. It felt really good to do the right thing.
> 
> Tubesis has its application with performance mountain biking but other than that I feel like it is creating a problem where there isn't one I like to keep my biking as simple as possible


Adding a tube for at least a few hours upon initial install is a good practice with any tubeless system. Getting the tape stuck down real good adds reliability.

UST is a dead standard. Every manufacturer makes tubeless ready tires though. If a tire pops off of the rim without your encouragement you probably don't have tubeless ready rims or tires, or both.

Tubes are not simpler than tubeless, especially where fixing flats is concerned. They're just different.


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## Darth Lefty (Sep 29, 2014)

Since the thread title is regret, the things I regret are half measures. My current tires are cheapies that came with the bike and they seep. I've cut valves out of old tubes and they didn't work great. My first go a few years ago, I did with non-tubeless anything and built up the rim with three layers of tape, and it seeped at the weld. And so on... any time I use the proper stuff it seems to come out great.


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## 43st (Jan 19, 2013)

Anyone here running 60 or greater PSI with a tubeless setup? Has it worked out?


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

No regrets... I run up to 45 psi rear / 30 psi front on wider tires/rims (max recommended pressure for Thunder Burt's is 50).


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## turquoise (Jul 25, 2011)

The point about pumping up tires every day.. that would be my reason not to use them but try schwalbe. I've been using x-one and g-one and they hold air like tubes. Rarely have to add air.

G-ones are going on my new midnight special commuter build


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