Tubeless is just so damn good!

avalanche_expert

Just thought I'd post up about a puncture which I had today on my front tyre.

I've been running tubeless for about a year now and my front tyre and sealant haven't been disturbed at all during years worth of use. All I've done is keep an eye on the pressure.

The tyre is due for replacement now so I'll be putting in fresh sealant, however I have been wondering what kind of state the year old sealant will be in now and if it is still effective. Well today I've found out!

I heard that horrible 'POP' and then 'ppsssst' from the front this morning. Sealant was spraying out looking just as fresh as the day it went in. All I had to do was stop and let the sealant pool up where the hole was by resting the wheel with the puncture facing the ground.

Within seconds it was sealed up and I was good to go. It didn't impact on my ride at all, I continued on to ride a further 30 miles with no loss of pressure.

This is the first puncture I've experienced in 12 months of running with no inner tubes (which I've known about) and it was such a quick and hassle free event. Anyone not convinced about making the switch, all I can say is DO IT!

Really impressed with the longevity of the sealant. I know I shouldn't leave it for 12 months at a time, but it's still doing it's job.

Danieljephcott

I've just bought some gorilla tape and some joes sealant and some valves. This is my job next week

JBA

I have had a nightmare this afternoon converting my son's bike to tubeless.
I used a Specialized tubeless valve in the front wheel and managed to get the tyre to seal and inflate with a track pump. No problems.
However, when I went to do the back wheel I tried using an Orange Seal valve and there was no way the tyre was going to seal. The valve protruded a lot on the inside of the rim and stopped the tyre bead from seating properly in the rim. After much pumping, sealant everywhere and a heap of frustration I gave up, washed the tyre out and put a tube back in.
A Specialized valve and new rim tape have just been ordered and I'll have another go at it in the week.

cycleclinic

I knock the valves in with a rubber mallet to ensure they are properly seated. Light taps mind but valves can need this. You dont need a new valve.

JBA

I do after I attacked the Orange Seal valve with a pair of scissors!

Wily-Quixote

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Danieljephcott

I've just gone tubeless, due to my stupidity the first wheel took me about 2 hour but the second took me 10 mins. some gorilla tap, valves and sealant cost me less than £30.

i went out on wednesday with the local cycling club and had 2 punctures, both sealed within 3-5 seconds and in total i lost about 5psi in my tyres. this saved me at least 30 mins changing the tube twice and about £8 on tubes.
for me tubeless makes absolutely sense.

also when going to trail parks and weighing 20st I've always been worried about having my pressures too low meaning they were too high and i wasn't getting the best grip. now i can run 10 psi lower and wouldn't even need to worry about it.

GO TUBELESS

larkim

Ditto for us - put a tubeless setup on my son's bike when he did 13 days consecutive cycling in the Portes du Soleil in France. Not a single issue. Not entirely conclusive, but safe to say I'd packed a large box of inner tubes for the holiday just in case as he's a demon for puncturing.

lostboysaint

Wily-Quixote wrote:

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Good for you. We'll see you in the pub much later as we won't be stopping.

Danieljephcott

lostboysaint wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Good for you. We'll see you in the pub much later as we won't be stopping.

Wily-Quixote

lostboysaint wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Good for you. We'll see you in the pub much later as we won't be stopping.

Given that I haven't had a puncture in three years I'd say that's statistically unlikely. But enjoy your beer anyway. Or will it be a carafe of smugness that you'll be ordering?

avalanche_expert

Wily-Quixote wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Good for you. We'll see you in the pub much later as we won't be stopping.

Given that I haven't had a puncture in three years I'd say that's statistically unlikely. But enjoy your beer anyway. Or will it be a carafe of smugness that you'll be ordering?

If you haven't had a puncture in 3 years you're either very lucky, or you rarely ride.

I've went through 3 inner tubes in one ride before. In the first 6 months with my current bike I think I had a total of 5 punctures. I switched to tubeless and I've had one in 12 months which I'm aware of which fixed itself anyway.

My friends who run with tubes also suffer punctures, sometimes more than one per ride.

My honest opinion of tubes vs no tubes is that there is no comparison in comfort, grip and reliability. There is nothing to be afraid of converting. If worst comes to the worst the local bike shop can fit the tyres to your rims for you and then it's trouble free until you need to replace a tyre again.

Having ridden with inner tubes for life and only been tubeless for a year, I'd now never want to go back to tubes on a MTB.

Herdwick

Went tubeless after a few weeks on my new mtb when I first got it, although was using sealant in the tubes since I discover it, the comfort and puncture resistance is unbeatable. Always carry a couple of spare inners with me just in case but also a puncture flints, so far never manage a puncture that a flint can't plug.
I doubt using an inner on a slashed tire will get you far enough...

Rigga

How much pressure do you lose over night then with tubeless? Say you don't ride for a week and then get the bike out, are the tyres gonna be virtually flat?

larkim

On my bike? As full and firm as when I left them. YMMV

Danieljephcott

Again no loss and the fact I check and change my pressures every ride it's not a problem

Rigga

Ok sweet so what pressures are you lads running then?

Danieljephcott

I'm very heavy so run 35 all round when it's dry and about 5-7 psi lower in the wet

Wily-Quixote

Avalanche Expert wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Good for you. We'll see you in the pub much later as we won't be stopping.

Given that I haven't had a puncture in three years I'd say that's statistically unlikely. But enjoy your beer anyway. Or will it be a carafe of smugness that you'll be ordering?

If you haven't had a puncture in 3 years you're either very lucky, or you rarely ride.

I've went through 3 inner tubes in one ride before. In the first 6 months with my current bike I think I had a total of 5 punctures. I switched to tubeless and I've had one in 12 months which I'm aware of which fixed itself anyway.

My friends who run with tubes also suffer punctures, sometimes more than one per ride.

My honest opinion of tubes vs no tubes is that there is no comparison in comfort, grip and reliability. There is nothing to be afraid of converting. If worst comes to the worst the local bike shop can fit the tyres to your rims for you and then it's trouble free until you need to replace a tyre again.

Having ridden with inner tubes for life and only been tubeless for a year, I'd now never want to go back to tubes on a MTB.

I ride almost every day but most of my riding is on fire trails and smooth single track. I don't care to go tubeless because I don't require to. If I wanted low pressures and had punctures I might consider it.
I've seen enough riders with flat burped tyres to realise that I'm trading one set of issues for another. Unlike old matey above I always stop to render assistance, and don't ride straight to the pub.
I'm glad you are enjoying your life without tubes but I don't need to. I'd prefer a system that I know works and has no downsides for me.

avalanche_expert

Rigga wrote:

How much pressure do you lose over night then with tubeless? Say you don't ride for a week and then get the bike out, are the tyres gonna be virtually flat?

This is like asking how long is a piece of string. It depends heavily on the tyre and rim combination. I found the lite skin Schwalbe Racing Ralph and Thunder Burt would loose between 2 - 5 psi overnight. Whereas the Snakeskin Rocket Rons I have on now would probably loose about 5 psi per week, if that. I use the bike almost every day and check them before leaving the house anyway.

It's a good habit to check your pressure before every ride, even with tubes I'd still be doing that so using a track pump for one or two pumps of air before a ride isn't really an issue IMO. They don't loose pressure over the duration of a ride or a day out.

avalanche_expert

Wily-Quixote wrote:

Avalanche Expert wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Good for you. We'll see you in the pub much later as we won't be stopping.

Given that I haven't had a puncture in three years I'd say that's statistically unlikely. But enjoy your beer anyway. Or will it be a carafe of smugness that you'll be ordering?

If you haven't had a puncture in 3 years you're either very lucky, or you rarely ride.

I've went through 3 inner tubes in one ride before. In the first 6 months with my current bike I think I had a total of 5 punctures. I switched to tubeless and I've had one in 12 months which I'm aware of which fixed itself anyway.

My friends who run with tubes also suffer punctures, sometimes more than one per ride.

My honest opinion of tubes vs no tubes is that there is no comparison in comfort, grip and reliability. There is nothing to be afraid of converting. If worst comes to the worst the local bike shop can fit the tyres to your rims for you and then it's trouble free until you need to replace a tyre again.

Having ridden with inner tubes for life and only been tubeless for a year, I'd now never want to go back to tubes on a MTB.

I ride almost every day but most of my riding is on fire trails and smooth single track. I don't care to go tubeless because I don't require to. If I wanted low pressures and had punctures I might consider it.
I've seen enough riders with flat burped tyres to realise that I'm trading one set of issues for another. Unlike old matey above I always stop to render assistance, and don't ride straight to the pub.
I'm glad you are enjoying your life without tubes but I don't need to. I'd prefer a system that I know works and has no downsides for me.

That's fair enough, stick with whatever you prefer. I still think you'd be amazed at the differnce in ride quality without tubes in, but that's up to you. Burping is an issue that's talked about, but I've never encountered it myself. I actually find the bead/rim seal difficult to break.

avalanche_expert

Rigga wrote:

Ok sweet so what pressures are you lads running then?

I'm not heavy, I run between 24/26 psi on the front and between 29/31 psi on the rear.

Wily-Quixote

Avalanche Expert wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

Avalanche Expert wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

Wily-Quixote wrote:

See, that's why I still run tubes. I'd rather fix the occasional flat than go through the trauma.

Good for you. We'll see you in the pub much later as we won't be stopping.

Given that I haven't had a puncture in three years I'd say that's statistically unlikely. But enjoy your beer anyway. Or will it be a carafe of smugness that you'll be ordering?

If you haven't had a puncture in 3 years you're either very lucky, or you rarely ride.

I've went through 3 inner tubes in one ride before. In the first 6 months with my current bike I think I had a total of 5 punctures. I switched to tubeless and I've had one in 12 months which I'm aware of which fixed itself anyway.

My friends who run with tubes also suffer punctures, sometimes more than one per ride.

My honest opinion of tubes vs no tubes is that there is no comparison in comfort, grip and reliability. There is nothing to be afraid of converting. If worst comes to the worst the local bike shop can fit the tyres to your rims for you and then it's trouble free until you need to replace a tyre again.

Having ridden with inner tubes for life and only been tubeless for a year, I'd now never want to go back to tubes on a MTB.

I ride almost every day but most of my riding is on fire trails and smooth single track. I don't care to go tubeless because I don't require to. If I wanted low pressures and had punctures I might consider it.
I've seen enough riders with flat burped tyres to realise that I'm trading one set of issues for another. Unlike old matey above I always stop to render assistance, and don't ride straight to the pub.
I'm glad you are enjoying your life without tubes but I don't need to. I'd prefer a system that I know works and has no downsides for me.

That's fair enough, stick with whatever you prefer. I still think you'd be amazed at the differnce in ride quality without tubes in, but that's up to you. Burping is an issue that's talked about, but I've never encountered it myself. I actually find the bead/rim seal difficult to break.

i suspect i am running higher pressures than you, so i don't get pinch flats. I have tried running lower pressures in my tyres but anything under 30 psi and I hate the squirminess in corners ( I don't find the ride quality amazing, I find it unsettling) - so tubeless is one upgrade I can live without.

bikegangster

Avalanche Expert wrote:

Really impressed with the longevity of the sealant. I know I shouldn't leave it for 12 months at a time, but it's still doing it's job.

What brand of sealant did you use?