Are Tubless Tyres worth it?

[Markymark]

I recently converted my bike to tubeless which went well and have been out 3 times since the conversion without problems.
Today though I got a puncture and it failed to seal it. The tyre was covered in mud so couldn't see properly but it appeared to be a cut in the running surface of the tyre about 3mm long but not wide, just looked like something had pierced the tyre.
Am I expecting to much from the sealant which was Stans brand. The fluid is very thin, like water, is this normal. I did shake the bottle before I put it in the tyre as instructed. I remember years ago putting Slime in my tubes and this was a much thicker solution.
So I ended up getting covered in the bloody stuff while putting an inner tube in so I could continue the ride.
At the moment I'm wondering whether to put tubes back in as if the sealant doesn't work then it's pointless ,it does work I know as I've seen some impressive videos on YouTube, Daily Mountain Biker's being a very tough test.
Are there better makes of sealant to use? I was heading out to Berkshire Bikes to have look round anyway and they said to try the Muc Off sealant but I guess they would as they sell it
So have I done something wrong or just been really unlucky with my first puncture?
Someone was just taking delivery of a new Turbo Levo and they had driven all the way down from Kendal so the shop must be good.
Bit more commission for you Rob? I bought a couple of bits while I was there and mentioned you but didn't get any discount lol.
All the best everyone.

 

[jonathan horticulturist]

Recently got Muc off as it’s rated the most highly on MBR. Got a 5 litre bottle of the stuff.

 

[Lee67]

When it works( tubeless) its great... when it doesnt it can be a bit of a faff ... I remember been at top of nan bield and ripped open my tyre on a gulley on the way down... got absolutely covered head to toe in milk!! Back then we used toothpaste tubes cut up for tyre boots but yes its a bit messy when big punctures happen .... at the minute im running tubes on the stance at 20 psi and not 100% sure i want to go tubeless again yet

 

[DAZ1925]

I've been running tubeless for several years on various bikes and I wouldn't go back. I just carry a tube and a piece of a margarine tub lid just in case I get any cuts in the tyre that the sealant doesn't fix the margarine tub lid stops the tube from coming out of the cut. Stans sealant is one of the best.

 

[Markymark]

I've been running tubeless for several years on various bikes and I wouldn't go back. I just carry a tube and a piece of a margarine tub lid just in case I get any cuts in the tyre that the sealant doesn't fix the margarine tub lid stops the tube from coming out of the cut. Stans sealant is one of the best.

Don't think the tube would of come out of the cut, it was so small. That's why I can't understand why it didn't seal it.
Got to clean the bike over the weekend so i'll have a look and possibly post a pic.
How do you make the marg tub lid stay in the right place? Lee67 mentioned they used toothpaste tube cut up.
Thanks for the info.
Regards

 

[Lee67]

Don't think the tube would of come out of the cut, it was so small. That's why I can't understand why it didn't seal it.
Got to clean the bike over the weekend so i'll have a look and possibly post a pic.
How do you make the marg tub lid stay in the right place? In another thread someone mentioned they used toothpaste tube cut up.
Thanks for the info.
Regards

I used toothpaste tube cut to shape in post above

 

[DAZ1925]

Don't think the tube would of come out of the cut, it was so small. That's why I can't understand why it didn't seal it.
Got to clean the bike over the weekend so i'll have a look and possibly post a pic.
How do you make the marg tub lid stay in the right place? Lee67 mentioned they used toothpaste tube cut up.
Thanks for the info.
Regards

If there is a little air in the innertube before you seat the tire it helps hold it in place but the toothpaste tube sounds a better option as it'll be more pliable.

 

[Kangr]

Stans is good but stans race is better. It has twice the amount or particles suspended in the liquid and in recent tests could seal holes other sealants couldnt.

 

[MattyB]

Stans is good but stans race is better. It has twice the amount or particles suspended in the liquid and in recent tests could seal holes other sealants couldnt.

Remember though that the more particles and the quicker it seals the shorter the life will be in the tyre, meaning more top ups.

 

[Kangr]

Remember though that the more particles and the quicker it seals the shorter the life will be in the tyre, meaning more top ups.

Why is this, as the liquid itself is no quicker drying. It can seal bigger holes because there are more particles rushing through the gap at the same time. From what I understand it works on a similar principle to blood clotting on a cut.

 

[flash]

This is why I carry a couple of tyre plugs (worms). Helps the sealant work on small cuts and larger punctures.

Gordon

 

[Markymark]

Ok. Went over to Berkshire cycles yesterday and after drooling over the Levos I bought some Muc Off sealant to replace the Stans all ready in my tyres.
I shook the bottle and i sounds much thicker. I have also ordered a tubeless repair kit from Flea Bay, so will try to fix the tyre and change the sealant at the same time.
Cheers, Mark

 

[Markymark]

Ok. Maybe the damage to the tyre was a bit more than I thought but still not huge.
Was I expecting too much from the Stan's sealant?

 

[MattyB]

Why is this, as the liquid itself is no quicker drying. It can seal bigger holes because there are more particles rushing through the gap at the same time. From what I understand it works on a similar principle to blood clotting on a cut.

Because that clotting effect does not just happen when you want it to during a puncture; it also occurs in the bottom of your tyre when it’s at rest whilst not being ridden.

 

[Eeh (bah gum) biker]

Ok. Maybe the damage to the tyre was a bit more than I thought but still not huge.
Was I expecting too much from the Stan's sealant?

View attachment 8458

Any idea what caused the actual damage to the tyre ?

 

[Lad]

No tubeless for me.

Walked bike for several km's only twice, ever - both times after converting to tubeless. Side wall cut on Ardents filled with Stans. Plus valves constantly clogged, losing couple of psi over over a week...

Bugger it, back to tubes. Spare lightweight Schwalbe tube and pump always with me. Won't go back tubeless any time soon.

 

[flash]

Ok. Maybe the damage to the tyre was a bit more than I thought but still not huge.
Was I expecting too much from the Stan's sealant?

View attachment 8458

I would think that needs a plug. Kind of depends how it looks on the inside.

Gordon

 

[Markymark]

Any idea what caused the actual damage to the tyre ?

I stone I guess. Definitely not a thorn as it was a wide trail I was riding. Didn't really look like a fire road but suppose it was.

 

[Gary]

No tubeless for me.

Walked bike for several km's only twice, ever - both times after converting to tubeless. Side wall cut on Ardents filled with Stans. Plus valves constantly clogged, losing couple of psi over over a week...

Bugger it, back to tubes. Spare lightweight Schwalbe tube and pump always with me. Won't go back tubeless any time soon.

Am I missing something here?
What has 2 separate sidewall cuts on a particular tyre got to do with them being tubeless?
And how is that the reason you had to walk several km?
Surely if you'd have been carrying a pump, spare tube and a tyre boot (or anything to make one from) you could have ridden back regardless of whether you'd ripped your tyre sidewall with tubes or tubeless?

If you're a serial tyre sidewall ripper it generally means you need to be running thicker/tougher sidewall casing tyres like maxxis DD or DH. Being more of an xc/AM tyre I think maxxis Ardent's now only come in lightweight single ply and Exo casings. (Ardents were available in dual ply DH casing back in the 26" size but no one used an ardent for DH because maxxis had far better DH treads avaiable)

 

[Nautonier]

If you're a serial tyre sidewall ripper it generally means you need to be running thicker/tougher sidewall casing tyres like maxxis DD or DH. Being more of an xc/AM tyre I think maxxis Ardent's now only come in lightweight single ply and Exo casings. (Ardents were available in dual ply DH casing back in the 26" size but no one used an ardent for DH because maxxis had far better DH treads avaiable)

Exactly. Tubeless won't help at all when you tear sidewalls or put holes in the tyre. Sure, sealant will seal the tyre if you get thorns piecing it, but it's not designed to fix holes larger than pin/nail holes. If you were running tubes and you put a sizeable hole in the tyre, you would also get a flat.

The reason I run tubeless is to avoid the dreaded pinch flats you so often get with tubes unless you run them pumped up as hard as a rock. It's also good on a heavy ebike to shed that 500g of rotating mass that tubes adds on. 500g is a significant amount of weight and going tubeless is one of the cheapest ways to shed some weight.

Tubeless is also gives the tyre a much more even profile. Just about every time I've had to mount a tyre with a tube in it, it seats all wonky and I think I've buckled my rim.

Yet another thing I find challenging about tubes, is how you have to be really careful when installing them. If you have a stubborn tyre/rim combo where you are virtually bending tyre levers getting the tyre on the rim, it's very easy to pinch the tube and ruin it, meaning you have to start all over again (hopefully you've carried more than one spare tube for the ride).

As Gary says, if you run the appropriate strength sidewalls for the riding you are doing, tubeless will always be advantageous.

 

[Tamas]

I have three bikes and seven wheelsets, all but one are tubeless. I’m using Stan’s for 5-6 years and never had a problem with it. Running tubes on the forest trails was a complete nightmare I had countless flats from thorns. On a 40km ride I used to carry three spare tubes and a patch kit, CO2 and pump . With tubeless, I carry tyre plug/spare tube/pump and I remember only one occasion when I had to put the tube in because there wasn’t enough sealant in the tire to seal the cut. So for me, tubeless forever... Ohh, and I prefer Maxxis EXO and DD tires...

 

[steve_sordy]

I've been tubeless for years. I carry a spare tube, patches in case I subsequently puncture the tube, a tyre wall patch in case I tear the tyre, a pump and levers of course. For years I never used any of them, so why carry them? After a while I started to consider them as my talisman. With them I would never get a flat! But then I did, twice within a few weeks! Earlier this year.

But it was nothing to do with being tubeless or not. It seems that Continental had had a production problem with their Trail King 2.2" Protection with the black chilli compound. The sidewall tore just above the bead. The tear was in the same place with respect to the Conti logo on both tyres, on the same side. It looked as though someone had torn the bead from the sidewall for about four inches, big enough to get all my fingers through anyway. The tyre suppliers, two different companies, replaced the tyres without any difficulty, I just had to supply pics (as expected). I tried a tube, but it just blew out within minutes (almost took me off the bike!)

Apart from that little episode, I have been trouble free for years. Tubeless for ever!

 

[bissona]

Have just gone tubeless for the first time this week and all ok on the first couple of rides, despite riding over the usual thorn-fest around here. Was amazed how easy it was to both convert, and to pump the tyres up (I only have a normal/skinny track pump).

I'm running Raceface 40mm rims and Maxxis Rekons at the moment and the seal between tyre and rim has been super-tight from the start. Will be changing tyres to something more mud-suitable after xmas and may invest in a Joe Blow (or similar) at that point.

Will still carry tube, levers & pump for the inevitable....

 

[R120]

I have run tubeless on most bikes for a while, however when I got my E-Sommet I couldn't be arsed to do the conversion, so told myself I would do it after I got my first puncture - 600 miles later on the Maxxis Minions it came with (dh casing) I hadn't had a puncture, but it was time to change the tyres so went tubeless when I changed over.

Whats the moral of this tale, none really other than for me I will be sticking with DH casings or similar on the EMTB, as above all that's what meant I had 7 months of never having a puncture, even running at 16-18 psi with a tube for about a month as I had been too lazy to check the pressures. I personally would not go tubeless with a lightweight tyre on an EMTB as I can see it ending in tears.

Most noticeable thing about going tubeless is that the front end is easier to hook about as the weight has gone down, and the bike feels that bit livelier and for that reason alone I will be sticking with tubeless from here on.