55OCLV and TubeLESS Tires???

[H. M. Leary]

The Lance Chronicles...

Did I hear this right?

Trek has made a proto-type 55 OCLV for US Postal?

Mavic has a special tubeLESS wheel?

Michelin has a tube LESS tire????

Must remember to send PC at Vecchios some toilet paper if
the above is true...:)

HAND

--
³Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness³

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution

[Mike Jacoubowsk]

> Did I hear this right?
>
> Trek has made a proto-type 55 OCLV for US Postal?
>
> Mavic has a special tubeLESS wheel?
>
> Michelin has a tube LESS tire????

Yes, you heard correctly. Lance has a new "climbing bike"
that will be available for sale in a few months, using OCLV
55 & 110 carbon (instead of just 110, as is the case with
the current Madone & 5900 models). And tubeless tires are
beginning to show up (for road bikes) although I'm still
scratching my head a bit, trying to figure out why. Maybe
over the cobblestone sections they'd make sense, since you
could ride at a lower pressure and not pinch flat?

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"H. M. Leary" <mikie357@forgedabit.net> wrote in message news:mikie357-
4B1766.10084612072004@news.verizon.net...
> The Lance Chronicles...
>
> Did I hear this right?
>
> Trek has made a proto-type 55 OCLV for US Postal?
>
> Mavic has a special tubeLESS wheel?
>
> Michelin has a tube LESS tire????
>
> Must remember to send PC at Vecchios some toilet paper if
> the above is
true...:)
>
>
> HAND
>
> --
> ³Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness³
>
> - Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution

[Kinky Cowboy]

On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 15:55:37 GMT, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
<mikej1@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>> Did I hear this right?
>>
>> Trek has made a proto-type 55 OCLV for US Postal?
>>
>> Mavic has a special tubeLESS wheel?
>>
>> Michelin has a tube LESS tire????
>
>Yes, you heard correctly. Lance has a new "climbing bike"
>that will be available for sale in a few months, using OCLV
>55 & 110 carbon (instead of just 110, as is the case with
>the current Madone & 5900 models). And tubeless tires are
>beginning to show up (for road bikes) although I'm still
>scratching my head a bit, trying to figure out why. Maybe
>over the cobblestone sections they'd make sense, since you
>could ride at a lower pressure and not pinch flat?
>
>--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
>www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

The proposed benefit is significantly reduced rolling
resistance and a slower deflation when punctured. These may
be marginal benefits, but at the high end marginal benefits
are all that's left. For us mortals, tubeless tyres are
expensive and a bugger to repair, but if the pro's use them,
plenty of people will buy them for just that reason. Your
cynicism may explain why I always have to shop elsewhere for
tubeless MTB tyres :-)

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included May contain traces of nuts Your
milage may vary

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article
<ZvyIc.19479$Ka3.4693@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com>,
mikej1@ix.netcom.com says...
>And tubeless tires are beginning to show up (for road
>bikes) although I'm still scratching my head a bit, trying
>to figure out why. Maybe over the cobblestone sections
>they'd make sense, since you could ride at a lower pressure
>and not pinch flat?

Aren't these also part of the benefits of riding
tubular tires?
----------
Alex

[Michael Press]

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <mikej1@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>> Michelin has a tube LESS tire????
>
>Yes, you heard correctly. Lance has a new "climbing bike"
>that will be available for sale in a few months, using OCLV
>55 & 110 carbon (instead of just 110, as is the case with
>the current Madone & 5900 models). And tubeless tires are
>beginning to show up (for road bikes) although I'm still
>scratching my head a bit, trying to figure out why. Maybe
>over the cobblestone sections they'd make sense, since you
>could ride at a lower pressure and not pinch flat?
>
>--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
>www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

What's the objection to tubeless tires? I don't MTB much so
I'm not familiar with the tradeoffs for those bikes.

Seems like not having to deal with tubes would be a big
improvement and make tire installation easier and faster. I
could see one downside - possibly having to replace a whole
tire if you get a flat, but I seem to be unusual in that I
rarely get get flats.

What would be wrong with road tubeless tires.? Extra weight?
Higher cost? Something else?

Thanks, Michael

[Superslinky]

Michael Press said...

> What's the objection to tubeless tires? I don't MTB much
> so I'm not familiar with the tradeoffs for those bikes.
>
> Seems like not having to deal with tubes would be a big
> improvement and make tire installation easier and faster.
> I could see one downside - possibly having to replace a
> whole tire if you get a flat, but I seem to be unusual in
> that I rarely get get flats.
>
> What would be wrong with road tubeless tires.? Extra
> weight? Higher cost? Something else?
>
> Thanks, Michael

I ride tubeless on my MTB. I use the bike for about 50/50
road and off- road use. I use Michelin Jet S tires that
function reasonably well in most conditions. I can tell you
that there are some big pros and cons. The biggest problem
with them is getting them to seat after you install them. I
have yet to get them to seat using a floor pump. Every time
I have resorted to taking them to a gas station. Maybe a CO2
pump would work, but I have my doubts. This means that a
flat while riding means installing a tube. My particular
tires puncture very easily and I can count on patching at
least the rear after any major off-road ride. But the Jet S
is an ultra-light semi-slick and a knobby tire probably
wouldn't give me any trouble. My rear tire also has about
3000 miles on it and it is time for a new one. If there are
no punctures, my tubeless tires hold their pressure longer
than my tubed tires, surprisingly. The Jet S tubeless is
slightly heavier than the regular Jet S and a regular tube
and up to 100g heavier than with an ultra-light tube. Rims
are also heavier. The lightest UST rim from Mavic is 100g
heavier than their lightest non-UST rim. The tubeless rims
and tires are slightly more expensive.

One very nice benefit is that I have never completely
flatted one of them. The other day I counted 3 separate
punctures in the rear tire and the bike was still quite
rideable. All I had to do was stop every 15 minutes and pump
it back up. Sounds like sarcasm, but it beats walking. I
gave in and installed my spare tube the first time ever and
decided it was time for a new tire. It seems like tubes
always fail completely for
me. Either they hold air or they don't. There may be
something to the rolling resistance claim, but I
wouldn't swear to it. I have both kinds of Jet S tires,
so maybe I will experiment someday and see if there is a
measurable difference.

Installation is more difficult, but easy enough when you
know the trick of making sure the bead is inside the center
depression of the rim while removing or installing. The big
installation problems come from trying to get the bead to
seat. But since a road bike has a much smaller volume of
air, it may much easier.