What I`ve learnt from 6 months experience of going tubeless

The Spiderman

1) Loads of fairy liquid on the tyre beads makes life much easier.
2) Don`t skimp on the scoops of sealant.2 scoops makes it much easier to achieve an initial seal.
3) Check the rim tape is properly bedded down and adhered in the rim.
4) Check valve seal carefully.I had to add some extra insulation tape around mine to cure a slight leak.
5) If you keep your bike in a very warm shed the sealant needs topping up sooner rather than later.
6) If you have slight leakage sticking the wheel in the bath will soon identify where the problem is
7) It`s pretty easy to get an initial seal with a track pump if you have proper tubeless wheels, but furious pumping can wear out the pump seals......
8 ) If you are 85-90kgs or over don`t try to run them much less than 30 psi
9) The laying the wheel on its side on a bucket trick works if you have leaky sidewalls.
10) Once you`ve learnt all of the above through experience,the second time is so much easier....................

(Roval Control wheels with Racing Ralph/Nobby Nic Evos)

nicklouse

mmm put a tube in. go ride.

bennett_346

^^ that sounds easier.

spend the rest of the time saved in the pub.

The Northern Monkey

What I've learnt from using tubes since learning to ride a bike:

1*) Tubes work and rarely fail.
2a^) When tubes fail, replace with new tube.
2b^) When tubes fail and you have no spare tube, patch tubes.

*Tube failure rate based on personal experience. 1 puncture in 16 months.
^Points 2a and 2b are open to interpretation/amendment.

paul.skibum

If you have a load of cash and all the time in the world......go tubeless.

If you have some money and would prefer to sit on the sofa and have a beer to faffing with white liquids and rubber...put a tube in.

Tubeless = more bullshit invented to fill the time of people with nothing to do with their lives. (joking)

warpcow

What I've learnt from going tubeless:

1) Fit as you would a tubed system, only substituting a tube for sealant and rim-tape for suitable tubeless tape.
2) If this procedure takes more than 10mins, step away from the bike and consider taking up knitting.

EH_Rob

What I've learned:

1) Its your bike and your time, do what you like.

njee20

1) Fit as you would a tubed system, only substituting a tube for sealant and rim-tape for suitable tubeless tape.
2) If this procedure takes more than 10mins, step away from the bike and consider taking up knitting.

True dat.

bails87

njee20 wrote:

1) Fit as you would a tubed system, only substituting a tube for sealant and rim-tape for suitable tubeless tape.
2) If this procedure takes more than 10mins, step away from the bike and consider taking up knitting.

True dat.

He forgot tomention spending £300+ on a new set of tubeless ready/compatible wheels and tyres.

I'm sure it's great when done properly, but conversions are a PITFA!

I got so frustrated when my TR Mud Xs wouldn't even entertain the idea of inflating that I threw my track pump across the garden and broke it!

Edit: Oh, and SPDs, HT, PC, SRAM :twisted:

njee20

I've had at least 4 sets of Mud Xs over the years, never had any problems. Technique innit.

bails87

njee20 wrote:

I've had at least 4 sets of Mud Xs over the years, never had any problems. Technique innit.

Like I said, it was a conversion. Unreliable ballache.

stubs

Tried it didnt like it.

An hour spent miles from warm civilisation with refreshing sleet trickling down my neck and darkness descending fast trying to wrestle the tyre off the rim and fit a tube into a sticky tyre has put me off for ever.

If they ever come up with a system that doesnt involve expensive tyres and rims or bottles of sticky white jizz I might have another go. Till then I will stick with a couple of spare tubes in my rucksack and a box of patches.

cat_with_no_tail

njee20 wrote:

1) Fit as you would a tubed system, only substituting a tube for sealant and rim-tape for suitable tubeless tape.
2) If this procedure takes more than 10mins, step away from the bike and consider taking up knitting.

True dat.

+ Potato

But also..

bails87 wrote:

conversions are a PITFA!

+ Potato on that too.

95% of the people on here who moan that tubeless is a bag of crap have only done "ghetto" conversions.

If you're not going to use proper tubeless tyres with proper tubeless wheels, don't then come back and moan that tubeless is shlt, because you've not actually tried tubeless, what you've tried is bodging the job, you cheapass mo-fo!

If I tried cutting my HT in half and fitting a bedspring to make it "ghetto FS" I'd not then come back on here and moan when it didn't work.

If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing properly.

bails87

Cat With No Tail wrote:

bails87 wrote:

conversions are a PITFA!

+ Potato on that too.

95% of the people on here who moan that tubeless is a bag of crap have only done "ghetto" conversions.

If you're not going to use proper tubeless tyres with proper tubeless wheels, don't then come back and moan that tubeless is shlt, because you've not actually tried tubeless, what you've tried is bodging the job, you cheapass mo-fo!

If I tried cutting my HT in half and fitting a bedspring to make it "ghetto FS" I'd not then come back on here and moan when it didn't work.

If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing properly.

I didn't 'ghetto' it. I paid for an official "No Tubes" conversion kit, with the expectation that it would, y'know, work.

If/when I get new wheels they'll most like be Stan's so I'll try it properly. and reserve judgement on 'real' tubeless until then.

cat_with_no_tail

wasn't specifically referring to you. We seem to be essentially in agreement about it anyway.

lawman

Had zero problems with my stan's crests set up tubeless, didn't even use they're proper tape, just plain old gorilla tape, did a great job, and the sealant lasted about 10 months, no punctures and yes it was actually lighter than a tube!

bails87

Cat With No Tail wrote:

wasn't specifically referring to you. We seem to be essentially in agreement about it anyway.

Oh yeah, I know, just pointing out that even a 'proper' conversion is still a conversion so still a pain!

If only I could break my On One wheels, then I could buy some Arch EXs and try it properly

lawman

bails87 wrote:

If only I could break my On One wheels, then I could buy some Arch EXs and try it properly

Clearly not trying hard enough then!!! :P

njee20

I used to run XC717s converted with Eclipse rim strips (pre-Stan's), and would still do that over tubes, although it must be said a Stan's rim works better.

mrmonkfinger

Cat With No Tail wrote:

95% of the people on here who moan that tubeless is a bag of crap have only done "ghetto" conversions.

Conversions are always going to be a bit hit-and-miss. You may simply need to admit that your particular tyre & rim just doesn't play nicely, and stick some tubes back in.

As for expensive... sealant costs, what, £20 for a giant bottle? And a BMX tube? £3 each?

Conversion should probably take 20 minutes a wheel, max. Or, you're doing it wrong.

mrmonkfinger

cyd190468 wrote:

Anyone here who is a roadie as well knows that mtbers don't get a tenth of the punctures and the tyres change really easy

I've had significantly more punctures on a MTB. And very few on the road.

Crazy, huh?

fat_homer

Before going tubeless I punctured the rear nearly every ride at the sight of some rock, 30psi and about 12.5stone before anyone says I wasn’t running enough pressure. Since going tubeless I’ve had one puncture (first ride with brand new tyres), a 5mm cut in the tread that didn’t seal.

I am using stan’s rims through, with TLR Snake Skin Nobby Nics, which went on and up using a track pump in about 10 minutes each. I don’t doubt conversations are a PITA.

I won’t be using tubes again any time soon.

The Spiderman

Seems as though I provoked a bit of a response... ..

Having tried it, and gone through the (steep) learning curve I quite like it and will stick with it until I have a cataclysmic failure involving a tyre rolling off a rim and me faceplanting..........
.
Second time around I`m down to about 10 minutes to get it set up so not much worse than tubes.

Though I must say on punctures it`s not conclusive.Puncturing seems to be such a random event, when I had tubes I could have 3 in one ride,then none for a year, that it`s hard to say categorically if I now have less.

Quite like the improved ride feel, though you can only really tell riding tubes and tubeless back to back, and like so many things on a bike you quickly adapt to whatever you have anyway.

Hasn`t really cost much to try as the Rovals were no more than any other wheelset,I used my existing tyres and a big bottle of Stans was £14.

Mojo_666

nicklouse wrote:

mmm put a tube in. go ride.

^^ Gets my vote,
you can change tyres easy too. \o/

marz

I've been running tubeless (stan's Flows) for about 2 years and I've learnt...

1, I'm never going back to tubes.
2, Real tubeless set ups go on dry without sealant on the rim
3, I can run 25psi while weighing100kg
4, The cost was no more than a comparable set of tubed rims and tyres
5, I now hate running tubes on my road bike

paramart

i do both proper rims and tyres, no probs at all, and on my 29er rigid i use cheapo electric insulation tape and stans fluid and have had no probs with that either, panaracer was the worst type to seal around the sidewall still going strong tho

Jedi

what i have learned is
tubeless rolls and grips better.
if i run them low the tyres mis shape or burp
i can fix a split in less time than it takes to put a tube in by using weldtite worms

i'd never go back to tubes

andyrm

I've run ghetto for 9 months, absolutely faultless, no problems at all - the only time I have burped was the other weekend when I absolutely whacked the back wheel, denting the rim. I normally run 35-40PSI though, not into that stupid mega low pressure business. Never liked the squirmy tyres feeling......

rockmonkeysc

Mojo_666 wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

mmm put a tube in. go ride.

^^ Gets my vote,
you can change tyres easy too. \o/

Works for me. Two punctures in four years (must check spare tube before setting off tomorrow!) and one of them was riding down a DH track on an xc bike with xc tyres. I'm put off by the trouble I see people I ride with having with their tubeless set ups. UST tyres are too expensive, I'm not paying £100 for a pair of tyres.

paul.skibum

I dont find punctures too much of an issue - especially not in my xc bike - my big hit I have had 4 or 5 rear flats ina short season but mainly because I am running a xc/am tire not a full dh and a badly landed whip or a decent sized rock snake bites it too easily - have been meaning to change the tire but never got round to it and didn't have a suitable replacement (had a Larsen but it didnt grip well enough off the bmx style jump runs).

To me tubeless is extra faff and hassle I dont need - benefits are not sufficiently proven for me and I dont need a learnign experience in putting tyres on when I already know how to do it with a tube. I'm too lazy to mess about with new techniques!

Northwind

cyd190468 wrote:

I run tubes because tubelees (UST) tyres are incredibly heavy and hard to get on and off rims. The ghetto conversion is really the only one that has any advantages and then only if your racing.

If UST and ghetto were the only ways to go tubeless, you'd have a point, but as it is you're talking absolute mince.

TLR tyres are usually no heavier than standard tyres (in many cases, you get no choice in the matter- most Specialized tyres are TLR these days). So if you go down that route then there's no weight disadvantage at all. And valve + minimum sealant is lighter than the lightest inner tubes, without the sacrifice that superlight tubes make over durability.

Ghetto conversion is the worst way to do tubeless, and therefore does have more disadvantages.

As for cost- just like with tyres, many of the best rims out there now are tubeless ready. I'd have chosen my Stans and Roval wheelsets even if they didn't do tubeless, so therefore no cost implication at all.

Now if you don't get many punctures, then you'll not see much benefit- this is obvious. It's like complaining that medicine doesn't achieve much if you don't have the disease it's supposed to treat. The suggestion that punctures point to rider error is hilarious though.