I am a everything, everywhere tubeless advocate. Even Tom, Cycling News Tom, agrees that it’s OK for “large volume” gravel and MTB, so I’m going to agree to agree with him there. Where I disagree is with the idea that road tubeless isn’t worth it.
Tom is entitled to his opinion, as is everyone, and they make some valid points. Although, most of the points are more complaints around how things work differently (cheese moves…). Some of it is very equipment dependent. I don’t like taped rims. That is a failure/faff point. If your only experience is with “tubeless ready” taped rims that were originally designed for clinchers + tubes, I get it. That’s a potential pain point. Tape is a faff. Rims without a center channel are harder to mount. That’s not a problem with tubeless, that’s a problem that pivots around using equipment that isn’t really designed for it. Making general statements based on anecdotal experience after making poor equipment choices feels less valid, IMO. Having done it both ways, I don’t buy rims with holes that need to be taped. I don’t buy rims that aren’t designed to be used tubeless-first. For the record, I also don’t buy hookless road rims, I don’t think that’s a good idea. And, ah… using a hooked tubeless rim solves the “wheel blowing off the rim” problem that FUDs a lot of folks.
I could go down the list providing counter-anecdotes to Tom’s concerns, but I think we can sum it all up with one. Let’s take this statement:
Tom @ Cycling News
First off, I have many anxieties, but don’t have this one. I love that Tom brought up EVs here, because we have two. I also don’t have range anxiety. I think that is mislabeled, and just like “tubeless anxiety”, “range anxiety” is mostly a misunderstanding caused by framing the situation incorrectly.
I also hear this one a lot. It confuses me. If the hole is too large for the sealant to seal, what do you think would have happened with a tubed setup? You’d be in almost exactly the same situation. On the side of the road, putting in a fresh tube, probably with a boot. Also, given that the sealant failed. There’s a really good chance that the tire is empty, so while there probably is some sealant on the bike (which you can wash off later) it’s unlikely that you’re going to get much on you as you put in that tube.
But what about when the sealant works? Here are a couple photos of the back tire on my Tarmac. You see these little “wet” spots?
Those are records of two times I didn’t have to stop on the side of the road to put in a fresh tube… I don’t know when they happened. I only noticed them when I did my pre-winter service on the bike. There are more, but I don’t need to add more photos to proved the point.
You know what also doesn’t happen on road tubeless? Snakebites. One of those bit the 182lb Pure-Climber at Race the Lake last year as we went over some train tracks. You’ll never guess who’s flirting with road tubeless now ;).
On the flip-side, Tom is right about potential mess and hassle when changing tires. Yeah, that happens… But, it’s a training issue. Uhh… change the tire carefully, in a place that can get messy, and is easy to clean… Maybe don’t do in on the floor of your garage, or basement, maybe put down a trash bag or tray first? This is a solvable problem!
Obviously, there are trade-offs involved, and it’s OK to disagree with me. This is my opinion. I don’t like flats. I prefer to deal with potential faff at home, at my convenience, in the shop, and not on the side of the road. Tubeless gets me much closer to that goal.
