Apologies. This kinda started from reply to fez below, but evolved into more of a general brain dump of opinions...! I'm on GP5000 S TR as my main tyre now, will be using 30mm's on the commuter (shortly) and 28mm's on the good (summer) bike. If you can get them for the right price (~£40) they're about as close-to-perfect as I've found (for me)... They're not perfect (don't think any tyre is). Many other options are more expensive, maybe marginally more grip/less weight/easier to mount. But the few I used as alternatives (when GP5000STR where new and expensive) in hindsight they didn't work out any better in medium-longer term (Pirelli P-Zero, Hutchinson Fusion & Vittoria Rubino to name a few). Either too soft (P zero) so cut up too easy, too leaky (Vittoria) or just horrible to mount/seal/ride (Hutch). Never did get around to the Goodyear Eagle F1, anyone using them?
The GP5000 S TR are not perfect - but getting them for under £50 I take the 'cons' happily as the most reliable option and for me the best to ride. Tons of grip and fast, comfortable to ride. I get less issues with them than any others but do think my combination of sealant (Muck Off) with them being quite milky I get more leaky punctures than I have on other tyres. Most seal, just have to top up and be more aware of sealant while also changing it every 6-8 months, but I have less issues with big cuts, generally more reliable holding air (leak less just sat in the garage) while providing more grip and better feel in a wider range of conditions/seasons on some of the worst roads in the country!
Semi-related, did a 'fix' on my current rear after a 3-4mm long cut. The patch I glued inside didn't work out, possibly the tyre insert rubbing it off, tyre worm mostly sorted it but think the hot weather just made that extra 'leaky' so I've got the black 'tyre slug' on the outside that's bugging me and making me think that's the source of a leak in the hot weather. Good excuse (now I have learnt the knack of getting them off with my inserts) to change it, as I have 'spare' tyres with less than 500km on them from my crashed bike. Maybe need to source some 'stronger' rubber glue rather than usual patch stuff, so it stays in place and maybe more sealant proof (I'm gluing tube patches inside of tyres which are rubber not butyl)
Guy on the weekend smashed a week old Zipp 303 on a hole descending in dappled shade, just nowhere to go in the group and probably too close on a wheel, with so many holes around he missed the call/couldn't react quick enough. Zipp warranty does sometimes cover them so finger crossed he gets a quick replacement. Gutted for him, but he held it up and no other damage -
just as well he didn't crash his new toy!
Its very easy for people to say "haven't had a puncture in years with tubeless so whats the point". The point is that you wouldn't know if you had in many cases because its sealed them. Keep your tyres at the right pressure and tubeless is great. I run GP5000 S TR tyres and haven't had any issues for a few years. They aren't exactly a durable tyre and our roads are ****. I reckon the tubeless sealant has probably done its job a few times over that period.
Yeah I wasn't much of a convert, as had a few cuts which wouldn't seal and problems mounting on older rims. But when I took a winter tyre off one spring and found multiple thorns stuck in the casing I realised I'd had punctures without realising and avoided a whole winter of not stopped in the cold/rain changing tubes at the roadside. Instant convert, certainly for a winter/all season rider/tyre. If you only ride good roads in good weather. Meh.
its something I'm considering when my new wheels arrive, I want to try it. Got the tires already just need sealant really..
Lots of choices for sealant. I've only tried a couple and settled on Muck Off... YMMV!
Stans was good and sealed well, but expensive and very gloopy which made it a pain to get through valve holes to top up. It also dried easily in summer so limited shelf life and have to monitor it in the wheels. Also around a tyre bead leaves very solid 'bogies', which can cause you problems remounting tyres. Had to cut some of them off with a blade as couldn't peel all of them.
Muck-off 'Tubeless easy', originally got as on Amazon for next day/prime and is now my preferred. Fairly cheap as easy to get various places to compare. Smells nice. Very milky/coloured so easy to see leaks, but also washes off ok even when dried on frame/wheels/tyres. Shelf life seems pretty good, easy to keep bottle sealed. Wipes+washes out of tyres for straight forward strip+replacement. Maybe not as good long term as Stans and seems a bit more leaky on small holes but doesn't dry out just doesn't seal well when 'old'.
Vittoria came with my tyre inserts when fitted by LBS to be 'sure it was compatible' with them (has to be ammonia free). Very milky, maybe worse than the Muck off for being leaky on small holes. Seems relatively cheap but comparable to the MO will stay with that as easier to get hold of.
The main thing for me was getting tyres to actually seat. I've never been able to get them to fit so pumping them up just pushed air out the sides. I think a compressor is needed for the blast of air. Hopefully i sort that when i next need to sort it.
In hindsight, the sealant in my back wheel is the same age and now i wish i'd dropped that wheel off too!
Haha yeah, especially with a local shop doing deals for you - keep throwing them 'easy' business like a tubeless tyre and being a regular you should keep getting good deals!
So much of mounting is rim+tyre combo. Some are just easier than other combinations to get sealed. Lots of tricks - one of the main ones is to wet around the bead if you're getting leaking - just the bead to too dry to slide out to the rim from the tape. Some use soapy water, some use sealant and I've even heard of vaseline or other things like grease/oils/GT45. Depending how tight you are, start with a bit of sealant - just enough so if it doesn't seal you've not sprayed it to cover the world. Then switch to soapy water (regular dish soap) if needed - doesn't matter to spray that around.
one of those fancy "blast" pumps is required but if you pump fast enough with a good track pump it can also work.. - never tried it tho, still just thinking about it.
I've got a tubeless inflator, it's good can't say it's that useful that everyone needs one. A good pump with a good flow (some of the modern ones have tubeless modes, but my Joe Blow 2 doesn't) against a stem with the valve removed should mount most modern tyres on most modern rims. The times I've ended up using the inflator on older sets it has helped - but before that I used co2 a few times to mount with similar results. That works just as well, but obviously costly if doing it many times (why I got the inflator). The ones I can't mount with regular floor pump maybe only the inflator worked 50% of the time. Usually some other cause (stuck bead, leaky tape, broken value hole etc) why they wouldn't go on but at least the inflator gives you an extra tool to use/try and isn't a '1 shot' like a co2.
Finally found what I think might be a pair of gloves that fit me. Tried on I think 3 pairs of different brands/sized gloves for summer and they were all a bad fit. Got some ASSOS aero ones now that seem to be a good fit. How they will hold up is up for debate however. On the top the material is...thin.
Expensive! Have to say recent times I bought 'expensive' gloves have been less than impressed (Spatz, Castelli & Rapha), the cheaper midrange options I have (Sportful) are more comfortable for me. Fit better and feel better made, especially the 'matchy' pair I got on Sportpursuit for £15. They feel more premium and would spend more on them again rather than the 45/65 I've spent on others!
Equally it could be that there was just some grease on the road which caused me to slip and then the tyre popped off due to weight on it at a weird angle. Didn't hear a bang as i'd have expected
Could be, a tyre unseating you'd expect to hear a 'bang' due to the pressure and sealant suddenly exploding everywhere. Could be it slid and hit some debris/rock to unseat it as low pressure pulled it from the rim? Maybe worth an extra check for rim damage to be sure it's ok?
Also just noticed that my RD says max 33T
I always thought it was the long cage version and have been running the 10-36 cassette!
That sounds ok - do know most of the time 'old' Shimano saying a 28T limit on short cage you could get 30T (which was uncommon on 6870 series) and even 32T on it, so there was a massive amount of leeway! They relaxed it with R8000 (being fairly normal to run a 30T cassette on short cage, then introduced 34T cassettes which DID need a long cage). But you're SRAM I think...
The difference is obviously the derailleur arm length which directly relates to your chain length. Worst case is you fit the chain a bit tight and you struggle to have enough slack to get in big:big combo, or too slack and you'll have a loose chain which easily comes off in small:small. If you're avoiding those gearings then really you shouldn't have much issue. Most likely to hit the big:big so tight chain is more likely to be noticed (although means you just change FD) - with small:small being more dangerous (dropping a chain when changing up & increasing speed).
All in all an interesting ride.
Unlucky a few times, but then damn lucky for him to hold that up & then again for the bike not to come off the roof! Close one!
I've been struggling to get a ride in, with the mess of bikes currently and me getting back into weight lifting 3x a week it's not going well. Been very busy too so finding couple hours in the evening when it has cooled down is difficult - not a morning person here..
Heat the last week hasn't helped, still damn hot when it's sunset. I ride well in the heat but do notice quite a bit more fatigue from it too, have to hydrate more and some extra rest - as quality of sleep can be impacted too. Not taking into account your lifting volume!
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