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From: AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: tubes vs tubeless? you decide.
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:04:35 -0600
Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd.
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On 2/16/2025 2:23 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> On 2/16/2025 12:51 PM, Mark J cleary wrote:
>> On 2/16/2025 9:54 AM, AMuzi wrote:
>>> On 2/16/2025 4:57 AM, zen cycle wrote:
>>>> An article on Cycling News
>>>>
>>>> https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/i-use-inner-tubes- 
>>>> on- all-my- road-bikes-heres-why-i-still-havent- 
>>>> embraced-tubeless/
>>>>
>>>> It's a long read, and not very well written (imho), but 
>>>> I generally agree with the points he makes.
>>>
>>> +1
>>>
>>> It's an immature technology (relying on what a former RBT 
>>> contributor called "frog snot") but it has its place.  
>>> That place is observed trials, with ridiculously fat 
>>> tires under ridiculously close to zero pressure with a 
>>> lot of irregular bashing and twisting.  Tubes pinch and 
>>> shift in that environment.  The more your riding mimics 
>>> that, the more tubeless works for you.
>>>
>>
>> I agree with guy completely. In fact I am not a retro 
>> grouch at all but some things on bikes have not proven to 
>> be all that much better. Tubeless tires for one. I rarely 
>> have flats and I don't deal with sealant and setting up 
>> tires. I can swap out a tire and tube in a hurry and if I 
>> flat a new tube on the road to get back. My tubes have 
>> multiple patches and last for years. My road bike riding 
>> is all on pavement. I am not going around gravel and bad 
>> surfaces unless I am forced by mistake.
>>
>> Along with this I will mention another item that at least 
>> for me has limited benefit. I don't like cables buried in 
>> the tubes. THE standard exposed cables are quire easy to 
>> change out and until they manage making buried cables as 
>> easy as exposed I rather opt out.
>>
>> My next list is the infamous press fit BB. I have BSA 
>> threaded and even some manufactures have come back to this 
>> standard. Much more reliable and almost no maintenance 
>> ever needed. Buy a new BB and go forward.
>>
>> I will say the disk brakes are better and while rim brakes 
>> work fine disk allow better stopping in rain and when in 
>> mountains and such. They also allow bigger tires and less 
>> concern for wheel setup.
>>
>> OK I am done but never a tubeless for me
> 
> Agreed. It seems that fashion often transforms "better under 
> this very limited circumstance" to "You gotta have this!!!"
> 
> Really, most "modern" examples of bicycling fashion are 
> chasing diminishing performance benefits. Any decent quality 
> bicycle is an amazingly efficient machine. Aero cables, 
> fancy bottom brackets, tubeless tires give practically 
> unmeasurable performance benefits.
> 
> And I suspect a fair number of tubeless setups are bought by 
> people who never learned to fix a flat.
> 
> But I'm an admitted retrogrouch.
> 

For road bikes that probably explains a lot of adopters, but 
there are purposes for which tubeless (even in this current 
primitive state) solves real problems.

-- 
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971