I’ve been tubeless for over a year with only one flat due to sealant drying out. I always carry a tube just in case.

how many carry a tube and have you ever needed it?

Yeah if there’s one to hand. Never used one in 10 years.

me – 2 in winter (69er)
never used on my own wheels

I do, only needed it the once in over 5 years of tubeless though. Definitely worth taking, pretty obvious thing to point out but make sure you’ve got a presta spare tube, schrader won’t fit!

I take a spare tube, but am not overly convinced I’d get the valve unscrewed if need be….. 🙄
To get them to seal I had to nip the lockring up with a pair of pliers….probably not the best plan…..

Yep, only needed it with tyres/sealent when UST first came out, the tyres were too flimsy and the sealent dried out, using Stans and 2bliss tyres I’ve never had a problem.

Yep, in case I slash a tyre. Chilterns flint can be a right PITA

Yep. Never used it. In fact, it’s been at the bottom of my bag for so long, I’d better check it’s still viable.

I always take one and a very small mini pump AND a mini set of pliers to remove the valve lockring (as I’ve seen someone stuck when they couldn’t undo theirs).

I’ve not used the tube yet though but it’s only a sharp rock/etc away from being needed.

Always carry a tube. Had to use it a couple of times. Once when the tyre burped off the rim and I couldn’t re seat it and once when a rock but too big a hole to seal in the tyre.

Always. And my experience with valves is that tightening them too much risks pulling them straight through the rim (no tools necessary……)

Yep I do. Had to use once when tyre blew off rim due to operator error bad landing.

I don’t. I don’t think i could get the tyre back on even if i did, was a beehatch!

Always take a couple just in case. Have used two in two years since going tubeless, both due to big rock tears in the sidewall.

I always take a spare tube in my Camelbak just in case. Came very close to needing it during a cold January ride when a fairly hefty broken bit of stick pierced my front tyre. Just when I thought the hole was too big for the Stans fluid to seal it did (after about 2 mins of hissing and spurting). I pumped the tyre back up and rode on again.

If I didn’t take a spare tube I’d always feel like I’d be tempting fate somewhat.

I carry 2! Can’t remember the last time I used one. In my defence I do events where margins of victory can be far more than the time taken to put tubes in both wheels, and carrying an extra tube doesn’t slow me down all that much.

clubber – Member

mini set of pliers*

I used to take my Leatherman for a while, but it’s quite hefty.

*toddles off to google “mini pliers”……..

Always carry on as had a few tyre burp incidents.

Me too, and had to use it…. However when using the tube you need to check the tyre really carefully as the obvious hole that the sealant didn’t work on is easy to spot, the 20 or so thorns, etc. that the sealant did work on are sometimes not so easy! 😕

Oops… double post!

I always do. Used once when the puncture was caused by a rock nicking the sidewall right next to the rim. Tiny hole, but impossible to seal.

Always carry a tube – only needed it once myself when some partially buried barbed wire ripped the sidewall of a brand new Rubber Queen 👿

My non-tubeless mate have pinched a tube off me before when we’ve been on a trail where the farmer has been hedge cutting. On one ride a mate had 4 punctures in 2 miles. Oh how he laughed………. not. Suffice to say he bought some Flows and is now tubeless and puncture free too.

I do. I regret it though, I’ve gone through 5 or 6 all for strangers bikes! I’m just too nice.
Never had to use one on my own.

Carry one, needed it once in 5 years, but nice to have. And I can always lend it out if someone else is needing.

I do but it’s early days for me, only 2 rides out tubeless.

It’s no bother to stick one in a small saddle pack with levers and Co2, so I can’t see me breaking the habit anytime soon…

yep always carry a tube normally a repair kit too. 2 tubes if it’s a big ride.

Slashed 1 TR tyre and pinched several UST tyres, the hole right on the tyre bead doesn’t seal and the one on the main carcass is invariably huge.

Yes, and needed it about once or twice a year on average; either big cuts or pinch flats (yes, you can if you clatter the wheel into a square edge hard enough) 8O.

If you don’t already have a packet, the repair strips that plug holes from the outside are great for trail side repairs.

I cary one mostly for my poor bugger mates who haven’t seen the light and still ride with tubes. Had a big bang last week with two nice sized hole/cut but some of that gluey rope tingy sealed it nicely(didn’t expect that first time I used it.

Yep, and needed it. Had to do one of those needle repair jobbies too, didn’t give me much confidence in tubeless and mud x at first, all good now 4 years on with conti or 2bliss with RRP puncture guard, best sealant I’ve tried thus far.

I carry 2 and need to use one the other week. The valve was loose but I did not spot this until I had unseated the bead 👿 I normally end up lending them out to other though.

Stumpy, tell me you have the small O ring on the outside of the tubeless valve, under the lock ring…

Always, used one three times in probably the equivalent of about a year of continuous use.

Aye – never used it.

I don’t ride tubeless, but twice have had to give a tube to some poor soul stuck in the arsehole of nowhere in the Portes de Soleil who had been let down by their tubeless set up and had no spare tube. It would have been a long, long walk back to their car – probably about 3 days!!!

Almost always take one and used it for the fist time last week.
It´ll keep me going til I get new tyres.

Always carry one and never used it in 7 years.Stans rules…and i know if i took it out of my pack the law of sod would bite me on the ass..B&Q where selling a folding leatherman style tool by Stanley with mini pliers for £ 8.00….made of alloy ( the casing not the pliers!!!)so not too heavy…

Daft not to IMO- it weighs nowt so the one time I needed it more than made up for that.

I’ve loaned tubes out to mate/given them to random strangers more than I’ve needed it myself though.

I carry one, plus a Leatherman Squirt for the valve and a CO2 cannister. Never had to use it in 2 years of tubeless (full UST plus Stan’s sealant).

In the three years while running tubeless I’ve needed to use a tube for every puncture ( probably 15 times )
I ride in an area full of flint so any punctures are usually pretty large.

I take a tube every time

My mini pliers are this sort of thing:

Cheap and light and do the job. Got mine from ebay – search on “folding pliers”.