Is Tubeless really all its cracked up to be?

[WinterRider]

How did you re-use a co2? do you leave the regulator installed?

Yes.. that particular regulator holds well for several days.. having just used it recently. Forgot to add another
cartridge switching bikes. I carry one specific to presta and shraeder.

Came upon a gentleman using a pump on a woody trail back when.. the skeeters were chewing the sh*t otta him.
Too slow.. and if setting a tubeless bead happens to be problematic for whatever reason.. then well.. your scre*wed.
---> SKEETER FESTIVAL<---.. guess who's the main course.

[Roadbiker10]

I didn't know where to post this. Is this anything to have?

[wheelbuilder]

Are IRC tires still a thing? They were very popular back in 2013 when I wanted road tubeless to work so badly. Gave up by 2015 as I could find no lasting benefits (for me) have been happily riding carbon rim brake clinchers with latex since. Had not seen these tires mentioned in the forum lately and was legit curious.

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[bobones]

I didn't know where to post this. Is this anything to have?
3690E0C3-D9E5-4D43-8D40-4C7B92411A43.png

I used to carry one of those, but I found that any time I tried to use it, my valves were partially clogged and most of the foam ended up outside the tyre. They're really only useful if you have let the sealant in your tyres dry up and want to add some more on the road. Better just to carry Dynaplugs IME.

[ghostinthemachine]

I didn't know where to post this. Is this anything to have?
3690E0C3-D9E5-4D43-8D40-4C7B92411A43.png

Used to use those pre tubeless, was pretty much the quickest way back on the move in a race, with new tube and CO2 the second.... Haven't used one since i went tubeless as punctures leading to flat tires became so rare. (Have carried one though. Was just dead weight for 40 km!)

You can sometimes see them strapped to the back of seat tubes in longer/marathon or enduro style races.

Not sure how much prssure you'd be able to get in on a road tire though. Or if they'd deliver fast enough to reseat (if they needed too)

[Roadbiker10]

I didn't know where to post this. Is this anything to have?
3690E0C3-D9E5-4D43-8D40-4C7B92411A43.png

I used to carry one of those, but I found that any time I tried to use it, my valves were partially clogged and most of the foam ended up outside the tyre. They're really only useful if you have let the sealant in your tyres dry up and want to add some more on the road. Better just to carry Dynaplugs IME.

Thanks. I didn't realise valves could get clogged.

I already have a couple of those containers with foam from Zefal and Decathlon. I thought this was tubeless sealant in there that you can add.

Yeah I'm about to order the Dynaplugger too now before going tubeless.

[Roadbiker10]

I didn't know where to post this. Is this anything to have?
3690E0C3-D9E5-4D43-8D40-4C7B92411A43.png

Used to use those pre tubeless, was pretty much the quickest way back on the move in a race, with new tube and CO2 the second.... Haven't used one since i went tubeless as punctures leading to flat tires became so rare. (Have carried one though. Was just dead weight for 40 km!)

You can sometimes see them strapped to the back of seat tubes in longer/marathon or enduro style races.

Not sure how much prssure you'd be able to get in on a road tire though. Or if they'd deliver fast enough to reseat (if they needed too)

Yeah I have also used them and I agree. I thought this was something new though that contains tubeless sealant.

So the foam also works on tubeless, didn't know that. It would probably work for gravel though since the pressures are lower. I weigh 66 kg so don't need much pressure.

[BigBoyND]

Are IRC tires still a thing?

They are on my short list for first TL tires. The Formula Pro TLR S-Light is just 250g in 28mm size and reviews seem positive. Most people claim they are hard to mount without levers.

Just wish there was some rolling resistance data on these. The only IRC tire on BRR is the last gen "durable" version of the tire, which is basically a Gatorskin.

[TobinHatesYou]

My friend and I had eerily similar casing failures on last-gen IRC Formula Pro tubeless tires. Both tires failed when practically new...manifesting as a circumferential split of the casing just above the bead. He was on the Formula Pro X-Guards and I was on the Formula Pro Lights. I was on hookless Alto CCX wheels and he was on hooked ENVEs. This was back in 2018 or so. If it had only been me, I would have chalked it up to bad luck. For the exact same thing to happen to both of us with different models of tire on completely different rim types...yeah I have no confidence in those tires at all. Maybe the new versions don't have the same flaw--I'll let other people test those tires first.

And yes they were quite difficult to mount and also quite difficult to unmount.

I know BTI distributed IRC stuff back then, but I feel like they didn't do much of the actual boots on the ground type of work required to get their products into retail. That seems to have changed slightly. Stetina's Paydirt (and Stetina himself) are sponsored by IRC.

[wheelbuilder]

My friend and I had eerily similar casing failures on last-gen IRC Formula Pro tubeless tires. Both tires failed when practically new...manifesting as a circumferential split of the casing just above the bead. He was on the Formula Pro X-Guards and I was on the Formula Pro Lights. I was on hookless Alto CCX wheels and he was on hooked ENVEs. This was back in 2018 or so. If it had only been me, I would have chalked it up to bad luck. For the exact same thing to happen to both of us with different models of tire on completely different rim types...yeah I have no confidence in those tires at all. Maybe the new versions don't have the same flaw--I'll let other people test those tires first.

And yes they were quite difficult to mount and also quite difficult to unmount.

I know BTI distributed IRC stuff back then, but I feel like they didn't do much of the actual boots on the ground type of work required to get their products into retail. That seems to have changed slightly. Stetina's Paydirt (and Stetina himself) are sponsored by IRC.

Thanks for this. Yes, BTI sourced and tough to mount for sure. But they were very sticky and comfortable for back then. The bizarre Japanese packaging was also pretty entertaining. I legit thought they stopped sending them here as almost no one mentions them.

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[TobinHatesYou]

Thanks for this. Yes, BTI sourced and tough to mount for sure. But they were very sticky and comfortable for back then. The bizarre Japanese packaging was also pretty entertaining. I legit thought they stopped sending them here as almost no one mentions them.

I also remember them being very sticky and supple feeling. Another thing was the rubber felt weird in hand, like brittle or crispy. Hard to describe really. The sidewalls also felt unusually smooth and it had a sheen.

[bobones]

Malcolm from thecycleclinic.co.uk who used to post here regularly is/was a big fan of IRC tubeless tyres and there are quite a few options for sale on his site.

[abatty]

Used the IRC Formula Pro RBCC old and new versions for several years. Found them much harder to get on and off than Conti 5000S TR and they just didn't feel as fast or comfortable. Have got the Conti's easily back on with thumbs out on the road and therefore didn't come close to pinching an inner tube when disaster beckoned with a large hole that wouldn't seal. Also don't have to replace the rim tape or faff with washing-up liquid to get the tyres to re-mount after removal. Appreciate the Conti's are expensive but I'm not going back.

[Miller]

I used a pair of IRC Roadlite TLR for 2 or 3 years. I thought they felt nice, rolled well, and gave me no hassle at all. I only gave up on them cos I wanted to try other tyres.

[BigBoyND]

The new gen Formula Pro line is easier to mount than the previous gen, but still needs levers. At least that's what I gathered from all the Japanese blog reviews using Google translate.

But of course in the instructional video, the rep just mounts them with thumbs in a few seconds. Lol

I'm up to try the S-Light once my tires are worn out.