Tubeless Road tires moving forward at rapid rate..

July 26th, 2010 5:23pm

Paris, France July 8, 2008 - - Cycling industry icons Campagnolo and Specialized have embraced Hutchinson Road Tubeless technology, with both brands creating RT wheelsets, and Specialized producing their "Turbo Tubeless" tires at Hutchinson's factory outside of Paris, France beginning with the 2009 model year.

SPECIALIZED TURBO TIRES AND ROVAL WHEELS From a VeloNews article by Ben Delaney: More than 30 years after company founder Mike Sinyard brought the Specialized Turbo to market as a high-performance clincher, the Californian company is releasing another Turbo. This time, it's a tubeless road model. Not yet available, the Turbo Tubeless was designed in conjunction with the tubeless Roval wheel that Specialized will sell. Weighing in at 290 grams, the S-Works Turbo Tubeless model features a supple 127tpi casing and, thanks to the lack of a tube, very low rolling resistance. Other models will be available later in the year. "The advantages of tubeless are huge," said Robert Choi, Specialized's director of equipment, research and development. "You have a very comfortable riding tire. At 85 to 115psi, you can ride these all day long." The tire features a dual radius tread with a harder center section and softer edges for cornering. Like all tubeless systems, the Turbo can handle flats with either sealant liquid or a traditional tube.

CAMPAGNOLO 2-WAY FIT In 2009 Campagnolo will embrace tubeless technologies with two wheels: Shamal Ultra 2-Way Fit and Eurus 2-Way Fit. The 2-Way Fit moniker refers to the wheels' ability to accept tubeless or standard clincher type tires. Campagnolo convinced itself of the merits of tubeless with internal testing. Campagnolo believed the features presented by Hutchinson in its release of tubeless road tires (Comfort, resistance to pinching and safety if punctured) were impressive, but what convinced it to participate is the improvement in rolling resistance. Campagnolo believes tubeless tires reduce a wheel's rolling resistance by 31 percent. Campagnolo realizes that tubeless tires are still rare and that there is still indecisiveness on the part of tire manufactures surrounding the technology. For this reason, it decided not to build a wheelset that would only work for tubeless, but also offer compatibility with standard clinchers. Campagnolo 2-Way Fit wheels will only be compatible for tubeless use with Hutchinson tubeless tires.