Tubes all the way. I've dabbled with latex but found it more hassle than mending punctures.
Been tubeless in various guises for about 4 years & no problems - despite the best efforts of a 3" nail that went thru the tread & out the side wall.
Never used a compressor, never failed to get a tyre seated & don't get where all the faff references come from. Admittedly it's a doddle with proper UST rims & tyres but still found it ok with standard tyres on 717's with either ghetto or stans kit.
Was given one good piece of advice by LBS when I first changed over - make sure rims & tyres are clean and stick the tyres in a bucket of hot water 5-10 mins before installation.
I probably only change tyres 2 or 3 times a year so it's not a big inconvenience but used to puncture regularly before hand and almost always in the freezing cold/shitty mud/pouring rain etc
I cant really see the point myself, expense, hassle etc
I feel the same way about suspension.....and gears.
Nobby - Member
used to puncture regularly before hand and almost always in the freezing cold/shitty mud/pouring rain etc
Or bang in the middle of the awesome descent you've been toiling up a mountain for an hour to get to... Or in the middle of a race... Punctures can smell fear.
Run both.
Puncture very rarely on hardtail with tubes.
Had one in the last year tubeless on FS which was a monumental PITA to fix in bloody cold weather, raining, latex everywhere cos was a sidewall problem. Saying that it would have been a pain with tubes, but probably less so as i woldn't have bothered trying to seal it first and i wodn't have got as covered in latex either.
Saying that - still tubeless on FS, still tubed on HT.
It was a pain to set up tubeless though - that's another thing. But used to it now.
Tubeless on 80% of bikes in the house including my 700 x 28 commuting tyres. The one that isn't tubeless is only waiting to wear out the existing tyres, then it will be.
I feel the same way about suspension.....and gears.
well said that man
oh and tubeless for years, and it's a doddle to do as long as you follow instructions and prep well.
Nearly all the woes ever posted on here are through buffoons trying to bodge it with duck tape, half a baboon and felt tip pen and then wondering why it hasn't worked.
Changed back to tubes today after the other day - landed a drop that saw the front tyre burp / deflate. It hurt, I stuck to the sheets that night 🙁 and I don't want to do that again.
9 years tubeless here - still yet to even get half as many "punctures" where I've had to fit a tube than I got in the 1 year before I switched (a couple in one event which cost me the win - definitely worth switching on that basis). I don't run that low pressures - though lower than I used to - so never had an issue with burping, even back when I was using DIY methods for the first few years. Also don't feel the need to switch tyres that much - have run Racing Ralphs year round (once used Conti Double Fighters through the winter - now that teaches you bike handling!), though I have 2 sets of wheels now, so tend to have NNs on the other set for when it's muddier.
every tubeless fan I know has had some sort of 'latexplosion' at some point in their life.
Not me.
I've had a couple of punctures and it's a case of remove valve, check for punctury things, fit tube. ie, all but identical to a standard puncture
I'd agree with that, but that on more than one occasion I've found vast amounts of punctury things in the tyre - though that just emphasises the advantages of tubeless.
