What tubueless rims for cyclocross AND road?

[Fatbiker]

Hi guys,

I have a titanium cyclocross frame coming in soon and I would like to build it up so I can use it both off and on the road. My plan is to have two sets of wheels built, so I can change from road tires to off-road tires and vice versa simply by switching wheels. The frame only has cantilever bosses and seeing as cantilever brakes are exactly easy to adjust, I would like to use the same rims for both the on-road and off-road wheels.

What are my options for a tubeless 700c or 29" rim brake rim? So far I have come up with Stans 340 and 400 rims (maybe 340 for the road wheels and 400 for the off-road wheels) and the H Plus Son Archetype. The Archetype will probably make for the most bomb proof wheels and are way cheaper compared to the Stans. That said, I am not sure if they will be easy to set up tubeless.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this .

[ergott]

Pacenti SL23 is my favorite choice. It's heavier than the Alpha, but has more material at the brake track where you want it. The rim is also stiffer.

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[Geoff]

I have been running a tubeless 'test' over the past season (can't comment on it without trying it, right?). My own experience is that tubeless tires are somewhat more difficult to mount and get a perfect seal on that I had anticipated. Accordingly, first, I an not sure 'cross would be the best application. Secondly, I do not think that seasonal tire swaps would be too good.

Because you will run pressures for 'cross much lower than road, you may find that the tires either 'burp' or develop slow leaks. For sure, they will solve any pinch-flat issues! I think the smaller volume of 'cross tires, as compared to MTB, may make the tubeless option less than perfect.

I found that setting the carbon bead was 'difficult'. Many times, it took several attempts and several doses of sealant to get a decent seal. If you are swapping tires twice a season, you may need to be placed on a suicide watch, first.

[ergott]

My personal experience with cross tubeless is limited to Michelin Jets and Muds, but they have worked flawlessly. They are pro level tires, the tread is so good it's often used for custom tubular tires, they are inexpensive, and easy to find. I've run sub 20lb psi in races and didn't burp. The traction on climbs and late braking was as excellent. You can use the Jets on the road and they are pretty fast considering you can ride to a trail with them and dive in if the trail is file-tread friendly. For the road I use 40psi in those.

The only thing to consider is that you have to use new sealant every time you swap tires unless you can figure out how to collect the mess from one tire and transfer it. Doesn't sound like it would be worth it. Just get Stan's or whatever your favorite sealant is in quart size to save some money.

For road I would use the Hutchinson Secteurs that some in at 28mm. Excellent tires for a cross bike out on the road or even gravel. Again this is from my personal experience. The ride quality of those tires is wonderful and I limit pressure to 70f/75r psi.

[Fatbiker]

I mainly use my current CX bike for riding mountain bike trails and I use just one kind of tire, so swapping tires is not an issue. My first (and still favourite) tires were Hutchinson Pirahna tubeles tires. I rode them with inner tubes and after I got a new pair of wheels I wasn't able to mount them on the rim without puncturing the inner tubes. After the Hutchinson's I moved to some cheap Schwalbe tires and I am now on Challenge Grifo tires. Although the Challenge tires are really nice, they are anything but puncture proof. I am hoping to solve this by going tubeless. I still having the Hutchinson's lying around, so I am hoping they are going to do the trick.

For the road set up I would love to go 'wide'. Hutchinson Secteur tires sound perfect, although they are rather expensive if I am not mistaken.

[Briscoelab]

The Pacenti SL23 rims are great. I've also been using Alpha 340s for a few years with few issues. I did have an early batch where the rims cracked around the spoke holes. Stan's warrantied the rims with no fuss.

[JBV]

For the road set up I would love to go 'wide'. Hutchinson Secteur tires sound perfect, although they are rather expensive if I am not mistaken.

All tubeless road tires are kind of expensive at the moment. Perhaps that will change if they get more popular.

Bontrager R2 and R3 TLS 25c's measure more like 26mm, and ride nicely in my experience. The R2's are also one of the less expensive tubeless tires that I've seen.

Specialized Roubaix Tubeless also measure just a bit over 25mm.

[WMW]

My personal experience with cross tubeless is limited to Michelin Jets and Muds, but they have worked flawlessly. They are pro level tires, the tread is so good it's often used for custom tubular tires, they are inexpensive, and easy to find. I've run sub 20lb psi in races and didn't burp.

I've never run tubeless with any bike wheel, but I wondered if wiping a thin layer of sealant around the inside of the tire and bead and letting it dry, would help with sealing. Any thoughts?

[ergott]

I just add sealant, air up and do a quick ride. The wheels spinning gets the sealant where it's needed best. If I can't get out for a ride, I will spin the wheel around and shake it around, bounce the wheel etc. 2 minutes tops. I don't have any problems after that.