[Closed] Tubeless trail tips

Stopped carry tubes years ago. Im sure to be flamed but its based on running tubeless experience since 2010. If you set them up correctly and change or top up the latex regularly you will be puncture free. Small punctures, spin the tyre so latex goes to the hole and pump up. Bigger holes use the patch kit, its easy to use and you dont need to remove tyre so its very easy. Follow the instructions in the kit, they are worth reading to do the job correctly. The patch kit is worth carrying as is pump.

When you fit tyres and latex give them a good spin to get the latex around the tyre. Pump up to 40 psi and leave over night. Reduce pressure to 20 psi, go ride. The tyres will crack in to place. This ensures you dont burp them and they are correctly seated. I also change/wear out tyres regularly but old tyres will puncture more regularly. I use Maxxis, pretty bomb proof.

I carry a tube, I've slashed a couple of tyres beyond repair before, I also carry a tubeless repair kit. I used to carry a spare core but keep forgetting to put it back in the pack.

Just carry a tube.

I've had a few holes that wouldn't seal.
Trail side tubeless fixes can be a pain, so I favor just sorting it at home!

I now carry a single tube should I get something massive in terms of damage a few zip ties to assist in keep the said tyre on the rim to ride to safety, a couple of CO2 cartridges and a mini pump, an opened out old toothpaste container to form rugged tyre boot, some self adhesive patches, some anchovies and associated kit.......I carry enough for me and the ill prepared on the trail that you always come across.......karma bank and all that. I've had to use inner tube once when tyre sidewalk ripped, once when sealant had gone off, anchovie used once this winter again on a tyre that the rubber particles in the sealant had been used but there was still carrier fluid blowing out through a big hole, in the sub zero snow. Zip ties once on a badly torn bead where I ended up filling the tyre with grass as a get me home!

Previous replies cover most things - all I'd add is that (assuming you don't already carry a pair), it can be worth having something like a pair of small pliers that you can use to remove thorns from the tyre.

One of the few downsides of running tubeless is that the tyres can pick up thorns which don't puncture (which is nice;)), but then if you remove the tyre, you'll find that any thorns you've picked up are still sticking through the casing - er..obviously, if you have to chuck a tube in, it's best to check and remove any thorns first.

First time I found out about this was after I'd forgotten to top up the sealant after summer; I punctured, so went to put a tube in only to find no sealant and about 5 thorns sticking thru the casing - which then stuck in my fingers as a ran my hand round the inside of the tyre....Doh! 😀

er, yes - definitely worth remembering to top up the sealant every 6 months or so (ahem).
HTH

How do you know when to add sealant? how much? when to strip & replace?

Depends on the make of sealant in my experience......Sline Pro has lasted two years in a rear tyre before failing to seal.....I could still hear it and feel it sloshing but must admit I put about half again for the size of tyre in as locally there's always thorns.
I found Stans lasted less than six months and doesn't like CO2! It cures the latex into a ball.

I've been tubeless in one form another since about 2003.

If you're still carrying a tube and pliers for thorns it means you've not got your tubeless repair kit and techniques sorted.

I normally carry a tube, levers and a pump. Incredibly rare that I use the tube, I've loaned or given the tube away a bunch of times though. I do sometimes use the pump after a burp or just because of lazy maintenance and discovering there's no air in the tyre 😆

I'd had no punctures in over a year of running tubeless, so stopped carrying a tube and got a tubeless repair kit instead, then in December I managed to dent my rear rim on a tame xc ride, tyre wouldn't seal unless I pressed down on it above the dent, if I'd had a couple of big zip ties I reckon I could have got it to seal, but I didn't, so had to walk for an hour back to my van.

Now I carry a tube again, and an assortment of zip ties.

Exactly the same as when I had tubes.
It depends where I'm going and what the conditions are, for a local blast I might not take anything if I'm very close to home. Out on a proper ride in the mountains it's 2x tubes pump and repair stuff, I've ripped a tyre off the rim on a bad landing (would have been bad with tubes anyway).

The rule is still cover the bases and make sure you can get home.

Tube on most rides. Remember that your tyre may be full of thorns if it has been on for a while so you'll need to remove these first.

Longer rides I'll carry two tubes although one is normally a lightweight racing one. Depends on where you are going. Double flats are rare but flats not uncommon. Long ride can be 50-60miles in the moors so I'd be hiking out for a day at least.

Olderigetfasteriwas - hee hee, yep, similar reason I still also carry a tube. Maybe it's a combination of experience and tyre choice....or just bloomin' luck, but I rarely get punctures - just that when I do, they tend to be 'proper jobs'

Just a tube and pump here. Wouldn't be a big deal to skip them on a local ride, punctures are rare, but would be madness for anything serious.

You need the tube in the event of a heavy impact flatting the tyre and taking it off the rim, as mike says above. You'll never re-seat a tubeless tyre with a mini-pump. You might on a good day with a CO2 charge, but you equally might not, esp if the rim is dinged. Stick a tube in and it's sorted in 5 mins.

Local ride: co2. Remote/long. Co2+a few cans, small bottle sealant, plug kit, small pump.

Don't usually bother with tube as fitting one will almost certainly be difficult and messy with thorns and sealant. Experience has taught me I never get all the thorns out.

To use the patch kit you need to remove the tyre, clean, abrade and stick the patch then add liquid and re-seat the tyre with a mini pump? Am I missing something but that does not sound do-able at speed and in the mud and rain?

the weldtite or genuine innovations kits that come with 'anchovies' seem to work well for large holes that are beyond the sealant. employ a mates thumb to stop you from loosing all the air, get the kit ready, and stuff the hairy in there. pump up and go.

Trailside repair would be done from the outside - tyre still seated. You can get repair kits with some variation of rubber bung and glue. Work well for plugging small - med punctures.

Yup no need to take the tyre off, repairs done from outside and very quickly

Rone makes a good argument for not bothering with a tube. Unless you're prepared to pick out every little thorn you've collected for **** knows how long then it'll probably just deflate in a few revolutions anyway.

Considering thorns are my least common cause of puncture it's not much of a worry - think it's been 1 or 2 in about 10 years. Only issue dropping a tube in I've had was not putting enough air in and pinch flatting later in the day on a rock edge.

I suppose it depends on where you ride.

No flats on tubeless last year. Every once in a while I remove the tyre, pull out the thorns and top up the sealant. All done at my leisure, less bother than fixing a tube when I'm out.

When I didn't have a plug kit I used an appropriate sized twig which held up fine.

I carry CO2/pump, core tool, tube. But I need to get a small bottle of sealant and plug kit. Really not fussed with carrying a few bits, it's been a lot less bother than my bikes which still run tubes.

I carry a slime'd tube so when I inevitably miss several embedded thorns there is still a chance the tube will do its job.

But my first option is the tubeless repair kit (I added a few patches to the box so it replaces the traditional patch kit). Its very satisfying to see the heads drop around you when you say you've got a puncture, and then the surprise when you ask someone to put their finger on the hole, then proceed to make said hole bigger with the file before plugging it and not even needing to add air. Then ride off before they've managed to pass round the Tangfastics 🙂

Even better when the tyre is covered in sheep poo and wrestling it off the rim would leave everything caked in cack.

Now, does anyone do a multi-tool that replaces the file and prodder bit of Weldtites tubeless repair kit?

spooky b329 - good tip carrying the slime'd tube (I'm always forgetting to do this!). With the aforementioned plus Weldtite tubeless repair kit, it sounds a good 'worse case' set-up.

Good to share the knowledge 🙂

As per spooky really.

2xCO2, 120ml bottle of spooge and weldtite tubeless repair kit with plugs. I've not bothered with a tube for some years.

Someone said CO2 is needed to remount a tyre, which I agree is true for some room/tyre combos, but it would be better if you put a few more wraps of tape on your rim so that you didn't need to worry about it in the first place. IMO, having a tube and tyre that can't be inflated by hand pump is the first installation failure and seriously compromises the resilience of the system.

If you've got the correct repair kit and the tyre stays on the rim, pretty much anything that's worth repairing can be done from the outside.

Scienceofficer - Member

it would be better if you put a few more wraps of tape on your rim so that you didn't need to worry about it in the first place

It's really not that simple though... I don't trust any of my UST rims to rebead with a portable pump frexample, regardless of tyre, they're too tight rather than too loose.

Bloody hell you lot, talk about making an easy job hard work.

[url= http://nextdaytyres.co.uk/details.aspx/weldtite-tubeless-tyre-outside-repair-kit-/250/811?gclid=cpyrpp2ojmqcfrhhtaodlyka9w ]Repair kit.[/url]

In the mountains i have had a couple of spectacular blowouts, usually from smacking my rear wheel into a water bar at speed. Never had to use anything but these. I still carry a tube and tire boot for emergencies but these work and stay working. I have a Hans Damph i use now and again that has 2 of these in and i am sure they will last the life of the tyre.

No need to take the tyre off, bang these in, wait 5 minutes to seal solid. inflate and ride.

Don't thanks me all at once 🙂

I've used those sticky things even on the bead, worked fine.
I've had issues of the valves being solid with dried latex so take small pliers with me on away day rides.

Fair point north wind. I'm coming from a different position I guess. Original stan rims with UST tyres worked wonderfully with a decent hand pump, but that all changed with the EX redesign. Hookless LB carbons replicate that same easy performance too, which is where I'm at at the moment with schwalbe tyres.

This does raise the issue of choice of equipment as part of the issue mind.

Tubeless since 2007, spare tube.

Never had the problems above with thorns. I'll add that I generally ride in a group, so can generally cadge another tube if I need two, and also lend my tube on occasion. If your spare tube's a schwalbe, they have removable cores so that's a spare core if needed...

Repair kit.

I have one of those, my problem with it is the rubber snakes are about 6mm wide, far too wide to ever go through the eye in the needle they provide, which seems daft. I had to gouge the hole bigger and stab it in with the needle instead.

No need to take the tyre off, bang these in, wait 5 minutes to seal solid. inflate and ride.

Don't thanks me all at once

mactheknife - Member

I still carry a tube and tire boot for emergencies

sorry missed that bit...

though there seem to be a few in here that will end up with a long walk at some point or never get that far from the car park.

I might never get on the trail. Do tubeless slowly lose air if you leave them for any length of time (10psi a week on mine?)