Tubeless mountain-bike tires became available several years ago. And there was much rejoicing, for lo! tubeless tires suffer much less from pinch flats, allowing the rider to run considerably lower pressure, thus enjoying a smoother ride and gaining traction. Further, tubeless tires deflate more slowly when punctured, so the villagers frolicked in the street. But then, the daughter of the gatekeeper pointed out that tubeless tires are heavy and sometimes lose pressure overnight. And so the people reduced their frolicking somewhat.
But alas, road-bikers had not even the choice. To go tubed or not to go tubed; that was not a question. For you see, the great pressure contained within a road tire could not be contained with the magicks known to the village shamen.
But now, at last, roadies have cause to rejoice as well. For behold, the mighty wizard, Hutchinson, hath wrought tubeless road tires! And, though only a few tubeless-compatible road wheels can be found in the village market, roadies will soon reap the benefits of tubelessness, and without so great a weight penalty. And so, all the villagers will celebrate: the great and the small, the mountain-bikers and the roadies, the awkward teenager and the old woman who sells things you can't quite identify. And they will live happily in peace for many years hereafter.
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If you do get a big hole (say from a nail) on a long ride are you screwed? Can you plug the tire on the roadside? That is a nice benefit of tubes, you can carry two or three of them in your pack.
ReplyDeleteThere are patch kits availabe. The patches themselves are much like tube pathces, but bigger and thicker.
ReplyDeleteAlso, most people carry a tube. You can still run a tube in your formerly tubeless tire; just pull out the valve core, stick in your tube, inflate, and off you go.