Equipment

Many recreational cyclists are using tubeless tires without understanding how to maintain them, or their downsides.

• Sealant must be replaced every few months, at least once a season.
• Sealant does not always seal a hole, especially if the hole is larger than a few mm.
• You need to carry either a spare tube (and a tool to remove the tubeless value) or tire plugs and a small tube of sealant
• Having sealant spewing out can get really messy!
• You can’t go about 75psi with tubeless tires, so tubeless and skinny tires don’t work together. Jay Heins of Hene Herse, who makes some of the world’s best tubeless tires says don’t go about 6-psi.
• Valve core clogs
• Tubeless tires are much more diufficult to install and remove. It can be difficult to get the bead to seal on the rim - often rapid inflation with a special “charger pump” or an air compressor is required.

The trouble with road tubeless - Rene Herse Nine things they don’t tell you about tuneless tires - road.cc

In cycling, “contact points” are critical: bum on saddle, hands on handlebars, feet on pedals. But the most important one of all is “where the rubber meets the road”. Tires may be the most important component on your bike. The right tire at the right pressure makes a huge difference to your safety - your “grip” on the road - as well as to your comfort, and efficiency.

Diving into detail on tires, with a focus on tire width, tire pressure, and tire quality, we will discover: