THE TUBELESS TIRE REVOLUTION

MAXXIS

Maxxis’ biggest contributions to tire technology are its under-400-gram tires and super-light tubes. Its 380 gram Minotaur tire, 91-gram butyl tube, and 10-gram rim strip make for the lightest complete system you can buy. What makes this package even more attractive is its relatively low price, something Maxxis Customer Service Coordinator Michael Kleinheinz is concerned about with the UST. He told us Maxxis has wheels from Mavic and is doing some testing and exploring the technology, but there are no tire designs yet. He believes in the tubeless concept but feels most average Joes won’t pay that much for the current system. “For it to really succeed, the price has to come down,” he says.

SHIMANO

The tubeless revolution has come at a critical time for Shimano. The Japanese component giant is just preparing to jump into the mountain bike wheel fray, and its involvement in a tubeless system would be a major boost. We talked to the new Shimano Media King, Chris DiStefano, who has over five years of experience as a Shimano Race Service mechanic.
“Like everyone else, I think it is a good idea, but is it the wave of the future? I don’t know.” Still, Chris considers anything that makes a mechanic’s life easier an advantage. “If you can eliminate any inconveniences that a tire and tube have, that is good for the mechanics and racers. ”

PANARACER

While other tire makers are considering the impact of the UST, Panaracer has been working on developing its own version of a tubeless system. In talking to Jeff Zell, Panaracers North American Manager, it became clear that a tubeless tire was a high priority for Panaracer. Panaracer, however, is pursuing a different format than the UST system. “We believe tubeless is the future, but the problem is getting a product that everyone can use, something that is not rim-specific and doesn’t weigh more than a standard tube and tire system,” Zell said, noting that Panaracer has done a lot of testing and even developed a tubeless tire, but the tire isn’t quite where Panaracer wants it to be. In a perfect Panaracer world, the cost for a tubeless wheelset would be equivalent to a Shimano XTR-level wheelset and could be standard-equipment on $800 bikes. Zell continued by saying that he thinks Mavic’s system is very good, but the “specific stuff” is a drawback. He thinks tubeless will be the next big thing once everything is right and someone makes a tire that works on a standard rim.

TIOGA

If you want the straight scoop on something, Tioga’s Jeff Holt is your man. He told us that the UST is great for cross-country racing, but in downhill, the tires get so many gashes and holes that it is a horrible idea. “Compare three bucks for a new tube to $50 to replace every gashed tire. I’m not saying we aren’t playing with it,” Jeff said. “As a company, we will pursue it. I would want it to work with any rim, though, so the consumer doesn’t have to buy new wheels.”

CANNONDALE

Cannondale’s race effort is supported by both Mavic and Hutchinson, so we were eager to see how this might cross over to the production line. We talked to Bicycle Product Manager Steve Metz to see what the deal was. He told us that currently Cannondale specs the tubeless system on only one model, the $2699 F3000 SL, because most of Cannondale’s upper-end models are disc-brake specific.
“Since we are so disc-specific, Steve continued, “we had trouble spec’ing the system. Right now, the CrossMax Tubeless only works with rim brakes. Mavic has the best system, but since they don’t have a disc version, our team won’t use it.”

GT BICYCLES

Steve Blick of GT Bicycles was to the point about tubeless: no one at GT has even tried Mavic’s system, but they are eager to. “As for spec’ing it on a production bike, if it was a racing model and the team was using it, we would do it because we are a racing company. It is definitely part of the future, but right now we have no plans to put tubeless tires on a production bike.”

GEAX

Geax tires already has UST tire prototypes the MBA wrecking crew knows, because we held them in our own mitts. Geax officials told MBA that the tubeless tires weren’t ready for the media to test…yet. Geax developed its UST tire mere months after Mavic debuted its wheels. Mavic wasn’t pleased with the Geax tire because of licensing agreements between the three main UST players.

SPECIALIZED

With the creation of Specialized’s new Armadillo technology, a guaranteed no-flat tire, we suspected that Specialized’s tire department might be looking ahead to tubeless. A quick call to Specialized product development guy (and tire specialist) Al Clark proved that our suspicions were correct. Al said Specialized is indeed looking into the possibility of Armadillo technology for tubeless applications. He said there is no question that Specialized could spec’ tubeless tires as original equipment on future bikes, as long as it could be done at a reasonable price.
“The key is to make sure that it is easily usable for the average consumer,” Clark said. “It must be easy to inflate and easy to change. If tubeless gets a reputation for stranding riders on the trail that will be the quick death of it. It must be reliable.”

MAVIC

This story wouldn’t be complete without input from Mavic, the French wheel maker responsible for all this tubeless stuff. We put Mavic’s American Marketing Manager Steve Driscoll under the lamp to get the final word on tubeless technology. He had some interesting things to say.
The good news concerns the rights to the UST technology. Mavic, Michelin, and Hutchinson signed an “exclusive” agreement that lasts for one year from the introduction date (which was at the Mammoth Mountain NORBA national in July 1999). So, as of July of this year, any tire maker can come on board with UST.

“We gave them [Michelin and Hutchinson] a year from the release date and then all tire makers can make tires for our rims,” Driscoll said. “There is no fee for tire manufactures, just small rules they must follow, like putting the UST logo on the sidewall. We will help them by furnishing design information on the bead and lip to make it work.
Driscoll also stated that Mavic will make UST more affordable in the future. “As new technology becomes more readily available, it becomes more affordable,” he said.
Mavic’s headquarters in France is already looking into cost-cutting measures because as more tire makers jump on board, they will want to see higher sales numbers than the present $800 wheelsets can sustain.

When questioned about the future of tubeless, Driscoll seemed confident that tubeless will indeed dominate the marketplace, for racers and recreational riders. Driscoll believes that tire technology will improve based on the UST concept. Tire makers will reformulate the rubber to make it more puncture-resistant.

WHAT WE LEARNED

ABOUT UST

MBA’s testing, and a slew of racing victories, has demonstrated the value of tubeless tires. They flat less, simplify the sport and are far less of a hassle to install. If any aspect of cycling needs improvement, it’s the presently unreliable pneumatic tires that keep the lion’s share of the world’s bicycles hanging in the garage. If the UST system is not made available to a wider range of wheel and tire makers, however, the UST acronym may stand for “Unsuccessful Standards for Tubeless.” Only time will tell.