De-tubelessing

[Daev]

Going back to tubes after trying tubeless for a few months.
Question - what do i need to do?
Obviously remove any remaining sealant and clean rims (how?)
Remove edge rim tape used to seal for tubeless ? Presumably this will also ensure i can remove the tyre without too much trouble in the (highly unlikely) event of a puncture .
Anything else? Will i need to replace the rim tape ?
Cheers

 

[Funkeydunk]

I’d just clean the rim, take the valve out, and leave the tape in. Boom

 

[Daev]

I’d just clean the rim, take the valve out, and leave the tape in. Boom

Cheers thought i'd ask 'cos i know how this normally plays out..... " What?? - you didn't do "x"??? "

 

[Mikerb]

Clean out the solvent and tubeless valves and s tick a tube in, pump up to significantly more than when tubeless and be prepared for less grip...............and carry 6 spare tubes to cater for the puctures you will then experience!!

 

[Chris ledger]

3 years 3000 miles and not a single puncture on tubeless summat is a miss

 

[Daev]

Yeah, i got a knobble tearing off carcass puncture that sealant just couldn't handle. 55 years of cycling tubed and had maybe a handful of punctures if that. I've gone full on defensive mode with well protected tyres, slime tubes and tannus liners. If i get a puncture after that lot it's chess for me. Always blow tyres up to near enough max and again, no probs in the past.
I appreciate there must be something to them but it ain't for me.... aaaand out

 

[NULevo]

You could also use Slime inner tubes or a kit like this for those pesky thorns:

 

[Daev]

You could also use Slime inner tubes or a kit like this for those pesky thorns:

Got EVERYTHIN'

 

[Ogofmole]

I have been MTB-ing for over 25 years, and only had a few punctures in that time, so I'm quite happy to stay with tubes.

 

[Daev]

Slime was a godsend f'sho - don't think i've had any since starting using that..... Until what has become known as 'tubeless Wednesday' in the Daev household

 

[MikeDee]

I would wash the liquid sealant off of the rims and tires with a hose, let dry and peel out the dried sealant (you don't need to get it all out).

 

[B1rdie]

With stans sealant, if you don’t wash it off the tyres, the tube may stick to the inner side of the tyre, like it vulcanize after a few monthes, making it very hard to remove and fix an inner tube. So washing the sealant from thoroughly is really advisable.

 

[Pdoz]

Depending on how long the gunk has been in there, it might be worth replacing the tyre.

It may look clean after a thorough wash , but there will be little balls of black gunk all over the place next time you look. I'm not sure if the black gunk was degraded bits of tyre or residual sealant coming out of old punctures?

 

[Daev]

I am replacing the tyres

 

[Daev]

Not saying i'm bored or 'owt but if the guy sending me the tannus armour had got his ar$e in gear i could've been going out for an armour plated test ride now rather than sitting here getting the tyres out of their respective boxes to look at and smell (apologies to the Mrs ).
Now to try and get 'em back in the boxes.... bored, bored, bored....

 

[emtbPhil]

There is no amount of money in the world would make me run tubes again

I've had 5 rides with tubes and 4 rides ended in punctures.
Have to run a high pressure to prevent pinch flats, weigh more, feels horrid.

I've even converted my gravel bike to tubeless now too and even though I personally find it a massive pain in the ass to do, I would never go back

I suppose those of you running high tyre pressures and riding flat cross country stuff it works fine. But if you want to do some rocky terrain or downhill stuff, my god it's awful.

 

[Daev]

There is no amount of money in the world would make me run tubes again

I've had 5 rides with tubes and 4 rides ended in punctures.
Have to run a high pressure to prevent pinch flats, weigh more, feels horrid.

I've even converted my gravel bike to tubeless now too and even though I personally find it a massive pain in the ass to do, I would never go back

I suppose those of you running high tyre pressures and riding flat cross country stuff it works fine. But if you want to do some rocky terrain or downhill stuff, my god it's awful.

And yet i find it totally the opposite. I've never run less than max pressure in my tyres, never had a pinch flat. Mind you i do ride road bikes at 109psi so 35 is no problem . My current favourite trail is rocky as and roots all over the place. Was riding it on tubed manual hardtail weekly from August to Nov last year then went over to tubeless fs emtb in November. Only flat was last week with knobble being torn from carcass just enough to flummox the sealant. If there'd been a tube in there i wouldn't even have noticed it. Give me slime tubes any day

 

[emtbPhil]

And yet i find it totally the opposite. I've never run less than max pressure in my tyres, never had a pinch flat. Mind you i do ride road bikes at 109psi so 35 is no problem . My current favourite trail is rocky as and roots all over the place. Was riding it on tubed manual hardtail weekly from August to Nov last year then went over to tubeless fs emtb in November. Only flat was last week with knobble being torn from carcass just enough to flummox the sealant. If there'd been a tube in there i wouldn't even have noticed it. Give me slime tubes any day

Running 35psi on rocky trails is bonkers
Have you actually tried running a proper pressure before dismissing tubeless?
It's like having 10-20mm more suspension travel, there's so much more grip and a ton more braking force before the wheel locks up.

One of the guys who comes out with us bought a bike from a 6ft 3 fireman who weighed 110+kg and he just rode it without thinking about setup. We dropped his tyre pressures from 35 down to 23 front 25 rear, took some volume spacers out and set the pressures up in his fork and shock, next thing we knew he was flying through trees and over jumps grinning ear to ear.

I know you say you run road bikes too - but I run high pressures in my gravel bike, and would never dream of doing that on the emtb - horses for courses!

 

[militantmandy]

I've never run less than max pressure in my tyres

I think you may not be the intended user for tubeless.

 

[Daev]

Running 35psi on rocky trails is bonkers
Have you actually tried running a proper pressure before dismissing tubeless?
It's like having 10-20mm more suspension travel, there's so much more grip and a ton more braking force before the wheel locks up.

One of the guys who comes out with us bought a bike from a 6ft 3 fireman who weighed 110+kg and he just rode it without thinking about setup. We dropped his tyre pressures from 35 down to 23 front 25 rear, took some volume spacers out and set the pressures up in his fork and shock, next thing we knew he was flying through trees and over jumps grinning ear to ear.

I know you say you run road bikes too - but I run high pressures in my gravel bike, and would never dream of doing that on the emtb - horses for courses!

Funnily enough was thinking about this while just having a shower after a road ride. Not having seen your response and actually came to the conclusion " ah well, horses for courses i s'pose" .
I don't have the issues you describe regards suspension, braking and grip... Once i warm up and get into the ride it feels like man and machine as one, almost in a trance like state - love it

 

[emtbPhil]

Ohhhh k.....

 

[Daev]

Ohhhh k.....

- you don't get that ? - almost like a detachment between physical and consciousness, like i imagine flying would feel like, dare i say, like i think spiritual might be ?

 

[Daev]

I think you may not be the intended user for tubeless.

Think you might be right

 

[billwarwick]

You still need to be careful with tyre pressure with Tannus. If you inflate too high, the tube will compress the Tannus against the tyre, greatly reducing the thickness of the Tannus. During lockdown, I was mainly riding bridleways and roads so had the pressure at well over 30. When I took the tyre off, the Tannus had been compressed by the tube and somehow elongated itself so that it was too long to put back in and the thickness had been greatly reduced. I think the trick is to let the tyres down between rides to let the Tannus regain its thickness.

 

[Pezzar]

There is no amount of money in the world would make me run tubes again

I've had 5 rides with tubes and 4 rides ended in punctures.
Have to run a high pressure to prevent pinch flats, weigh more, feels horrid.

I've even converted my gravel bike to tubeless now too and even though I personally find it a massive pain in the ass to do, I would never go back

I suppose those of you running high tyre pressures and riding flat cross country stuff it works fine. But if you want to do some rocky terrain or downhill stuff, my god it's awful.

Yeah this. A lot depends where you live and ride. I live on Cannock Chase, puncture city. Me and mates also do a summer canal bimble every year and that is even worse.
Not to mention the lower weight and better grip. For the hassle of topping up fluid once every 4/5 months...tubes, never ever darken my doorstep again

 

[Daev]

Just had message from tannus supplier - advertised wrong size. Now gotta go next size up so need to get smaller tubes. This should also address above problem. Detailed on their website

 

[Pdoz]

If you like high pressures, DO NOT run tannus. It's like having a marshmallow between the tyre and the ground, - almost like running 2/3 extra clicks of compression dampening

I run tannus on my overweight emtb as well as my youngest kids bike - IMHO it's the best puncture prevention . But I hate the feel so on my fun bikes I run tubeless.

 

[Daev]

Woohoo!!! And marshmallows
Thanks for that though - will pay very close attention to the manufacturers Website instructions

 

[Growmac]

There is no amount of money in the world would make me run tubes again

Yep, this for me too. A little bit of faff between rides to ensure no problems at all during. No thorn punctures, no pinch flats, less weight, more grip from lower pressures, and the insert means that I can trundle home if I make a big hole in the tyre that I can't plug. For me it's a no brainer.