I am getting a bit fat-curious – toying with an On-One Fatty at some point in the near future. I was wondering though – around us, we have lots of hawthorn. It is the bain of my life and I end up avoiding certain trails during cutting season as no-one seems willing to clear up their mess.

So, wider tyres, but lower pressures – will they be more susceptible to thorns? Are the tyres and tubes that much more robust to resist them? Will a sealant be effective at low pressures?

Andy

Two words.
Tube and less. 😉

Don’t know about thorns, but I have never had a fatbike puncture.

I’m using tubes.

Really – tubeless?

I use to ride a lot in the Chilterns, and tubeless is the only real answer to thorns.

i can confirm that with tubes they are very suceptible to thorns….. didnt even got 200m along the track from my house before i got a flat on the fatty 🙁 the carcass is so thin to keep weight down.

monkeyp – Member

Really – tubeless?

Yes really.

It’s not hard to do.
Rollin D with Gorilla tape.

Rolling D and Bud tubeless. by singlespeedstu, on Flickr

Large Marge with split tube.

tubeless Nate on Large Marge. by singlespeedstu, on Flickr

Also have an interest in this, as my Stan-filled tubes leave the wheels looking like a German-movie actress after some rides.

What size tube did you use for the split tube method? (happily ghettoed on 3 normal bikes, but a normal 24″ tube isn’t wide enough to get over a fat rim)

Gorilla Tape not available here, would duct-tape work?

Edit for OP: I think the low pressure allows more movement between tyre and tube so the point of the thorn keeps wiggling the hole open

see this thread

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/light-weight-ghetto-tubeless-attempt

OK – so next question.

Is a mini pump even worth bothering with…

I used a 24″ DH tube and yes Gorilla tape is available from ebay. 😉

Tubeless Moonlander

😉