GamJams Tech: Premes, Picks, Promos p/b November Bicycles

As a cyclist, the search for newer and better gear is constant — there's always something else out there. Premes, Picks, Promos will highlight both the next big thing and the sleeper deal.

From the start, I've been a proponent of road tubeless wheels and tires. The combination of a nice wheel (Shimano Dura-Ace 7801 — the original tubeless wheel) and 90psi makes for a smooth, comfortable ride. Plus, it feels like there's Velcro on my wheels in crit corners.

Originally, they were my race-only wheels, and I rode them a couple dozen times per summer. But over the last season or so, I've been riding them pretty much every day. Why? Because they're fast — and they're fun. Why limit that to races?

"But what if you puncture?"

I've heard that question a lot. Over the four seasons I've been riding tubeless, I've never punctured in a race. I had one puncture last year that sealed at about 60psi, enabling me to easily finish the ride.

If it's a small hole, it will seal itself and you'll ride on. If it's a bigger hole, just tube it and get going. But I've never had to do that. Until yesterday.

Fairly early in a jailbreak ride (50 degrees and sunny in Omaha in February), I felt the telltale squishy wheel. When I stopped to check on it, I saw a bit of sealant bubbling out. That gave me hope for a quick seal.

This is where I should have just given up, put a tube in and continued on. But my past experiences with both tires sealing and with sealant seeping all over the place upon opening up a tubeless tire kept me going. I rolled on a bit more before finally deciding that it just wasn't going to seal.

Since I was close to one of our local shops, I babied it over there (tubeless advantage: you can ride on a flattish tire without fear of the tire coming off) and put it onto a workstand to get a better look. The cut, despite how it looks below, wasn't that bad — especially on the inside.

But once I actually cracked it open, I could see why it didn't seal — there wasn't much sealant left in there. In fact, there's a good chance that what I saw bubbling out immediately after the puncture was the bulk of what was in there.

Because of that, the process of tubing it wasn't nearly messy as I imagined it would be, and I definitely could have done it by the side of the road without making a giant mess of things. Still, though, it was nice to be in a more controlled environment and off the ground.

What did I learn from the whole thing? Tubeless flats are still pretty rare — in my experience, at least — and changing them isn't as bad as naysayers would have you believe. Also, if your tire doesn't seal up right away, it probably won't do it a mile down the road, either. Just stop and put a tube in the damn thing instead of checking on it every 20 feet for the next five minutes.

—

In addition to publishing GamJams Midwest, Bryan Redemske has managed the Trek Bicycle Store of Omaha (Midtown), is a professional writer and a Cat 3 racer. He drinks a lot of coffee.

—

Sheesh, some of that stuff is expensive. Good thing you get your frames and wheels at Pro Deal pricing. Wait — you don't? You might want to look at November Bicycles. They've got a new racer-specific model designed to strip unnecessary pricing out of the cost of your new bike. It's like a Pro Deal for everyone.