Tubeless - fit and forget, or forever faff?

Assuming the intital fit goes well, you can forget about it, aside from occasional sealant top ups, every 6-12m.

It seems to be all about which rim and which tyre. I have some Vittoria Mezcals on Lightbicycle rims and they are less faff than any of my tubed wheels. In the past, though, I've had some combinations that have been endless faffs- although these have been with non-tubeless ready rims and tyres. Never tried it on a road bike

Neither constant faff nor fit and forget, but sort of easy to live with until isn't.

There are certain types of puncture that sealant won't seal, and certain weird combinations of tyre/rim/tape which can misbehave in unpredictable ways, and generally it's a bit messier.

I think you need to weigh it up against how much grief punctures are causing you now vs. the learning curve of going tubeless.

I top up every 3-6 months and check pressures before every ride, some wheels and tyres hold, some drop a bit.

I think you need to weigh it up against how much grief punctures are causing you now vs. the learning curve of going tubeless.

Yup. This. As I discovered when I needed to repair the inside of the tyre!!!

Pretty much fit and forget for me, bit of fluid every now and then but not much more. That's probably over a good dozen or more wheels.

I've only had one wheel that seemed like it didn't want to play but that could have been me not sealing it properly or my tape being past it's best.

In my experience, once the tyre is on and inflated properly then you're into fit and forget territory, apart from checking how much sealant is left in there every 6 months or so as mentioned. First time I got new tubeless tyres I had to take them to the shop to get them seated with a compressor - I've got an AirShot now. I've also never had to put a tube in, which I can imagine might colour my view of tubeless a bit.

More effort to live with than a tube but not by much. They are much less trouble when riding though.

Tempted to say, the trouble is the same, you just choose whether you want it in a ride (tubes) or at home (tubeless).

I find tubeless needs to be topped up with air more often.
Needs an occasional top up with fluid although depending on your mileage and tyre choice you might only ever put fluid in new tyres.
Need to learn to use a tubeless repair kit in the field (not difficult -try them out on an outgoing tyre)
Useful to learn how to use a plug patch (also called a mushroom patch) from the inside for more robust repairs at home.

But for the vast majority of my rides, they've been fit and forget.

I've been using them a long time now. My first set up was Mavic 317 rims, Stan's rubber rim strips and kenda nevegal tyres back when all mountain bikes were 26" wheeled and there's no way I'd ever go back. Systems seem a lot easier to use these days as well.

It can be faff, but, it's faff in your kitchen or garage or garden at a time of your choice. Whereas tubes are faff when you're up a hill in the rain and it's getting dark.

Wider rims have made it a lot better ime- you can now often just tape the middle instead of the whole rim. That matters because one of the 2 biggest issues people still have with tubeless, is that when you take the tyre off it can damage the tape. That doesn't happen ever if you've only taped the recessed middle. Though, it does need to be a decently wide rim

(the other issue is valves and cutting the tape, which honestly feels like it's been intentionally made into an issue sometimes. With a good simple valve- the ones with a big conical rubber bung are best ime with almost all rims- then you'll get a seal easily, and wonder why there's 500 different shapes of valve and there's valves with removable bits, valves which seal the other side of the rim for no reason at all... The only variations that aren't pointless, are either if you have rim inserts or a funky shaped rim.

And forget about all the "clever ideas" people have like cutting an X, or using a soldering iron, or any of that bollocks- just get a really sharp knife (scalpel blade is ideal, they cost nothing), press the tape down well and then cut round the edge using the hole in the rim to guide it. Perfect every time. Don't use the cloth gorilla tape, it works great til you have to take it off then it's the stickiest mess in the world. decent quality pvc electrical tape works fantastic if you've got a wide enough rim to just tape the middle.

Seem to be ok with me, but I'm not a regular tyre changer, if I was I honestly think I'd stick with tubes.
About same amount of hassle as fitting a tube, but different kind of hassle - tube needs to be sure you haven't pinched it getting the tyre on, this needs to be sure the sealant hasn't escaped and the tyre has seated properly - both about the same hassle.
I need to pump my tyres up every 3-4 weeks as they do lose.most of the pressure (about 19psi in front and 21psi in rear for me normally), so that is an extra but only about a minute of extra work monthly.
Sealant gets a top up every 5-6 months - again, only about 3 minutes effort.
Tubeless seems to work well, but so do tubes.
I'm not a hard rider who hits sharp edges hard so I don't need the extra faff of inserts (I can't work them out either, surely adding a bit more air to the tyre does the same thing)...
I've a mate who went tubeless but changed his tyres every 6 weeks...too much faff for.me.so I told him to do them himself - he did them once and hasn't changed them since (a year on now).
No harm in trying but as they have been largely unexciting for me, I don't have a preference to tubed or tubeless.

On road I'm 50:50, run tubeless on my summer bike, but my winter bike is still using Latex tubes. I don't think tubeless is a massive improvement, twice had to resort to using a tube as anchovies couldn't fix a hole in the field - or not as quick as just sticking a tube in could.

On mountain bike, it's a no brainer, I wouldn't even consider tubes.

For me it's been less hassle than tubes. I always used to patch tubes and only replace them when I got a puncture through a patch. The last one I replaced had 23 patches on it. Since I went tubeless about 10 years ago I've never been stranded and never had to put a tube in. Had one puncture on the road bike that needed an anchovy. My biggest issue is remembering when to check the sealant - but now I have a Google Keep note where I record what sealant I've put in which bike when.

I did have one combination of tyres and rim that just didn't work - Ritchey Megabites on Hunt Carbon Gravel Wides just blew off the rim when I was stationary at a traffic light. Very loud bang. Even then I got it back on and rode rather gingerly home.

I'm slightly surprised that people are still asking this question. I've been tubeless on mountainbikes for easily 15, maybe closer to 20 years now. Its not new technology, and its a topic that seems to pop up every month or two!

As above, once the tyre is inflated and on the rim, and has sealed up, its generally pretty easy to live with.

...right until you get a puncture that won't seal...
You can still pinch flat, but you have to batter it MUCH harder than before. If you ride hard and/or in rocky areas, expect to have to do some experimentation until you find the appropriate level of carcass strength.

Do have an anchovy kit with you - that solves most punctures at the trailside more quickly than it would to change a punctured tube. Do carry a spare tube, so if you slash the tyre or do something unpluggable, you can still get home.

Most mountainbike tyre combos seem pretty easy to make seat now (although I do use a compressor). WTB and Maxxis tyres on DT rims pop on first go 98% of the time. For some reason gravel tyres are much harder work. (Looking at you Panaracer!)

I would say that no, it's not just fit and forget. Tubeless is generally a bit more hassle than tubes but the benefit is much reduced chance of hassle mid ride. If you have well set up wheels with good tyres then things should work pretty well, but there's always some combinations that just don't work as well.

Overall I think tubeless is well worth it if punctures could ruin your ride, the only bikes I still run tubes on are my jump bike, pub bike and BMX.

It’s not a faff if you do it right the first time and use your bike regularly. If you only use it rarely then you’ll find the tyres deflate.

I’ve always set mine up ghetto tubeless with a BMX tube and Stans and they’ve been fine. But then I’m not serial tyre swapper and run the same ones all year around.

I think the question to ask is how many people have tried tubeless and gone back to tubes.

Sure some have, but for most people tubeless is way better.

Minimal faff for me. They lose a little air between rides but checking pressures is worth doing anyway. I set a reminder to squirt some more sealant in every 6 months (syringe and tube through the valve) which takes a few mins. Only needed the jabber once, when I was on the road heading to a ride, sorted far quicker than tubes and countless times where the sealant has coped on its own.

Had a few nightmares early on with improvised tape and non-tubeless tyres but last time around with new Mavic wheels and tubeless tyres I didn’t need anything more than a track pump to inflate them.

I’m still sceptical for road but wouldn’t go back for MTB.

Yes and no 🤷‍♂️

I used to ride in the peaks with a group that frequently had 14 people out in the summer.

When I started riding with them, almost everyone had tubes and 3 to 5 punctures a ride was not unusual.

When I stopped riding with them ( when my sone was born, I still miss riding with them ☹️ ) almost everyone had tubeless and 3-5 rides with no one getting a Puncture was normal.

I've ended up buying a cheap aldi compressor and stick to stans fluid. I wont go back to tubes off-road by choice.

The most satisfying thing with tubeless is being out on a ride, hearing a thorn puncture hiss and spit out a bit of sealant and then just stop hissing. And you just carry on riding.

If you do ever need to put a tube into a tubeless setup make sure you check the inside of the tyre for thorns first. It's amazing how many can penetrate the tyre to which you've been blissfully oblivious.

To be fair it was a bit of a hassle when I started with tubeless, but this was more down to learning to set it up right to start off. Took me a few efforts to get it right. After a few attempts  at setting it up, think I've got the technique right now and it's more fit and forget, as others have said you have to inflate the tyre up a bit more frequently than with tubes but apart from that some sealant in now and again (just listen to hear if there's still some sloshing about). Only time I've put a bacon strip in is when I was taking an old tyre off and deliberately punctured it to practise with. Wouldn't go back to tubes now ( only ride mtb mind)

it all or nothing with tubeless, when it good it's very very good and when it's bad it's very very bad.

Most rims and tyres are good (ready for tubeless) these days.
Without inserts I can change a tyre in 5 minutes (including syringing out the old sealant to reuse) and seat it with a track pump. Keep the new (or about to be mounted) tyre indoors for a few hours to get it warm.
Check pressures before riding (you can calibrate your thumb to do this, or there’s a neat method involving putting your weight on your tyre with your hands and thumb and checking you can’t feel the rim); sealant every 6 months or when you can’t hear it slosh.
A trail repair with plugs is faster than a tube swap.

I won't be going back to tubes. Tubeless is easy enough to deal with and has big benefits over tubes.

Probably worth adding, tubeless is usually lighter, gives a better ride too.
That’s my experience anyway.
But I’ve gone back to tubes, as I’m somewhat of a serial tyre swapper.
I’ll paraphrase someone above, ‘when it’s great it’s great, but when it’s not it’s not’.

It can be a complete faff if you getter wrong tyre/rim combination and these days if it doesn't work in 10 minutes I give up with that tyre and sell it on eBay as not worth any more time.

Been tubeless for years but had to buy a bike quickly a few weeks ago as my only bike got stolen. Bought a bike with non tubeless rims/tyres so for guaranteed ease I just bought some wire bead 40c Nanos and X Tubo City/Tour (the stated puncture proof tubes for 30-50c tyre size) tubes.
I had forgotten just how easy putting a wired tyre and tube on a wheel was. The tyre pretty much fell onto the rim!
Jury is out on the X Tubos as only ridden about 8 times on them but so far so good. If they don't puncture all through the winter then doubt I would go tubeless again.

It has been good so far. Initial fitting was a pain for the front (tyre choice), but easy on the rear (again, tyre choice) and since then it’s been fine, just top up as needed.

The big provisio is that I do not change tyres all the time because it is a bit of a faff doing the change so, unlike the twice a year change from slicks to studs on my commuter, the stumpy just keeps on the Hans Damph and the Butcher. I’m going to see how well that works out for me in -20 this year. Probably not too good.

 but I’m wondering if fitting tubeless is a one-time pain

Is anything on a mountain bike a one-time pain?  Tubeless isn't a "pain", it's just a thing you have to learn how to do, like setting up gears or cutting a steerer. Of all the maintenance chores on my bike; dealing with tubeless is the least "pain" it mostly involves pumping the tyres up  Setting them up involves some extra bits, some tape and a separate valve, but it's not hard to do, most will go up with the stuff you already have to hand, and if you want to change tyres regularly (I do) then - like a lot of other regular service things, it's better to buy the right kit and tools that will make that job straightforward.

Faff.

I'm all about eliminating faff wherever I can, and I use tubeless on everything. My recommendation is to use rim strips rather than tape as it's much more reliable.

Fixing a tubeless puncture on the trail, if you ever get one, can be easier than with tubes because you just stick an anchovy in and off you go. This has only néed3d doing once though and that was on road. Three times in about 15 years I've slashed a tyre, but that happens with tubes too.

I used to be a frequent tyre swapper but I found it wasn't needed with tubeless due to lower pressures and increased grip.

I’m slightly surprised that people are still asking this question. I’ve been tubeless on mountainbikes for easily 15, maybe closer to 20 years now. Its not new technology, and its a topic that seems to pop up every month or two!

Ditto, I've been using TL on MTBs for at least 15 years now and it's definitely a more polished set of products and less need to bodge things than there once was. I would run tubeless by default now on MTB and gravel bikes (apart from one cheapo HT build I've done recently).

Still not sure if I totally see the benefits for the road bike though, I do have TR rims on my summer road bike but I've resisted the relatively pricey tyre 'upgrade' where the
higher pressures and idea of plugging a tyre just doesn't appeal in the same way as it would with the MTB. I'm sure I'll do it eventually...

As for faff, where there is faff, it's generally faff at home in the garage, getting a tyre seated depending on rim/tyre combination can occasionally cause issues (less so now), take your time taping a rim make sure stuff is clean. Get it seated and air tight, put in a bit extra sealant when you first mount the tyre and try to slosh it about and ideally take it for a shakedown ride to get the setup working right, check pressures regularly before riding... Basically don't do it the night before you need it for a race/ride. But once up and running a tubeless setup will last month's (years even) with minimal attention.

Still not sure if I totally see the benefits for the road bike though

For me the super low pressures made possible by a combination of wide rims, tubeless and larger tyres has transformed my road riding experience. It's amazing.

Off road, great. On road, no thank you - and I've run the fastest road tyres in the world tubeless with sealant on my TT bike. One was so tight it deformed my disc wheel, which was replaced under warranty.

For me the super low pressures made possible by a combination of wide rims, tubeless and larger tyres has transformed my road riding experience. It’s amazing.

Wait until you're stuck at the side of the road in the rain with a puncture that failed to seal and a broken tyre lever. I just swapped my TL Schwalbe G One Speeds onto some different rims, and I'm using them with tubes (after a small cut that never sealed), but my god they're a tight fit!

Wait until you’re stuck at the side of the road in the rain with a puncture that failed to seal and a broken tyre lever.

So far I've had one puncture in two years. It didn't seal until I remembered I had anchovies, when it did. It's possible that I may get stuck at some point and have to call my wife, but that's possible anyway. When my rear tyre eventually wears out I'll let you know how hard it ends up being - but I don't recall them being hard to fit.

I used to ride in the peaks with a group that frequently had 14 people out in the summer.

When I started riding with them, almost everyone had tubes and 3 to 5 punctures a ride was not unusual.

When I stopped riding with them ( when my sone was born, I still miss riding with them ☹️ ) almost everyone had tubeless and 3-5 rides with no one getting a Puncture was normal.

This sums it up pretty well. Tubeless has pretty much eliminated thorn punctures which used to be the bane of mountain biking. It's also dealt with a lot of what would have been pinch flats.

Airshot ended the 'frantic pumping and soapy water' pain without the fuss of a compressor (other options too now)

You can still wreck a tyre on sharp rocks (too low pressure, not a strong enough carcass, or just landing hard on something really sharp or square).

I remain completely unconvinced by the idea for Road though and I don't puncture on road often enough for it to be an pressing issue.

I remain completely unconvinced by the idea for Road though and I don’t puncture on road often enough for it to be an pressing issue.

Yeah but it gives you a much nicer ride, in my experience.

Fit and forget. The Muc Off rim strip is very good and easy to fit. If you've previously used sealant it's worth using their rim cleaner too and ensuring the rim's completely clean - mine had corrosion where sealant had leaked around the original rubber rim strip so I had to remove that with a scotchbrite pad.

Wait until you’re stuck at the side of the road in the rain with a puncture that failed to seal and a broken tyre lever. I just swapped my TL Schwalbe G One Speeds onto some different rims, and I’m using them with tubes (after a small cut that never sealed), but my god they’re a tight fit!

Were you genuinely unaware of how to fix a tubeless flat at that time? You could have plugged it, inflated and been on your way in two minutes.

Road tubeless isn't a no-brainer like off-road, agreed, but it is for time-trialling. At least compared with tubes - tubulars will always have their adherents.

You could have plugged it, inflated and been on your way in two minutes

Unlikely given the size of the cut. The second time was on the way to a race, when I rode my TT bike through a patch of glass shards with Corsa Speeds, there was only ever one winner that time and I needed levers and pliers to get the tyre off and valve out! For balance, I did once finish a 25mile TT with a front tyre at about 20PSI. But I did finish.

For road TT, I estimated that the time saved having such fast tyres (and wow they are fabulously fast), would be lost swapping in a tube if the inevitable happens (and that was time saved over a 12hr TT). I have however raced the Corsa Speeds in circuit races and they are lovely. Make a great sound!

TT tubeless forgo puncture protection completely for faster rolling resistance above all else, it makes sense in some settings (maybe up to a 25mi TT), but beyond that, you will want to finish even when punctured. I decided after four tyres, that it was a compromise too far, so went back to latex tubes and GP5000s run at higher pressure.

martymac
Full Member

Probably worth adding, tubeless is usually lighter, gives a better ride too.

Yup- rolls faster too, less hysteresis.

And conveniently replacing a sensible tube with tubeless, is generally more or less the same weight as going up one level to a tougher tyre so it makes tough trail tyres a better proposition. Tubeless in the same tyre is better but the same overall system weight with tubeless and a tougher tyre is double better

Probably worth adding, tubeless is usually lighter, gives a better ride too.

Marginal on road - 50ml Stans vs latex inner tube.

The tubeless tyres have thicker sidewalls so probably marginal on RR as well.

In my experience, tubeless can be an absolute pain in the arse as well as being one of the best things about modern bikes.

If you're a serial tyre swapper then I'd not bother, it's just too much faff and a messy affair.

I tend to stick with the same tyres until they're worn out so tubeless is perfect for me.

My road, cross and mountain bikes are all setup tubeless and >90% of the time are almost maintenance free (just a top up of sealant and air). When they do fail, it can be spectacularly. With sealant spraying everywhere and a proper wrestle getting the sealed tyre off the rims. Having tubeless repair kits have improved this though although don't always work.

I was out on my cross bike this morning and without tubeless would have certainly got a pinch flat or two from the roots and rocks.

I was out on my cross bike this morning and without tubeless would have certainly got a pinch flat or two from the roots and rocks.

I've twice pinch flatted Pirelli P zero tubeless tyres on road which needed an inner tube sticking in as the pinch was too near the rim to reliably plug. One was a small rock, the other a pot hole, which shattered another rider's rear wheel (ENVE deep section carbon wheel).

Sounds like you got off lightly compared to your pal's bike.

I've had a few holes near to the bead over the years of tubeless. They were hefty bangs though, enough to dent the rim. I can be a bit careless on the bike.

Sounds like you got off lightly compared to your pal’s bike.

Yes, although ENVE have given him a brand new wheel under warranty.

Tubeless for last 10 years on MTB always on Specialized tyres across multiple bikes and wheels and zero issues for fitting and never had to walk home.

Hired non tubed MTB in Mallorca and two punctures in two days. Not sure why tubeless vs tubes is even a debate for MTB.

The tubeless tyres have thicker sidewalls so probably marginal on RR as well.

But when running at 55psi, which you can because of the greater sidewall support, rough roads slow you down far less.

Tubeless has to be a complete system - wide rims, different rim bed, thicker sidewall tyres etc for it all to work smoothly on road. Then it's amazing.

But when running at 55psi, which you can because of the greater sidewall support, rough roads slow you down far less.

On road, I run tubeless and latex tubed at the same pressure - it doesn't seem to make any difference to how low I can run them.

In terms of the pinch flats I've had tubeless, I suspect I'd have avoided them if I'd have been running a higher pressure.

Then it’s amazing.

Really? Either you had a rubbish tubed set up or that's just the placebo effect. I honestly couldn't tell the difference. NB Both my tubed and tubeless setups are top end carbon wheels, top of the range tyres etc. Tubed always uses latex tubes.

On road I'd say there's nothing really in it between latex tubes and tubeless.

Road tubeless still seems not very sorted tbh- things like incredibly tight tyres, or rather I suppose a lack of standardisation in rims. That's a problem that mtb's mostly got past but it seems like road has to make the same mistakes? I know some people see tightness as an advantage, thinking it to be safer but I'm really not convinced

Road tubeless still seems not very sorted tbh- things like incredibly tight tyres, or rather I suppose a lack of standardisation in rims

That problem has sort of been solved with hookless rims, although it's yet another new standard and very limited tyre selection currently. However, I can get my tubeless tyres on and off my hookless Zipp 404s with just my thumbs (although not back on when covered in latex by the roadside).

This feat always seems to generate gasps of amazement from other riders with ridiculously tight tubeless tyres who need two people and at least three tyre levers to get a tyre off.

Fit and forget-for-far-too-long. I really should set a diary entry to check sealant every 12 months or so.

@footflaps, is road hookless really just the same thing as mtb hookless? ie, someone went "why do rims have hooks" and someone else said "because they do" and they said "yeah but whyyyyy"? Only, most of a decade after? I remember being told I was going to die when I got my first hookless rims...

@footflaps, is road hookless really just the same thing as mtb hookless?

I think the profile is different IIRC - the hookless road rim walls are vertical whereas I seem to recall Stans rims etc having a more flared profile - years since I looked at a Stans rim...

But yes, same concept.

My TT wheels are tubeless (HED JET 6/9/Disc), and they were fine to fit# (well the disc was far too tight) and lovely to race on. But it's a specific use case - NO puncture protection band in the tyre for absolute speed over everything else - the fastest tyres ever tested on rollingresistance.com. Not comfort nor low pressure rolling. Just absolute speed. For fun, I've also raced the Jet 6/9 combination in circuit races WITHOUT sealant (hey, it's always only going to be a short walk back :D). But as per @footflaps, latex tubes provide the same ride quality for less (but not zero pfaff) for my general riding.

#Airshot is a nice piece of kit.

What are everyone's strategies for dealing with an insert if you get a tubeless fail that to can't seal, and need to bung a tube in?

I bring a small swingbin liner to shove the insert into if the worst happens. Only had to use it once. Tied it to my bum bag and aside fr ok m the rustling I barely noticed it

It's still faff, but somewhat less, and as mentioned this is generally moved to the home rather than the trailside

I've no idea how anyone is getting their sealent to last 6-12 months. I run Orange Endurant sealant, apparently the most long lasting, and I'll still check that every 2-3 months

I do also tend to pump up my tyres to pressure almost every ride (effectively once a week), and I've had tyre/rim combinations that will need repumping even after 24 hours

Tubeless tape I find can also be very annoying. Removing tyres can damage it, and retaping a rim is a pita

So, I do occasionally think about moving back to tubes, but then I remember that I've had perhaps just two punctures in the past 6-7 years that sealant wouldn't fix, and the ride quality is so much better with tubeless. So for me it really isn't worth going back to tubes

I first went tubeless on my 2006 Enduro, in 2006 - has the OP still got tubes in his car tyres too?

has the OP still got tubes in his car tyres too?

you fit your own car tyres? That’s some seriously strong thumbs!! 🙂

For me the super low pressures made possible by a combination of wide rims, tubeless and larger tyres has transformed my road riding experience. It’s amazing.

I do exactly that with my wide rims, larger tyres and decent tubes. I've taken the benefits of tubeless, without the hassle. I still see a good few rides ruined by people with badly set up tubeless (usually old guys who insist that road tyres should be at 100 psi no matter what.) and a few failures. Probably half that i used to see with everyone on tubes. So better than it used to be, the problem comes when you try to fix it. So that's added faff.

(As an added bonus, 15 years working in the trade and 35 years of practice and the grip strength of a primate means i've not failed to get a tyre on or off a rim for at least a decade and a half. Sometimes need a lever or two to get heavy duty DH tyres or the worst of the worst of road rim/tyre combos separated.)

FWIW i started with tubeless on a proper Mavic/Hutchinson package from my LBS in 2000. Gave up with it in 2000 as well. Leaked to the point of unrideablity in the space of 6 hours, regular unsealable punctures and split tyres, also, really really heavy.
Started again in about 2008/9, now all my MTBs are tubeless, (except for the studded winter wheels/tyres), the only ones that need any "faff" are the stans conversions using conventional tyres (no tubeless ready beads, no tubeless compatible carcass.) The grand total of the faff is making sure that they get an extra 40-50 ml of sealant after a week or so once the initial sealant has sorted the tiny leaks out. That's it.

I check pressure before every ride anyway, have done that for 35 years.

Probably worth adding, tubeless is usually lighter, gives a better ride too.

Don't do it for weight though, it can be lighter, but even at the same weight it's faster, more traction, less puncture risk etc etc

Changed my rear tyre yesterday. 20-25 minutes with an insert. First time taking those inserts off, so I was a bit worried. But no real bother.

I still stand by my estimate of 5 mins for a non-insert tyre.

Friend of mine suggests that Tubeless is exactly as much faff as tubes. The question is, Would you rather be doing your faff in the workshop or out on the trail in the rain.

Tyres ride loads better without tubes in though, so its not a straight comparison.
Fit and forget for months one end. Maybe years. I think i went 2 or 3 years without a puncture initially.
And then one day it doesnt work and you find out all your sealant has been stolen by the sealant fairies, and you end up having to chuck a tube in, but ALSO remove the 30 or so thorns the sealent did seal before it was stolen... invariably in the rain.

Now i write it out, does anyone carry 60ml of sealent with them, instead of a tube?

Now i write it out, does anyone carry 60ml of sealent with them, instead of a tube?

No, because if you tear a sidewall, you're either using a tube or walking back to the car....

Now i write it out, does anyone carry 60ml of sealent with them, instead of a tube?

I do on my gravel and bikepacking bikes as they've both got framebags and usually a lot further from home - just buy the small Stans bottles.

But as per @footflaps, latex tubes provide the same ride quality for less (but not zero pfaff) for my general riding.

I punctured a latex inner tube once, and it had been in there so long that the latex had dried out, so when I went to pull the tube out, a handful of inner tube came off in my hand, leaving the other 95% still in there! Had to pull it out in bits! What was really impressive, is it still worked perfectly up to that puncture....

No, because if you tear a sidewall, you’re either using a tube or walking back to the car….

Or a plug/anchovy, it's really dependant on the type and location of the damage TBF. The ideal is obviously that the sealant deals with a hole, next best scenario is that a slightly larger cut requires an anchovy, poked in from the outside so there's still no need to unseat the tyre, the plug/anchovy helps the sealant to do it's job and then you simply pump it up again and ride.

IME fitting a tube is really the third (last) option now, I really don't want to have to remove the tyre if I don't have to. Sealant and tyre inserts are about prevention/minimisation of puncture/air loss risks, Anchovies and Tubes are what you resort to if the absolute worst comes to the worst, to put it in context, I've only had a handful of incidents with tubeless over the last 15 odd years where the tyre didn't seal itself. In all but a couple of those instances an anchovy sorted the tyre (as in permanently, there was never any need to do additional repairs after IME) only twice that I can remember have I had to resort to fitting a tube, one of those was due to forgetting to take my tubeless repair bits along (a plug probably would have worked, but I forgot it), the other was because I hadn't topped up the sealant (So both were more user failures really)...

I would still highly recommend having a spare tube taped/strapped to the frame or whatever, just because it's gives you one extra layer to the 'swiss cheese model' for what +60~70g? Vs walking back. But lots of people seem to be OK with ditching the spare tube now which maybe indicates something about how reliable Tubeless has become and how effective plugs are when you do have to resort to using them...

No, because if you tear a sidewall, you’re either using a tube or walking back to the car….

Or a plug/anchovy,

I'm talking 2" tear, don't carry that many anchovies with me!

Had to use a tyre boot (section of old tyre) and an inner tube. I've twice run over something very sharp which instantly put a very clean cut in the tyre well beyond the size of anything I could re-seal. Very annoying as in one case the tyre was brand new!

Now i write it out, does anyone carry 60ml of sealent with them, instead of a tube?

No, but after a scape along a rock that bent a quick link and slashed my rear tyre I realised that the tyre was filled with all sorts of crap poking through it that had sealed, (including bits of glass) so I spent time picking all those out before putting a tube in and getting home again!

Mostly fit and forget for me, now across a fair range of bikes (inc tandem MTBs and road bikes). Fit can be a bit of a faff depending on the specifics, but mostly it's been pretty good. Haven't yet had any significant failures on the trail, did burp a bit once once or twice and have to pump up but that was easy. Mind you we were never that heavy on punctures anyway, we've still got tubed bikes and they have been fine too.

Mind you we were never that heavy on punctures anyway, we’ve still got tubed bikes and they have been fine too.

I was converted to tubeless (MTB) in Colorado about 15 years ago. Was riding Monarch Crest IIRC and after my 3rd or 4th snake bite the rest of the group (all locals) insisted I either convert to tubeless or never ride with them again!

They were all tubeless.

el_boufador
Full Member

What are everyone’s strategies for dealing with an insert if you get a tubeless fail that to can’t seal, and need to bung a tube in?

I think the only options are either carry a bag, or if you've got a pack that you can attach stuff to the outside, do that and deal with the mess later. Or do what i did and just ride on the insert. That trashed the insert, but was still a good decision at the time.

Not sure many people agree but I've stopped using inserts, for me they're basically a second best fix compared to just putting the same amount of weight into the tyre. But that does depend on finding a carcass that really suits you, whereas inserts give you more tyre choice. I guess I'd put them back in if I was racing enduro again, I was very glad for it at the mega when I got a flat despite dh tyres.

qwerty

The most satisfying thing with tubeless is being out on a ride, hearing a thorn puncture hiss and spit out a bit of sealant and then just stop hissing. And you just carry on riding.

If you do ever need to put a tube into a tubeless setup make sure you check the inside of the tyre for thorns first. It’s amazing how many can penetrate the tyre to which you’ve been blissfully oblivious.

and the worst bit of tubeless road bikes, is coming out from the cafe to find fluid all over the bike and up the shop window where your bike has been leaning.

Not me, as I went hook line and sinker tubed on my last road bike, but 17 years of loving it on the mtb's. I feel it has no place on small volume high pressure tyres. I even know bike shop owners who hate it on road bikes