Hi, I run tubeless (MTB) and have recently decided to cut down on gear taken on rides and ditch the backpack for most rides. Having already decided to not carry a pump for the majority of my riding (exception being long day rides away from much civilisation) and carrying 4 20g co2 instead (on the bike) I was wondering about not bothering with a spare Tube and carrying a Tubeless repair tool such as a Dynaplug.

I appreciate there will be opinions on this and I am fully aware of the pros and cons so really just wanted to hear from other riders that are doing the same and if they have always managed to sort out a puncture. Given the seeming ease of use and reliability of a Dynaplug tool and a well maintained tyre sealant setup I just wonder if an innertube and levers would ever be used anymore…

Much appreciate any feedback.

Haven’t carried one for years.

Catches me out maybe once a year.

Carry loctite glue for a bit of redundancy.

The pump I’ve come full circle with as co2 often fails and then you are stuck.

I’ve put a hole in my tyre bigger than my worm can fill, needing a tube. I’ve now got a frame pump, Samurai plugs, 1 CO2, and a tube. Often the fix is a plug, plus just a quick pump up, but I always have the tube to get home with.

In the last 3 years of running tubeless, I’ve needed an inner tube twice. Both times I got punctures too big for sealant to seal. I find CO2 cartridges too unreliable and they’re not environmentally friendly, so I always carry a pump even at that low frequency of needing one. Sometimes, even when sealant does fix the puncture, quite a lot of air can have escaped which requires a top-up to continue riding.

Combined with the fact that sod’s law dictates that punctures always occur at the furthest distance from home or the car, to answer your question I always carry a tube and pump. It’s not worth the weight saving versus the inconvenience of when bad things do happen.

I now also carry one of those “bacon and needle” kits to be sure I don’t get stranded in the middle of nowhere. If I never use it, it will still have been worth the peace of mind.

[rone: Haven’t carried one for years. Catches me out maybe once a year. Carry loctite glue for a bit of redundancy. The pump I’ve come full circle with as co2 often fails and then you are stuck.]

Thanks for the feedback, I decided to ditch the pump as after doing some testing with my mini pump it took around 500 strokes just to get to 22psi (maybe I need a better pump) but I figure 4 cartridges has a fair allowance for failures and cock ups (or a run of punctures) – I just felt perhaps in this modern era of tubeless with sealant and funky dynaplugs do I still really need a tube for most rides..

Interested as to why people are finding Co2 so unreliable – its always worked for me. Maybe its the type/brand of inflator head that’s the problem ?

is for cartridges and the head required any lighter than a decent pump?

In five years of running tubeless I’ve only needed a tube twice. Once was when I dinged a rim on a water bar and there was no way the tyre would seal. The other time was a minor hole and for some reason the sealant wouldn’t seal the hole and it was way too small for an anchovy.

I do carry a tube but I’m often on rides several hours from anywhere and it’s just force of habit. I even carry one on the fat bike but then doing things like racing in the arctic is a bit specialised and getting “rescued”: “Hi, I’ve a mechanical can you pick me up please?” “Sure, that’ll be 200 Euros. Cash only” I kid you not.

for a quick local ride I take a small pack with inflator, tube, mini tool a spare cable and chainlink. The inflator got me home on friday after a small slow puncture that didnt seal.
Anything longer or further a field all the above + another tube, pads and a pump (lezyne mini track pump FTW)

is for cartridges and the head required any lighter than a decent pump?

no, just smaller and quicker if it works

I never carry tubes and I’m not tubeless. Not had a puncture in years

is for cartridges and the head required any lighter than a decent pump?

Not so much weight, but the cartridges are much smaller than a decent pump.

Only using 28c tyres but I carry a tube, CO2 and head plus a very short 15mm spanner (track nuts) in a tiny little bag that goes in back of jersey pocket. I can’t do that with a pump.

Can’t believe you wouldn’t carry a tube. I’ve been tubeless for years and always do. Doesn’t take much of a slash for sealant to fail. Tube in, carryon riding. That said I can’t recall this happening but as soon as I ditch a spare tube, it’s guaranteed to happen!

Tyres/wheels I use for local xc rides on the smuggler are full of thorns, inner tube would be useless. Plenty of sealant in there, 2/3 co2 canisters and a dynaplug kit.

Most places we ride are at most 5 miles from the car. Only take an inntertube on big days out (e.g. Peaks) and will have a pump as well.

It depends on the ride. If I’m going KMs from civilisation I’ll take the kitchen sink, but if I reckon it will take me less than half an hour to hoike the bike back to my house/a mate’s house/my car/a bike shop then I don’t bother.
Most of my rides are the second case, so I don’t usually carry one.

CO2 cartridge and inflated in steerer tube, mini pump under bottle cage, tube in tube tarp in a space by seat tube created by tube layout and Samarai tubeless plug kit in bar ends.

I think this is probably one of the things where you need to think about consequences. A year or so back I was up the top of Jacob’s Ladder an hour or so before nightfall and flatted a tubeless rear tyre. Didn’t have a tube as I’d been juggling wheel and tube sizes and somehow hadn’t put either in.

Fortunately I found an anchovy repair thing in my pack and it sealed the hole. If it hadn’t I’d have had a couple of hours push in the dark to get home. I was okay, but if the repair hadn’t worked, that would have been it in a slightly tiresome way.

If I were riding 20 minutes from my front door, no big deal, but for anything further or with a risk of benightment, I like the extra reassurance I can get home – a tube and a gel wrapper or tyre boot can fix stuff that a repair kit can’t. I don’t really care about a few hundred extra grammes in my pack.

I once met a guy on a road bike who didn’t carry a pump or tube – long story but the short of it was that the two times he’d flatted, he’d flagged down a passing car and cadged a lift home. I’d rather be a little less dependent on the kindness of strangers. YMMV,

For shorter, local rides: pump clipped to downtube next to bottle cage. Toolkit (including anchovies and applicator) in Jerry Can bag* – phone, debit card and cash and minimal FAK go in there as well.

For multi-day rides I’ll also shove in a tyre boot (piece of old toothpaste tube) and a sewing kit for bigger slashes.

* Seems to be the name for a top tube bag that sits in the seat tube – top tube junction.

Depends on the ride. Short ones where I use a bus bag I do t take a tube – but I’m rarely further than 30 mins walk to the car. I have a mini pump and a tubeless repair kit in that bag just in case. I’ve been tubeless for 2 and a bit years and my tubeless kit is still unopened at present.

Longer rides at bigger places I have a back pack with a camelbak in it for water so I may as well carry a tube as it’s not that heavy and gives me a backup. Will also have a puncture repair kit in that case and a mini tool with pliers on to undo the tubeless valve nut in case I need to pop a tube in.

Carry a tubolito tube. Light enough that it’s no hassle to have it with me

Interested as to why people are finding Co2 so unreliable – its always worked for me. Maybe its the type/brand of inflator head that’s the problem ?

Well for one, it’s a finite opportunity limited by the number of cartridges you carry. So, if your tyre fails to inflate you’ve only got so many goes

Second I’m on my third co2 inflator, they’re spring loaded and have failed me a couple of times. Enough to be annoying. That said I might try a lezyne one. Their pumps have been great.

It’s all risk assessment. Minimise your kit for sure, but then accept what could go wrong and how you will fix it.

Carrying a pump and a tube does not inconvenience me, so I’m happy to have them as insurance for a situation that is very rare, but also very inconvenient if it happens.

Depends on the ride and the bike.

Fat bike I don’t bother as trying to inflate it with a tube would be such a monumental faff, the tyre carcass if full of thorns and tubes aren’t light. I do still take a decent pump and anchovies. Absolute worst case there’s always the old bodge of filling the wheel with grass.

For anything else, a tube weighs 150g and lives in the saddle bag.

Might stop bothering as tubes seem to degrade and split before they get used! Not sure if it’s residual chain oil in the saddlebag, or light, or bike cleaner or what that does it, but they all crack and split eventually along the folds.

Almost always. Even my local rides can have 2-3 hours walk from help should things go awry.

Around a trail centre, maybe not worthwhile.

Well for one, it’s a finite opportunity limited by the number of cartridges you carry. So, if your tyre fails to inflate you’ve only got so many goes

A given..

Second I’m on my third co2 inflator, they’re spring loaded and have failed me a couple of times. Enough to be annoying. That said I might try a lezyne one. Their pumps have been great.

Oddly I’ve had a couple of pumps that have let me down for various unknown reasons – my Co2 did work!

It’s all risk assessment. Minimise your kit for sure, but then accept what could go wrong and how you will fix it.

Yep it is, its how far do you go with carrying spares and tools for fixing problems that you hope will never happen, and trying to grade the likelihood of those ‘things’ happening and the consequences. If your not careful you can end up carrying a ton of stuff… its a balance that I guess is up to the individual to strike.

I’m happy for people who don’t carry basic spares, but please don’t try to bum them off me when things go wrong.

Thanks for all the responses.

I guess a flat tyre is something that you cant continue to ride on. Lots of other things can be cobbled up to allow you to ride even if its in a slightly awkward fashion – as long as you have suitable tools and parts that is! Even if thats ending up with a single speed bike with a shortened chain because the derailleur got smashed (or other similar situations)

I think your responses have helped – I will continue to carry a tube and still get a Dynaplug Racer (or Similar) as that could well help effect a quick repair without resorting to the faf of inserting a tube in the mess of sealant and probably mud.
Still not sure about a pump, given the amount of pumping required but I guess for the weight I may as well keep it on the bike as extra insurance.

Thanks to everyone who commented.

Carry a tubolito tube. Light enough that it’s no hassle to have it with me.

@honourablegeorge – of the two people I know who’ve had to use a tubolito both have had problems. One of those two was me! In my case the tubolito would slowly deflate over a period of about an hour to ninety minutes.

I’ve posted this link before and it’s aimed at road cyclists but his argument is that, to paraphrase an ex-prime minister: “Tubeless means tubeless” – https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/blogs/news/living-with-tubeless-tyres (I just wish he’d worn a light coloured jumper!)

i know co2 is cool.. but why bother if you need a pump as a fallback? just carry a pump

note: this only applies to non-pro-racers!

if you’re a pro-racer do co2, otherwise get over it 😮

I’ve posted this link before and it’s aimed at road cyclists but his argument is that, to paraphrase an ex-prime minister: “Tubeless means tubeless” – https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/blogs/news/living-with-tubeless-tyres

Interesting link, perhaps we do need to adjust our approach – perhaps innertubes are a thing of the past……
Oh what to do !

I’m sure it’ll come back to bite me, but I don’t carry anything. I don’t even have a bottle cage. Does suck when you get a flat, but it’s only happened a couple of times.

i know co2 is cool.. but why bother if you need a pump as a fallback? just carry a pump
note: this only applies to non-pro-racers!

I know BUT maybe its because a mini pump requires a LOT (and I mean a LOT) of pump strokes to inflate a MTB tyre , Co2 is quick and easy – but Co2 is a one shot only so makes you feel a little vulnerable if you use all your cartridges….

and i run plus… and i’ve done it with a high volume pump. not so painful 🙂

carry the appropriate pump. i’ve never had a flat since going tubeless but still carry the right tube for the wheelset (plus or 29) and either the mini pump (summer -> using 5L hotlaps) or otherwise using a camelbak.

I’ve messed about with tubeless since before it was a product you could buy and DIY was king, circa. 2002. By 2005/6 the system was sufficiently refined and products coming online (Stans gen 1 rims and rim strips are the most notable), that you could make a reliable seal and resist burping. Since then tubeless has evolved to become more and more reliable and I dropped carrying a tube in 2009.

There’s simply no point. I found that by the time I actually needed a tube, the tyre was so riddled with thorns that the tube that went in was usually punctured within a few Kms, even if I was careful to look for thorns before loading it up. Much better to use anchovies to plug the hole you know about and carry a little tube of spare fluid.

Since then, I’ve used a tube twice that I can remember. Bother were epic sidewall cuts. Even most sidewall cuts can be dealt with with 2/3/4 pugs stuffed in the hole.

I use slime in the inner tubes. I’m not a weight weeny, I’m carrying 2 stone of extra fat, so a bottle of slime makes no odds

The one time I don’t carry one is the time I will need one, so yes I still take the one I bought when I went tubeless on my first 650b 3 and half years ago.

I’ve needed a tube once in about 10 years of tubeless. I ran over some glass, it sealed, ran over some more glass and it didn’t.

However I still carry two tubes and even a puncture kit on longer rides. I am considering ditching them for short local rides.

Been running tubeless for 8+ years now, and though I’ve always carried a tube, I’ve not had to use one personally…yet.

BUT, I have had to give a tube on more than one occasion to a riding friend that has had a catastrophic tubeless failure, and not been carrying a tube. So don’t be that person!

Had to use anchovies on probably 8/9 occasions and those plus a pump have always got me home.

So on balance I could ditch the tube, but might regret it. But I’ll always carry anchovies and a pump.

I Don’t like C02 for a few reasons…..it sometimes doesn’t play well with sealant; it has a finite number of uses (what happens if you need to top your tyre up 3 or 4 times?); it’s environmentally wasteful due to materials used in the canisters, etc.

and i run plus… and i’ve done it with a high volume pump. not so painful 🙂

Can I ask what pump you use? always good to get a recommendation. Maybe my pump is inadequate 🙂

The last 2 times I tried to put a tube in I pinched in putting it in so it was useless. Very annoying thankfully that’s 2 flats in about 3 years

For the fat bike I use a Topeak Mountain Morph – gone from flat (the hole had sealed by the time I came to a stop) to fully inflated in less than two minutes, maybe 100 strokes – ooh err missus! Fatbike.com did a group test and the Lezyne HV Micro floor Drive came out best – https://fat-bike.com/2015/05/trail-pump-shootout/.

On the FS and HT I’ve a Topeak Mountain DA – https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/mini-pumps/1082-mountain-da