Clincher tyres and rims – obsolete design?

We go tubeless to avoid pinch flats and punctures, and also save weight. Then we add special gunge to seal holes which ends up weighing as much as a lightweight tube.

(I won’t mention special rim tapes. 🙂 )

To protect our rims from the results of the low pressures we then run the tyres at, we are now adding foam inserts.

Maybe it’s time for a total redesign.

Or a reversion to tubulars.

My memory of them is the rims were a better shape to resist damage (never dinged one), and the nature of the design was no pinch flats, just ordinary punctures. All that would need is a fool proof way of quickly changing them even in pissing rain* – or just add the special gunge to deal with punctures.

A design from the past that may be worth revisiting and updating is the 1890s Fleuss tyre. It has a flap which seals down when inflated. No rim tape, no tube, and needs a suitable rim, but it seems to me it would be better than the current system of tubeless, but not as damage resistant a rim as a tubular box section one.

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*You only have to do this once to never want another tubular. 🙂

I am happy with the design as it is (when setup tubeless). The sealant weighs less than even a light tube but it deals with punctures that a light tube obviously doesn’t.

I don’t ride hard enough or with low enough pressures to need any rim protection though so maybe don’t see the need that others do.

I used to ride off road on cx tubulars – pinch flats happened fairly often even at high pressures by todays standards. I also dinged rims. All doing stuff that would be no issue at all with modern MTB tyres

and also save weight.

I think this was pretty much just an “internet reason” wasn’t it? I never thought, or cared whether tubeless was lighter or heavier, just that it meant I had fewer punctures, at that point I was pretty much sold on the idea.

Tubeless was initially associated with weight savings, certainly the Stan’s system.

Epi I take it that there’s no bead as such in that system? Surely the tyre is going to be tight-as to fit on?

TJ do you mean 32mm odd tubulars, doing MTB type riding?

22mm tubulars doing mtb type riding 🙂 back in the 70s.

Run 23mm tubulars with sealant in them on my road bike, held on by double sided sticky tape (Velox tub tape)

Wouldn’t like the idea of a tubular tyre on an mtb, not sure i would be totally confident with the tape or glue holding the tyre on the rim in all conditions, especially as an mtb is more prone to pressure being applied sideways through berms etc.. more chance of a tub tyre rolling off the rim

Now if weight isn’t an issue i find running an inner tube with sealant in it on the MTB the ideal combination for me, i have puncture protection with the sealant but none of the mess within the tyre (great if you like to swap tyres often) and i don’t like low pressures (run around 30psi) so there are no downsides to this for me

tjagain

22mm tubulars doing mtb type riding 🙂 back in the 70s.

I’ll modify my statement – no dings or pinch punctures on 32mm tubs riding mountain tracks in the Highlands type stuff. 🙂

Using a 22mm tyre of any type for mtb type riding is going to have consequences.