Has anyone set up their commuter with the tyres tubeless or is it always with tubes?
I've recently been using my bike for my morning commute but it's a singlespeed with fat nobbly tyres on and I'd like to make it a bit easier and quicker with gears and slicker tyres.
The cheapest way for me to do this is to buy some slicks and swap the back wheel with my other bike, that's got alfine hub gears but it's a flow rim (with a 2.4 Ardent running tubeless on it at the mo').
I've heard good things about the Schwalbe marathon plus tyres, but also that they're a very tight fit, maybe a little small diameter. I know flows are quite tight , big diameter, so I'm looking at Continental Travel Contact which seem to have good reviews on here too. Not used them myself yet though.
I've not had any punctures since going tubeless so would quite like to try to keep it that way on the commute, particularly as puncture repairs on the hub gear wheel in the dark and wet can be a bit of a chore.
Has anyone run any commuting tyres tubeless on flow rims successfully?
Or if I try this will I die?
Why bother? If you flat on a commute you want a quick solution, not to be messing around with sealant and undoing valves. You're not going to get any benefits from the lower pressures either.
I'd run tubes with removable cores and put 100ml of stans in the tube. It's what I do on my cross bike and it works quite well.
You can run higher pressures with no worries of beads popping off rims and if you do get a puncture that doesn't seal normally the inside of the tyre isn't too bad (you still need a freezer bag type thing for the tube to stop it leaking over everything else though)
To get real benefits you'll want to be riding higher pressures for commuting and you can't* do this running tubeless on Stans rims.
*IIRC 40psi is the maximum recommended pressure by Stans when running tubeless. There is no maximum with the rims when running with tubes.
I'd run tubes with removable cores and put 100ml of stans in the tube. It's what I do on my cross bike and it works quite well.What a good idea.cheers.
I've been using 29" Stans Flow EX rims with Maxxis Ardents, tubeless and at 60 psi for 2 years now. Mixed commute of 10% riverside and smooth trail, 90% road.
They roll well and I've not had one flat in that time.
Previously I was averaging 2 flats per month on 32C Schwalbe Sammy Slick or Racing Ralph cross tyres with puncture protection.
In fact, I did a tour of Flanders this spring on the same combo ...flippin great road tyre, sooooo comfy and masses of grip when cornering.
Schwalbe Big Apple for my 20 mile each way commute - in the winter anyway. In the summer it's 28mm Conti 4seasons.
The Big Apples are slower but only by a couple of minutes over the 20 miles (not good in the TdF but not a problem commuting), they deal well with pot holes, fallen branches, kerbs, etc and have a minimalist tread which helps with mud, leaves etc.
Also very comfortable. I run the rear at 80 (possibly a little more than Schwalbe intended, but it works) and the front at 60.
No flats thus far - they do have a meaty puncture layer in them.
Downsides? They don't fit in every frame.
Cheers for all the replies. I like that 'stans in the tube' idea wwaswas, I'll definitely use that on the front. Good to hear that the ardent goes so well at 60 psi too. Shame mine won't fit in the frame or I'd just swap the wheels I've got as they are. Guess that means I'd have a similar problem with the big Apple too. Shame, looks a good tyre.
Why bother?
'cos going tireless has resulted in zero punctures over the last two years. I'd rather keep it that way than worry about quick fixes.
The wife commutes on our old ust tyres set up tubeless. 40 psi is pretty bloody sold on a two inch tyre. They're not "road" quick but they are pretty quick with almost no tread. So far so good in terms of punctures (or lack of) over the last three years or so.