Is Tubeless Really Ready For The Road?

Self-sealing tyre tech has failed to gain traction in the road market – Stefan Abram finds out why

- Stefan Abram & Simon Smythe

Tubeless technology is ubiquitous in the off-road world, with clincher versions of the top-end tyres mountain bike tyres dropped years ago.

But despite the industry’s efforts to usher in a similar transformation on the road, it’s fair to say that the reception has continued to be rather lukewarm.

Putting this all down to roadie reticence isn’t quite the full story. Road riders won’t abandon a tradition without a good reason, but if there’s a clear enough performance gain on offer, new technologies will be adopted.

So what’s on offer with tubeless?

Perhaps most significantly, the use of sealant instead of a tube means punctures from thorns or flints are self-healing – and there’s no inner tube to get a pinch-flat from bottoming out on a square edge.

This enables the use of lower pressures than you could otherwise get away with on clincher tyres, providing a more comfortable and faster ride over rough surfaces.

Additionally, when inflated to the same pressure as a tubed system, tubeless tyres set up with sealant have been shown to have around the same rolling resistance as a clincher with latex tubes.

“At higher pressures sealant can struggle to seal a hole”

And the negatives?

The higher pressures of narrower road tyres (compared to gravel or mtb) means that the sealant can struggle to seal, instead simply spraying out as the tyre deflates. Although it might seal the hole at some point, it can struggle to stay that way once inflated again due to road pressures.