TUBELESS TIRES ARE GREAT but...

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THEY COST WAY TOO MUCH

TL;DR Summary: I love having no pinch flats with tubeless road tires. Lower PSI allowed with tubeless also adds to riding comfort. 

But...

I remain disappointed that I can't find a tubeless tire with durability that matches dozens of mid-priced clincher tires. I've had low priced tires, like the Continental Ultra-Sport, last a couple of years and get to more than 8000 km. My tubeless experience has been far less stellar.

LOOKING FOR DURABILITY

At the start of the season, I bought a pair of mid-priced Vittoria Rubino Pro Tubeless tires. I avoided top line tires since I wanted durability over better rolling resistance. I was happy to consider an even lower-tier tire, but couldn’t find any.

MY EXPERIENCE IN 2023













1. My first rear Rubino Pro failed rather miserably after 3300 km in June. It had more than 20 tread-wear-through failures. Note that the centre tire ridge still has plenty of rubber. Why so many "wear-thru" locations? My bad. I wasn't paying much attention since these tires were so new. In any event, I bought another Rubino Pro tire for the rear since the front tire was still pristine. Perhaps this first failure was just an anomaly.

2. Fast forward to September. I am now checking the tires after each ride. At 2,500 km and 2.5 months, I find another wear- through-failure. It is worth mentioning: there is even more centre ridge rubber remaining on this tire. What gives? A Rubino Pro TLR costs $100 here in Canada. The annual cost is more than I have ever paid for clincher or tubular tires - by a factor of five!

3. (Bonus Time) Before adding to my tire-wall-of-shame, I thought about doing a Hail Mary repair - even if it lasts for just a few rides. I considered using “Shoe Goop” but settled on J-B Clear Epoxy. I slathered on a generous layer without worrying about aesthetics. Most of it would likely fall off.

4. (Surprise!) 200 km later, the epoxy is still doing its job with no exposed tire casing. It rides smooth with the same grip as always. This is hardly a permanent solution but I will be thrilled to go just a little longer on this tire.

What do you think? Is it unreasonable to expect clincher tire durability with tubeless tires? 




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