I dont know what your doing wrong but I just got one of those topeak digi pressure gauges(free evans gift voucher) purely as the guage on my track pump is beyond useless and I wanted to know what pressures i was running.WITH TUBES it turns out i was running less than 25psi rear and 22 on the front, on a hardtail and I never puncture. WTB tough case up front and grid casing on the rear.
Think i'll not bother with tubeless nonsense for now.
I've got a Topeak digital pressure gauge. Consistent it is, accurate it definitely aint. Reads way lower than the true pressure. Still useful to have as consistently setting the tyre pressure is way more important than knowing the exact PSI. It's also why I treat any claims of pressures that people are running with a pinch of salt.
Seems strange to make a decision on whether or not to go tubeless based on a number from a gauge though, no matter how accurate. Either you want to run your tyres softer or you don't!
molgrips - Member
You don't need the syringe. Just pour it into the tyre before you turn it the other way up and fit the last bit of bead.
I was topping up sealant in an already fitted tyre. Why would I pop the tyre off the rim when I can just squirt through the valve stem?
Eddiebaby -
Why would I pop the tyre off the rim when I can just squirt through the valve stem?
I was thinking the same thing the other day as I was setting up a 29er for tubeless.
Thankfully the bead popped into place 1st time, but I can't help but think that not disturbing the tyre bead in the first place would be "better".
I've heard of people using a hypodermic needle to inject Stans fluid (into their tyres I might add), anyone actually tried this?
Could I ask what super calibrated pressure guage are you using?
I don't puncture so why bother. You lot can carry on with this ridiculous faff.
Get some tough/high grip WTB tyres - you ain't never snakebiting those sidewalls! (Might double the weight of your bike though)
Go on... they aren't that bad ... well ... maybe ... 😆
I firmly believe that reliable sidewalls are worth weight added though, so this is basically what I run on my bikes right now. I've told it before, but the WTB tough carcass survived being on the backend of a hardtail ridden by me down a fast drainage-bar covered decent with no air in it after I missed it getting loose earlier in the ride as the valve core undid itself. Stopped at the bottom, PMSL, got all shocked when I spotted the problem, used the spare valve core from my bag and pumped it back up. No drama, and not even a dented rim.
Stans injections... I use a few inches of screenwash hose left over from my last STW bottle rocket inflator and the little funnel thingy that used to come with the red scoop. When I can't find this, I use a 30ml syringe and the same sort of hose. No exploding spaff covered kitchens!
Tyre gauges - unless you're a race team and prepared to have the thing calibrated regularly / carry it in a pelican case, they're all inaccurate. What's special about the digital ones is their ability to be consistently inaccurate and respond in a sane manner below 20psi. Any super-accurate gauge is going to be dial based and far too expensive to chuck in your camelbak. Just never take other peoples' numbers seriously without a sanity check!
[i]I've heard of people using a hypodermic needle to inject Stans fluid (into their tyres I might add), anyone actually tried this?[/i]
I use the Mavic sealant bottle I got with my road wheels - it has nozzle that fits into the valve hole (and is useful for measuring quantity of fluid).
So my earlier post was tongue in cheek, but here's my two cents worth:
I have always used tubes, and although curious I probably always will. I have had zero punctures (kiss of death) in 10 years. 63kgs. Always run 25/28psi, normally a magic Mary front/chunky monkey in the summer and a nobby nic rear. I ride hard, most of the time
So my earlier post was tongue in cheek, but here's my two cents worth:
I have always used tubes, and although curious I probably always will. I have had zero punctures (kiss of death) in 10 years. 63kgs. Always run 25/28psi, normally a magic Mary front/chunky monkey in the summer and a nobby nic rear. I ride hard, most of the time
Converted this year after 20plus yrs of die hard tubes, mainly as I bought an Anthem with tubeless carbon rims. I then converted my Soul 26er. Soul now gone and new Bird HT. I wouldn’t go back to tubes for MTB - lower pressures, lots of grip, a couple of punctures sorted by sealant or anchovies without taking wheel off trailside.
Only slight negative is my Nobby Nics weeping on the garage floor, all the time.
Road and gravel bikes remain on tubes
Continued... Swinley/wales/surrey(mostly)/Chilterns. Not one puncture. So I would only go tubeless if the ride quality at the same pressures was better.... Is it? Having come from road I know that tubs 'feel' better than clinchers, is it a similar difference? Otherwise I don't see the point. At all.
Only slight negative is my Nobby Nics weeping on the garage floor, all the time.
Get snakeskin next time.
You lot can carry on with this ridiculous faff.
It's not faff though. If it were, I wouldn't do it.
So I would only go tubeless if the ride quality at the same pressures was better.... Is it?
I'd say so. The only back-to-back comparison I did was on the Patriot, and going tubeless made it roll far better and of course I run much lower pressures.
^^^^ they are snakeskin
Wow, really? I've recently fitted snakeskin Ralphs and they hold air better than any tyres I've used. No weeping at all.
Mine don’t lose air, they just leak clear sealant propellant compound, all the time. No negative impacts and I top them up every 3 months. I’ll likely change to something different when they get a bit more worn.
What sealant?
Regular Stans
Aye right lad. You've been riding hard across the UK for ten years and never had a puncture on tubes.gt56 - MemberSo my earlier post was tongue in cheek, but here's my two cents worth:
I have always used tubes, and although curious I probably always will. I have had zero punctures (kiss of death) in 10 years. 63kgs. Always run 25/28psi, normally a magic Mary front/chunky monkey in the summer and a nobby nic rear. I ride hard, most of the time
Best advice is to get someone to show you what riding hard looks like, get some miles under your belt, then decide whether tubeless is for you [the answer is yes].
Didn’t think about the issue of removing the valve nut if it’s slippery and no pliers. I run tubeless and worry about getting my wtb Tcs tyres off if I need to install a tube, I hadn’t thought about removing the valve stem. Perhaps someone should make a tubeless valve nut with some decent hand grip design?
Garry_lager 'aye right lad'. Maybe you could take me out and show me? Massive assumptions made there by you pal. I stated a fact. You're being a **** 'lad'
Could I ask what super calibrated pressure guage are you using?
Err, same one as you - that was my point. It’s consistent, but unless I’m really running 14psi in my rear tyre (I’m not) then it’s not accurate.
I don't puncture so why bother. You lot can carry on with this ridiculous faff.
Fair enough, it was just that your previous post suggested the decision to not go tubeless was due to the numbers given by your gauge.
After reading this post and other tubeless posts and always thinking what are these guys on about as I have never had issues with inflating tyres or them going down afterwards.
Last night I fitted a DH Casing DHF to my bike and this morning woke up to it being flat...bugger...
Yes, the ride quality is better at the same pressure - and noticeably faster too as a decent chunk of rolling resistance when running at low pressure is friction between the tyre/tube.So I would only go tubeless if the ride quality at the same pressures was better.... Is it? Having come from road I know that tubs 'feel' better than clinchers, is it a similar difference?
I have had zero punctures (kiss of death) in 10 years.
Well, I'd say you're a very lucky 'lad'. One in a million. I had too many rides ruined by punctures and that hasn't happened in years with tubeless (I can recall 3 rides with puncture issues in about 10 years). Especially on the commute - sitting on the verge in a dark street in the rain, drivers chuckling as they go by... no more 🙂
I once bought a pair of very expensive Black Chilli compound tubeless ready Contis and a stray flint took out the sidewalls on both tyres on their very first ride. A very long and cold walk home was punctuated with much swearing, lesson learned I made sure that I knew the difference between "Tubeless Ready" and "Reinforced Sidewalls".
But that would have written off both tyres if you were running tubes as well. I always carry one spare tube and very rare to be riding by myself. Still a couple of bits of toothpaste tube in the toolkit for dealing with slashed tyres.
I've got a Topeak digital pressure gauge. Consistent it is, accurate it definitely aint. Reads way lower than the true pressure.
Likewise. I'd been using it for car tyres (and inflating with track pump). Looked way low and sure enough when I took it to the garage pressure hose it was a few psi out. I wonder if they get screwed up by the tubeless gunk that must inevitably get in them.
Checked bike at lunchtime. Back tyre flat. Pumped it, span it. Checked just now. Not flat. Why would you use tubes?! 🙂
Avoid the Fenwick's blue stuff at all costs. Not only is it guaranteed to stain stuff, but it refuses to seal anything, even tiny pinholes.
I had an incident with this stuff in MiL's kitchen. I'd seated the tyre and stupidly ran the bead under the hot tap, as my hands were cold. The sudden expansion blew the tyre off the rim, badly bruising my thumbs and covering the *entire* kitchen in blue sealant, apart from a silhouette of a slightly surprised man rendered on the wall behind the sink.
The kitchen resembled a smurf murder scene.
Top tip!
As a wee aside, in repairing (badly but temporarily) the 2 large snakebites in the rear tire, I have noticed that the rim does in fact look somewhat more like a 50p piece than a circle.
One big previous bash I knew about (the previous time I got a huge snakebite hole, different tires), but there are around 4 other big flat spots. Hats off to stans for building rims that stay sealed and true with that punishment.
So, yes, as you all told me, higher pressures needed. Maybe 15-18 psi was too low for a huge fat lad smashing into roots and rocks on a hard tail (even if the tires are 29+) 😳
*BSN shuffles off shamefully*
Only slight negative is my Nobby Nics weeping on the garage floor, all the time.
I had the same experience with Nobby Nic Snakeskins. Too much emphasis on light casing and not enough on being an appropriate construction for the job at hand.
Dampfs, on the other hand don't seem to have this problem - but OTOH the edge knobs tear off before the rest of the tyre is looking old.
i've stopped being worried about Schwalbe tyres, they don't work for me. If other people like them that's fine. 😀
After my woe of finding my DHF flat, I removed the tyre and fluid and re did the process now it has stayed up, I think what went wrong is after popping the bead on with my airshot, I let the tyre go flat whilst digging out a new valve core, the bead must have come off and not gone back on when I pumped it up via the track pump.
I went to my local pharmacy and got a syringe with a rubber pipe on the end, it cost less than £1 and the rubber pipe fits into the valve allowing me to squirt the fluid in that way.
Decent Casings
Airshot to inflate
Wipe bead with silicon spray lube before fitting
Remove valve core and fill using syringe (or even better, small bottle).
Carry anchovy kit to repair large punctures
Reasonable pressures
If you don't try to cut corners on kit Tubeless is completely painless IME. Back in tubed days every ride would involve someone messing with a puncture. Can ride for months without anyone having an issue nowadays.
And scrub the inside of the tyre carcass to get rid of the release agent. This can slow or stop the weeping too, as the sealant going through the side wall actually sticks to it and seals the pores.......
