For me the best recent change to cycling has been tubeless mountain bike tires. They have awesome handling characteristics and trail feel. They also hardly ever flat or even loose air (Stan's treated). Does anyone have experience with road tubeless tires? If anything like mountain bike tubeless tires, I'm hoping they will be awesome descenders with incredible road feel.

I've been riding on the Shimano WH-7801SL wheels for about 18 months, and I've been running Hutchinson tubess tires for about 9 months. Though many report difficulty mounting the tires and getting the bead seated, I had no such difficulties. The combined ride quality of these tires and wheels is excellent. The Hutchinson tires have proven durable and very tough -- I occasionally ride in pretty rough conditions and hit my share of large, sharp rocks -- enough so that the additional cost of the tires seems to be a good value in the end.

Tubeless is not catching on very fast in the road community, but I'm pretty confident it is here to stay and that eventually you'll see a lot more of it. :thumbsup:

Seconding tubless road tires. They are great, rode all summer with no flats. The ride quality is amazing.

I just received my WH-7850 SL's and set them up first as tubed. I seem to recall long ago that Hutchinson was supposed to be coming out with a lighter, improved tubeless tire, but I haven't heard anything recently.

Ditto the ride quality comments; in my limited tubeless mileage it's excellent.
I just got a set of the new 7850sl's also and they were super easy to set up tubeless. Mount the Hutchinson tires with some soapy water and air them up with a floor pump, that was that. I have some of the Fast Air sealant but haven't decided if I'll pre-treat them or not.

Was told not to use stans on them as there was a scandium/ammonia reaction or something so I'll play it safe.

Hutchinson has a second tubeless tire available that weighs a bit less called the Atom that is available now through QBP. It's only a 21mm tire and loses a layer of puncture protection so I have no plans on using it though.

Hutchinson has a second tubeless tire available that weighs a bit less called the Atom that is available now through QBP. It's only a 21mm tire and loses a layer of puncture protection so I have no plans on using it though.OK. Maybe that's what I had heard about. Thanks for the info.

I just wish they'd sell an all black Fusion 2 tubeless. Not a big fan of the two-tone tires. :)

I was looking at a Japanese cycling magazine recently and it appears that IRC has two different road tubeless tires available -- one light/expensive, one cheaper/heavier, much like the Hutchinson. They come in ALL BLACK, so I'm going to try and find some soon. The Hutch tri-color scheme goes withh my bike and it has grown on me, but I'm definitely a black tire guy too...

Stans makes a kit that converts regular road clincher rims to tubeless. his MTB kits have (I think, I don't mountain bike anymore) a good reputation.

www.notubes.com

Ergott is running a test on the Hutchinsons with the Stans kit. there's a thread somewhere on the forum. nothing blew up the first day.

personally, I will wait until Michelin and/or Conti came up with tubeless tires. I'd also like Velocity to produce tubeless specific rims, with offset rears.

My first 1000 or so miles were on a stans conversion also with zero issues. I put a lot of those miles on over some bad roads and after about 100 miles stopped worrying about blow-offs. I set them up on a set of Ksyrium Elites and was looking for something a bit nicer. I do appreciate the bead snap during inflation on the DA rims although I don't know if it really makes a difference.
I'm heading to AZ for some warm weather riding next week and am stoked to get some miles on the DAs.

OK, I'm clearly missing something here. I have Fusion2's and WH-7850-SL's. Following the Shimano directions, getting the tire on was simple, but how do I get any air in the thing to seal the bead with a conventional tire pump? Tips would be appreciated, or I give up.

Ah...never mind. Right after posting, I figured it out. :)

I have been using my DA 7801 SL wheels and Hutchinson Fusion 2 for 2 years now and never want to go back to tubes ever, ever again. For some reason, they seem to never get flats. I don't know if it's the construction of the tire or what, but I am putting a couple thousand miles on per tire and over the past 2 years only had 1 flat when I hit a big sharp rock and it cut a 1/4 inch gash in my tire. I then used the tubeless tire flat kit and I was able to get home (20 miles away) just fine. But 1 flat in 2 years logging several thousand miles is incredible.

IRC have apparently just released their tubeless tires for a picture seehttp://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=/photos/2008/tech/features/tubeless_08/Shimano_Dura-Ace_tubeless_IRC_tire

I've been riding on the Shimano WH-7801SL wheels for about 18 months, and I've been running Hutchinson tubess tires for about 9 months. Though many report difficulty mounting the tires and getting the bead seated, I had no such difficulties. The combined ride quality of these tires and wheels is excellent. The Hutchinson tires have proven durable and very tough -- I occasionally ride in pretty rough conditions and hit my share of large, sharp rocks -- enough so that the additional cost of the tires seems to be a good value in the end.

Tubeless is not catching on very fast in the road community, but I'm pretty confident it is here to stay and that eventually you'll see a lot more of it. :thumbsup:

I ride TUFO Tubular Clinchers which I like a lot better because I can use them on any clincher wheelset. They are very tough and pretty light. They have great spin up and very little rolling resistance at 150 PSI.

I like the high tire pressure of the tubular clincher too. However, I found the Tufo Tubular Clinchers insanely hard to put on and take off. Additionally, fixing them in the event of a puncture is very difficult at best. Plus, Tufo as a brand has higher rolling resistance then others, negating the benefits of the higher tire pressure (ask and you shall receive a source). The advantages for the tubeless are many... Just spray the rim with water and you can put the tires on and off without levers. Additionally, fixing them is a snap! Just take it off, put some glue on the hole, put a piece of rubber over it, then put it back on the rim and you are done. Less time then even a tube. Plus, at even 120PSI, they roll like you are on rails.

The story in cyclingnews about road tubeless development while interesting is incorrect on one account. Corima actually is coming with tubeless compatible wheelset

http://www.corima.com/gb/produits/roues/default.cfm?family=roues_aeroplusTub


Again back to the story in cyclingnews. There probably is/was a nasty monies squabble behind the scenes between the big in the business. I cannot otherwise explain the cited hypocritical concern for the consumer and the safety innuendo from Michelin, and what start to look like quiet boycotting from Mavic and Fulcragnolo.

The story in cyclingnews about road tubeless development while interesting is incorrect on one account. Corima actually is coming with tubeless compatible wheelset

http://www.corima.com/gb/produits/roues/default.cfm?family=roues_aeroplusTub


Again back to the story in cyclingnews. There probably is/was a nasty monies squabble behind the scenes between the big in the business. I cannot otherwise explain the cited hypocritical concern for the consumer and the safety innuendo from Michelin, and what start to look like quiet boycotting from Mavic and Fulcragnolo.

I am really curious about the Corima tubeless carbons. Anyone know if they are out, anyone ridden them?

I am really curious about the Corima tubeless carbons. Anyone know if they are out, anyone ridden them?

Not exactly an answer to your question but nevertheless some more info. Just back from Spain where I picked the Ciclismo a fondo magazine, issue #281 April 2008. There Corima's Aero+ Tubeless is announced available from the end of May with a street price of 1800 Euros for a set.

Ditto the ride quality comments; in my limited tubeless mileage it's excellent.
I just got a set of the new 7850sl's also and they were super easy to set up tubeless. Mount the Hutchinson tires with some soapy water and air them up with a floor pump, that was that. I have some of the Fast Air sealant but haven't decided if I'll pre-treat them or not.

Was told not to use stans on them as there was a scandium/ammonia reaction or something so I'll play it safe.



I have the Stan's kit and Fusion2 tires but haven't mounted them yet. I'm looking to use them on Bontrager Race Lite Aeros because they're way stiff at the 105 psi I run them at.
Can any of you with the Stan's or Shimano tubeless tell me if you changed your tire pressures comapred with the tubed tires you used to run?
Lou.

I have the Stan's kit and Fusion2 tires but haven't mounted them yet. I'm looking to use them on Bontrager Race Lite Aeros because they're way stiff at the 105 psi I run them at.
Can any of you with the Stan's or Shimano tubeless tell me if you changed your tire pressures comapred with the tubed tires you used to run?
Lou.

With a standard clincher I've always run 100-110 psi but have been running the tubeless around 90 psi and they feel good. I've run them harder and softer and for me 90 psi is what I like. I know guys who run them 5-10 psi lower and prefer that so you'll need to go by feel but start around 90 and go from there.
One tip for you - although they seat up with a floor pump on the DA rims, I needed a air tank to inflate them on my Ksyriums. With the air tank they seated right up. You may need to do something similar with the Bontys. I don't have a compressor so I went to Sears and got a 5 gallon air tank for 20 bucks and it is plenty, you just fill it at a service station.

Not exactly an answer to your question but nevertheless some more info. Just back from Spain where I picked the Ciclismo a fondo magazine, issue #281 April 2008. There Corima's Aero+ Tubeless is announced available from the end of May with a street price of 1800 Euros for a set.

1800 euros will probably be too much for those of us suffering from the poor exchange rate. Bit of a shame really, I guess I will just keep my eyes on eBay and forums in the hope that there is some sort of group buy or dealer selling below list.

1800 euros will probably be too much for those of us suffering from the poor exchange rate. Bit of a shame really, I guess I will just keep my eyes on eBay and forums in the hope that there is some sort of group buy or dealer selling below list.

Prices between online retailers and high street shops tend vary considerably, not to mention the quoted 1800 Euros is the projected price for the Spanish market. I sincerely hope the wheels will be sold from many outlets for several hundreds less.

Are any of you road tubeless users also heavy riders like me? At 6'3", and 210+lbs, I have to run my tires at nearly 120psi to prevent pinch flats (RR tracks, etc). I'd love to be able to inrcease my ride comfort without the increased risk of flatting.

I've been using Stan's kits in my and my wife's mountain bikes for over a year,and has been quite pleased (still flatted a few times, like when tearing a sidewall, etc), and would love this flat-free riding on the road too. Also, my wife will need new rubber soon, she hates changing tubes, and her birthday is next month. :)

This will probably be obvious to everyone, but boy, with a little soapy water, the Fusion2's are very easy to mount on the Shimano 7850SL's. Got the tire on in less than a minute without any tire tool, which is great since you don't have to worry about the potential of damaging the bead, and with the soap on the bead, it will lock with a few pumps from a floor pump. Very nice. :thumbsup: Quite an improvement over my first attempt. :)

Ordered Stan's kit and installed fairly easily on my Easton EA90 SLX. But, I kinda screwed up with the tape on the second one. So, does anyone know what type of tape this is??? I've been using Stan's for years on my MTB with NO problems. The tape is different though. Since having that stuff shipped to Canada is E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E, I'd like to get some of that tape locally, but I have no idea what to look for.

I'm sure someone here knows exactly what type of tape this is.

Thanks in advance,

Johnnydrz

Question for you tubeless users -

I have the 7801SL's with Fusion 2 tires, and the back wheel loses all air within two days. There appears to be no damage to the bead, rim, or valve. Reseating the tire hasn't helped either. Anyone experience a slow leak on their tubeless like this?

My next step in seeing if it's the tire or valve/wheel is to swap the front and back tires, but I've been lazy.

Question for you tubeless users -

I have the 7801SL's with Fusion 2 tires, and the back wheel loses all air within two days. There appears to be no damage to the bead, rim, or valve. Reseating the tire hasn't helped either. Anyone experience a slow leak on their tubeless like this?

My next step in seeing if it's the tire or valve/wheel is to swap the front and back tires, but I've been lazy.

Are you using some sort of sealant like Stans? If not throw a cup of Stans in each tire before your next ride and that should solve your problem. I'm betting you have two things going on, the rubber seal at the valve core is somehow damaged or you have a slow pinhole puncture. The stans will fix most punctures and may seal up the leak in the valve core.
If you are running the tires with a sealant then try swapping tires, that might shed some light on the problem. .

I have the 7801SL's with Fusion 2 tires, and the back wheel loses all air within two days.I've never had that problem, and I don't use sealant.

No sealant. My suspicion was that the problem lies in the valve, but who knows. I found the motivation today to swap the tires around to see if the rear holds air, and suprisingly both tires appear to be delaminating a bit in some areas around the bead (both tires were mounted and pulled off by hand). I guess I'll know what's up in a day or so.

I have the 7801SL's with Fusion 2 tires, and the back wheel loses all air within two days.

Pump it up hard and then dunk it in a tub of water. If it is losing air that fast, you will see a trail of bubbles coming from somewhere. An alternative would be some Snoop (leak detecting soapy water). Your next steps will depend on the nature of the leak.

Gah....my second flat on road tubeless. This is in 2600 miles, about par for my average with tubed tires. This one was on an essentially new tire (about 80 miles), so I patched it with the Hutchinson Road Tubeless patch kit. Simple enough. Let's see how it holds.

Just want to share my personal experience here. I went for a ride after work today. I live about 1/2 hour north of Montreal, for anyone who knows the area...anyway, I had a Fusion 2 tubeless in the front on my Easton EA90SLX, with a bit more than 85lbs, and a Vittoria Diamante in the back, same wheel, with a latex tube at 105lbs of pressure. I weigh 136lbs. If you know what the roads are like here, I don't have to tell you that for me, smooth is only a concept. Actually not true, smooth is what I get when I take a week off and go ride the Blue Ridge in Virginia.

My observations for now are few: I could probably ride with 80lbs and would have no problem whatsoever. At 85, my front tire was not deforming at all. From my riding position, I could no see any "bulge" on the sides where the tire touches the asphalt.

The second thing I noticed is kind of a humming sound coming from the tire. I noticed it for the first 15 minutes then it disappeared, I think....

The last thing I could notice is the feeling of "stickyness" from the tire. It feels like real rubber sticking to the road. It makes me feel like I could probably corner more agressively.

As for comfort, no real difference perceived from my latex-tubed Vittoria in the back. For now anyways.

Again, this is MY perception of what I think I could feel from this Fusion 2. I will be installing the rear one before the weekend, so I can put some more mileage and appreciate them better.

Cheers from Canada,

Johnnydrz