Fixing punctures on tubeless wheel, away from home

BG2000
BG2000 Posts: 517
edited January 2012 in MTB workshop & tech
Do people with tubeless setups carry a syringe of sealant and a valve core remover while out on rides ?

I'll probably carry an inner tube, just in case, but I'm very reluctant to remove the tyre once it's sealed, so in the event of a puncture, I would much rather repair a hole in the tyre with sealant (assuming this is possible for 'thorn' type holes).

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Shouldn't the sealant already be in the tyre before it gets punctured?
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  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    This is why I have stopped using tubeless. You puncture when out and deflate, you may never seal the bead on the trail. Lose your sealant and you are buggered. Carrying a tube defeats the object.
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  • DodgeT
    DodgeT Posts: 2,255
    For the brief time I was running tubeless, I just carried the usual spare tube and repair kit.
    In the hope that small punctures should just reseal fine, prob just need to top the air up with pump. Bigger issues I could then just stick a tube in and repair it again with a patch if necessary.

    Burping and getting crap in between the rim/tyre though and your buggered unless you have a tube, even then its very messy.

    Didn't take long for me to revert back to running tubes.
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    supersonic wrote:
    This is why I have stopped using tubeless. You puncture when out and deflate, you may never seal the bead on the trail. Lose your sealant and you are buggered. Carrying a tube defeats the object.


    Don't get that last part. If you run tubes, it's easier to carry a tube to replace if you puncture, rather than having to faff on the trail (well the first time anyway). If you fix punctures quickly, sometimes you wish you'd taken your time.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Never had a problem, take half a dozen Park pre glued patches, job done in seconds.
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  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    Perhaps I should try them and do away with me good old vulcanisation.

    I tried leeches many moons ago and never got on....
  • DodgeT
    DodgeT Posts: 2,255
    When I said repair kit above, i meant instant patches and levers, nothing more. Always been spot on and dead quick/easy.
  • BG2000
    BG2000 Posts: 517
    cooldad wrote:
    Shouldn't the sealant already be in the tyre before it gets punctured?

    That was going to be my next question - I'd assumed that leaving some sealant sloshing around in the tyre may automatically seal any new holes that arise, but wouldn't this just dry up after a while ? Or does it stay wet inside for, say, 6 months ?
  • BG2000
    BG2000 Posts: 517
    supersonic wrote:
    This is why I have stopped using tubeless. You puncture when out and deflate, you may never seal the bead on the trail. Lose your sealant and you are buggered. Carrying a tube defeats the object.

    I did wonder about that. I guess it means I should carry a CO2 inflator just in case (I only bother with hand pumps normally). However, when I first fitted the tyres without sealant, they 'popped in place' nicely and stay that way even when deflated. For example, I can let all the air out, and then re-inflate with a hand pump. I'm probably just lucky with my rim/tyre combo and all the rim tapes I've installed under the rim strip.
  • mrmonkfinger
    mrmonkfinger Posts: 1,452
    supersonic wrote:
    Carrying a tube defeats the object.

    Carrying a tube is just the 'get out of jail free' card, no?

    I thought the benefits were meant to be that you didn't suffer from pinch flats or thorn punctures and could run lower PSI for better grip? Personally, my reason for trying was basically the famous puncture free lifestyle all the salesmen promised me, the slightly lower PSI is just icing. Admittedly I'm a bit of a tubeless novice TBH (one install so far).
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  • rhialto
    rhialto Posts: 277
    BG2000 wrote:
    Do people with tubeless setups carry a syringe of sealant and a valve core remover while out on rides ?
    I have run tubeless for 4 years now. I add sealant when I change tyres and it stays liquid between tyre changes, which have been up to 12 months. I use Caffe Latex sealant, which is more fluid than most, and has sealed any puncture that I have had without my intervention except for two instances where I have had to do trailside repairs because the holes were too large for the sealant to plug. For this I carry a spare tube, levers, a rag (to clean the inside of the tyre) and a mini-pump in my pack. Two trailside tyre repairs in 4 years is pretty good especially compared with when I ran tubes. Others on this forum have not been so fortunate I gather.

    There are also tubeless repair kits on the market. E.g. Weldtite Tubeless Tyre Outside Repair Kit, http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=7971. You push a blob of tar (?) into the hole with a special tool and supposedly this plugs the hole from the outside. You don't have to remove the tyre. I carry this kit around with me as well but I haven't tried it yet so I don't know how effective it is. The comments on CRC are pretty positive though.

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