Are Tubeless Tyres Really Any Good?

The autumn ism’t only a time of shorter days, cooler temperatures, and colourful woodlands. For many leisure cyclists it also brings the puncture season as farmers trim their hedges and leave the minor back roads that cyclists use to avoid the worst of the traffic littered with thorny debris. It ofthen seems that Friday afternoons are the preferred time to do this because there will inevitably be more people out cycling on Saturday and Sunday, so this offers the best chance to maximise the number of them that will be getting punctures.

Having just ridden through the third puncture season since I last changed the tyres on my bike now seems like a good time to reflect on whether tubeless tyres really are an improvement, or just another more expensive alternative to something that already works.

Although nobody wants a puncture, being equipped to fix one and knowing that it will only take you about 10 minutes means that you don’t have to worry about them. However, when they do happen they are inevitably an inconvenience, and especially so it it is dark and raining. These days things like glueless patches, and CO2 inflators can make fixing a puncture and getting back on your way much quicker.

I have been using Schwalbe Matathon Almotion tyres for well over two years now without any problems. These are fairly wide tyres compared to what many people use, and there do seem to be more problems getting tubeless to work with narrower tyres. I add fresh sealant about every six months and apart from that I just ride them. I’ve got a tool for fixing punctures that are too big for the sealant to fill, although I’ve never actually had to use it yet.

The Almotion tyres are certainly robust, but they are quite heavy and certainly aren’t made for racing. There are certainly lighter and faster alternatives, like the Schwalbe G One Allround, although they are more prone to punctures and need replacing more regularly. Somebody who rides quite a lot could well find that by the time they need to refresh the sealant they really need a new pair of tyres too.