Would Gravel/Adventure be a “thing” if there was no tubeless ?

Or to rephrase the question who runs tubes on their gravel bike ?

I don’t even run tubes on my commuter

I run tubes in mine .

Yes. I used to have tubes on my crosser, now I don’t but don’t consider it essential

Well gravel now is basically ATB ca. 1989 but with drop bars.

Got tubes in my CX/Gravel/Adventure/EnduralGrail (or whatever you want to call it) bike.

Got tubes in my HT too. And FS. And Roadbike.

I run tubes on my drop-bar ATB 29er gravel/adventure bikepacking all-road monstercross touring bike.  Bike still works with tubes.  It came with tubes so I just carried on using tubes. I suppose the big Q is – will the trails come alive by my converting to tubeless?

* edit: laughing at andytherocketeer’s synchro/cross-posted genre-babel.

#itsabike

I still don’t really understand how gravel/Adventure is a “thing”

I was running tubes (and tough tyres) when I used 25c tyres but have gone tubeless now running bigger tyres.  But then I was riding gravel before tubeless was available.

Mrs Kilo has tubes in her cx bike at the moment, a few wheel and tyre issues have made it that way , previously tubeless. She doesn’t puncture much and it hasn’t made any difference

I still don’t really understand how gravel/Adventure is a “thing”

Don’t worry about it, there will be lots of things you don’t understand.  Don’t put pressure on yourself thinking you have to understand everything.

Well gravel now is basically ATB ca. 1989 but with drop bars.

I’d say 1989 to pretty much the early 2000’s, when gnaaaaaarification really started to kick in, but, yup.

We’ve managed with tubes for for nearly 2 centuries. I’m not sure I understand the question.

Still running tubes on my ‘gravel bike’. Only really pinch flatted on the Dirty Reiver (every year..) Anywhere else it’s fine.

I have tubes with WTB nano 40c wired tyres. Never had a puncture. That includes 3 x Dirty Reiver. Pump’m up hard, end of problem!

Yes. It was called roughstuff touring from at least as far back as my dad’s youth (50s or so), and still is by some CTC types that like to moan about toe overlap and stuff.

Edit – I should point out that I’ve thought of joining the rough stuff fellowship, if I had the time!

Still tubes here. Nothing against tubeless, just the way it’s worked out. Very few punctures and can run low enough pressures if i like, so apart from the possibly better rolling and slightly lighter weight, i’ve not felt the need to change.

Round here, nope. It’s got to the point where it’s a proper sucking of teeth to go out with someone in the group with tubes on the gnarmac/cx bikes.  The bikes are so capable and fun it’s guaranteed you’ll be hitting roots and rocks hard enough to snakebite.

I use tubes because I switch tyres from knobbly to slick a lot and tubless looks like a right faff.

I even race cross on tubes, I’m not good enough for it to make a jot of differnce.

Mainly because I just haven’t got around to tubelessing it yet though.

Well gravel now is basically ATB ca. 1989 but with drop bars.

Drop bars, bigger wheels and different geometry.  Rigid tho, you got that bit right.

Tubes on gravel and road bikes, tubeless on MTBs here.

Another one on tubes, just can’t be bothered with the cost/faff of going tubeless, especially as my gravel bike doubles as my CX bike so I’m swapping tyres all the time. Latex tubes and sensible pressures does the job for me, if I went any lower for CX racing I think I’d be folding tyres on corners anyway, and since my gravel/cx bike is also my MTB, if I was banging roots and rocks I’d put some MTB tyres on 😉

My first adventure/gravel/commuter on the Cycle to Work scheme had tubes. I used to ride, like, “adventure” routes home on it in the summer, so I don’t think there’s a correlation.

All of my bikes have tubeless now, but I don’t actually do a lot of that type of riding, funnily enough.

I thought Gravel/Adventure looking awfully like the “Cycle Touring” we did back in the 70’s when we took our robust road bikes fitted with panniers and 27×11/4 inch tyres down the roads and tracks across the country?

I currently have one of each on my own Gravel bike, when I get round to sorting the front out again though it will fully toooblussed again…

I don’t actually think the method of tyre inflation really matters for any sub-niche of bicycle…

If you really want to hear inciteful debate on gravel bikes and vaguely related things I dare you to watch one of the ‘path less pedalled’ videos on YouTube, if you can make it to the end without grinding your teeth to dust I’d be impressed…  Gravel has hit “peak hipster” in the States now it seems…

I thought Gravel/Adventure looking awfully like the “Cycle Touring” we did back in the 70’s when we took our robust road bikes fitted with panniers and 27×11/4 inch tyres down the roads and tracks across the country?

Adventure is cycle touring yes, but gravel is not just adventure.  I wouldn’t want to use a Dawes Galaxy for the 1-2 hour fast rides I do on gravel.

 I wouldn’t want to use a Dawes Galaxy for the 1-2 hour fast rides I do on gravel.

Ohh I don’t know.  I had a 1980’ish CB Super Dalesman (a Dawes in a posher paintjob), stuck some knobbly tyres on it and despite the frame being heavy enough to effect the moons orbit it was still pretty handy.

Having said that I did once go exploring the Peak on an old 531 road bike with 21c tyres. Punctured twice descending the little climb to the road after the beast and did a big loop of the forestry roads. The steerer snapped on Broomhill the next day!

I still don’t really understand how gravel/Adventure is a “thing”

I can do fast on smooth stuff that my road bike doesn’t like and my xc bike is overkill for. But keep trolling

Still running tubes as I need to get some tape and fluid for my grail, running slightly higher pressure but never went that soft on the mtb either

Hmm. I reckon gravel bares little resemblance to 80’s MTBing. For many of us mountain biking hasn’t really changed since the mid 80’s. We ride in the woods, on paths and tracks and in the mountains. About the only thing that has changed is that we go down hill faster and things break more often. But  the latter is the same with all cycling .

Gravel isn’t that far removed from road riding without the cars. Of course I am using the word gravel properly , not meaning easy off road riding. That’s rough stuff or mountain biking.

As to tubeless being important. Not in the slightest.

Still tubes here, but trying the Vaya with cheap 650b wheels at the mo to see how it feels..

And to be fair, I like it, so will  be getting some bling wheels built up.

They will be tubeless..

descending the little climb

electric brae?

Of course I am using the word gravel properly , not meaning easy off road riding. That’s rough stuff or mountain biking.

Don’t be precious

When I tubelessed my partners gravel/90s-xc/hybrid/all-road bike she just said ‘wow, what did you do to it?’ the next time we went out. She’s a fair bit faster now, certainly not entirely due to halving her tyre pressures, but it plays a role for sure

Always reassuring to see a thread about gravel bikes has the ‘I used to go gravel biking in the 1920’s it’s nothing new’ bores on it.

Anyway, back to the OP: I’ve used tubes on my tripster and am running tubeless at the moment. There’s a difference for sure, but nothing that would make me think differently about what kind of terrain to ride. It just feels a bit nicer with tubeless is all.

There’s a difference for sure, but nothing that would make me think differently about what kind of terrain to ride. It just feels a bit nicer with tubeless is all.

You clearly don’t get many punctures.  When I was running tubes I had to go to super tough tyres to avoid flats from the very sharp bits of broken flint.  Tubeless I never get a problem,

The actual innovation isn’t tubeless, it’s having sealant in the air space. So the slightly heavier but much less faff in the setting up or trailside repair is to have sealant in the tube. Still get a lot fewer punctures, but never have a picture of Badger making a mess of his patio.

Jobst Brandt would like a word from beyond the grave…

When I tubelessed my partners gravel/90s-xc/hybrid/all-road bike she just said ‘wow, what did you do to it?’

Really? Whenever i’ve converted a bike to tubeless my main thought afterwards was “why did i bother?”

@mike I was referring to the name/market not the activity. it’s certainly nothing new in my lifetime and I have nothing against folk who do it.
Please stop jumping on my comments like some social justice warrior.

Please stop jumping on my comments like some social justice warrior.

Well turn the aggression down a few clicks in most of your posts 😉 love it when somebody calls you a social justice warrior  quite a compliment to say you think of how ho make other people’s lives better

My Arkose will being going tubeless as soon as I can get around to it – I used to pinch puncture with regularity BITD on a rigid mtb so this innovation is a welcome one.