To Tubeless? Or Not To Tubeless?

I was in the shop the other day, and a customer I sold a Roubaix to, who is a huge MTBer, stood there looking at me funny. In his defense, I had two 29er tubes and rim tape hanging from my neck. I had just made a StumpJumper tubeless (or 2bliss as Specialized likes to call it) and we got to talking.

He was very curious as to why I would go tubeless. In his experience (which is none, personally), tubeless riders just end up on the side of the trail, stuffing a tube into their wheel, covered in sealant.

Here are the reasons I gave him for my going tubeless:
-Ability to run lower pressure.
-Not worrying about small punctures.
-Improved comfort.

He was amazed that i didn't mention "weight." Inevitably, whenever someone changes to a tubeless setup, they brag about weight. Lets play with some numbers for a second:

Isaac's Tarmac Pro with Vredestein TriComp road tires, rim tape and tubes weighed in at 14LB and some OZs.

Isaac's Tarmac Pro with Maxxis tires (claimed 23, but closer to 21 when measured), Stan's tape and sealant weighs 15LB and some OZs.

The StumpJumper I've been riding, after being built weighed in at 26LB 8OZ. After wiping off most of the dirt and making the change to tubeless, the bike weighs the same. No weight difference.

By removing the rim tape and tube, you should save some weight, but by adding tape, sealant, having a thicker bead on the tire, you're just adding it back. There are cases where weight has been saved, and if you run tubeless without sealant, there will be a weight benefit, but half the reason most people run tubeless is for the flat protection.

In the end, I wasn't able to change the customers mind, but I wasn't trying to. If your tires are done, and you're looking to try something new, give tubeless a shot. It feels much more supple when you're rolling over things and being able to run lower PSI has just made it a bit more easy for me to get some traction in muddier conditions. If your tires are fine there is no reason to make the switch unless you "have" to try it. Honestly, I did it out of curiosity and because it cost me nothing. Is my life altered? No. Am I happy I made the switch? So far. I'll keep you updated.