Test and advice: Tubeless tyres and tubeless wheels - What can tubeless tyres really do on a road bike?

Will tubeless technology revolutionise road bike tyres? If the suppliers of tubeless tyres have their way, it is inevitable. For all other vehicles with air-filled tyres, the question has long been answered, as the technology became widely accepted 60 years ago. Back then, the US tyre manufacturer BF Goodrich developed tubeless technology to series maturity; the idea was a spoil of war from Germany, from the company Continental.

The arguments from back then are the same as today: less weight, better puncture protection, more comfort and more grip - and the lack of friction between the inner tube and tyre wall should also reduce rolling resistance. At the time, the success of tyres for cars was enormous. Since motorbikes have also been rolling on tubeless tyres since 1980, only the bicycle with a butyl or latex tube inserted (or sewn) into the tyre has remained. Although tubeless tyres have been available on mountain bikes for some years now, they are still a long way from becoming standard.

The first marketable tubeless tyres for road bikes were introduced around ten years ago by French manufacturer Hutchinson together with wheel manufacturer Shimano. However, the combination attracted little attention because the promised advantages did not materialise and handling remained difficult. In particular, the complicated assembly still puts off many potential users today. Added to this was the very limited choice of wheels and tyres - the risk of committing was too great for most people. Although tubeless tyres have never disappeared from the road bike market, they have always led a shadowy existence. But that could soon be over.

More problems than with cars

The topic is now picking up speed again. More and more suppliers are entering the market with tyres and wheels for road racers. This can be seen as a sign that the problems and teething troubles are about to be solved. With these difficulties, the parallels to 1955 are astonishing: the inventors of the tubeless car tyre were already puzzled by the fact that the tyre was completely sealed and held securely on the rim. However, this is a particular problem with the filigree racing bike wheels, as the diameter of the rim can change slightly with the spoke tension. A particular hurdle: The high pressure of up to eight bar, which makes it difficult to seal the combination in the long term. A firm, strong tyre bead is important for this, which is not compatible with the requirement that a road bike tyre must be able to be fitted by hand. So there are many tasks that tyre manufacturers have to solve.

Unbeatable in the event of breakdowns

Our test shows that the properties of tubeless tyres have improved dramatically - the weight of some models is lower than that of a good clincher tyre with inner tube. Some tyres have also improved their rolling resistance. However, tubeless tyres are not yet faster. Thanks to new bead cores and better communication between wheel and tyre manufacturers, handling has become considerably easier - most of the combinations in the test could be fitted and sealed without any problems. However, the technology only comes into its own in the event of a puncture - no inner tube can keep up with the "self-healing" effect of the sealing milk. Below we answer the most important questions on how to use the new technology - and show new tubeless tyres and suitable wheels in the test.

In our Tubeless-Report you will find the following topics (PDF-Download see below):

A. The 10 most important questions about tubeless technology:
1. are tubeless tyres faster than folding tyres?
2. do tubeless tyres have better puncture protection?
3. do tubeless tyres ride more comfortably?
4. are tubeless tyres lighter?
5. do you need a compressor to fit the tyres?
6. are special wheels required?
7. what is the difference between "tubeless" and "tubeless ready" tyres?
8. can normal rims be converted to tubeless?
9. can you ride normal tyres without a tube?
10. which tyre fits which wheel?

B. Test tubeless tyres: Tubeless tyres are getting better and better - outstanding puncture protection and low weight are the strengths of the new models.

For the tyre test, we concentrated on new models with a width of 25 millimetres (Specialized: 26 millimetres) - the most sensible tyre width for all-round use by hobby riders. You can find other, partly still current models in 23 millimetre width in the Tubeless tyre test in TOUR 9/2012. The reference was the best folding tyre of recent years, the Grand Prix 4000S II from Continental, also in 25 millimetres. In the end, none of the tubeless tyres can beat the Conti, but in some disciplines they come close or even surpass the Conti - especially the new Pro One from Schwalbe.

Six current tyres tested:
- Bontrager R3 TLR
- Hutchinson Fusion 3 Tubeless
- IRC Formula Tubeless RBCC
- Maxxis Padrone TR
- Schwalbe Pro One
- Specialised S-Works Turbo Tubeless

C. Test tubeless wheels: Tubeless wheels are available in many price categories and for all areas of use.

There are significantly more wheels for tubeless technology than tyres. As the rims can also be used with normal tyres and inner tubes, it's worth considering giving the technology a chance when buying wheels - you can always switch back. At least with aluminium rims, there is something for all budgets, for both rim and disc brakes. With carbon rims, the technology is still in its infancy; the demands on the rim and brake flanks in particular are high, which is why wheels for disc brakes are currently the most popular.

Eleven wheels in the test:

- Wheels for rim brakes:
- American Classic Sprint 35Q Tubeless
- Bontrager Aeolus 3 TLR Clincher
- Campagnolo Shamal 2-Way-Fit
- DT Swiss R32
- Easton EA 90 SLX
- Reynolds Strike SLG
- Shimano Dura Ace WH-R 9000
- Shimano Ultegra WH-R 6800

- Wheels for disc brakes:
- DT Swiss RC 28 DB
- Reynolds Assault SLG DB
- Zipp 30 Course DB

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