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Overheard a customer say tubeless setups are a scam, had to bite my tongue
I was helping a guy at the shop last Saturday and he told the new kid that tubeless tires are just a way to sell more sealant and tape. He swore by tubes after one bad experience where sealant didn't hold a sidewall cut on a 3 year old tire. I get that not everyone wants to deal with the mess, but calling the whole thing a scam? I wanted to ask if he ever burped a tube on a rocky descent or dealt with pinch flats 4 times in one month. Has anyone else run into people who just write off tubeless after a single failed attempt without giving it a proper setup?
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danielowens9d ago
Doesn't it feel like that's how everything goes these days people have one bad experience with something and instantly it's a total scam or garbage? I saw a guy at the grocery store swear off all organic produce because he bought one bad avocado once. It's like we forgot that some things take a little trial and error to get right, especially with bike tech.
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robin8969d ago
One thing people overlook is that tubeless is way more about the rim and tire combination than just the sealant. Aero road bike rims need different tire beads than downhill mountain bike rims, and if you mismatch them, you are asking for trouble. I have seen guys try to mount a gravel tire meant for hookless rims on an old hook bead rim and wonder why it pops off. The whole system works together and when it clicks, it is rock solid. But you have to do your homework first or you will end up blaming the idea instead of the wrong parts.
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