Once you go tubeless your flat tire frequency will drop dramatically. Keep sealant refreshed, carry a dynaplug kit and c02 inflator and you will be good to go.

 

using co2 with sealant is not a great idea

 

Sounds like you don't use a backpack so how do you carry water? If you have water bottle mounts you have a place to mount a pump.

If you have my luck the mount will break and you'll lose your pump.

 

Sounds like you don't use a backpack so how do you carry water? If you have water bottle mounts you have a place to mount a pump.

If you have my luck the mount will break and you'll lose your pump.

I use an EVOC fanny pack with water bladder. It's convenient, but the bladder doesn't leave room for a lot of extra stuff. I could fit a couple of CO2 cartridges in there, I think, but not a pump. In the end, that might be the deciding factor.

 

I use this pump/CO2 Inflator. (under 6")

 

Have you actually used this pump in the field? I ask because it looks tiny and like it would take about 250 strokes to create any meaningful tire pressure. I've been there...

Now I carry a larger pump, usually the OneUp EDC pump, which does double duty.

 

I would take caution wearing a backpack with a pump inside of it. I can't remember the full story but a dude crashed his bike with a pump in his pack and caused paralysis. I thought it was the guy who crashed back in 2017 up at Whistler but I can't find that specific info regarding the pump being the cause of the paralysis. If I recall, he tried to jump a rock roll and most likely kissed the lip which caused his crash.

 

here’s the link to the article that I helped Selene with. I had a similar occurrence, not nearly as tragic as Eddy’s.

Pack Wisely to Save Your Spine

How you carry your gear can pose serious hidden risks for your body. Here's how to protect your back.

www.bicycling.com

 

CO2's are heavy, the valve head is not always reliable, and when you're out of them, you're f*cked. I use a Lezyne mini pump that is TINY but works well, and is lighter than two 16g CO2 cartridges. It never let me down. And I am not one bit worried about that tiny a$$ pump causing an injury in a crash. It's the same diameter as a CO2 cartridge and about as long as two of them.

 

I've never been let down by c02's either (though I have experienced the notorious and annoying habit of lezyne mini pumps unscrewing my valve core a few times🙃)

Either is good I think, just a preference thing.

 

I carry both co2 and a micro pump as well as my dynaplug. Call me paranoid, but with mountain lions around here the less time I spend hunched over a tire the better.

 

I use to carry CO2 but now just carry a pump. I carry a spare and a patch kit, in case I have to then later repair that tube. I wear a Camelbak so it all goes in there. I did just attach a pump under a bottle cage on my gravel bike as I don't always wear my Camelbak when riding it. I'm not riding downhill but sometimes (like today) I'm pretty remote and it would be a very long push out of the woods. I also carry quicklinks and managed to break a chain twice on one ride, far from my car. I was able to shorten it and SS back.

 

Backpack with water and a pump gets my vote.

 

#1 for me but don't abandon the idea of CO2.

Mini pumps are tiny these days and whilst take a little longer, get the job done.

Going tubeless alone will see you faffing about far less with flats, so it shouldn't be as though you are constantly bent over pumping them up. I saw a dramatic change of how little flats I had when I moved to tubeless.

Sticking them to the bike could also not be easier with the huge array of strap solutions that are hugely reliable. BOA clamp solutions from Silca and Occam, great traditional strap systems from AMS or the Mutherload from Backcountry Research.

CO2 can be handy if you are carrying it on the body in pockets or bag etc. They have flaws but I have re-seated the bead on a tyre once with them (though it took 3 canisters to get it done, I only carried two and had to borrow one from a mate).

I generally don't carry CO2 anymore though unless I am riding with friends or going really far from home/car where getting the bike going sooner rather than later is the focus.

 

CO2 is definitely good for coagulating your sealant and giving you a very limited air supply that may or may not work, especially if you get a further flat and need to apply a patch/plug, etc. I'll carry it for some races, because it's fast, but otherwise it's generally not great.

 

If I'm in walking distance of calling a 20-minute cab ride home, then I carry CO2 with a capsule and a patch kit strapped on the bike.

If I'm more than an hour from home, but in civilization, I bring a CO2, 2 capsules, a patch kit, and inner tube in a saddle bag.

If I'm several hours out, I bring CO2, 2 capsules, a micro pump, inner tube, and a patch kit in a backpack.

 

I carry plugs as well as both CO2 and pump in an Osprey hip pack. I also carry a tube as my last resort. Along with that, I have a few other tools and can also carry a water bottle inside the large pocket. it’s a good set up I feel.

 

Strap a pump to the frame. Many ways to do this. Carry some plugs including bigger moto plugs and a tube. You'll be able to get rolling in most circumstances.

 

CO2 can seat a tubeless tire that has come off the rim or rolled the bead.
Mini pumps can rarely seat a tubeless DH tire/heavier casing tire.
For general bike park laps and most mtb rides it's plugs and CO2 for me.
For backountry rides and bikepacking it's a mix of CO2 and a tiny mini pump that doubles as a CO2 inflator.
Mini Lezyne bag works great under a dropper seatpost for 3 CO2 cartridges, plugs, multi tool and a few other key things.

 

CO2 can might seat a tubeless tire that has come off the rim or rolled the bead.

It's possible, but I've seen lots of people even fail to inflate a tube properly with CO2. It's one and done. With a pump you get to keep trying and if you have a tube you are going to at least be riding down the mountain to where you can get the tire fixed.

 

Wolftooth, IIRC, had a solution for retrofitting WB mounts... then attach a pump like OneUp which can also house their multi-tool or a CO2.

 

I don't like my OneUp pump. It goes on the valve with a very vague connection. Hard to pump. Looking for alternatives myself.

 

Y'all are doomsayers. Think positive.

 

We're all gonna die...

 

Not to be a jerk but, it’s 2022. Are we really discussing CO2 or mini pump? Ever pump up a tire with a mini pump? Outside from the cost of cartridges, no reason not to go CO2. With that said. If I am on an epic all day backcountry ride. I carry both.

 

Different strokes for different spokes...
And, the mini pump as the first option crew seems to be happy with several hundred initial strokes.
A few ways to serve the need, but I'll take a CO2 shot and maybe a few mini pump strokes to finish off the fix vs the non CO2 strokefest any day.

 

CO2 provides limited air supply. Mini-pump provides UNLIMITED air supply.

Several hundred strokes are no problem. I'm married, so my forearms have plenty of endurance.

 

The trick is to use a combo pump (like/similar to the one in post #5) and get the tire to seat/seal with the pump......THEN open up the CO2 to fill.
IMO it's 50/50 whether the tire will seal. Another reason l carry a Tublito S-MTB @ 45g. Everything fits in the SWAT Box.

 

Finally solved this problem - fork corked one of those lezyne pocket drive pumps into my steerer tube with a little scrap of foam to stop it rattling around. Much like my spleen, I don't even know it's there until I need it.

 

this sounds cool. Is that pump designed to fit in there and stay, or did you need to build up the foam to keep it in there? I am trying to imagine it staying put with some foam in a rock garden or something...

 

Since we're talking about DH riding in Whistler Bike Park you don't need a backpack to carry water since there are water fountains everywhere. Having water weight on your back or hips can throw your balance off a bit while jumping. Dump it. In fact, next season take notice of how few people carry a pack. It's mostly just the people who look like they're new to park riding, isn't it?

Convert to tubeless WITH Cush Core Pro or Tannus Tubeless inserts. If you get a flat your tire can still roll as a run-flat to get you down.

 

Everywhere? That definitely wasn't my experience. IME, it was super nice to have a little bit of water for the rides down, like a partially filled hip pack.

 

This is a little OT, This is a dangerous sport, and it’s getting more dangerous with bigger bikes and bigger features. My point is the trend is to ride with less. Everything on your bike, carry nothing So my question is. What happens when things go wrong? Does anyone carry any first aid gear anymore? Maybe it’s the Eagle Scout paramedic in me, but I always at least have something to control major bleeding with me. Even on my from the garage local rides. It’s saved my bacon more then once. More importantly saved other down riders.

 

So my question is. What happens when things go wrong?

In the context of this thread, worst case scenario, I walk. Never has happened but I accept that risk.


A spare inner tube would make a perfect tourniquet.

 

Nothing ever goes wrong. Why carry anything. If it does, stop someone else to help you. I see folks all the time asking for help because they didn't want to carry excessive weight.

 

I see folks all the time asking for help because they didn't want to carry excessive weight.

Probably people on neglected bikes with worn out non-tubeless tires.


These days a co2 (or mini pump) and a plug kit is plenty prepared for flats. I still carry a tube out of habit but it's most likely dry rotted and only good for an emergency tourniquet.

 

Also, quick question: For those who have installed cushcore or similar, any downsides? Does the ride feel significantly different?

 

Downsides are that they make tire changes a bigger effort. Until you get the technique down installation can be a struggle.

They also add weight to each wheel but on a DH bike that’s not necessarily a negative. The added heft helps keep momentum and adds some stability when you’re airborne.

You can supposedly reduce your pressure a few psi to give the tires more grip but to me the biggest benefit is that you're less likely to pinch flat or destroy your rim from a rim strike, plus there's the whole run-flat benefit. I ended this park season on a front flat actually. A sharp piece of volcanic rock put a 1" slice in my tire, which was a total buzzkill, but I was able to ride down the mountain on a completely flat front tire all the way to my car. That was with Tannus Tubeless in my DH wheels, BTW. Cush Cores are even more stout for a run-flat.