[Just J]

Hi

I'm awaiting the delivery of my new Soul Cycles Hooligan SS frame and fork this week, it's been about 2 years since I rode and at the time tubeless tyres were all the rage, I used to have Hutchinson Pythons on my Dekerf and they were a really good tyre, however I'm just wondering was tubeless a passing fad, whats the best setup and general consensus on them nowadays?

 

[mountainflow]

Here in Phoenix AZ, many, if not most people are running tubeless. The majority are running ghetto style, either the split-tube method, or the pipe/gorilla tape method. Use almost any rim and tire you want. If you live in a rocky area, go with 2x sidewall tires.

If you are going rigid, I would highly suggest going tubeless with lower air pressure.

 

[scyule]

Mountainflow is on the money....TUBELESS tires, those marked as UST are likely what you remember , but they are pretty much obsolete now with products like STANS NO TUBES and a few simular products. UST tires had a bead that locked into the UST rims but it added WEIGHT, alot of weight. The split tube way is getting crazy popular right now with mountainbike action and bicycling mags both running 'how-to"s in recent issues.

Use whatever wheels you have, get a light , high volume tire and go tubeless

 

[aka brad]

This months Mountain Bike had a good article on tubeless. They ended with this; "Our predictions: With refinement, tubeless tires will be the enthusiasts' future. But that's it. It's too messy, application specific and expensive for the masses. UST is viable only if the weights keep coming down". Pretty much what scyule and mountainflow said. I recently went to 650b tubeless with a rigid fork and they were a significant improvement..

 

[Just J]

This is really helpful guys thanks.

I ran UST on my Mavic 819s last time but I also once used a Stans converter kit on some 517 rims with Panaracer Tyres...

 

[markgoldsmith]

been running stans tires on stans rims with stans sealant for almost 2 yrs now. Zero flats. Nuff said.

 

[slocaus]

It is a passing fad. In the forums I frequent most, SS, 29er, wheels & tires, the same questions about tubeless pass every day, sometimes up to five times a day. People ask and ask and ask, it just passes and passes. Seems more and more manufacturers are coming out with TLR (TubeLess Ready) rims and tires. Too bad there is no interest in a great invention. I have not had a flat in over two years on four tubeless wheel sets and I plan to go back to tubes so I can have the fun of changing tubes two or three times each ride. I do not want to be using a fad product way past the peak of its popularity. :thumbsup:

 

[Shrederland]

absolutely not a fad. I've used ust and non ust tires converted with stans sealant and rim tape on ust and non ust rims and had success with all combos. no flats.

 

[bigb73]

I have been running tubeless for about 7 or 8 years. I've had 2 flats in that time. There is a little more upkeep on tubeless, but it's worth it.

 

[10speedbiopacefreewheel]

always a naysayer

I still refuse to believe that cutting your tube in half and adding goo is saving weight.
It seems laughable.

My friend Matt runs Stans Notubes and loves it. All the guys at the shop told him it was great. "Dude, why spend $5 on a tube that might pop when for $45 this goo will keep ya rollin brah?" I borrowed his front wheel for a ride to test out his tire. I burped the wheel, lost Stans and serious air pressure. That was the second time I had ridden tubeless and was oddly the second time I had burped a tubeless tire, running 15-25psi. I love running low psi, maybe cause trials ridding, I don't know. I run lower psi than most everyone I ride with, since I'm fully rigid 26".

Tubes don't fail often, but when they do, it is easy and clean to replace trail side.

 

[mountainflow]

I still refuse to believe that cutting your tube in half and adding goo is saving weight.
It seems laughable.

Definitely not lighter. Maybe the pipe tape method is a little bit lighter, but not much. The biggest reason to run Stans tubeless is to go lower air pressure without pinch flatting, and for flat protection.

Tubes don't fail often, but when they do, it is easy and clean to replace trail side.

Tubes definitely are simpler and less of a PITA, but the lower pressure and flat protection are worth it for many people.

 

[markgoldsmith]

I run lower psi than most everyone I ride with, since I'm fully rigid 26".

Don't want to be a smart ass but maybe you need to kick that psi up a notch or two

As far as flats go, it's not just about the wheel setup. Its how you ride your bike. Do you read the terrain ahead and ride a "light" front wheel when required? Think about it. We all know somebody who is always getting flats. That my friends is the reason why.

 

[morganfletcher]

I run tubeless on all but one of my mtn bikes. I'm 210lbs and way too susceptible to pinch flats to run regular tubes. On my 26" bikes, some have UST tires and rims, some have converted rims and UST tires. My sole 29er has Stans rim, tape sealant and non-tubeless tires. I don't like having to use strips and tape, UST rims and tires worked best, but since there are no UST 29er rims I'll continue doing what I'm doing. FWIW the DT-Swiss conversion kits work well at first, but the rim strips eventually stop sticking to the double-sided tape, squirm around, sealant leaks past the tape and in the case of the 5.1D rim + conversion kit, UST tires are really hard to mount.

Morgan

 

[aka brad]

I still refuse to believe that cutting your tube in half and adding goo is saving weight.
It seems laughable.

My friend Matt runs Stans Notubes and loves it. All the guys at the shop told him it was great. "Dude, why spend $5 on a tube that might pop when for $45 this goo will keep ya rollin brah?" I borrowed his front wheel for a ride to test out his tire. I burped the wheel, lost Stans and serious air pressure. That was the second time I had ridden tubeless and was oddly the second time I had burped a tubeless tire, running 15-25psi. I love running low psi, maybe cause trials ridding, I don't know. I run lower psi than most everyone I ride with, since I'm fully rigid 26".

Tubes don't fail often, but when they do, it is easy and clean to replace trail side.

Like anything else, I think it's a matter of how the wheel is put together. Stans is very clear that some combinations work better than others and some won't work at all. I firmly believe that Stans system is the best thought out, even better than UST. The rim has a wider bench area (some rims don't even have a bench area), which helps mounting the tires and the bead "socket" causes the tire bead to snap and lock into place, which is very resistant to "burping". The system only fails due to weak tire beads, and they recommend wire beads, especially on 29ers wheels, but I have had no trouble with my foldable Nevegals on a 650b. The problem with the split tube route is, it addresses only the sealant problem without addressing keeping the tire on the rim. Stans seems to have concentrated on keeping the tire on the wheel and than letting their sealant due the sealing work.

 

[10speedbiopacefreewheel]

"do what feels good"

Don't want to be a smart ass but maybe you need to kick that psi up a notch or two

As far as flats go, it's not just about the wheel setup. Its how you ride your bike. Do you read the terrain ahead and ride a "light" front wheel when required? Think about it. We all know somebody who is always getting flats. That my friends is the reason why.

you said it. I rode trials before I ever rode xc. Good luck talking the trials guys into tubeless. and no one is running pressure as low as they are. I've watched tires fold and beads almost roll right off trials wheels. I had psi lower than joe blow could register. and thats how I liked it. But I dont remember many flat issues. riding xc I am realizing that I can run higher psi if I run a wider tire and not really effect cushion or rolling resistance. of course marginal weight is gained but that is hardly worth mentioning. So that's what I've been doing. 2.35 front and 2.2 rear on my 26" rigid SS.

I weigh 165lbs and consider myself to have good handling skills, I'm not pinching tubes personally. And unless you are, then you are solving a problem that doesn't exist with an over complicated method. I love the K.I.S.S. system myself. but I am also simple minded.

at the end of the day- you ride your bike, and i'll ride mine. as long as we are both smiling then it's all fine.

 

[sean salach]

I'm on tubes here as well. Two flats in the past 3 years that tubeless wouldn't have solved. 1&2: sidewall gashes leading to tube blowouts. having a tube in there probably allowed me to ride further with the cut in the tire that tubeless would have. 3: 26 x 3" downhill tire not fully seated on a 70mm wide rim at super low pressures led to tire rotation, which led to a pinch flat. If it was tubeless, the air would never have stayed in the tire in the first place.

I run comparatively high pressure(30-50 psi), and have no problems with traction or comfort.

I also come from a trials background.

 

[bad mechanic]

To throw a wrench in things, Eclipse's new tube has finally started to trickle in to stores over in Europe, and hopefully they'll be available in the US soon. What's special about them is a 26x2.3 tube only weighs 56g, is extremely flat resistant, and is said to roll and feel the same as tubeless.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=490356

For someone who's refused to go tubeless because of the mess and hassle, I can't wait to get my hands on a set of those.

 

[10speedbiopacefreewheel]

I'm on tubes here as well. Two flats in the past 3 years that tubeless wouldn't have solved. 1&2: sidewall gashes leading to tube blowouts. having a tube in there probably allowed me to ride further with the cut in the tire that tubeless would have. 3: 26 x 3" downhill tire not fully seated on a 70mm wide rim at super low pressures led to tire rotation, which led to a pinch flat. If it was tubeless, the air would never have stayed in the tire in the first place.

I run comparatively high pressure(30-50 psi), and have no problems with traction or comfort.

I also come from a trials background.

my brother:thumbsup:

 

[nachomc]

I ride tubeless. I love it - don't intend to go tubed again at all.

 

[TiGeo]

I can probably count the number of flats on one hand I have had while riding with tubes in the last 19 years. I never flatted during a race. I want to try tubeless just to see, but really, for the riding here in central/eastern VA, tubes are fine.