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Is this a conspiracy of bike and wheel manufacturers, to maintain a steady demand for tubes and tires?
No, because if it worked as well as you suspect, someone would have made it happen and taken all the money tube and tire companies are getting.
The reason pneumatic tires continue to be used is because air itself is a great spring. Additionally, being a ...
28
There are two good answers here already, I'll add the relevant physics.
Any suspension has three key variables:
Its spring constant, i.e. how quickly the force rises as the suspension is compressed.
Its dampening, i.e. how much energy is lost in every compression/decompression cycle.
Its unsuspended mass, i.e. the amount of material that needs to move ...
16
Yes, you do need to replace the tyre. It can burst any time. You just leave the bike somewhere, hear a loud bang and that's it. If you are lucky. If you are unlucky, it happens when you are riding it and you crash because the bike is no longer controllable.
12
We don't, and alternatives exist
What we need is some level of compliance in the tyre. Rolling resistance at this level is governed by the tyre's ability to roll over small surface deviations. Air (in fact any gas) is highly compressible and gives a great way of soaking up these small changes in surface height, allowing the tyre to roll well.
They aren't ...
10
The fastest way is to use tubeless plugs - bacon strips or worms. They are also used to plug holes in automobile and motorcycle tyres.
(source: Pro bike tool marketing pictures)
They are often sold in expensive bicycle-specific packaging, but the plugs itself can be bought much cheaper in bulk from sources directed to motorized vehicles.
The big advantage ...
8
If that was my rear tire, but I still had to ride a few miles to get home, I'd ride it as long as it lasts. I'm talking about easy, slow, flat miles on a paved road. Not screaming mountain descents or anything challenging.
If that was my front tire, I would walk home.
Either way, it goes in the trash as soon as I get home.
7
I remember I heard a small pop and stopped inflating
The pop is what you are waiting for when inflating. It means that the tyre has become seated on the rim and will stop leaking air fast and it is now enough to just add the air as necessary.
For 35c gravel tubeless tyres I would use pressures about 35-40 PSI or somewhat more if you are heavier than me (...
6
This is one of those ideas that comes around every couple of years, over and over.
And it is quite plausibly a good idea in certain circumstances, like your martian rover (AA doesn't service there), or in a war-zone (where a flat would be bad for your health), or a wheelchair (where you're literally stranded)
However every time, the idea never takes off ...
6
Blow-offs happen but it's uncommon and unpredictable, unless you overinflate. With practice you can pick up on when a tire goes on particularly easy, but that's about the only indicator you'll get, and even that sets nothing in stone because most of the time the bead will lock just fine anyway, assuming a proper tubeless rim. In my experience tubeless blow-...
6
A wheel is essentially round, a road is essentially flat. For reasonable contact with the road that does not damage either wheel or road, the tire needs to be deformed at the contact point to make a contact patch rather than a point. As the wheel rolls on, the deformation needs to move on the wheel. If the deformation energy is expended locally, you need ...
5
The sizes match, so according to the manufacturers you are on the safe side.
It’s not uncommon for tubes to be slightly too “long” (i.e. have a wider diameter). Maybe it’s because this tube also fits 635mm wheels and not just your 622mm.
Just try to “distribute” the excess length, so you don’t have one big kink in a single place. In your photo it’s also not ...
4
No, a tyre boot will absolutely not be enough. Some side cuts are repairable by stitching. However, it is better for MTB tyres that use smaller pressures. I do not know if it is likely to work on a road tyre.
4
Yes replace that tire (if not both) immediately. This is called dry rot. Dry rot is caused by sunlight exposure, and ozone.
3
Seating a MTB tubeless tyre is accompanied with a very audible pop/bang when the bead locks in.
I’m not sure if skinny tyres have such a large noise but it’s definitely normal for the process. Keep inflating until you reach your desired pressure.
Once you have cleaned your rim and tyre you can inflate dry without fluid. The tube should seat and hold air for ...
3
Don't worry. Try taking a square piece of rubber. If you stretch it in one direction, it will naturally try to become narrower in the other direction. When you pump your tyre, it will fit well. Also, a part of the tube is then farther from the rim – where the diameter is larger.
2
Visualize the extremes, i.e. a rim that was "obviously" too narrow for a 2.1". Say 10mm internal. As you get narrower, the handling gets floppier, particularly in aggressive riding. The lie of the contemporary charts is they make this effect look binary where in fact it is progressive.
Mountain bikes started out with fairly rational rim to ...
2
how afraid I should be of having the tire explode
The tire cannot explode for any reasonable definition of "explode". Well, unless you exceed the pressure rating so much that the tire cannot hold the pressure.
If you use inner tubes, the inner tube can "explode" when inflating if the outer tire is not properly seated. The reason is that ...
2
On average yes it probably will be easier with non-tubeless tires, because the bead of a tubeless tire is trying to form the tightest lock into the rim it can achieve and they're mostly pretty good at that these days. What's harder to say is what tire to get and how much easier it will be. The rims provide a lot of locking force themselves. The other side to ...
2
The difficulty rating varies by tire and rim and which combinations are used. Some tires may come off easier on some wheels and be more difficult on others. In general tubeless rims make it more difficult to break the bead loose. The reason is that tubeless rims have an extra bump next to the spoke holes. The purpose of which is to keep the tire from ...
2
Here are the likely reasons:
You don't mention timeframe between inflations. Even when things are right, tubeless needs reinflation fairly frequently. It's approximately akin to an ultralight tube. Making it through a ride shoudn't be a problem, and it shouldn't just lose all its air unless sitting for months, but it will lose a meaningful amount of air in ...
2
A reputable bike shop that did work on your bike with unsatisfactory results should make every effort to make it right at no additional cost to you. If you have a receipt documenting the service and amount you paid, bring that and the bike along with you. Even if it's been a bit of time (a couple weeks to a month), it's perfectly legitimate to bring the ...
1
I will repeat and expand on the points from my original comment even if I generally detest answering questions where more information should be supplied first and call for waiting for that information
Firstly, if you let the shop to prepare the tubeless setup for you bring it back to the shop.
How long should a tubeless tyre stay inflated - be prepared to ...
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