I finally did it! I purchased a new bike! Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to reveal it next week. My new bike comes with tubeless tires 👀, and I’ll admit, I’m a little nervous. With tubed tires, I know what to expect if I get a flat, but tubeless is a whole different story.
The big selling point of tubeless tires is that they’re supposed to result in fewer flats. In the seven years I’ve had my road bike, I’ve only had around seven to ten flats, not too bad! But what happens if I do get a flat on my new tubeless setup? From what I understand, I’ll still need to carry a spare inner tube like I do with my current bike, just in case. The tricky part is that changing a tubeless tire can get messy because of the sealant (a liquid, typically latex-based, that seals punctures and small leaks).
Even if I don’t get a flat, I’ll have to replace the sealant every three to six months, depending on how much I ride. I might even switch to tubed tires as an option, but we’ll see. One thing’s for sure, I definitely plan to get some gravel tires in the future so I can take my bike off-road!
Check out this video from Global Triathlon Network, where James (tubeless) and Mark (tubed) put their tires to the test to see which setup performs better!