A Year on Tubeless Tires

Sunday’s Hell of Hunterdon, Brian Ignatin’s cult ride through the gravel roads of rural Central New Jersey, is where, exactly one-year ago, I began riding tubeless tires. It all began in the fall of 2021, when, after having survived a near-fatal medical issue, I began to make plans for a European cycling trip, (which was documented on FB last June) as much to prove to myself that I was in fact still alive as to reconnect with old friends from my years in Europe. To do so of course, a new bike was needed, my philosophy being, “If I’m going to go out, I’m going out riding the very best stuff possible.”

 Plans were made to pick up a Pinarello F in Italy, a shipment of my favorite Q36.5 clothing was put in motion, leaving only the question of wheels to be determined. Princeton Carbon Works had come to my attention after seeing their wheels on Ineos, a team that famously tests, measures, and coldly analyzes every single factor related to performance. Almost immediately after my first inquires to PCW, an invitation came through from Marty Crotty, the founder and CEO of the company, to attend Brian’s ride and to test out their product. All I had to do was bring a cassette.

 Marty and their Director of Operations, Richard Furchgott, were at the start with a set of tubeless Dual’s, their wheel specifically designed for Ineos and the 2021 Paris-Roubaix campaign. These were in fact actual Ineo wheels, unmarked due to sponsor conflicts, unused by the team, complete with White Industries hubs (kudos to the Petaluma California company for being chosen for the most equipment-bashing race in existence) and mounted with very first factory batch of Continental 5000 TR S 28mm tires.

 It was then that I realized, true to form, that I’d forgotten the 11-32 cassette, and a massive, junior racer-level tantrum, a monster lain dormant for decades, began to rise like a tsunami within me as I stared at the beautiful yet unusable Dual’s. Seeing my reaction, an alarmed Richard - I’ve made better first impressions, put it that way - showing what a class Ops Director really does, which is problem solve, fled the scene and somewhere, somehow, from the depths of Hunterdon County, emerged with an 11-32 in hand just in time for the start.  

 It was clear, right from the first pedal strokes, why there’s so much hullabaloo surrounding tubeless. They are wonderfully lively and sing to you with a high-pitched ocean wave sound, certainly brought about by the fact that they are hollow with no tube to dampen noise. It was on the first sections of gravel that the beauty of the technology really came through because, even on the large and often sharp stones of East Coast gravel – they’re certainly not the little polished gems of Strade Bianche – one feels complete confidence in the tires. They just feel strong and, with 75-lbs pressure (bit more than cobblestone pressure), handle the bumps and turns with ease and security. And boy, are they fast. Seriously and unmistakably so.

 The wheels too made for a fine experience. Wider than any I’ve ever had before. Looking down there was no discernable tire bulge, just the rim and a faint outline of the sidewall and, have to say, just so very cool to be on true, bullet-proof Paris-Roubaix wheels and tires. I ended up keeping the wheels, going on to annoy everyone at Rapha and my fav bikes shops in Manhattan and upper NJ where I’d stop in and flex: “See, see, these are real Ineos wheels!” It was all going swimmingly until my first puncture.

 Gunk spraying all over my back, an overwhelming panic as visions of my friend George Suter, who discovered to his surprise and horror, after his first tubeless puncture had somehow soaked the front of his shorts, that he had a severe allergy to latex, spending a week in bed attending to his “Bright red, swollen, throbbing groin…” I just made it from Central Park to Toga Bike Shop where Lou Viera kindly and immediately had his techs change the out tires for tubed clinchers. On the ride home to Harlem it was as though someone had turned off the lights. I couldn’t believe the difference between the joy of the tubeless and the deadness of tubed. Immediately turning around, I headed back to Toga where Lou (“Ha! You miss that feel don’t you?”) and Will spent an hour teaching me about tire plugs. Now determined to learn this new technology, I remounted then plugged the Conti tubeless which held afterwards with no issues whatsoever.

 My entire two-week odyssey in Europe, on crazy-fast Princeton 6560 Wakes mounted with Pirelli P-Zero Race SL 26 mm, went without a hitch. There was one puncture late in the summer which self-sealed; however, sealant for road tires is not the panacea that the industry seems to claim. The high-pressure of road tires fights against the sealing qualities of whatever gunk is inside. If there’s a tiny puncture, they’ll self-seal, which has happened twice in a year for me, which also means two times I didn’t have to stop and either plug or install a tube; very much worth it. BTW, you really need a side pump, like the Silca Tattico (I’m an unabashed Silca fan, just got the parts from them to rebuild a 40-year-old track pump) because you may have to pump up the tire a couple of times to get home if the sealant or plug only partially completes the job, again, saving you having to stop and remove the wheel.

 Tubeless offers five methods of on-road repair: sealant, plug, tube, boot, and patch kit. Clinchers use the latter three methods and tubulars have only the one choice: change the tire which is in fact the fastest and easiest method apart from self-seal tubeless. Yet, tubeless are certainly not for everyone nor perhaps most. Every photo I’ve seen of pro riders’ training bikes show then on tubed clinchers. One needs some sort of compressor (you can find home versions for under $100; gas stations don’t work) sealant and injector, the patience to learn how to mount them using the inner channel of the rim as well as the sometimes/often frustration of getting them to seat and seal. Gunk will enter your life. Whether being sprayed on by a puncture or dealing with it as you change out for a tube, it’s all very messy. I wouldn’t dare put them on my wife’s bike, for example, the thought of Lucy coming home with gunk soaked hair is simply too terrifying to consider.

 All said, I still very much prefer the ride of tubular tires, in fact, just bought my third set of Princeton’s, the very light tubular Peak’s. No other technology can compare with the pillowtop feel of a 28mm fine-quality tubular nor the lighter weight of tubular rims. But I don’t stray that far from home with them and if anything smacks of long-distance adventure it’s straight back to the tubeless. I’ll never go back to tubes. They’re a great ride, you can always get home, and if you’re a true performance freak, tubeless is the fastest way to go.

 A word about Princeton Carbon Works. They are a racing company, pure and simple, which is why we all get along so very well. Not sure if they even understand the term ‘marketing’ which is why, in the pay-to-play world of our current cycling media, they are so rarely mentioned except when the issue is forced (usually only by photos) by such things as The Hour Record, the World Pursuit Record, ProTour time trial wins, etc. Marty, a very large man, is a two-time national rowing champion and the head coach of Princeton University’s Men’s Lightweight Rowing Team in addition to his entrepreneurial efforts. Their inherent intensity became apparent when he and Richard were explaining the need for the lighter rowers to weight train because of the tendency of ribcages to crack under the insane pressures of their efforts…These are people who really, really want to win. Fellow crazy racers, in other words.

 At one point on our ride last year, desperate to show something, anything at all to salvage my pride – I was getting creamed by the duo– I did a jump, a bit of a sprint. The wheels were so incredibly stiff and responsive I couldn’t believe it. It was explained that PCW uses quite high spoke tension (pro mechanics often must spend hours re-tightening factory wheels) leaving their Mystic, Connecticut factory already at ProTour tension levels. PCW is a cutting-edge American racing company offering a very fast and strong product, one that survives Team Ineos scrutiny, no mean feat. Plus, they look simply amazing.