Tubeless rocks. I changed two bikes worth of tyres yesterday. 819's with 2.5UST Maxxis HR's took less than 5 minutes each. Tyre on without levers, inflate, seat bead, deflate, gunk, inflate. As simple as that. One tyre I seated from new with my mini pump just to see if I could! If I get a problem on the trail I'll have to put a tube in but it's very rare I find.

THEN, I tried to put the the tubed version of the same tyres (roughly) on my DT FR2350 wheels. FAIL. Broke 3 levers but using metal levers ripped the tubes twice. I gave up. I'm going to buy the rim strips and go tubelss because then I can use the metal levers without ripping the tubes. Also ripped half a nail off and cut my thumb. I can normally get most tyres without the levers but despite warming up on a V14 Bouldering problem followed by an hour of E11 climbing this just wasn't going to happen!

LUST are crap but if you don't mind the weight the proper tubeless tyres are perfect. Incidentally 2.35 LUST + Big Tube weights exactly the same as 2.5 UST without tubes!

I was the same for ages, couldn't see the benefits of tubeless, then when I stuck an alfine on the back of the bike I needed a wheel built and I wanted to avoid the hassle of having to remove the rear wheel to fix a puncture as much as possible.

I went for FUll UST, non of this faff with ghetto/stans.

"Tyre on without levers, inflate, seat bead, deflate, gunk, inflate with mini pump" was my experience and it's been flawless for 8 months, although the copydex and water mix has probably gone solid by now tbh.

As for the benefits – ignore the puncture part, thats a nice side effect, but the grip is phenomenal over everything and it's a lot, lot smoother. As money allows I'll be moving all my bikes to UST.

I have had a ghetto setup on my 719 with a UST tyre for a few months now, including a week in the Alps doing the Mega – not a hint of a burp/puncture. I weigh 16 stone and used to puncture a LOT.

Also enjoy miles better grip by being able to run at lower pressures.

Unless you are a serial tyre changer, I can't really see the downside.

I loved the feeling and grip with ghetto, but I had too many problems with it, probably unfair to blame the tubeless entirely for them, but I did burp the front tyre twice with just normal riding and had to drop in a tube as I couldnt get it to re-seat and then I ripped a sidewall on slate and had to put in a tube with some grass to get me home, which was then hell and all to get out as it became bonded to the tyre. I'm slowly being tempted to go back but I was bitten by my first attempts!

I've been on tubeless since UST first came out in 2001, I did go back to tubes on a new bike about 4 years ago, but it didn't last!

UST was good, Stan's is better. I change tyres most rides/races, with a track pump. I don't carry a tube, just a CO2 pump. I've not had to put a tube in a tubeless tyre in 8 years, I think I've had about 3 punctures out on ride in that time too. Occasionally I come to my bike and find the tyre flat, pump it up and it stays up, so any punctures have sealed themselves.

Plus, if you use normal tyres, it weighs less!

Rim strips and non UST tyres were a real PITA for me, inflation faff, porous tyres, and so on, on the trail the lower pressure was good, but if I'm honest, the puncture 'reduction' was a bit of a joke, I think 3 or 4 punctures in as many rides for me, and every-one I know that runs strips has had more or less the same experience, on a ride a few months back, the only trailside punctures (that both needed tubes) were the tubless folk.

Having said that, just built up some 819s, and fitting a pair of UST Nobby Nics was a joy, still managed to tear a side wall in the Lakes last week, but gloop seems to be holding so far…

Tubeless, too much of a faf for me. Even more so on a DH bike having to swap tyres out all the time.

Maybe less of an issue on a trail bike, funnily enough I run it on my Blur, as the only wheels I had were 819's so thought I would give it a whirl.

It's no lighter than a decent tube set up, and if you run latex tubes its virtually impossible to pinch them anyway. It's also far quicker chucking a tube in, rather than faffing around seating the tyre, blowing it up, popping off a part of the tyre, filling with sealant, shaking it about, letting it settle blah blah.

For me its an answer to a problem that doesn't exist.

It's no lighter than a decent tube set up

How do you figure? A tube weighs 150g (say), valve weighs what 10g? Sealant… 60g? Where's the other 80g going!? Unless you use Supersonic inner tubes or something, then you get tonnes of flats.

I've changed tyres 10 minutes before the start of a race, with a track pump, and ridden on them with no problems. You need to find which tyres work well, but IMO the benefits are massive.

Reading this with interest as I wait for some Bonty rimtape and valves to arrive so I can give it a go. Hoping the Jones XR the bike came with will be a little less "interesting" on damp rocks if it's a bit more supple (don't care if it is a placebo/all in my mind effect, if it works it works 🙂 ).

I think the particular rim/tyre combo is important – some people seem to have all sorts of trouble.

I think 3 or 4 punctures in as many rides for me, and every-one I know that runs strips has had more or less the same experience

You obviously know the wrong people. Like many other tubeless users on this thread I have negligible punctures – I think I've had to put a tube in twice in the last 7 years since switching.

Currently Running:

-Specialized Eskar Control on Sun Rhyno-lite – Front(Ghetto) – 6 Months DH use
-Specialized Eskar Control on Mavic EX729 -Rear (Ghetto) – 6 Months DH use
-Specialized Eskar Control on Mavic D521 – Front (Ghetto) – 18 Months trail use
-Specialized Captain Control on Mavic Cross Land – Rear (UST) – 18 Months trail use

All working flawlessly so far (Touch wood), I do have a compressor and I have played about with their setup quite a bit…

I have a 2nd set of wheels for my DH bike, both EX729 currently with worn out tubed Swamp donkeys on which I will be setting up with tubeless DH Mud tyres ASAP, and it looks like I will be trying Tubeless on my Road bike soon as well…

Only bike I might not bother with is the BMX, Although I guess it’s always an option…

I think you’d have to be an utter knuckle dragger not to be able to set up tubeless tyres, as for carrying a tube and pump? So what, you already had to with tubes, odds on you’ll have to use them far less often with tubeless.

I’m a total convert but I do think there are a few myths surrounding tubeless;
Firstly you won’t save weight, you won’t gain it either but don’t go tubeless to save wheel mass, it won’t save you anything that thin walled tyres and a latex tube wouldn’t.
Secondly this idea of running low pressures, a tubeless tyre run at a low pressure feels as sloppy and draggy as a tubed tyre running low, the extra comfort and grip comes from increased air volume (due to not having a tube in there and a more compliant thinner wall (same reason), the tyre can deform and comply with terrain more easily at the same pressures, it’s only thick as pig shit DH riders who actually believe you can run a tyre at 15psi and make it through a rock garden flat out, then all complain about “burping”…

Firstly you won’t save weight, you won’t gain it either but don’t go tubeless to save wheel mass, it won’t save you anything that thin walled tyres and a latex tube wouldn’t.

In purely theoretical terms, it is possible to go just as light with tubes. Those of us who ride in the real world, superlight tubes just aren't practical, in which case it's a little bit lighter than using a standard tube.

Until you put sealant in (about the same weight as a Latex tube) and account for the slight increase in weight of most UST tyres, basically all I'm saying is weight saving alone is not really a very good reason for switching to UST.

I'm not suggesting UST weighs more just that on balance it's not actually any lighter is it…

Until you put sealant in (about the same weight as a Latex tube) and account for the slight increase in weight of most UST tyres

You must have stupidly light tubes (the sort which would get loads of punctures), and we were talking tubeless, not UST.

I agree you don't save much, but there definitely is a small saving if you use normal weight tubes, and Stans converted tyres.

AAAAARRRGGGGGHHH!! Just spent nearly the entire day trying to seat mine (Nevegals onto ghetto tubeless DT Swiss 420 rims) using a track pump. Come back inner tubes, all is forgiven!!!!!

Or……. I could borrow a compressor 😯

I run Evo Rocket Rons tubeless as my stock set up around the Surrey Hills. <400g tyres, plus a bit of sealant. As aracer said though, far less than the weight of a tube, except for silly light tubes which are very puncture prone.

How are those Rocket Rons compared to Fast Freds? Got a pair of the latter still hanging up in the garage, but gave up on them due to getting punctured too easily (nothing that didn't seal eventually, but I had to stop and add air).

Ok guys – I have 5.1 rims that are tubeless ready. Would conti gravities go on them tubeless without too much hassle? ( the nearest to an all round tyre I have.)

I've used Vert Pros quite a bit & they were OK
A very porous sidewall but it sealed after a while

How are those Rocket Rons compared to Fast Freds?

Fast, or Furious? Never used Fast Freds, but the Rons are the same carcass as the Furious Fred, albeit with a bit more tread. More puncture prone than a Ralph or similar. I never use them anywhere rocky, but they're awesome in the rooty, loamy stuff we tend to have around here.

I've had one flat in a Ron, but none in a Furious Fred. I would say if you're flatting Freds a lot, don't try Rons!

Bregante are you using really thick soapy water? Might be worth getting a cheap CO2 inflator – I got one of these http://www.tyreinflators.co.uk/cls-tyre-inflators/mosa-co2-mini-inflator-inc-2-x-16gm-threaded/prod_269.html

I had one work dead easy witha track pump, another worked fine with the CO2.

Stan's don't recommend inflation with a CO2 pump, it can freeze the sealant and cause it to separate. I have seen it happen too, but I always used CO2 at work on stubborn tyres without a problem, so they're probably just covering their backs!

Yeah I know but I used one and haven't had any issues – I haven't even topped up the goop in weeks.

Cheers for that Grumm, a mate has a compressor but is away till Sunday so I may have to stick the tubes back in for Saturdays ride.

Like I say, I've also used one at work regularly, but I have seen some people have problems, maybe it depends on the sealant or sommat!

I'm currently running normal tires (Maxxix Larsen mimo £17.50 ea.) on a tubeless rim.

Needed to use a CO2 gas bottle to initially seat the tire bead, then poured in the latex and re-inflated (25psi front, 30 psi rear).

Rode round Rivi on Sunday and absolutely battered the tires with no problems 🙂

I changed over to tubeless on one of my bikes back in February, think its much better.
No punctures
Better 'feel'
Lower pressures
I just use normal tyres and Stans tubeless milk stuff. Just bought a 2nd set of tubeless wheels for my other bike.

Started running tubeless Schwalbe Alberts on Flow Rims. I've torn both front and back tyres in the last few weeks riding at home in the Lakes. Have I just been unlucky or is it the Lakes or the tyres?

I'll be trying it myself, I'm looking forward to lowering pressures without having to worry about pinches, so I can get on with ****ing up my rims on rocks.