Going tubeless ... the daunting made easy ...

[craigsmith]

Very helpful, thanks @2manyoranges. I'm tubeless on my more modern bikes and the benefits are real - hardly ever puncture, tyre performance weight, etc. Might now try it on my older bikes, using this guide.

 

[fergusd]

How you finding longevity? I'm holding off doing my modernish P7 (tyres & rims are tubeless spec) as I can't ride for a while yet & I don't want the sealant to go off. Never an issue with the lad as he's burping sealant out & topping up or changing tyres regularly enough for it not to be an issue.

Then there's the issue (or is it?) with not being able to use CO2 with it ruining the sealant. The lad also carries a tube most of the time as he has had issues reinflating a tyre on the track. Saves a long walk home or a DNF. Not sure I'd bother for my style of riding! Any burps come from me.

Late to this, but . . .
I always carry a tube and a CO2 cart, and only run tubeless. For remote days out I carry two tubes and a pump, one for me and one for someone else ;-)
Every flat tyre I've had since going tubeless has needed a tube to prevent a walk home. Sealant solves all other punctures, that which sealant can't cope with (usually sidewall damage) you end up needing a tube anyway.
I have managed to get off the hill using heather instead of a tube (twice) when the tube was DOA when pulled out of my pack, but . . . more of a last resort type of thing ;-)

 

[2manyoranges]

Ah the Jo Burt method.

We found that Wales was very sharp recently. After two years of no punctures, we were riding on a cloud of complacency.

Day 1
Puncture on hardtail after 100m on the down following the long ride up. Wouldn't seal because I had not topped up. Grrr. No tube.
Walk of shame.

Day 2
Topped up punctured hardtail - it sealed immediately. Topped up full sus - had a great day's ride with the Grom. Bought two new inner tubes and put them in our packs.

Day 3
Great ride on Climacx at Machynlleth, 2km from finish - sealant everywhere, Grom punctured on particularly pointy bit of Wales.. 5mm hole, dented rim. Wouldn't seal. Put in tube, sealant even more distributed over everything. 200m further on - Pfffffft - Grom punctures again. Extract dripping inner tube and try to find hole. But hole is clearly so large that I can't even get any air in to make bubbles. Grrrr. Put 29 tube in 27.5 tyre. Even more sealant everywhere. Dripping punctured tube very unpleasant. Yeeeurk. But a nice downhill thrash to the car park where anxious partner had been watching dormice from the car. As you do.

Back home, put on new DH rating tyre, refill with sealant, pump up and air pisses out of every spoke hole. I have never had a single installation-from-new failure and this second-time around instal is a pain. So I strip it all down completely, apply new tape, do the doings, and all fine. What a bleeding palaver.

 

[Tiger]

I never realized so much went into going tubeless. Definitely sticking with the tubes for now...

 

[fergusd]

You're being given one side of the story. Meanwhile . . . at the other extreme, I have run tubeless for a long time (since UST was a thing - wish it still was really), usually I take the tyre out of it's box, turn it the right way round, spray some soapy water on the rim and tyre beads, put the tyre on the rim, inflate it, put some sealant in and the next thing that happens after 6-12 months riding is I change the sealant, which takes about as long as it takes to change a tube. I may have to top the air up once or twice . . . it's definately, for me, far, far less hassle than tubes . . . ;-) . . .

 

[2manyoranges]

Ah .... but note the opening part of my post ... two years without a flat ... I like tubeless. Very much.

 

[mk one]

The other side of the story is surely; put a tube in when putting tyre on, pump up and ride, no punctures, take tyre off when worn out repeat

 

[2manyoranges]

Indeed - although these days rather like a parallel universe then 'the other side of the story'.

And actually you mention something which really bothers me about tubeless - I reckon that there are a lot of tyres abondoned because of larger holes, which would would have been perfectly serviceable with a tube. And that's bad. I still try to wear out all my tyres - running some bikes tubeless and some with tubes. The wounded tyres go onto the tubed wheelsets.

 

[ciderlad65]

I had many a mither with fitting tubeless tyres getting them to seal on the rim, even tried an airshot, but usually ended up putting tubes in, which is a bit like drinking a diet coke then heaping spoons of sugar in, the secret i found after talking to lbs mechanic was a small compressor, absolutely brilliant, never failed once since!

 

[mk one]

And actually you mention something which really bothers me about tubeless - I reckon that there are a lot of tyres abondoned because of larger holes, which would would have been perfectly serviceable with a tube. And that's bad. I still try to wear out all my tyres - running some bikes tubeless and some with tubes. The wounded tyres go onto the tubed wheelsets.

I wonder how many cycle tyres there are dumped around the world, must be starting to add up.