convince me to ditch the tubes....

Jersey said:

for whatever reason i just cant get into the tubeless thing. when UST first started i totally thought it would be a fad, but boy was i wrong.
messing with sealants, and trying to get beads to sit right just turns me off. i just tear open that little cardboard box and throw in a new tube. i can do it in my sleep, why should i go tubeless???

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I won't try to convince you to go tubeless, as it may not be for everyone. but I will tell you the reasons why I choose to go tubeless:

1. Flat resistance - It may not eliminate flats, but they are greatly reduced. I have not flatted in over 2 years of using tubeless conversion on the trails. These are the same trails that I flatted almost weekly on prior to going tubeless. I did get my first flat in 2 years the other day (I happened to be using tubes on my backup bike) but I would have flatted regardless as a 3/8" diameter stick impaled my tire through the sidewall. Pinch flats are all but eliminated. They are still possible without a tube, but very rare. Because of this, you can run lower pressures without the fear of pinch flats, thus increasing cornering traction.

2. Decreased rolling resistance - Tests done on Schwalbe's rolling resistance machine showed a significant decrease in rolling resistance at a given pressure, I've heard numbers up to 9 watts.

3. Weight savings - Tubeless conversion such as Stans or Eclipse saves weight over all but the lightest and most fragile tubes, and as much as 1/2 pound over thicker tubes.

Initial setup takes a little more time than with a tube, but its not difficult at all and I can setup a wheel in just a few minutes. You don't have to do anything to get the bead to sit right, you just inflate it and the bead closes against the rim. I will rock the tire around to get the sealant to fill all the pinholes along the bead, but that doesn't take long and you don't really even have to do that, as they will seal up after a few rides anyway.

The trade-offs for me, in order of how they affect me are:

1. I don't use tubeless on my back up bike, as it it only ridden a few times a month, and the sealant will not last long enough to make it worthwhile as it will dry in the tire after a few months. Also, I use my back up bike on the trainer and I like to use higher pressures on the rear tire.

2. In the event that you do get a flat, you must deal with the sealant which can be kind of messy. Fortunately, I have not had to deal with it on the trail (except for one experiment 2 + years ago with homemade tubeless). You are only dealing with 60 ml of solution, so its not really that bad.

3. It is more difficult to change tires at will for riding in different conditions, such as removing your racing tires to put on trail or mud tires. It just takes a little more time and again, you have to deal with the sealant mess.

So far, going tubeless conversion (I use Eclipse) has been virtually trouble free for me and I don't regret it for a second. As I said, there are trade offs and it may not be right for everyone, but as for me, I don't see myself ever going back to tubes.

Three seasons with Stans

I have run Stans on two sets of NON ust rims and three different sets of tires, including Kenda Klimax Lites.

1) No pinch flats, or any other flats

2) Weight savings, when I ran my Kendas for my last race, I was two minutes faster than my best time, on a course that had one more mile added.

3) Tubes suck, they just do.

4) I'm not using Stans because other people are, I'm using it because it's work without problems for me for three years, I simply see no reason to go back to tubes.

Gripshift

the benefits outway the inconveniences:

the gains:

- almost no chance of getting a pinch flat

- a cushier ride due to the lower tire pressure (more important if you are riding a hardtail)

- more traction

1 drawback:

- putting the tire on the rim can be harder if you are putting a UST tire on a UST rim
or if you're using the Stans setup it takes a few extra steps compared to the tubed setup

Today I rode in 5" inches of snow on UST Conti Verticals and my tire pressure was around 25 psi and the traction was amazing and no worries about pinch flatting.

HOser said:

Thanks to everyone for sharing their tubeless expertise. I'm also considering Stans and have the following question. As your installation ages, and the sealant dries, is it leaving a residue? If this is true, then a true weight weenie would need to clean the dried sealant out of a tire before adding additional sealant, otherwise you'll accumulate weight over time.

How do you guys deal with this issue, is the cumulative weight gain significant? How often are you adding additional sealant?

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The sealant does dry after several months and you need to add additional sealant to "refresh" your puncture sealing capability. I use homemade sealant for economy and convenience reasons, and add sealant every 2-3 months. This seems to keep my flat protection up pretty well. The weight of the sealant is mostly in the water, so as the water evaporates inside the tire the weight drops until you add more sealant. I have not found the accumulated sealant to add any noticeable weight. I usually wear a tire out by the time I have refreshed the sealant once or twice anyway, but with thicker trail type tires you may have to add sealant a few more times before you wear out the tire. Still not significant, only a few grams of dried sealant, a very thin layer. Pealing the sealant off is not worth it IMHO.

Jersey: The weight of the Eclipse system for my Mavic 517's is about 109 grams per tire with 80 grams sealant, 29 grams for rimstrip and stem. (218 grams front and rear). I have been using approx. 60 ml instead of 80 ml and have not had a problem with it, but 80 is the "proper" amount with Eclipse sealant. Stans still recommends 60 in their system I believe.