In mountain biking, the use of tubeless wheels is quite common. More and more cyclists, both amateurs and professionals, are choosing this tire system. Its advantages are clear: it minimizes the risk of stopping due to a flat, allows for greater traction by riding at lower pressures, and saves weight (even if it's just a few grams from the tube).
On the road, however, the main tire options for years have remained two: the classic wheels with inner tubes and tubulars.
Among amateurs, wheels with tubes are still the majority option. In the world of top-level competition, the preferred choice is the tubular. The main advantage that professionals value in tubulars is their weight. The tubular is lighter because the tire is glued directly to the rim. In addition, its grip on asphalt is greater. However, for road cycling, the options remained two: either use classic tires with tubes or wheels with tubulars. Among amateurs, wheels with tubes were—and still are—the majority choice.
👉 The advantages of using tubeless wheels in mountain biking
But, as with other technological innovations that first arrived in mountain biking and later to road cycling, it seems that little by little tubeless-type wheels are beginning to gain ground in road cycling. More and more road bikes with tubeless wheels can be seen. Even Giant offered tubeless ready tire technology as standard on its carbon road bike ranges in 2018. Will we end up using this wheel system in group rides? Will tubeless have the same impact on road cycling as it already has on mountain biking? What real advantages does its use provide on asphalt?
What is tubeless?
The operation of tubeless bicycle wheels is very similar to that of car wheels. Instead of using a tube between the tire and the rim, it uses air pressure to create an airtight seal between these two elements. In addition, in the space created between the rim and the tire, a sealant liquid is introduced that, in case of a puncture or cut in the tire, seals the hole to prevent air loss. In this way, you get greater protection against one of the main sources of frustration when you go out cycling: getting a flat.
On the other hand, tubeless wheels allow you to ride at lower pressures, thus offering greater grip and comfort. The advantages in mountain biking are clear, since tubeless wheels improve traction and prevent you from getting stranded in the middle of the mountains due to a flat tire. However, they are not 100% infallible.
Why isn't tubeless used on the road?
The advantages of this type of wheel in mountain bike are clear. But what about road cycling? Why haven't they been as successful? As with many other technological innovations, one of the reasons cited for their lack of widespread adoption is the fact that professional cyclists do not use them. Until not long ago this was true: in the peloton, teams didn't even want to hear about tubeless wheels, unlike what happens among professional bikers in cross country and marathon.
However, this is changing. In 2015 Martin Elmiger achieved fifth place in Paris-Roubaix riding a bicycle equipped with tubeless wheels. The following year, German Tony Martin was crowned World Time Trial Champion riding a tubeless setup on his bike. Fabio Jakobsen won the fourth stage of the 2019 Tour of California with Deceuninck-Quick Step using tubeless wheels from Specialized. This same year Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) also won the Gent-Wevelgem and finished third in the Tour of Flanders with tubelized tires (although it would be more accurate to call them detubelized). And in the Tour de France, several teams have used tubeless wheels, as was the case with the Ag2R La Mondiale team in the team time trial of the 2019 Tour.
👉 The new generation of solid tires, under review
Another reason that explained the limited use of tubeless tires among road cyclists was the low availability of this type of wheel on the market.
Mavic was the pioneering brand in developing a specific range of tubeless wheels for road bikes. And for a while it was difficult to find other suppliers and models. But today the main wheel manufacturers already offer tubeless ready tires for road cycling: Hutchinson, Schwalbe, Maxxis, Bontrager, Vittoria, Panaracer... Continental, which for a time rejected this system because it considered that the advantages it offered on gravel and dirt could not be transferred to asphalt, now has a wide range of tubeless tires for road. Even the major bicycle manufacturers are starting to include this type of wheel in their standard models. Giant was already offering tubeless ready wheels in its carbon road bike ranges in 2018. We thus find ourselves at a moment when professionals, manufacturers, and bike brands are starting to wink at tubeless tires. Does this mean that in a few years tubeless will be a standard in road cycling as it already is in mountain biking?
Advantages of tubeless wheels on the road
There are several advantages that tubeless technology offers to road cycling. Below, we list the most notable ones.
Fewer issues due to punctures
The main advantage of tubeless wheels for road bikes is that they reduce the problems caused by a puncture. It's not true that you won't get a flat with these types of tires, but if it happens, the sealant will close the hole and you can keep riding for several kilometers (and even until the end of your ride) without getting off the bike. On the other hand, road wheels require higher pressure than mountain bike wheels. If you get a flat, this difference in pressure increases the risk of an accident. Just think for a moment about what happens when you're descending a mountain pass and you get a flat on your front wheel. The tubeless tire reduces the risk of ending up on the ground. No more getting off the bike because of a puncture, although this advantage was already enjoyed by those who use tubulars with sealant inside.
Better traction on uneven or wet asphalt
Another notable advantage of tubeless wheels in road cycling is that they provide better grip in situations where the asphalt is uneven or wet. This is possible because with tubeless tires you can ride at lower pressures, which increases traction by offering a greater contact surface between the tire and the road. Also, riding at lower pressure without an inner tube inside the wheel reduces the risk of a puncture caused by the typical pinch that sometimes occurs between the tube and the tire when going over a pothole or a rough section.
Lighter and faster wheels (in theory)
Since there is no need to put a tube between the rim and the tire, you get a lighter wheel, as you save the weight of the tube. This is true in theory, because in practice it only applies to some high-end tubeless wheels, as we will analyze later when talking about the disadvantages of tubeless tires on the road. Friction between the tube and the tire is also eliminated. With this, in addition to avoiding pinch flats as mentioned earlier, you also theoretically gain greater speed.
Disadvantages of tubeless wheels on the road
Obviously, it's not all advantages. You also need to consider the disadvantages of switching to tubeless for your road bike or sticking with classic wheels with tubes. These are some of the drawbacks of this system.
They require more maintenance
When it comes to maintenance, with tires that use inner tubes, you only need to worry about keeping the right pressure and monitoring the wear of the tire. With tubeless tires, you have to replace the sealant fluid from time to time. In addition, mounting this type of wheel is more labor-intensive and sometimes it's necessary to use an air compressor or a CO2 inflator to install and seat them properly. This happens because the tubeless system depends on creating an airtight seal between the rim and the tire. As a result, visits to the mechanic for wheel maintenance are more frequent than with the classic inner tube system.
They’re not as light as they claim
You've probably heard that by switching to tubeless wheels you'll be able to shave a few grams off your bike. This is true in theory because these types of tires don't need an inner tube, so you save the weight of that component. However, in practice this is not always the case. Tubeless wheels, due to their configuration, may require extra materials that increase their weight. Let's take the Continental GP 5000 range as an example. The GP 5000 TL tubeless tires weigh 340 grams. However, the 5000 GP for inner tubes weigh 250 grams.
Temperatures up to 150 degrees
The fact that there are fewer puncture incidents and that you can ride at lower pressures is not always an advantage. Precisely because of the anti-puncture advantage offered by tubeless tires, some manufacturers reduce the thickness of the tread, which actually increases both the chance of punctures and the rate of wear. On the other hand, road wheels require higher pressure than mountain bike wheels. This causes the temperature inside the wheel to reach up to 150 degrees and higher, which limits the effectiveness and durability of the sealant fluid. And if you ride at lower pressures, the friction between the tire and the road is greater, which means you gain grip but lose speed.
Is it worth using tubeless wheels on the road?
In reality, you'll find opinions both for and against this. But the truth is that, little by little, tubeless wheels are starting to gain a foothold in road cycling and their advantages outweigh their drawbacks for the use that most amateur cyclists give them. In addition, with tubeless wheels a phenomenon is happening similar to what has occurred with other innovations that first arrived in mountain biking and later moved to road bikes. It happened with disc brakes. It also happened with 11-speed groupsets. Currently, you can also see road bikes with 12-speed transmissions and even with single chainrings. And it is happening with tubeless wheels. What do you think? Have you tried tubeless on the road? Do you think it will end up becoming common?