Tubeless road - it actually works

I think youve to treat tubular and tubeless the same. Carry the same spares you would if you ran a tube. The sealant will sort most small punctures but anything bigger and youre gonna need a tube. There are plugs, patches etc but on the side of the road, a tube is the quickest solution. I run them as they are more comfortable on the roads I use daily.

I run 28s with and without tubes and I find the tubeless more comfortable. That might just be my delicate backside though!

Yes i was all in until i got a puncture two weeks back ! But i am in agreement that tubeless are more comfy !

well it was my first puncture and i did literally nothing last 1.5 years for maintaining tubeless after having the bike. Even sealant topup was not required(although i had bought sealant to topup). If i had not hit a pothole i would be still in the tubeless clan ! Only issue i have now is to fit the tyre back myself...the puncture has sealed already. May be if i get it setup again (high compressor and sealant topup), i would use it again.

Its the frustration of not able to DIY the setting of tyre which i dont like :P ! Else its as good as going to a shop to get a new tube for ur bike.

I run tubeless for CX. I can't begin to imagine the hassle of cycling in those conditions with tubes. Presumably back in the day punctures were part of the race day experience and pit crews a necessity. Maybe tubeless is part of the reason for its growth in popularity in recent years?

Which brings me to the question I still can't seem to get a definitive answer to from the tubeless converts - I'm presuming that you essentially never get punctures? I mean, I run tubes on my road bike and almost never get punctures - maybe one a year. On club spins over the past 4/5 years I've had one. And commuting I had one last year (an industrial staple), one a good few years ago (pinch flat - my fault). The only thing that would convert me to tubeless is the idea that I could run more comfortable/ sexy/ racy tyres, maybe run a lower pressure, and still have NO punctures.

The only reason I can think that you'd flat on a tubeless set up is if you didn't top up with sealant (a little bit of monitoring required, no big deal) or you got a massive hole in the tyre - which in roads, I just can't imagine how you could do that?

I'm yet to be convinced to make the switch.

The comfort comes from being able to run them at a lower pressure, The backroads around my neck of the woods are like washboards and 28mm tubeless @ about 70psi feels a lot comfier than tubed (albeit they were 25mm) @ 95psi

No i'm not in a hurry to change over either. I would consider tubeless for racing wheels but not for commuting/club spins etc. I think a lot of people will end up getting punctures in their tubeless tyres because they will try and get more life out of their tyres and they probably won't replace the sealant when required.

I'm running Gp5000 32mm at between 45 and 50psi, down to 40 at times I reckon (I'm 88kg for reference) with no problems since early spring with plenty of really rough backroads in the mix. With 40mm terraspeed gravel tires I'll run at between 35 and 40psi, that's where you'll really see a difference in comfort on rough gravel surfaces, better grip running softer too.

Were those slicks the standard ones or the plus version? Plus does seem to be quite a bit better for puncture resistance and longevity, I've had a couple of sets of slicks and a pair of SKs and had none of the troubles I see reported often.

Would you consider using a plug to give the sealant a hand? I got a biggish cut on one tyre which sealed fine with a plug + sealant. It's no harm to carry a plug or two on, just in case, as sealant on its own has limitations

e.g.

https://ride.lezyne.com/products/tubeless-kit

I started off using Effetto Mariposa sealant but moved to Muc-Off No Puncture Hassle sealant as it can plug bigger holes (up to 6mm). It might be worth considering if you have problems with smaller cuts on the new tyre. The only other thing that is worth doing is to keep the pressure quite low in the immediate aftermath of a puncture and to park the bike overnight with the cut at the lowest part of the wheel to allow the sealant to pool there for a while.

I tried muc off also. I do think this was a tyre specific issue. what tyres do you run yourself?

What sealant are people using these days? I've been using Schwalbe Doc Blue since the beginning but I've run out. I had looked at Silca which seems good but you can't put it through the valve core which could be a bit messy. Anything else out there?