tube or tubeless

newborn

Is there any major advantage having tubeless tires. I'm thinking of swapping to tubeless but I've got all the gear for inner tubes like patches and spares. Is tubeless going to cost more for the glue and everything else you need. How do you get air into a tubeless tire, I've spent 40 odd quid on a decent pump & £30 on a portable pump.

GHill

Theoretically, some of the advantages are lower weight, fewer (even zero) punctures and the ability to run lower pressures.

Cost will vary depending on rims/tyres etc - there's different ways of doing it.

CustomReign

Get some Crossmax and get in there. I will never go back - apart from the DHer.

paulrockliffe

Ghetto!

Also, £40 on a pump? WTF!!

S_J_P

Biggest benefit is fewer punctures. I used to suffer with at least one/two punctures per ride in the autumn (thorns), but since going tubeless I've not had a single puncture in over a year!

I have however split the sidewall of a tyre on a flint, and stuck a large nail through the treat and out the sidewall of another, both of which were beyond the magic-sealing capabilities of tyre sealant!

If you've got tubeless rims already, then £2 for a valve, and £10 for a years worth of sealant should see you by. If you don't have tubeless rims, then you'll need a tubeless kit (including rim-strip, valve, and sealant) for around £40 and a lot of patience.

As for inflating the tyres. a decent trackpump (i.e. a £40 pump!) should suffice, especially if you have tubeless rims and tyres. With a DIY kit it can be more difficult to inflate the tyres, but soapy-water is your friend here! Check out www.justridingalong.co.uk for a wealth of info in tubeless conversions.

cee

do the tubeless lot usually carry a spare tube just in case of situations like above from S_J_P
?

for me that is my only tubeless concern....if it goes bang ....you have to push your bike home....not funny at all up north.....

CustomReign

If out on serious trails, I carry a spare tube in the back pack, but have never had a rip or puncture that hasn't self sealed since 2004.
I'm 17 stone, ride hard but have little skill and they do me just fine. (Crossmax ST's on High Rollers and Crossmaxx XL's on Ignitors.

Briefly had tubes on an 07 Stumpy with DT Swiss, but soon sorted that out after a load of punctures all over the place. Can't be dealing with it.

S_J_P

You can carry spare tubes with you, the only problem is that you'll have to remove the rim-strip or the screw-in valve on UST rims to feed the tubes valve through, but it's not that much more bother tha with a standard tube replacement.

I used to carry two spare tubes and a puncture kit, now I'm tubeless I carry a single spare tube.

I want an Orange

I'm thinking on going the Ghetto route after getting two punctures in two days even with slime filled tubes.

Not funny in the dark and raining :x

Northwind

I run one bike tubed and one tubeless... It's not all roses, though it's good.

One thing is weight, people always say "Tubeless is lighter" but it ain't neccesarily so. With my proper UST rims, yep, it's lighter- about 70 grams for the sealant and stem vs 105 grams for my bontrager xxlight tubes. But when I went with "ghetto" on a set of 717s using a BMX tube, it was heavier. And Stans strips and sealant are also heavier.

So, check the numbers first. I guarantee there are people saying "tubeless is lighter" who've never actually done their maths, and would be a bit surprised to find that their tubeless setup is heavier than a sensible tube setup. And other people choose to compare tubeless with ridiculously heavy tubes- sure, it's lighter than a 300 gram DH tube, what a shock, but you can get a reliable, sensible XC tube like an XXlight which is just over 100 grams yet not fragile on the trails.

Punctureproofing is good, though you can still get punctures that won't seal, most times I've had a puncture I didn't even know til I washed the bike and found a thorn. And though punctures aren't the end of the world, they always happen either right in the middle of a great downhill, or when it's cold, wet and miserable and you just want to get home.

Low pressures, mmm. I run the same pressures as I always did, 30-35psi, never had a problem with tubes. I don't run any lower through choice, not because of fears of pinch flats. But ymmv. Also depends how hard you hit things.

People talk about "suppleness" and reduced rolling resistance, I can't feel any difference at all, which doesn't mean it's not there but I'm not that convinced.

All in all, I won't go back on my tubeless bike, but after mucking about with "ghetto" I'm sticking with tubes in the other one.

Sarnian

I have done ghetto on both my bikes, and apart from the fact I am not getting any punctures (the main reason for doing It) they do feel different not sure how but they do In a good way

And I had no trouble setting them up, about 15-20min each wheel.

bails87

What rim and tyre combo did you use Sarnian. Tempted by tubeless as I dont want to be trying to fix punctures in January sleet!

Sarnian

I have one bike using Mavic 521 rims with Panaracer Trail Raker, and the other bike Is Mavic 717 rims with Panaracer Cinder.

bails87

Cheers, I need a wintery all rounder, perhaps it's time for a "What Tyre" thread, I haven't seen one for at least 30 seconds

Sarnian

I can recommend the Panaracer Trail Raker, I started using them towards the end of the summer when the trails were still dry and they worked well, and know everything Is muddy as hell over here, they are still doing well. Then again the Panaracer Cinder do well as well

S_J_P

I love the Cinders, they're great tyres, though the sidewalls are a little fragile and their slack-beads can lead to problems with tubeless set-ups.

If you're tubeless then Bonty Mud-X's are great winter shoes, though Trailrakers are very well though of too.

Oh, whoops, this isn't a what tyre thread is it?