Tubes vs Tubeless

Do you use tubes or tubeless on your main MTB?


  • Total voters
    48

ashes_mtb

Has preferences
Weeping through the sidewalls is almost normal I think... All my maxxis have done it to varying degrees from new, and the Michelin wild enduro sweat massively.

Never come across anything not sealing at the bead though - pull it off and make sure you’ve not got any old sealant goobers on the bead messing up the seal?
I didn't get any weeping on my 26er tubeless setup. Same tyres in a 29er and it's like something from Stigmata.

Strangely they seem to hold pressure better, although perhaps that's just from having a larger volume of air to begin with.
 

Scotty T

Walks the walk
I'm sure it can happen. I personally know two people that have had carbon rims delaminate on big descents (road).
Why do you say it's an urban myth?
I meant MTB, which actually is quite irrelevant now I think about it because who rides serious downhills with rim brakes? Found an interesting thread on it here, and it seems that pressure increasing from the heat is what causes it, and braking technique can be a big factor:

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56710
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
I meant MTB, which actually is quite irrelevant now I think about it because who rides serious downhills with rim brakes? Found an interesting thread on it here, and it seems that pressure increasing from the heat is what causes it, and braking technique can be a big factor:
Would expect it to be very rare on MTB given heavier rims, thicker tyres and greater air volume.

But yes, some evidence of it being a thing on early carbon rim-brake road rims ridden on long descents by people who drag their brakes, causing excess build up of heat that can lead to delamination of the rim and/or the tyre blowing off due to pressure.

That said, not really something anyone would expect to encounter under normal circumstances and most of the newer carbon rims in recent years have made a big fuss about more heat-resistant resins etc etc
 

Binaural

Eats Squid
Road tubeless is as awesome as mtb. I’d never use tubes in anything except a wheelbarrow.
Roadies jsut tend to be mechanically inept I think, and seem to fear things they don’t understand. Let them have their silly tubes...

I’ve got about 6000kms of commuting on Schwobble Pro One and only ever had to put a tube in once when I opened up a sidewall. And once had to stop every couple of kms to pump it up because I’d let the sealant dry up... Dozens of punctures where I heard the sealant go hiss and stop, punctured repaired without even stopping, and some needed a brief stop to shake the tyre with the puncture at the bottom.

One trick is to not be a Co2 cartridge using wimp and carry a proper pump for the slow leak scenarios ;)
I carry a pump and CO2 cartridges - I use the latter when I get a flat when I have somewhere I need to be imminently (i.e. work or urgent appointment). Also, I weigh 115kg, if I love much pressure life's going to get dicey.

Re mechanically inept, definitely not applicable to me. The extra maintenance is a thing though for daily drivers, and being separated by months makes it easy to forget and that reduces the effectiveness when you really need it, as you found. It really just doesn't move the needle for me despite how much I love it on the MTB.
 

Binaural

Eats Squid
That said, not really something anyone would expect to encounter under normal circumstances and most of the newer carbon rims in recent years have made a big fuss about more heat-resistant resins etc etc
I reckon that if you have carbon rims, you should be running discs. Even if the rims don't get damaged, wet carbon rim are a bit scary.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Re mechanically inept, definitely not applicable to me.
You're on here - you're not a roadie and i wouldnt think you were inept ;)

I find the maintenance a non issue - check/top up sealant every few months, same as the MTB. I pull the tyre off, clean it all out but thats probably overkill, most just top it up. I consider it swapping time on the side of the road dicking around with tubes for time in the shed on a sunday afternoon with beer.
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
I reckon that if you have carbon rims, you should be running discs. Even if the rims don't get damaged, wet carbon rim are a bit scary.
Yeah I agree with that haha, I had 404 tubulars on a Cervelo S2 back in the day which pre-dated good braking surfaces and even spending silly money on fancy Swissstop pads braking in the wet was an absolute joke.
 

Binaural

Eats Squid
I am also factoring in rotating your tyres - for daily drivers I do this every 6 months or so to make sure I get even wear. Lot harder to do with sealant dripping everywhere.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
I am also factoring in rotating your tyres - for daily drivers I do this every 6 months or so to make sure I get even wear. Lot harder to do with sealant dripping everywhere.
Pull tyres off, hose down tyres and rims (love that sealant is water soluble), let them dry, reinstall. Meh. Still beats bloody tubes.

I dont rotate though, I just run the rear down, and then the front goes on the back and new tyre on the front.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
I reckon that if you have carbon rims, you should be running discs. Even if the rims don't get damaged, wet carbon rim are a bit scary.
there is a guy on youtube that does warp speed runs down hills around LA - on carbon rims and rim brakes... The speed/risk taking/massive braking loads he does is butt clenching to watch. It doesn't look like he can stop in all that fast, and he must be putting massive heat into those rims.
 

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
there is a guy on youtube that does warp speed runs down hills around LA - on carbon rims and rim brakes... The speed/risk taking/massive braking loads he does is butt clenching to watch. It doesn't look like he can stop in all that fast, and he must be putting massive heat into those rims.
Depends a lot on the braking technique. Jumping hard on the brakes is actually better. Composite layups are naturally good thermal insulators. Reefing hard on the brakes will generate a high surface temperature, but if the application is not very long, the heat won't soak into the laminate to weaken it. The proviso is that the wheel is also allowed to "breathe" for a while between brake grabs to shed some heat, which it also does more slowly.... The real killer of carbon rims as far as heat goes is dragging the brakes for extended periods. Keeping the brake on builds up the heat faster than it can escape, then it soaks into the laminate & it goes soft.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Depends a lot on the braking technique. Jumping hard on the brakes is actually better. Composite layups are naturally good thermal insulators. Reefing hard on the brakes will generate a high surface temperature, but if the application is not very long, the heat won't soak into the laminate to weaken it. The proviso is that the wheel is also allowed to "breathe" for a while between brake grabs to shed some heat, which it also does more slowly.... The real killer of carbon rims as far as heat goes is dragging the brakes for extended periods. Keeping the brake on builds up the heat faster than it can escape, then it soaks into the laminate & it goes soft.
Same for any brakes. I’ve lost brakes on discs once dragging them down a long hill, fade came in very suddenly!

This guy is on them for what I fear is dangerously long periods...

 
Last edited:
Top