Modern approaches to flat mitigation

[sandspit]

Hi all, new member here. Catastrophic spine injury took me out of mountainbiking for 10 years now. I am back to it, with a question:

I used to use Slime tubes, but it seems they are out of favor these days. What are everyone's current solutions for flat avoidance/mitigation?

Thank you in advance for your candor.

 

[Stihldog]

Welcome to the forums.
Cheers.

Tubeless tires seem to be the way to go nowadays. Some advantages there. Don’t throw away your old tubes though …there’s a number of uses for them.

 

[steve_sordy]

Welcome to the Forum!

100% go tubeless + sealant in the tyre. Smoother ride, less inertia, a certain smug feeling. You will still get the usual amount of punctures but almost zero flats.

Do your research.

 

[RustyIron]

I used to use Slime tubes, but it seems they are out of favor these days. What are everyone's current solutions for flat avoidance/mitigation?

Tubeless tires and sealant are the preferred solution. They are NOT maintenance-free, however. You MUST periodically check that there is sealant in the tire.

Just yesterday I ran across a lady up in the mountains. She was fixing a flat using a plug, and it wasn't working out for her. Clearly, she didn't have any sealant in her tire. She said she had the situation under control. Not wanting to seem like a creeper, I wished her well and told her I'd be back that way in half an hour. Sure enough, half an hour later she was still there, but this time installing a tube. She again said she had it under control. Since the trail isn't too desolate, I knew there would be other riders along eventually and she probably wouldn't be eaten by mountain lions. The moral of this tale is don't go tubeless unless you're willing to do periodic maintenance, and regardless, carry as spare tube just in case you flub it up.

 

[steve_sordy]

Tubeless tires and sealant are the preferred solution. They are NOT maintenance-free, however. You MUST periodically check that there is sealant in the tire.

Just yesterday I ran across a lady up in the mountains. She was fixing a flat using a plug, and it wasn't working out for her. Clearly, she didn't have any sealant in her tire. She said she had the situation under control. Not wanting to seem like a creeper, I wished her well and told her I'd be back that way in half an hour. Sure enough, half an hour later she was still there, but this time installing a tube. She again said she had it under control. Since the trail isn't too desolate, I knew there would be other riders along eventually and she probably wouldn't be eaten by mountain lions. The moral of this tale is don't go tubeless unless you're willing to do periodic maintenance, and regardless, carry as spare tube just in case you flub it up.

@RustyIron makes very good points, there is an installation and maintenance workload with tubeless. But most of it is done in your garage or under your timing control at the LBS. Very rarely, you will get some tyre damage that just cannot be fixed by the sealant. In which case you will need a tyre plug. If that doesn't work then you are into fitting a tube and maybe a patch to keep the tube in. But damage like that would have required the same work even if you were using tubes all along. If you want to minimise to almost nothing the chance of being stopped on the trail by a flat, then sealant is the way to go. If you want to do that with lighter wheels and a better rolling feel then it has to be tubeless (with sealant).

Before using sealant in my tubes, I was averaging a flat every 14 miles. Slime tubes stopped that dead. But the Slime tubes were not only heavy duty and heavy, but they had a lot of sealant in them. So they carried a large weight penalty which was a problem on a muscle bike. Not so much on an emtb.

When I shifted to mtb, my third bike had Mavic wheels and proper tubeless tyres (their UST type). I went tubeless and never went back. You can go tubeless with almost any tyre and certainly with any tyre that will come on an emtb. You just need to ensure that the rim tape is suitable, buy some tubeless valves and some sealant and away you go. A compressor or a reservoir tank like an Airshot makes everything much easier.

The very first mod I make to a bike is to go tubeless, every time!

 

[Zimmerframe]

The very first mod I make to a bike is to go tubeless, every time!

Though sometimes he turns the forks the right way round too ..

 

[Zed.]

a certain smug feeling

^^This

Rich.

 

[KnollyBro]

Hi all, new member here. Catastrophic spine injury took me out of mountainbiking for 10 years now. I am back to it, with a question:

I used to use Slime tubes, but it seems they are out of favor these days. What are everyone's current solutions for flat avoidance/mitigation?

Thank you in advance for your candor.

You can always look into tire inserts along with going tubeless. Double the level of difficultly for installation with the added benefit of rim protection and lower tire pressure for more grip. I use Cushcore but there are several other brands as well.
And welcome back to the trails after your injury!

 

[steve_sordy]

Though sometimes he turns the forks the right way round too ..

I've never had to do that on one of my bikes, but I did once come across a Halfords special that had the forks the wrong way around.

 

[folmonty]

Tubeless is a mindset, once you get locked in and find out how well it works you won't go back. I'm actually in process of converting a moto as well. At first you'll be a little awkward but once you get the routine it's piece of cake.

Also, welcome back to riding again, from a guy who broke his neck (C6 & C7) it's a blessing to be back riding these fantastic machines!