Swapped to tubeless tires on my commuter bike and lost 3 mph on my usual route

I figured the smoother ride would make me faster, but after two weeks of trying different pressures on that 6 mile loop through downtown, I went back to tubes and gained my speed right back, has anyone else seen worse rolling resistance with tubeless on a heavy bike like mine?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.eva28d ago

You mentioned "lost 3 mph" and that sounds like a lot just from switching tires. I have a heavy steel commuter with racks and panniers and I actually went the opposite way. Switched to tubeless a year ago and my average speed went up about 1 mph on my 8 mile route. The difference I found was pressure. With tubes I was running 60 psi to avoid pinch flats. With tubeless I dropped to 45 psi and the tires deform over bumps instead of bouncing off them. That bounce wastes energy. Maybe your pressures were too low for your weight? Or your tire tread is way too knobby for pavement?

tessa_rivera28d ago

...and you gained a full mile an hour just from dropping pressure? That's wild. I've been running tubes at 60 psi on my hybrid for years because I'm paranoid about pinch flats on potholes. Never even considered going lower with tubeless. Honestly, the idea of intentionally riding at 45 psi makes my brain itch a little. But if you're saying the tires just absorb bumps instead of bouncing, that actually makes sense. I might have to try this just to see if my commute feels less like a jackhammer session.