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[Closed] Tubeless cluelessness

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Have finally made the leap to tubeless on my gravel/adventure bike but other than a spare inner tube what else should I carry?


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 3:30 pm
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I have CO2 as it can reseat you if needed and get you back, doesn't mix well with the sealant though but it's been useful on the mtb a few times and saves using a tube.


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 3:33 pm
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Anchovies/tyre plugs plus insertion tool for those holes that are a little too big for the sealant to work on. (plus something sharp to cut it with)
Tyre boot to patch up the inside of the tyre should you get a long split and need to stop the inner tube from poking out (!)
50ml tube of sealant.

Other than one time using an anchovy I've yet to use any of the above whilst out on the trail. Pre-fit an anchovy in the insertion tool then it's immediately ready should you need to use it.


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 3:35 pm
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Yup, repair kit, bottle of sealant, pump as well as spare tube. Most times a squirt of sealant holds unless it’s a bigger hole (2mm+) where an anchovy will work when you get to big slices is it time for boots and tubes. I know it’s more kit to carry but the benefit of lower rolling resistance, better grip and fewer punctures is worth it


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 3:53 pm
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TBF, apart from the bottle of sealant it isn't that much more to carry and even that isn't exactly "big". @dovebiker like me often heads to the backcountry where self-reliance is required and getting back to the car might be a bit more than an hour's walk.

Needle and thread (well light fishing line) can also be useful when you've a sidewall slice but that's almost a "back at home" repair rather than trailside. In May we were riding near Bala and came across a rider who'd "heard a bang" and had ripped his sidewall. Way back in the 1980s in my climbing days I had bought a Black Diamond Expedition Sewing Kit, these days I pack it when bikepacking. This was the first time in 30 years I'd ever had to use it, well, I offered the use of it to the other rider who patched up his tyre (he wouldn't make a surgeon!), fitted an innertube and managed to get to the nearest bike shop for a new tyre.


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 4:33 pm
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Thinking outside the box, I carry powerlink pliers with a notch filed into them to fit the valve's locking collar, no point in having a spare tube if you can't get the valve out because it's seized (ask me how I know).


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 4:39 pm
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@coatesy - a spoke wrench will fit a removable core. Also some multi-tools have tyre levers that also have a suitably sized spike wrench in one side. However something small like the Leatherman Squirt can be used for other purposes as well - pulling the retainer split pin if you need to change brake pads, etc.

Edit: forgot to mention zip-ties.


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 4:45 pm
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A spare valve would have spared me a long walk back in the snow and dark last year when the stem snapped off during a quick top up.

So, a spare valve.


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 4:55 pm
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I was talking about the entire valve assembly, not the core, you won't get a tube in without removing it 🙂


 
Posted : 23/12/2018 6:20 pm
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Or, save yourself a load of hassle & use a split tube with a std rubber valve stem. 🙂


 
Posted : 24/12/2018 10:24 am
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Used to use CO2 when using tubes but had so many user error with it going off in my hand that I now just use a pump.
I just take a mini pump as the only time tubeless has let me down it when the tyre went flat before fully sealed and when I got him I just pumped it up and it was fine. I only ride loops from my door so furthest I will be away is 10 miles so I just walk home or in the few cases where I couldn't fix the puncture (when using tubes) I ride home slowly on a flat tyre.


 
Posted : 24/12/2018 10:37 am
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@coatesy - my mistake - misread your post. I take a spare valve as well as a spare core, I've had the release screw/plunger break on one of the latter, I've a small tin with spare bolts and screws so it lives in there.

When you do remoter rides you need to carry a bit more but even then it's not a lot. This summer I had a major tyre/wheel failure - dinged the rim so the tyre wouldn't inflate, put in an inner tube, that blew when I hit a water bar. A seven hour walk out.


 
Posted : 24/12/2018 10:57 am