Was skeptical about tubeless tires on a road bike, now I'm a convert

I run a shop near Portland and always thought tubeless was just for mountain bikes. A customer came in 3 months ago with a 2019 Specialized Roubaix that kept getting pinch flats. He asked me to set it up tubeless with some 28mm Panaracers. I did it to shut him up. After 2 weeks he came back and said he hadn't touched the tires since. I decided to try it on my own bike and I've gone 400 miles without a single flat. The sealant inside the Panaracers plugged two small punctures on the first ride. Has anyone else seen a big drop in road flats after switching?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_fiona7d ago

The biggest thing people miss is that tubeless lets you run lower pressures without pinch flats, which actually makes the bike more comfortable and faster on rough pavement since you're not bouncing around as much.

drew_hart47d ago

Biggest difference for me was commuting through downtown Seattle where the streets are basically a minefield of glass and potholes. I had maybe 3 months before I switched and was patching tubes every week. After I went tubeless with some Vittorias I think I've had one flat in maybe eight months and that was a gash too big for sealant. The confidence of just rolling over stuff without flinching is worth the setup headache. Lower pressures definitely help too, the ride smoothed out way more than I expected on my aluminum frame.