QUESTION
Tubeless tyres are no cause for concern if you take a few simple precautions, finds Joe Baker
Tubeless set-ups are becoming increasingly common among road cyclists, following significant wheel and tyre technology advances in the last decade or so.
However, the tubeless safety debate was reignited back in the spring when Thomas De Gendt suffered a dramatic crash at the UAE Tour. Shocking images revealed a 28mm Vittoria Corsa Speed tyre had blown off the rim of his hookless Zipp 353 NSW front wheel while riding along a perfectly straight, smooth road.
After inspection Zipp shared images of the damaged rim showing it was the result of a big impact with road debris. However, while there’s no cause for alarm, user error can indeed render tubeless set-ups ineffective, unreliable and, in the worst cases, unsafe. So, we asked Gabriel Blythe, head mechanic at Summertown Cycles in Oxford and freelance ‘race
DO I NEED TYRE INSERTS?
Thomas De Gendt’s tubeless set-up featured a green Vittoria tyre liner. Are these foam-like inserts necessary when running tubeless? They’ve crossed over from the MTB world, where they protect rims against rock strikes when running exceedingly low pressures. When punctured, they’re said to keep your tyre seated and rideable for up to 30 miles too. However, we don’t run crazy low pressures on the road, and inserts can be a devil to fit. So, they’re by no means a must-have. wrench’, how to keep everything rolling as it should, rubber-side down. We also sought advice from Patrick Brown, design engineer at Hunt wheels.
Tubeless? Hookless?
First, let’s recap the essential terms:
A tubeless set-up is a wheel/tyre combination that does away with an inner tube. An airtight seal is created between the beads of the tyre and the rim, while sealant inserted into the tyre seals any small holes and punctures.
A hookless rim is a rim profile that uses straight sides, and does not feature a bead hook on the inner rim for the tyre bead to sit under. Hookless rims are designed to be used with tubeless tyres that are held in place by the outward pressure placed on the tyre by the air, all of which requires much greater manufacturing tolerances. Not all tubeless tyres are compatible with hookless rims – those that are tend to have stiffer beads.
Consider retaping your rims
“I always suggest retaping a rim from the factory,” says Blythe. Often, the tape provided isn’t going to create a perfect seal on your rim, which will typically lead to a loss of tyre pressure, be that slow or fast.
“At best, this can leave you constantly pumping up your tyres before every ride, and at worst it can cause mid-ride flats.
“The key point is that you want the tape to be the right width for your
