As you may recall, tubeless tyres are widely used for most applications where pneumatic tyres are appropriate - from earthmovers, through the family car to wheelbarrows. They are used for mountain bikes but have very limited penetration into the road-bike market. There are technical reasons - road bikes demand high pressures - and there are market reasons. Roadies have an enthusiasm for new technology matched only by Ned Ludd, which makes manufacturers reluctant to invest.
The claimed advantages of tubeless tyres are a higher resistance to punctures, self sealing, lower weight and lower rolling resistance.
I have used three types of tubeless tyre during the year, all made by Schwalbe. They are generally felt to offer the most advanced road tubeless tyres, though the French Hutchinson brand is also well regarded by fellow members of Audax UK.
The tyres that have done most mileage are the Schwalbe One in size 28mm. This is a slick tyre, running at the fairly low pressure of 80 psi. It gives a smooth, fast ride, is able to take gravel tracks without any difficulty and has been completely trouble free. As far as I am aware (I'll return to this) this tyre has not had any punctures.
For the Tour of Flanders sportive on cobbles I used Schwalbe S-One in size 30mm. This tyre is designed for Paris Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, and was quite difficult to get. Mine came from Germany and turned up a week or so before the event, which is a bit closer than I would have liked. The tyre has a surface like a golf-ball, is made of quite hard rubber and will run at 50 psi or less. On the cobbles it was exemplary, giving grip where others found none. It rolls well on the road, and I think it would be a very good tyre for a Surrey Winter.
This tyre has not had any punctures.
Lastly, I have tried Schwalbe Pro One race tyres in size 25mm. These are claimed to have the lowest rolling resistance of any current tyre, and are very light. They are noticeably fast and free-rolling, but they really are a race tyre, and I expect their service life to be short. I have had one puncture with these.
That was a revelation. I noticed the puncture only by chance, as it was in the front wheel and I caught sight of a bubble of white latex. At a T-Junction a little further on I took the opportunity to take a look at the tyre and could see the cut and a smear of latex, black by now. The tyre did not deflate and I could ride on as normal.
When I got home I had a good look at it, intending to dig out the flint. It had gone, either in or out, and the cut was now very hard to find. I put a spot of superglue on it, but could just as well have done nothing. The tyre had lost about 5 psi since pumping up the previous day, a negligible amount.
The effect of the puncture was so small that it would have been easy not to have noticed it, so either of the other tyres may have had a puncture during the year and sealed itself. I doubt this, but it's hard to be exact.
These tyres have, between them, done a range of competitive events during the year - Audaxes, Sportives, the Tour of Flanders on cobbles and general riding about the place. As a comparator, my Condor Fratello, on Continental Grand Prix GT, and my Lynskey Sportive, on Continental 4 Seasons, have had similar usage and have each had one puncture, repaired by replacing the tube in the normal way.
None of this is in any way scientific or statistically sound. It is simply one man's experience and a very limited assessment. However, my conclusion is that the system works, and that the tyres are very good.
So why doesn't everyone use them? Well, firstly, they're a bit of a faff. The latex sealant needs to be checked, and topped up from time to time. The manufacturers say every six months; in my experience it's about three. It's not a huge job, and it's done in the workshop at the time of your choosing, but it does have to be done. (It is much preferable to changing a tube at the roadside in the rain).
Secondly, the system is still very new. Supplies of tyres and rims are better than they were a year ago, but they're still patchy. You also need to be sure that your rim and tyre are compatible - there are varying standards, though that too is being ironed out. Your local bike shop may not have the tyre you need, and may not know much about fitting them either.
So, this is 'early adopter' stuff. In my experience it works, and much of what is claimed is true. If I were offered tubeless tyres on a new bike, I'd take them. But there's a little way to go before they're mainstream - caveat emptor.
Mark
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