Tube in tubless

Hiya,

If your bike is set up tubeless it should already have tyre sealant in it. Not real point carrying spare sealant, as if what's in the tyre won't seal it, extra sealant won't help. It just gets really messy!

Sealant can need changing/topping up over time, otherwise it might let you down then you most need it. Some suggest checking it every 6 months. I can't give a specific timeline though.

Carry a spare tube? Yes - absolutley. It can be a life saver for you (and others). Just be aware that a tubeless tyre can easily pick up thorns over time, seal itself and you hardly notice (might need to top up air). If you do an emergency trailside repair and plan to fit a tube, check the WHOLE tyre for thorns, not just the bit you are fixing. My mates record for thorns is his tubeless tyre was 12. Otherwise you'll ruin your tube as soon as you blow it up.

Tubeless tyres can sit quite tight on the rim, so decent (strong) tyre levers are needed and a sensible pump. The use of a tube would suggest a possible split in your tyre and a tyre boot/patch is always useful to have. The tube might squdge out through the split and fail (think of a hernia), so the boot just helps keep the tube in the tyre. A good emergency patch is an empty energy gel satchet. Did that for a bloke in Afan a few years ago and he was very grateful that he could at least ride to the bottom on the trail rathar than walking.

Tubeless is great and pretty low maintainence but a spare tube is well worth carrying.

A quick and safe way to check for thorns poking through on the inside of the tyre is to drag a paper tissue through the tyre. If anything snags, it will be a thorn. Much better than receiving a cut or puncture to the finger tips!

If I get a flat, it is not always due to a puncture, it may have been caused by a tyre burp. This is when the stress on the tyre has been such that the bead momentarily loses its grip on the rim and spills some or all of the air pressure. You may see evidence in the form of spilled sealant on the rim and tyre. In which case simply pump it back up. But if you have a puncture or a split, then it's inner tube time! Previous posts have provided good info. The hardest thing may be to remove the tubeless valve. The worst thing will be dealing with the spilled sealant on your hands as it dries sticky! I keep a pair of latex gloves in my pack for such occasions. They also come in handy for dealing with the oily bits.

Before each ride, I check my air pressure with a digital tyre pressure gauge (see Topeak D2). For months after first adding sealant the pressure hardly alters. But as the sealant dries out and the number of punctures starts to increase, then slowly the pressure loss between rides starts to increase. You decide when it is time to top up the sealant. My record for punctures is over two dozen in each tyre! (As witnessed by the damp spots, or the small green spot, depending upon sealant type).