[mtnbkrmike]

I ran tubeless on studded tires last winter. It was great. I ran tubed on non-studded tires this past spring, summer and fall. I am going back to the studded tires this week. I noticed today that my rear rim is dented. Not sure whether it will even hold air running it tubeless.

I enjoyed my fat bike over the past several months running tubed. How important is running it tubeless this winter? Important enough for me to start hunting down a new wheel or rim, in case the dented one won't hold air, tubeless?

 

[mikesee]

Only you can answer that, based on your priorities.

 

[Volsung]

It's less rolling resistance and weight and gives more tire pressure wiggle room, but it's not like bikes don't work with tubes. You can always do one tubeless one tubed.

 

[steadite]

fatbike tubes are monstrously heavy & thick

 

[BansheeRune]

I ran tubeless on studded tires last winter. It was great. I ran tubed on non-studded tires this past spring, summer and fall. I am going back to the studded tires this week. I noticed today that my rear rim is dented. Not sure whether it will even hold air running it tubeless.

I enjoyed my fat bike over the past several months running tubed. How important is running it tubeless this winter? Important enough for me to start hunting down a new wheel or rim, in case the dented one won't hold air, tubeless?

Tubeless is sposta be some ind of unicorn, so I hear!

I run one wheelset tubeless and the other tubed with Surly lite's. Really don't find too much difference in terms of ride quality tho' since it is a fatbike.

 

[Weinerts]

I don't ride much these days - but I have been tubeless for a long time -but lately the juice drys up before I can get a good puncture. I just added my tubeless ghetto juice to my schrader tubes and stopped thinking about it.

The fat bike is amazing - with Lou on the front and nate on the rear - nothing is going to stop me. I have an IGH rear hub (sturmey archer 5 speed) which weighs as much as the frame - so addding the weight on the tubes.. who cares.

 

[Pipeliner]

If you care about reducing the effort required to pedal your bike, tubeless is a significant upgrade. You have to maintain the sealant tho. You have to add every 2- 3 months.

 

[donj11]

Check out Revoloop light tubes.

 

[mtnbkrmike]

Based on what I see here, it seems most feel it is a weight thing, much more than a ride quality thing (apart from weight). Thanks everyone. Off to ride. Tubed. Lol. And on dirt still!!!

 

[mtnbkrmike]

Are pinch flats a thing with running tubes in fat bike tires? I assume they are. I have some dents in my rear rim. I’m sure I got them last winter running tubeless. I assume I would have run a serious risk of getting pinch flats in the middle of nowhere, had I been running tubed. If I run tubes this winter, can I ride blacks hard and fast, at low pressures, without risking pinch flats? Are fat bike tubes more robust than non-fat tubes?

Obviously, tubed or tubeless, I need to either ratchet things back a bit, ride with higher psi or be one helluva lot smoother out there. The proof is in the beating my rear rim took. I have been running carbon rims on pretty much all my other bikes for a long time now. I’m probably getting rim strikes on them too.

 

[BansheeRune]

Are pinch flats a thing with running tubes in fat bike tires? I assume they are. I have some dents in my rear rim. I’m sure I got them last winter running tubeless. I assume I would have run a serious risk of getting pinch flats in the middle of nowhere, had I been running tubed. If I run tubes this winter, can I ride blacks hard and fast, at low pressures, without risking pinch flats? Are fat bike tubes more robust than non-fat tubes?

Obviously, tubed or tubeless, I need to either ratchet things back a bit, ride with higher psi or be one helluva lot smoother out there. The proof is in the beating my rear rim took. I have been running carbon rims on pretty much all my other bikes for a long time now. I’m probably getting rim strikes on them too.

Rim cuts will happen regardless of tube/notube. Just need to use common sense with air pressure for the deed at hand.
I can run my fat nearly flat without issue if there is really snow on the ground. When there is a meter of base, there is a lot of digging one would need to do before finding something to pinch or ding ya. A dusting is anything less than 30cm. when it comes to snowbike action.

If this winter provides a base at my local haunt, there will be snow BMX racing happenin' with plus bikes and fatbikes. Annnd, a singlespeeds only race on the same track!

 

[shadowsports]

Bike delivered tubless compatile / ready with the parts.. not desire to be tubeless. Could care less. Depends on one's preference

 

[AndrewTO]

Rear rim is dented???

Sounds like a perfect excuse, uh reason, for a whole new bike!

We look forward to your new thread by days' end.

You're welcome. 😊

 

[mtnbkrmike]

Rear rim is dented???

Sounds like a perfect excuse, uh reason, for a whole new bike!

We look forward to your new thread by days' end.

You're welcome. 😊

No need for a new bike 😝

Good to go tubeless with the existing rim 🤘👊👍

 

[Better&Better]

how well do tubeless sealants perform in sub-zero temps?
only reason I haven't tried it is because several years ago on my road bike, I tried the tubes that come with the Slime in them. I hit something in the slush an hour away from home, in the middle of the night, on my commute home... it didn't self-seal, just a terrible mess! took me forever to patch the tube because the patches wouldn't stick eventually figured a way to clean the spot enough, but I switched out those tubes ASAP, and never got them again... same worry prevents me from trying tubeless... only thing worse to me than a flat in the winter is a flat I can't repair in the winter

Sent from my SM-T727V using Tapatalk

 

[BansheeRune]

There are low temp sealants but sub zero may well negate the benefit of those too.
Had no issue with Orange Seal subzero over the last few winters however, I had no punctures to test that.

 

[mtnbkrmike]

how well do tubeless sealants perform in sub-zero temps?
only reason I haven't tried it is because several years ago on my road bike, I tried the tubes that come with the Slime in them. I hit something in the slush an hour away from home, in the middle of the night, on my commute home... it didn't self-seal, just a terrible mess! took me forever to patch the tube because the patches wouldn't stick eventually figured a way to clean the spot enough, but I switched out those tubes ASAP, and never got them again... same worry prevents me from trying tubeless... only thing worse to me than a flat in the winter is a flat I can't repair in the winter

Sent from my SM-T727V using Tapatalk

The Orange Seal Sib-Zero works flawlessly in temps as low as minus 25 C. Likely a lot lower. But that’s the limit of where I have been with it. Not a single issue running it in heavy use, adverse conditions. I’m talking about keeping the tires sealed, not repairing gashes mid-ride. Thankfully I haven’t had to deal with that yet.

 

[BansheeRune]

Mike, stay away from my bike with that knife!

 

[weiss27md]

Tubeless is lighter and you can go lower in air pressure. Plus if you ride where it's prone to getting flats then tubeless is much better. When I first got my bike it came with tubes and I had no idea about tubeless was an option. My first ride out I was gone like 20 minutes and came back home. when I checked my bike later both tires were flat. Where I'm at there's thorns and twigs so much more prone to punctures. Ever since I went tubeless I have had no issues. It was a pain setting it up since I never did it before but it was worth it. I would never go back to tubes now.

 

[Stewiewin]

I ran tubeless on studded tires last winter. It was great. I ran tubed on non-studded tires this past spring, summer and fall. I am going back to the studded tires this week. I noticed today that my rear rim is dented. Not sure whether it will even hold air running it tubeless.

I enjoyed my fat bike over the past several months running tubed. How important is running it tubeless this winter? Important enough for me to start hunting down a new wheel or rim, in case the dented one won't hold air, tubeless?

Not real important, tubeless is slightly lighter than tubed.