Tubes vs Tubeless

Do you use tubes or tubeless on your main MTB?


  • Total voters
    48

Minlak

custom titis
I'm up for new tyres and have been running tubeless since the last set went on. It's been a while as i had a hardtail that got preferential treatment so the tyres on it are well past it....
My question is, does the latex go off and offer no protection after a while? should i go back to tubes if it's not getting ridden as often as it should?

Luckily i've only had a few punctures but i'm fine with replacing a tube on a trail, i like the convenience of tubeless, especially if it seals up a puncture or tear but if the old latex won't do that i'd rather have tubes than have to top up (how often?) before riding to make them workable
The sealant will dry up inside the tyres eventually and needs topping up or replacing - if the tyres are sitting in the one position for a long time you may get a lump of latex formed - you would remove the old sealant and add new stuff - if the tyres are used regularly I just put more sealant in around every 6 mths - I ah e never had a tyre sealed with sealant ever - I always make too big a hole anyway
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Creaky and poods, please explain to the tubeless crowd how a tube can be disc brake compatible. Seems black magic to me but I need enlightenment I suspect


 

creaky

XMAS Plumper
Creaky and poods, please explain to the tubeless crowd how a tube can be disc brake compatible. Seems black magic to me but I need enlightenment I suspect


Best guess is that they aren’t suitable for rim brake wheels due to heating of the rim under braking.
 

dazz

Downhill Dazz
I've always run disc brake compatible tubes, moorey says I'm nuts and need to switch to tubeless. He's probably right on the nuts part.
Do I need to switch out my rotors for tubeless specific ones? Or can I just 'ghetto' mod my old ones by applying a generous layer of latex to each side of the rotor?
Oh one more thing, presta or schrader?
 

Binaural

Eats Squid
I'm still on tubes out of habit but had assumed I was a bit of an outcast and the overwhelming majority would be on tubeless.
I changed over a few months ago, and it was a bit of a holy shit moment. Can't rule out that the tyres themselves are just better or the very low pressure just improved the bike feel, but the grip and comfort was a different world. One chuck-in-a-tube flat in the last 3 months and otherwise it's incredible and I am never going back. Best bike upgrade I've done in years.

That said, road tubeless is a bit of a scam - from what I've heard, a flat will leak down to a barely rideable level and you can't use a CO2 cartridge if you're in a hurry to get to work or something, and that's about the only circumstance you'll really care about pinch flat resistance. The maintenance hassles of clearing out your tyres with old sealant are significant, and apart from weekly lube and tyre inflation my roadie doesn't get that much love. Similar hassles apply for mountain bikes, so I can see why people who like their bikes to just be ready to ride on a weekend without too much futzing around are not converting.
 

moorey

call me Mia
I changed over a few months ago, and it was a bit of a holy shit moment. Can't rule out that the tyres themselves are just better or the very low pressure just improved the bike feel, but the grip and comfort was a different world. One chuck-in-a-tube flat in the last 3 months and otherwise it's incredible and I am never going back. Best bike upgrade I've done in years.

That said, road tubeless is a bit of a scam - from what I've heard, a flat will leak down to a barely rideable level and you can't use a CO2 cartridge if you're in a hurry to get to work or something, and that's about the only circumstance you'll really care about pinch flat resistance. The maintenance hassles of clearing out your tyres with old sealant are significant, and apart from weekly lube and tyre inflation my roadie doesn't get that much love. Similar hassles apply for mountain bikes, so I can see why people who like their bikes to just be ready to ride on a weekend without too much futzing around are not converting.
Wait...why are you cleaning the sealant out of old tyres? If there’s a big dag nugget I’ll remove it, otherwise old sealant adds a layer of protection. I just top up as needed. Maybe it’s our cooler weather that extends sealant life.
 

Binaural

Eats Squid
Wait...why are you cleaning the sealant out of old tyres? If there’s a big dag nugget I’ll remove it, otherwise old sealant adds a layer of protection. I just top up as needed. Maybe it’s our cooler weather that extends sealant life.
I've never actually done it, I have only been on tubeless for 3 months. Just assumed the old sealant reduces sealing? Might need to go do some reading
 

moorey

call me Mia
I've never actually done it, I have only been on tubeless for 3 months. Just assumed the old sealant reduces sealing? Might need to go do some reading
It may depend on brands and conditions, but I like the layer it leaves...unless you get a nugget built up around a sealed up puncture.
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
That said, road tubeless is a bit of a scam - from what I've heard, a flat will leak down to a barely rideable level and you can't use a CO2 cartridge if you're in a hurry to get to work or something, and that's about the only circumstance you'll really care about pinch flat resistance.
Lots of people rag on road tubeless but I get the sense that it's basically the same people who were ragging on road disc brakes for years. Just as disc brakes presented a new system which required new mechanical skills, different set up, and different maintenance to rim brakes, tubeless can seem complex and messy and annoying when you've just been slapping tubes in for ever. And roadies are worse than Trump voters when it comes to embracing change.

I've been running road tubeless for about 4 years now, was on Schwalbe Pro Ones for a while and now GP5000TL. It's great. You definitely need a more viscous sealant than on the mtb to avoid it all just being blasted out the puncture under the high pressure, but worst case you just rotate the tyre til the puncture is at the bottom, wait for the pressure to drop enough to seal, and then top it up with a hand pump. You can use CO2, you just need to a) make sure you have a CO2-compatible sealant (same for MTB) and b) put the valve up top so that the bulk of sealant is furthest from the valve and the gas warms up before it hits it (same for MTB).
 

Cardy George

Piercing rural members since 1981
I've never actually done it, I have only been on tubeless for 3 months. Just assumed the old sealant reduces sealing? Might need to go do some reading
No no, leave it in. Compared to Moorey the weather here is the complete opposite and I've never had a problem. In fact, I have remounted tyres that have sat in the shed for six months and not had any issues.
 

moorey

call me Mia
No no, leave it in. Compared to Moorey the weather here is the complete opposite and I've never had a problem. In fact, I have remounted tyres that have sat in the shed for six months and not had any issues.
Also, used tyres with a layer of Moorey jizz I hear.
 
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