Mountain Biking - XC - Thorn protection vs. wheel weight

Thinking about doing an XC event where thorns have been problematic in the past. Considering thorn protection vs. wheel weight. Any thoughts from the the XC guys? Thanks

Sorry I guess I should have put this in the race forum. Move the thread if you think it is appropiate to do so. Have a good week.

Probably tubeless with stans sealant

I wonder how heavy that white goo is? But then again you don't have tubes so is it pretty much same in regard to weight?

I would need whole new wheel set to go tubeless. Ouch! I would really like the flat protection though. It is only money.

Thanks

Stans makes the tubless conversion kit so you can run tubeless on a tube rim.

Thanks.

How does having goo inside your tires effect the ways they roll. Do you get any wobble or any weird tire balancing issue?

Anybody use Armadillos for XC?

I would go to Stan's no tube kits and save weight rather than add weight. We have a few folks running them in the club with excellent results over the last 6 months. No more flats and better accelleration. It's about $55.00 for two wheels

Al

go buy Tractor goo :) the one with Fiber in it. Or the stuff they use in ATV's. My cousin ran over a deer ANTLER that left a hole the size of a pencil in the tire and that fiber goo plugged it right up.

That would be ultimate thorn protection :)

Stans just reduces weight about 75 grams i think. It plugs up holes that occur from thorns or whatnot. I dont use it because its a pain to switch tires and i do that a lot

On the other hand, if you're not going tubeless, add a little extra protection for your tube. Take an old tube and slice it up & put inbetween your tube and tire...then add some slime.

back in the old days... "tuffy strips" worked pretty well, and didn't seem to add too much weight (well worth the extra weight).

back in the old days... "tuffy strips" worked pretty well, and didn't seem to add too much weight (well worth the extra weight).
I blew the rim apart using one of those strips made to fit between the tire and innertube. A chunk of the rim actually hit me in the shoulder when it blew-up. Sounded like a 12-guage shotgun going off right beside my head.... I'd stay clear of those damn thangs....

Most shops sell a "thorn-proof" tube that should work, but are heavy.... A trade-off I suppose.

how did a tuffy strip cause your rim to "explode?"

I think it pushed the tire bead away from the "seating" position too far, allowing it to peel back the rim's edge to the point of exploding....

Scared the hell out of me. I actually felt like filing one of those frivilous lawsuits against the manufacturer. I had flashbacks of that chunk of rim gashing my Aorta (sp), or blinding me....

I think it pushed the tire bead away from the "seating" position too far, allowing it to peel back the rim's edge to the point of exploding....
Sounds like operator error to me... ;) The strips are only about 1/16" thick at the middle, and taper thinner near their outer edges. Could it be that you were running too much pressure in the tire ?

I blew the rim apart using one of those strips made to fit between the tire and innertube. A chunk of the rim actually hit me in the shoulder when it blew-up. Sounded like a 12-guage shotgun going off right beside my head.... I'd stay clear of those damn thangs....

Most shops sell a "thorn-proof" tube that should work, but are heavy.... A trade-off I suppose.
Sounds like a bum rim to me. I've installed a great many sets of Tuffy's (even on my better half's ride) and they've never caused a rim detonation.

Tuffys don't come near the rim, they cover the tread area. Used 'em for over 15years, had tires with nails still in them and holes so big you could see the tuffy strip from 5 feet away and they still held air untill the threads were bare.

I use tuffy strips in my XC bike, the weight is negligable, especially compaired to chainging a flat. Putting them in is made easier by keeping a touch of air in the tube, so the tube holds the strip in place just a bit.

I've never tried armadillos but it's basically just a built in tuffy strip.

Slime works but it is heavy and it has some kinks.
Stan's is much different than slime, I know nothing else of it.

I've never tried armadillos but it's basically just a built in tuffy strip.

Actually the "Flak Jacket" feature from Specialized is essentially the built in Tuffy Strip. Armadillos add kevlar sidewall protection

The blow-out was on a "rim" brake wheelset. I suppose the sidewall may have been worn down, causing a weak spot where it blew away....

Wasn't Operator error, SmartAss...

The blow-out was on a "rim" brake wheelset. I suppose the sidewall may have been worn down, causing a weak spot where it blew away....

Wasn't Operator error, SmartAss...
:roflmao: :fight: I was not expecting to see that, well done.
Like Raiyn said, it was probably a defective rim. Unless your rims were very worn down which is also possible.
Personally, i think i might try stans at some point

I have disc's now... Not a prob....

Didn't mean to piss anyone off, but so be it if it did....

I wonder how heavy that white goo is?

one cup is 60 grams. I think for one tire 1 1/4 cup is recommended. I put only one cup in my 2.0" tires, and use them at 27-28 psi. I've never had a flat since I started using the white goo :)

Stans is the way to go in my opinion. In TX where we would get flats EVERY ride, it was worth its weight in gold.