GOING TUBELESS

apc1

Hi All

I ride mixture of mostly XC and some trail centre reds and have a Spesh Camber 29er. Wheels have come tubeless ready so not a big investment in terms of going tubeless

I've ummed and arred about going tubeless for a while because of the weight saving and rotational weight saving benefits but I've delayed it because concerned its a FAFF and don't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere with a problem.

Please can you let me know your experiences:
- Is it worth the weight saving?- will I notice a performance difference?
- Once set up how long does it last before I have to redo it? or does it last until a just get a really bad puncture?
- If I get a really bad puncture out on the trails and need to stick a tube in is it very messy and will I get sealant over my kit/hands?
- I watched a recent GMBN video from Whistler and they did a chair lift survey on who goes tubeless and 75% said they still use tubes because its less hassle much to the presenters surprize- so is it worth it I ask myself?

Look forward to your IMOs!

lostboysaint

Yes it is.

Yes you will, but it's not that bad.

That surprises me enormously as I've spent time in Canada (not Whistler but the Eastern Rockies) and just about everyone rides tubeless.

Having said all of that, if you're not convinced then you're not ready.

larkim

I'm a recent convert. It was fun getting it done in the first place (on non-tubeless ready rims) using Gorilla tape and a ghetto inflator. Got frustrating when I made some missed steps (tried to DIY a valve, didn't seal). Had a couple of early burps due to running far too low a pressure which disheartened. But since then, no issues including a full 13 day, every day, trip to the Portes de Soleil without a single issue other than a few nightly top ups of air.

We did have to do one replacement in the early days - and yes it was messier sticking a tube in on the trail than just sticking a tube in anyway, but it wasn't the end of the world.

JGTR

Do it do it do it do it do it.

I went tubeless on my Camber, had same concerns as you, best thing I've ever done - just don't have punctures anymore and can run lower tyre pressures than with tubes. In 3 years only had one incident when a bit of flint put 1" gash in tyre, just put some gaffer tape over hole (carry a small bit in my pack) and fitted a tube - tubes or tubeless nothing would have stopped that.

I clean and replace my fluid once every 6 months when I change from winter to summer tyres and vice versa. Takes 15 mins a wheel if that.

You may need a decent pump, you can DIY an inflator quite easily, I still use a £12 plastic track pump from Halfords.

I would make sure you have a spare set of valve(s) on a ride, if you damage one then you are stuck.

Messy? Not really, it's only a small amount of sealant in each tyre, take a rag.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Don't do it for weight saving, it might even weigh a bit more after sealant, but you do tubeless for less rolling resistance; to eliminate snakebite punctures; to make low tyre pressure riding less risky; to increase the odds of punctures like a thorn piercing the tyre carcass being repaired by some of the sealant that has not solidified etc.

Having written the above, I've still yet to try it myself, partly due to initial cost outlay and partly due to the potential hassle of it going wrong on first few attempts!

JGTR

I pulled 7 thorns out of my tyre last time I changed it and it hadn't gone down - that's 7 punctures that I would have had running tubes.

avalanche_expert

I went tubeless on my XC hardtail about a year ago and I would now never go back to inner tubes on a MTB.

I used to get the occasional flat tyre from thorns and on red trails at trail centres I used to get pinch flats. Since going tubeless I've never had a single puncture and I've covered about 1500 miles (quite possibly more) as tubeless and I do ride my bike hard. It's not much of a faff to set up and last month when replacing my rear tyre due to wear I was able to swap out the tyres and add fresh sealant in minutes.

I'd advise that you carry a spare inner tube with you for those 'just in case moments' - but I've never had to use mine yet. To be honest even if I did damage a tyre which meant I needed to resort to putting a tube in to get home, any mess from the sealant for that one off would be worth it for the perks of running tubeless.

The perks in my experience are...

:Increased ride comfort.

:Less tyre noise when on tarmac.

:Increased grip - which leads to increased confidence when cornering.

:More feel for what the bike is doing beneath you.

:Faster rolling/less resistance.

:Confidence to ride over pretty much anything and not worry about flat tyres.



I can't honestly think of a negative other than, perhaps getting messy if you do need to fit a tube by the trail side. I fully recommend doing it! I don't think there is much in it regarding weight as really you should fit heavier walled tyres for piece of mind for reliability.

kinioo

Go tubeless, but don't forget to carry a spare inner tube.....