01-28-2022, 01:37 PM
(01-28-2022, 12:39 PM)Rboe_imp Wrote: I've had more flats with tubeless tires than tubed. My Griso had two, the last one a very nasty L shaped puncture that could not be repaired with ropes. The '14 CB had a high speed puncture and flat. I was able to limp to the rest stop to have my wife pick me (bad on me, I didn't have my tire repair kit with me - miss-packed).
I have had a couple flats that were very slow leaks and easily dealt with so I understand the preference to tubeless - but have had enough experiences where tubeless was not an advantage over tubed.
Naturally ones own experience will influence their choices - and luckily we do have choices. For those without experience, we can post our own so they have something to work with.
I've only had one tubeless tire ever deflate fast in 45 years of riding and that was from running over an L shape piece of steel that cut through the tire. I've had many slow leaks in tubeless tires from screws and nails, many of which were so slow it took weeks to leak down. I always made it home because tubeless punctures are simple to plug.
On my bikes with inner tubes EVERY flat I had was sudden and most ended my ride since I don't pack spare tubes and wheel removal wrenches unless on a trip.
Let's put it this way: every puncture in a tube tire is an immediate flat which requires what most of us can't fix on the side of the road.....the bike suspended (or layed on its side) for wheel removal, tire off, tube out to be patched or replaced, then all put back together.
The vast majority of punctures in tubeless are slow leaks, maybe just add air once on the way home, or a few weeks later when you notice it. Even on a trip the tire doesn't need removed and can be plugged while the bike's on its side stand and puffed back up in 30 minutes or less, with only a plug kit and CO2 bottles or mini compressor.