Tubeless or tube?

Dean0brown1982
Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
in MTB general
Hi, i have a saracen mantra trail, Front: Nobby Nic Performance / Rear: Racing Ralph tyres fitted,. What is the obvious thing to look for to know if the tyres are currently tubed or tubeless? I was convinced they were tubed but when the air was let out it didn't deflate as i would if expected. Thanks in advance

Comments

  • vinny155
    vinny155 Posts: 20
    If you can push the valve out of the rim towards the ttre when deflated,it is most likely tubed.
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    vinny155 said:

    If you can push the valve out of the rim towards the ttre when deflated,it is most likely tubed.

    Thanks for that, i will have a look at that and try to determine what the setup is. Cheers
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    oxoman said:

    Is it possible that the wheels have been set up tubeless with noodles in them to stop burping etc. Externally the rims should say if tubeless ready as should the tyres.

    Thanks for your reply, im completely new to mountain biking so iv no idea what noodles are, iv checked the rims and tyres but can't find anything that would indicate them been tubeless. But when the tyre deflated it sounded like a carrier bag getting crunched and white around the rim which i just assumed might be puncture repair paste of some sort.
    I dont want to start taking the little boy out and getting caught out if we get a puncture and have no idea how to fix it.
  • billycool
    billycool Posts: 833
    Remove the tyre and have a look?
    "Ride, crash, replace"
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    billycool said:

    Remove the tyre and have a look?

    Ha, yeah if i was confident enough to do that without causing my self more issues i would do, although still a good idea.
  • Charlie_Croker
    Charlie_Croker Posts: 1,698
    billycool said:

    Remove the tyre and have a look?

    I agree with billycool
    You could ask the previous owner/shop of the cycle for this information if that’s possible, otherwise the only way to be sure is to take the tyre(s) at least partly off and have a look. Much better to do this at home than out on the trail/road, if you puncher and get a flat you’ll have no choice, so best bite the bullet. If you really still don’t want to have a look, your LBS is the best option.
  • gomezz
    gomezz Posts: 99
    Dean0brown1982 said:

    oxoman said:

    Is it possible that the wheels have been set up tubeless with noodles in them to stop burping etc. Externally the rims should say if tubeless ready as should the tyres.

    Thanks for your reply, im completely new to mountain biking so iv no idea what noodles are, iv checked the rims and tyres but can't find anything that would indicate them been tubeless. But when the tyre deflated it sounded like a carrier bag getting crunched and white around the rim which i just assumed might be puncture repair paste of some sort.
    I dont want to start taking the little boy out and getting caught out if we get a puncture and have no idea how to fix it.
    I would say rather than taking your boy out and getting a puncture and having no idea of how to fix it! you should practice at home where it's clean and safe and " fix " punctures to front and rear wheels before you start going out.
    You will then be prepared and know what to expect. Be prepared for the unexpected is a good tool to have in your tool box. :)
  • joe_totale-2
    joe_totale-2 Posts: 1,333
    Dean0brown1982 said:

    billycool said:

    Remove the tyre and have a look?

    Ha, yeah if i was confident enough to do that without causing my self more issues i would do, although still a good idea.
    Sorry but learning to take tires on and off is a vital skill. You will get a puncture when out riding at some point and you need to be confident with fixing it.
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,443
    edited February 2020
    If you prefer tubes, buy some Slime puncture proof tyres. They are not puncture proof of course, they are just proof against going flat because they have a lot of Slime sealant in them. They work very well, but they are heavy.

    In my opinion, the best thing to do is to go tubeless and put some sealant in the tyre. There is lots of stuff on Google, YouTube etc. (and on here too).
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    joe_totale-2 said:

    Dean0brown1982 said:

    billycool said:

    Remove the tyre and have a look?

    Ha, yeah if i was confident enough to do that without causing my self more issues i would do, although still a good idea.
    Sorry but learning to take tires on and off is a vital skill. You will get a puncture when out riding at some point and you need to be confident with fixing it.
    Iv no issue with taking the tyres off and back on, but with haven't little experience with tubeless tires i didn't want to take it off just to see what was inside and then not been able to re seat it properly, but yeah i agree il need to learn how to do it before i have to. I was just looking for a way of identifying if they were currently tubeless. Cheers
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    gomezz said:

    Dean0brown1982 said:

    oxoman said:

    Is it possible that the wheels have been set up tubeless with noodles in them to stop burping etc. Externally the rims should say if tubeless ready as should the tyres.

    Thanks for your reply, im completely new to mountain biking so iv no idea what noodles are, iv checked the rims and tyres but can't find anything that would indicate them been tubeless. But when the tyre deflated it sounded like a carrier bag getting crunched and white around the rim which i just assumed might be puncture repair paste of some sort.
    I dont want to start taking the little boy out and getting caught out if we get a puncture and have no idea how to fix it.
    I would say rather than taking your boy out and getting a puncture and having no idea of how to fix it! you should practice at home where it's clean and safe and " fix " punctures to front and rear wheels before you start going out.
    You will then be prepared and know what to expect. Be prepared for the unexpected is a good tool to have in your tool box. :)
    👍
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    steve_sordy said:

    If you prefer tubes, buy some Slime puncture proof tyres. They are not puncture proof of course, they are just proof against going flat because they have a lot of Slime sealant in them. They work very well, but they are heavy.

    In my opinion, the best thing to do is to go tubeless and put some sealant in the tyre. There is lots of stuff on Google, YouTube etc. (and on here too).

    Thanks for your reply. Il have a look at the tubes you mentioned. We are aiming to go out on the trails like once every 2 week so just weighing up the best route to go down, tubes or tubeless. 👍
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    oxoman said:

    To the OP, noodles are a round foam ring that fits in the tyre like an innertube but doesn't inflate it just deforms to hopefully stop rim damage and tyre burping. I,E the tyre bead coming away from the wheel rim.

    Thank you.
  • billycool
    billycool Posts: 833
    edited February 2020
    Another option is to deflate the tyre. IF you have tubeless sealant in the tyre it should come out via the valve (usually a sort of white sticky residue although I think you can get other colours/brands). If it's green, you might have a slime tube.

    Appreciate you might not want to cause yourself more issues, but it you get a completely flat tyre on the trail, you'll ideally have to fit a tube anyway to get you home. Or walk.

    Depends where you ride, but for me, with lots of hedgerows and thorns, tubeless is essential and I don't know how I ever coped without it. In the last 3 years of being tubeless I've never had to stop a ride or fit a tube. Lots of thorns in the tyre but that's the whole point.

    You should be able to pop a bit of the tyre off to have a look. Unless you take the whole tyre off it should pump back up with a track pump (if tubeless)
    "Ride, crash, replace"
  • JBA
    JBA Posts: 2,852
    Turn the wheel so the valve is at the bottom. Remove the valve core and poke a thin zip tie/thin twig in to the valve. If there is sealant in the tyre you will see it on the end of the zip tie/twig.
    “Life has been unfaithful
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  • david37
    david37 Posts: 1,313
    JBA said:

    Turn the wheel so the valve is at the bottom. Remove the valve core and poke a thin zip tie/thin twig in to the valve. If there is sealant in the tyre you will see it on the end of the zip tie/twig.

    unless its dried up of course and then you wont...... either way, no sealant remove the tyre and check for inner tube and if no tube add more sealant and pump like a loon and hope for the best.
  • Dean0brown1982
    Dean0brown1982 Posts: 22
    I called the place where the bike was bought and they have told me it isn't tubeless, so im baffled what the rustle like a plastic bag was when letting the tyre down was. Im going to go down the tubeless route eventually once iv worked out cost/ parts needed etc.

    Thank you all for your replies.

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