Latex vs tubeless

[Nicke]

As the title suggests, I'm interested in hearing your opinions regarding this matter specifically when it comes to road riding.

I come from the MTB/gravel side and am currently building up my first road bike, but the wheelset is still undecided. I know for sure I don't want tubular, but when it comes to latex tubes vs tubeless I'm not sure what to opt for. On MTBs/gravel bikes I wouldn't even considering tubes for a second, but on nice tarmac it isn't really necessary, right?

I understand rolling resistance is very equal, but this is when using the top tires, like turbo cottons, which are supposedly quite weak. For you people running supple cotton tires with latex tubes - do you encounter punctures often? This is obviously down to luck etc, but I'd hate to constantly have to change tubes, but I'd likewise hate to always have to fill up my sealant (I was specifically looking at cotton walled tires like Veloflex etc).

[nafaiutb]

I've been using Vredestein latex tubes for 6 years, 1-2 rides/week. Tyres are Veloflex corsa in summer, Hutchinson Fusion all season in winter. I weigh 90-100kg depending on beer consumption
I've had one puncture in all that time. Roads round here are ok, not many potholes but not smooth asphalt either.

[Nicke]

Thanks for shifting me towards tubes

I don't know if I'm too obsessed with the Veloflex gumwalls, but they look so damn good! Veloflex only recommends use on max 17mm inner width rims, which is crazy narrow. If I were to go for any modern rims they'd most likely be 21mm and up. Therefore I've been looking at some older wheelsets used, but these won't necessarily be tubeless ready. Such a struggle

[Cubist]

To chime in on this one: I am on Schwalbe Pro One 25mm with Vittoria Latex inner tubes. No flats in 8000km (then changed the schwalbes). Feel of the Latex tubes compared to butyl is a more supple feel.

My Reynolds assault 2019 rims are quite narrow. The 25 tyres blow up nice and aero. Couldn’t get a tubeless tire to mount with a floor pump so gave up that effort. Wasn’t worth the hassle to me.

When going wider than 25mm I would probably opt for tubeless. But riding lower tire pressure still feels a bit slow to me. Although it might be even faster..

Was riding gp5000 tle in 28mm the other day. Really comfortable but not that racy feeling of my schwalbes paired with latex inner tubes.

I hope this helps.

[Nickldn]

I use Bora WTO wheels (19mm inner width) and these wheels let me use both tubed and tubless.

For me the main practical difference between the two standards is the tyre is pressures you can run.

Currently I'm using 25mm tyres with Supersonic inner tubes, tyre pressures are 85psi front and 95psi rear. Don't think I'd get away with anything less without impacting rolling resistance and risking pinch flats.

I think I could run tubless at 10psi less without any major dramas. Obviously the main benefit is added comfort.

I commute on some pretty bumpy roads and would appreciate more comfort (but I'm not prepared to go to 28mm tyres yet), so will go for tubless next time I need to change tyres.

If I didn't have an issue with comfort then I'd probably stick with inner tubes, as easier to mount tyres and not mess around with sealant and high pressure compressors.

[drainyoo]

My recommendation is to go tubeless. Not having to deal with tubes anymore is amazing. Pop the tire on the rim, throw in some sealant and you’re good to go. Plus tubeless are suppose to be more flat resistant since the sealant is can clog up small punctures.

[Nicke]

I won't be able to fit 28s in this frame so I'll have to stick with 25mm. Since I don't have any prior experience it's a bit tough to know what I want, but I suppose my biggest concern was getting flats with tubes, and trying to resolve that by going tubeless. I guess they're not as common as I would've thought. I should mention I'm merely approaching this dilemma from the "what's easiest" direction - I don't really care if one's marginally faster and the sole reason for going TL would be to combat flats.

Comfort is definitely an aspect too, but I doubt even 28mm tubeless would come close to the comfort of my gravel rig.

[calleking]

Vittoria Latex with Michelin Power or Conti GP5k. I'm estimating close to 11 000km. One puncture.

Roads in Sweden are not bad but a bit rough in order to cope with the winters.

Feels very supple and rolling resistance is fantastic. Drawback is that you have to pump tyres often. I do it before every ride anyway so it does not bother me.

It seems like running tubeless on road bikes can be a bit of a problem depending on sealant and the pressure. Sometimes the combination of the puncture and the tyre pressure just pushes the sealant out spraying just about everything instead of sealing the puncture.

I have been extremely happy with it for Gavel/CX/MTB though but since latex tubesworks so great there's no real reason to change.

[Miller]

Road tubeless works fine. Latex inner tubes are a pain in the backside.

[Aesch]

Vittoria Latex with Michelin Power or Conti GP5k. I'm estimating close to 11 000km. One puncture.

Roads in Sweden are not bad but a bit rough in order to cope with the winters.

Feels very supple and rolling resistance is fantastic. Drawback is that you have to pump tyres often. I do it before every ride anyway so it does not bother me.

It seems like running tubeless on road bikes can be a bit of a problem depending on sealant and the pressure. Sometimes the combination of the puncture and the tyre pressure just pushes the sealant out spraying just about everything instead of sealing the puncture.

I have been extremely happy with it for Gavel/CX/MTB though but since latex tubesworks so great there's no real reason to change.

Similar experience here. Latex vittoria on gp4000 then pirelli velo, 1 puncture in 14k km.

[HansZuDemFranz]

As you are new to road riding, I would opt for tubes.
Tubeless can be awesome (most of the time it is). But it can also be a huge pain. With tubes you just know what you are getting and its one less thing that can go horrbily wrong and ruin your early experiences on the road.

And to be honest, changing an inner tube takes like 3 minutes.

(this is coming from someone who has ridden 10k perfect km on tubeless and is now back on tubes, as I get so little punctures, that I really dont care about them.)

[frostorama]

I run Roval Alpinist CLX with Turbo Cottons and latex tubes. I weigh 75kg and the bike is 6.65kg. I run 65/70psi front/back.

The ride is supple, rolls well and feels so good descending. I was initially concerned with pinch flats, but not had any this year.

Tubeless has caused me issues in the past, tyres that are impossible to fit with cold hands at the side of the road when the sealant has failed and I've had to resort to fitting an inner tube.

[tiz92]

Vittoria latex tubes + a high end tire of choice. Best upgrade you can make to your bike.

[Nicke]

Vittoria latex tubes have caught my eye. Are they considered the best (atleast for the money)? I think you guys have convinced me and I'll stay away from road tubeless, for now atleast

[mikemelbrooks]

I had my first puncture for around 9000 miles, I bought a Cannondale supersix fitted with tubes and got a pinch flat after hitting a pothole on a group ride. I am sure if I were riding tubeless I wouldn't have flatter. How ever I replaced the tube and was riding again in 5mins.
Unfortunately some tyre rim combination are hard to change the Giant wheels and tyres work together well, but I dread having to change the Continental GP5000 tubeless tyres fitted to my Prime wheels and just hope that a few thousand miles of wear has made them easier to change.