[gabbard]

Getting ready to go to tubeless after thinking about it for several years. For those of you who are riding tubeless, did you originally go to that setup for lighter weight, lower tire pressure ability, or flat prevention? I am using Stan's rims with Kenda Small Block 8 tires. This question isn't really related to endurance racing only, but I am trying it out now that I am thinking about doing some longer races this year after many years off, so there's some minor on-topic content.

Steve

 

[RyderX]

"Getting ready to go to tubeless after thinking about it for several years."
Just do it.

 

[theextremist04]

Getting ready to go to tubeless after thinking about it for several years. For those of you who are riding tubeless, did you originally go to that setup for lighter weight, lower tire pressure ability, or flat prevention?

Yes.

 

[KERKOVEJ]

Why tubeless? To save weight....for comfort....for reliability....and for speed.

 

[sdcadbiker]

My setup on my race bike is the same is the OP (Notubes + SB8), it works very well for me although tire choice obviously depends on local conditions. I'll never go back to tubes.
A cheap air compressor from Walmart can make the whole experience a lot less frustrating too...

 

[Tokay]

Yes I went tubeless in July, never looked back though sidewall cuts can be fatal I typically ride with a spare tube, but am reckoning on 2 spares for key 50/100 races. I'm prepared to take the weight hit as I'm certainly not going to podium and primarily want to finish. Also my big comp is Leadman so a DNF or cut off miss at Silver Rush eliminates your Leadville 100 MTB place (but not the LT100 run)

What do others do, 1 tube, 2 tubes, no tubes spare? (& any particular tube for lightness etc?)

 

[staylor]

Tubeless is the way to go, no doubt. Been doing it for about 5yrs and the only time I ride on tubes is when I get a flat that the sealant can't deal with.

I always have a spare tube, lever, patch kit, multi-tool and 40gm big air strapped to my frame whether it's trg or racing. For longer point to point races I will carry two tubes. How many tubes is too many? During an 80 miler at the Ouachita Challenge I tore a huge hole in my sidewall that caused me to go to a tube. From that point on over the course of a few more hours I got five more flats.

 

[44gnats]

Yes.

yes (again).

 

[gabbard]

that seems pretty clear...

Thanks for the response, guess I shouldn't have waited so long to get rid of the tubes!

Steve

 

[Silentfoe]

Don't forget the performance reason as well. With lower pressures your tires will have less rolling resistance, less deflection off of bumps and better cornering. The lower pressures will make your bike (suspended or not) feel like it has much better small bump compliance.

 

[viewsion]

That lower pressures gives less rolling resistance is not exactly right... rolling resistance decreases as pressure increases. As the trail roughness goes up deflection becomes more important, and after some point higher pressures will make you go slower.

Tubeless isn't the holy grail, or is it? What compromises do you have to make to go tubeless? It seems to me that changing tires takes longer. How long before the sealant needs to be replenished/replaced?

 

[gatman]

I switched last year and could not be happier.

The only negative is if you change your tires often.

I always carry a tube. Even in a race I don't want to have to walk that far and get a dnf because of a flat.

All day rides I carry 2-3 tubes depending on where I am riding.

 

[Andy13]

Virtually all the modern studies of RR show that for mountain bike tires, rolling resistance decreases as you decrease tire pressure. It sounds counterintuitive, but studies support it. Hell, most studies show the same results w/ road tires to a point, unless you are on a smooth wooden track!

 

[viewsion]

Virtually all the modern studies of RR show that for mountain bike tires, rolling resistance decreases as you decrease tire pressure. It sounds counterintuitive, but studies support it. Hell, most studies show the same results w/ road tires to a point, unless you are on a smooth wooden track!

On the street, with racing tires, the point at which increasing pressure starts to increase rolling resistance is (very roughly) 100psi. Ask any roadie, or even try it yourself, it's pretty obvious that adding pressure makes you go faster.

On dirt this point is much lower of course, but the physics are the same. Are you saying that on a smooth dirt road running 15psi is faster than 40psi?

What studies are you referring to? I'm very much interested in reading them...

 

[Cevan]

My two cents:

I first switched to tubeless using the UST system 5 years ago. The overall setup was heavier b/c the tires are really heavy. The up side was the ability to run lower air pressures (25 front, 28 back) which really increases the traction and I believe can lower rolling resistance on typical mtn bike terrain.

I am now using Specialized Tubeliss tires which are lighter than UST but should be used with a latex-type sealant (which adds about 2 ounces per tires). Same upsides. Possible downside is thinner sidewalls which could lead to failures. Having said that, I've had no issues in these 5 years.

Higher tire pressure equals lower rolling resistance if the road surface is smooth (think Velodrome). On normal roads where the pavement is not so smooth, I don't think this necessarily applies. Running 160psi causes the tire to lose contact with the pavement more than say 100 psi.

Bottom line: go tubeless and don't look back.

 

[jimmy]

OK, but what about mixed conditions?

Lots of rides involve trails, dirt roads, even pavement during the course of a ride. How is the ride on pavement with 30 pounds of air in the tire?

 

[sdcadbiker]

Strange question... Just because you _can_ run low pressure doesn't mean you can't adjust for the ride conditions. If you want to run higher pressure, do so, although 40PSI is probably the highest you should go with tubeless tires. On a regular ride I just leave the pressure at 25/28 F/R but if I'm racing on a course with lots of pavement and/or gravel I'll typically go +5PSI.