Ultimate Bike Thread....

[winders]

Thanks, Greg. My wife won the equivalent of an aluminum Synapse through a fitness program at work. We upgraded her to a carbon Synapse with Ultegra mechanical shifters. I looked at endurance bikes from Specialized and Cervelo but the Synapse had the best combination of features and was the best value as well.

I am on the hunt for some carbon clinchers that will also do tubeless. There is a company in England called "Hunt" that has some intriguing wheels.

[greglepore]

Hunt and Pacenti use the same rims. Hookless (no rim bead) carbon tubeless. I'm not entirely sold on tubeless-its great 90% of the time, but on those occasions where it doesn't seal its a mess dealing with the sealant when putting in a tube. Sealant in a tube seems like 90% of the good without any of the bad. But hey, give them a shot.
https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=2286862

[look 171]

Maybe I am old fashion, but what's wrong with a inner tube? Adds very little weight, and its a for sure thing if you flatted 40 miles from home. What's the real advantage? Weight?

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Originally Posted by look 171

Maybe I am old fashion, but what's wrong with a inner tube? Adds very little weight, and its a for sure thing if you flatted 40 miles from home. What's the real advantage? Weight?

In the mountain bike world, tubeless allows us to run lower pressures and nearly eliminate flats. It's a great way to go. I haven't yet converted on the road and I'm curious about others' real world experiences.

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by look 171

Maybe I am old fashion, but what's wrong with a inner tube? Adds very little weight, and its a for sure thing if you flatted 40 miles from home. What's the real advantage? Weight?

Self sealing. Little punctures fix themselves. Big ones are a crapshoot.


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[sc_rufctr]

I used to ride "singles" on my road bike back in the 80s and they were always fun! lol

80 km from home and you get a flat? You get good at changing them on the side of the road.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by greglepore

Self sealing. Little punctures fix themselves. Big ones are a crapshoot.


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I just think you are screwed if there's a big enough hole like from a bolt or screw. With a tube, it gets changed and off the other way you go. I carry one cylinder of CO2, 12 ounce. If that doesn't work, I call and get yell at by my wife. I don't have any plans to covert over and I am cheap.

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Originally Posted by look 171

I just think you are screwed if there's a big enough hole like from a bolt or screw. With a tube, it gets changed and off the other way you go. I carry one cylinder of CO2, 12 ounce. If that doesn't work, I call and get yell at by my wife. I don't have any plans to covert over and I am cheap.

If you have big puncture, you just put a tube in. And you have far fewer small flats, at least in the dirt.

[David]

I run tubeless on my road and MTB. Most punctures on the road bike are so small you either don't know you got it or you hear air loss for a few seconds and it then it seals back up. I still carry a tube just in case and have had a few tire cuts that were too bad to seal themselves. One problem with a tubeless road tires and big cuts is that they're flat in less than one revolution so you need to have decent bike handling skills. I've also had cuts that were so bad I had to tear a piece of bar tape off to cover the hole so the tube wouldn't stick out.

MTB tubeless is almost a must have these days. You can run really low tire pressures for traction without fear of a pinch flat. If you're far from home, vehicle or support you just carry a tube.

[greglepore]

My hesitation is the mess of putting a tube in a tire that's loaded with sealant. Yuck. Not often, I know but still yuck.

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Originally Posted by David

I run tubeless on my road and MTB. Most punctures on the road bike are so small you either don't know you got it or you hear air loss for a few seconds and it then it seals back up. I still carry a tube just in case and have had a few tire cuts that were too bad to seal themselves. One problem with a tubeless road tires and big cuts is that they're flat in less than one revolution so you need to have decent bike handling skills. I've also had cuts that were so bad I had to tear a piece of bar tape off to cover the hole so the tube wouldn't stick out.

MTB tubeless is almost a must have these days. You can run really low tire pressures for traction without fear of a pinch flat. If you're far from home, vehicle or support you just carry a tube.

Interesting regarding the sudden loss of air in the road tires. I always carry a "boot" cut from a plastic milk jug to address the big gashes.

[mepstein]

Originally Posted by Reddy Kilowatt

Interesting regarding the sudden loss of air in the road tires. I always carry a "boot" cut from a plastic milk jug to address the big gashes.

A dollar bill works well.
Tubeless is the way to go on a mt bike. In the fall, the thorns dry up and you can easily get 1-10 punctures on a ride. With tubeless, it seals as you ride. Pinch flats are history. Also, the ride itself is noticeably better. Not just because of the low pressure, the tire follows the terrain better. Putting a tube in with sealant isn't that messy. The tire only holds a couple ounces and it just wipes off your hands. It's not like dirty grease. It's not good for bikes that aren't ridden often. If the tire goes flat over time, it can be a pain to get a good seal again.

[winders]

I didn't say I was going tubeless. I just want that option. Tubeless should be a better way to go though. Road bike tubeless tires will continue to improve and it won't be too long before we wondered why there was any real debate. The same is becoming true of disc brakes on road bikes.

[URY914]

[look 171]

Originally Posted by URY914

I remember that track bike from the early 90s. That stem came later though.

[David]

Originally Posted by greglepore

My hesitation is the mess of putting a tube in a tire that's loaded with sealant. Yuck. Not often, I know but still yuck.

I keep a folded up blue paper shop towel stuffed in my bag. I take one side of the tire off the rim, pour out the sealant, run the towel through the tire, check for whatever caused the flat, remove the stem, install tube and go. Not much slower than normal tube installation. Your hands are a little dirtier but tires by nature are pretty dirty.

I recently started running Schwalbe Pro-one 28mm tires. They actually measure 31mm and are a tight fit on my Madone. I'm running 75 psi for my 180 lbs, the ride is a little better, handling is just as good, and they seem as fast or faster than smaller tires. There's some aero drag but my top speed is going down as my age goes up.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by look 171

I remember that track bike from the early 90s. That stem came later though.

I old a mid 80s Cinelli

[vmb]

Does anyone following this thread actually own a bike shop? The LBS in my neighborhood is for sale. I'd love to chat and get some thoughts.

[ZAMIRZ]

Been doing some test riding out in Santa Cruz. Their factory demo program is a bargain, $50 for really nice equipment and 15 minutes from some of the best riding in the world.





Santa Cruz Hightower LT: 160mm of rear travel, plush! Can go through just about anything very quickly, but needs to be muscled around. Doesn't like low speed technical trails, but if you have the skill and are fearless, it rewards. You'll be slow going up, but it's not unpleasant. This one's got the top component build, retail around $10K.



Santa Cruz Hightower: 135mm rear travel, shares the same front triangle as the LT model, but has quite a different character. I would consider this the ultimate one-bike quiver for anything on the mountain. Climbs very well for how much travel it has. Handles fantastic and can take a beating. Not as much of a sledgehammer as the LT, but significantly better at low speeds and much more confident going up. Wife demoed the women's specific Juliana Strega behind the Hightower. Said it was really nice, but a little too much bike compared to her Intense Recluse.

[URY914]