• This topic has 57 replies, 40 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by cooie.
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  • ive given tubeless a go and cant do it! old school tubes for me!
  • xcretro
    Free Member

    tried tubeless a few times and found it to be messy, wasteful, expensive and time consuming. this was on each occasion over the last year iv’e thought, ah lets give it another go….

    nope still messy, wasteful, expensive and time consuming. will stick with tubes now.

    latest go was last week when I spent £60 on 2 new Hutchinson cobra tubeless tyres and some sealant – that stupid thought cost me over £60 and lasted for one ride and wanted to go back to old tyres and tubes – needed new forks also now so that’s why the tyres are for sale at a reduced price on the for sale forum

    I don’t feel the need to run my tyres at a severely under inflated pressure so will stick with the tubes – no risk of pinch flats at 40psi

    guess I’m just an old fashioned 26″ tubed chap – living up to my name I suppose. lol

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    No issues here, ghetto tubeless for years.

    Spesh purgatory tyres, Stans, BMX tubes from Asda, compressor, 20 minutes a tyre, sorted.

    What’s the problem?

    somafunk
    Full Member

    No…perhaps you are just incompetent?……>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>……Shields head and runs for cover, incoming shell ……………..BOOM!

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    JCL
    Free Member

    40psi. That must be great fun…

    I haven’t had a flat in three years running tubeless.

    RobHilton
    Free Member

    You don’t have to have them at low pressure, I don’t. They’re more for hoovering up thorns with.

    On the rare occasion I’ve put a hole in one that won’t seal itself and am not in a position to repair it sticking in a tube has made things feel a bit wooden – maybe because the rebound is different??

    Superficial
    Free Member

    If you don’t get pinch punctures, fine, stick with tubes. I still think you’re missing out on a bit of a different (superior) feel and tubeless can be a bit lighter, but the benefits aren’t as great.

    If, like me however, you get pinch punctures regularly (yes, even at 40psi +) then tubeless is a godsend.

    xcretro
    Free Member

    each to their own, I wasn’t saying one is better than the other, just stating my personal experiences with tubeless.

    I ride xc and not so much at bike parks, distances between 30 and 100 miles approx and very rarely get punctures. I ride a full sus carbon xc bike so no probs soaking up the bumps and lumps, theres more flint where I ride so more likely to get tyre gashes than thorn punctures and tubeless dont seal holes big enough to shove yer thumb in.

    suburbanreuben
    Free Member

    A while backI hadn’t had a puncture for a few years, then I seemed to get one every ride, so I tried tubeless. Once again,I don’t get punctures.
    And the rides waaaay better, even XC.
    Stick with it. Use a 3 litre pop bottle to inflate them. See Youtube

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    How exactly did it go wrong?
    Mine have been setup fine for quite a while now. All that with just some Stans tape, fluid, valve and the tyres I have been running normally.

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    Listening to the tales of woe from some work colleagues this morning made me glad I run tubes. 😉

    I did a ghetto jobbie some years go, & it held up fine till I caught a jump a bit iffy & it burped a load of sealant out.

    Might have to give it another go.

    pondo
    Full Member

    Been riding for a weekend with a bunch of guys for a couple of years, same bloke ran tubeless both years and had endless problems. Run high pressures cause I’m sturdily built, and I think I’ve had one puncture in the last two years – in all fairness, there’ve also been tubeless riders on both weekends, and I know other tubeless (and tubed) riders who don’t have a problem with punctures. But the one guy I ever met who could not keep a tyre up was running tubeless.

    xcretro
    Free Member

    first effort on some easton ea70xc wheels I have to say was ok with michelin wild dig’r tyres with joes no flats tubeless kit – was all good but sold them after a few months and tried again with some non tubeless tyres (bonty xr0’s) on dt swiss xrc1250 wheels – first ride – small gash not sealable – tube in, patched at home and tried again – same again. stuck with tubes (michelin c4 latex tubes)

    bought more wheels (ritchey wcs carbon) tried with rocket rons and blew off rim at 40psi, tried again, same again, knackered tyre! bought new tyres – hutchinson cobras put on tubeless rode once at about 32 psi, dfidnt like it – back to michelin xcr dry with latex tubes.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I understand why folks might find it hard the first couple of times but then, so was mountain biking.

    You don’t really say why you didn’t like it. If you just don’t like these tyres and decided to go back to the old ones, what’s that got to do with tubeless? For that matter, why didn’t you try and set up your old tyres tubeless?

    I had a puncture at the weekend. Downright weird, it was last August I last had a flat on a mountain bike so it took me a moment to work out what had happened 😆

    xcretro
    Free Member

    I dont like the fact that if you do get a puncture with tubeless then you have to get your hands covered in liquid latex taking the tyre off, the rim strip off (if you dont have tubeless rims) then put a normal rim strip on and then a tube in and put the latex covered rim strip in your jersey pocket.

    If you want to change tyres, i regularly change for conditions or location riding etc its just quicker less messy with tubes.

    This is my opinion and it suits the way I ride, the area I ride in and the type of tyres I like to use.

    others may prefer tubeless for their own reasons, like riding style, location etc..

    Northwind
    Full Member

    xcretro – Member

    I dont like the fact that if you do get a puncture with tubeless then you have to get your hands covered in liquid latex taking the tyre off,

    I got essentially no sealant on me fixing that flat at the weekend, it just needs a little care. More mud on my hands than sealant so it all added up to much the same as fixing a normal flat, except that it was a year since my last one.

    It’s slightly slower to change tyres- a few minutes an end unless you’re bodging it- but it’s not messy. Or very wasteful either because you reuse the sealant.

    But you said “rode it, didn’t like it”- what didn’t you like about the ride? What’s not to like?

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    I dont like the fact that if you do get a puncture with tubeless then you have to get your hands covered in liquid latex taking the tyre off, the rim strip off (if you dont have tubeless rims) then put a normal rim strip on and then a tube in and put the latex covered rim strip in your jersey pocket.

    You know you don’t actually need rum strips? Not running any on non tubeless rims, don’t know of anyone who needs to. If it goes wrong enough to have a proper flat then the sealant is mostly gone, I remove the valve and put a tube in. The valve goes into one of the safe little pockets on my camelback.

    I see the point about tyre swapping but with the exception of DH I tend to run the same rubber for at least half the year by which point it’s either dead and needs changing or it’s winter and needs changing.

    I swapped the tyres on the missus XC bike (TR rubber and TR rims) in about 15 mins with a track pump, syringe or the little stans bottle to hoover up the sealant and a quick spray with the fairy liquid and it was all back up and running.

    I was skeptical at first but properly converted. Don’t run low pressures normally round the 30-32 mark but find when you get to 40psi it’s all a bit too skittish anyway.

    As for the downsides I’ve had 3 riding issues,
    2 were landing sideways/scraping the tyre into a gully/rut which would have don’e bad stuff to a tubed tyre too.
    The other was casing something very badly onto a rock, that would have popped a tube too.

    After that I decided to put some more air in while waiting for a race start and panicked and bent a presta valve core. I had the thing sorted and back up with a tube in under 5 mins.

    kiwijohn
    Full Member

    Cobras are pretty shit tyres, tubeless or not.
    I just converted my CX bike with normal tyres & it earned it’s keep on its first ride.

    breadcrumb
    Full Member

    If you don’t like getting dirty hands carry some latex gloves.

    Or change hobby 😉

    For the record I have 2 bikes set up tubeless, one has tubeless rims with non tubeless tyres and the other has tubeless tyres on non tubeless rims (added rim Superstar rim tape).

    I use to pinch puncture most rides before converting.

    xcretro
    Free Member

    perhaps if you all get so many pinch punctures you should learn to ride a bit better, pick better lines and look where you are going!

    cruzcampo
    Free Member

    I carry a pair of washing up gloves in the backpack, fantastic for removing/fitting difficult tyres

    passtherizla
    Free Member

    Got several bikes in our group all set up tubeless by me and I’m a ham fisted mong… They’re all still going strong. Some
    Tubeless wheels, some not. Some with tape and valves, some ghetto BMX tube method. Not one tubeless tyre between us… Tape and valves is the easiest by far rimstrips are the same as the ghetto method IMO.

    bloodsexmagik
    Free Member

    I do like my tubeless setup and don’t see me going back…

    but in the last month i’ve had two different tyres puncture and not seal, I can’t help but feel that sealant could be better than it is. They weren’t big holes by any stretch of the imagination and i’m using stans fluid which is supposed to be excellent.

    creamegg
    Free Member

    I find it just as easy, if not easier than running tubes. Only had 1 puncture since converting (double spike through the tyre so nothing would have stopped that). Both sets of wheels go up with just a track pump now, saved loads of money on tubes and even more time of faffing about on the trail.
    Mine are set up using Duck Tape, so for £2 a roll will set up around 8 rims so the cost is very small even with a bit of jizz every now and again. I can see its not for everyone though, especially if you have the spannering skills of a hippo

    jaffejoffer
    Free Member

    exactly the same here. first puncture was very recently, it was quite a big hole and my sealent was dry. put a tube in to get home, felt awful in comparison.

    Pawsy_Bear
    Free Member

    One puncture in about 4 years. Loads of thorns in tyres when I change them though but all sealed. I use plenty of sealant and change it every 6 months. Also change tyres every year – 18 months. If you puncture quick fix is turn bike upside down so hole is at the bottom so latex flows to it and give it a quick pump. Fixed a puncture from flint on South Downs way. Also carry a tubeless puncture kit. Used that to repair it once I got home. Very easy to use and simple.

    Tubeless is just so faff free if you have tubeless wheel/rims. Most problems come from the ghetto setups. At 20 psi the tyre deforms as intended to give great grip grip and ride without the rolling resistance.

    hudders
    Free Member

    Running Schwalbe tyres on Stans Arch rims and Stans sealant, no problems here, inflated with a track pump and easy on the rim, maybe it’s the tyres that are the problem for you.

    BTW, I used this setup at Megavalanche this year and out of our group of 4 I was the only one not to flat, all others were on tubes.

    suburbanreuben
    Free Member

    If you want to change tyres, i regularly change for conditions or location riding etc its just quicker less messy with tubes.

    This is my opinion and it suits the way I ride, the area I ride in and the type of tyres I like to use.

    others may prefer tubeless for their own reasons, like riding style, location etc..

    That’s fair enough,but it doesn’t really square with your original post where you confessed to being a tad cack handed.
    I prefer tubeless as it really is so much better in every respect. I’m also lazy , which is why I mainly ride a rigid singlespeed, on 1.8″ tyres. Tubeless isn’t just for fat lads on fat tyres.

    Saccades
    Free Member

    Go UST, no need for sealent, no faff it just works.

    Loads more GRIP, the lack of punctures/pinch flats and reduced weight of the system is a bonus.

    A little heavier than stans due to the thicker sidewalls (great for flinty/rocky areas), can change tyres quicker than a tubed set up with just a handpump and in one case, spit.

    core
    Full Member

    I went tubeless this year, on Mavic 521 rim with Stans strips and sealant, Spesh purgatory and butcher tyres, they inflate fine with a track pump, and no punctures or flats yet, but until the last ride I did, the front kept burping air if the side wall got any stick, just flexed and lost air. So, I’ve now upped the pressures, and they seem ok, didn’t have any washing out.

    I’m talking 40psi, 26″ aluminium hardtail, 95kg rider – that sound bonkers?

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    I run all my bikes bar my Fat Bike tubeless.

    I’ve solved the ‘change tyres according to the conditions’ issue by using n+1 and just picking a different bike with the right tyres on.

    Round here (South Downs) it’s thorns not pinch flats that cause the problems. Sure enough 2nd fat bike ride and I got my first puncture for over 2 years.

    If the OP is having problems with tubeless I’d say it was technique, not the products at fault.

    I’ve never bought tubeless ready tyres. Some leak on the sidewalls a bit more initially but they all seal after a ride.

    robgclarkson
    Free Member

    i’d heard nothing but negativity on this place about setting up tubeless, all that can go wrong, tyres just not seating, sealant everywhere…

    so i set about doing mine with an air of trepidation…. imagine my surprise when i got both tyres done, 1st time of asking, with minimum fuss, all done in less than 15 minutes… if anything i was a little disappointed, i’d been told i could have a couple of hours in the garage so had to potter about for the remainder of my allotted time 😀

    no going back now, really getting on with them too

    njee20
    Free Member

    If you just don’t like these tyres and decided to go back to the old ones, what’s that got to do with tubeless? For that matter, why didn’t you try and set up your old tyres tubeless?

    This was my question – seems you didn’t like the Cobras, that’s because they’re crap, not because you ran them tubeless…

    Northwind
    Full Member

    mikewsmith – Member

    You know you don’t actually need rum strips? Not running any on non tubeless rims, don’t know of anyone who needs to.

    DT rims… I never even dared ride mine when they were just taped, I could push the tyre off the rim with my thumbs.

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    I put a tube in mine to get the bead seated and get the tyres in to shape…

    several 1000km later (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Czech/Polish trail center and Cairngorms), the air hasn’t all fallen out.

    To actually go back and put the slop in, by definition, will be more effort, regardless of how easily the sidewalls seal. And my total outlay on tubes since 2008 is less than the cost of 1 bottle of Stan’s.

    johni
    Free Member

    After battling with tubeless kits I opted for the much cheaper ghetto tubeless and have been running that for 2 years plus with no issues.

    Much cheaper and easier than tubes in my experience.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    DT rims… I never even dared ride mine when they were just taped, I could push the tyre off the rim with my thumbs.

    I also don’t know anyone still using DT rims 😉

    kiwijohn
    Full Member

    I’m still running them on the Yeti, Mike. Can’t seem to kill them.
    Which reminds me, I need to take the tube out of the front & put some fresh stans in.

    traildog
    Free Member

    There are so many anti tubeless threads on here but I honestly don’t know what is not to like. It’s not difficult to set up. If you are doing a conversion then first time might take a bit of thinking about but once you’ve worked it out then it’s fine. You get a much better ride, noticeably faster and comfier and more grip. And punctures which were a very regular occurrence are suddenly a very rare.

    The only downside I can see is if you want to always swap tyres, but I would argue that if you are swapping tyres, you should also be swapping wheels.

    I would love to get ride of tubes on all my bikes. I have gone tubeless on my road bike now and I might try giving it a go on my cross bike.

    Shred
    Free Member

    +1 traildog

    Tubeless has been easier that running tubes ever was, plus better ride. I’m tubeless on mtb and road and won’t go back.

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    If your tubes don’t puncture then tubeless will always be more effort and more cost. Some people seem to get flats or shredded Schwalbes if the tyre comes within a half a mile of a stone. Others go 6000km with nothing more than a mere top up of air every few weeks.

    My total outlay on replacement tubes since 2008 is €7. And half of that was incurred wheeling my bike between Super Morzine gondola and Zore chairlift. The Maxxis tyres were shredded by the end of that week, with nobbles dangling off.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 58 total)

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