Mountain Biking - Tube vs. Tubeless

I'm a newbie. So new, in fact, that I'm still waiting for delivery of my first bicycle since my old Huffy I had in grade school (I'm now 30).

What are the benefits of tubless vs tubed tires?

Thanks.
Shawn

Well the main one benefit that i'll let you know about. Tubeless busts open, You'll be walking. If you carrya small pump and a spare tube then you can do a moderate ob on site and ride home or back to the car. That the one main benefit

A beneficial factor of running tubless tires on a bike is that you can use a lower PSI, meaning flatter tire, but get better grip on whatever surface you choose to ride on. However, if you try the same thing with tires that use tubes, you run the risk of getting a pinch flat.
If you are riding and your tire gets a flat, you can simply change a tube if you have spares. If you get a flat using a tubless system, either you: a) walk home or b) slime your tires before you ride which reduces the chances of getting a puncture (please correct me if I'm wrong).
Both systems have their pro's and con's but for me, I'm running tubes because it's cheaper to buy spare tubes than replacement tires and if i do get a flat while riding, I can easily change tubes.

Hope that helps,

Funko

Well put...... I think with every thing in MTB'ing their will be pros and cons. :beer:

Originally posted by newmtb
Well the main one benefit that i'll let you know about. Tubeless busts open, You'll be walking. If you carrya small pump and a spare tube then you can do a moderate ob on site and ride home or back to the car. That the one main benefit
I'm not getting what your saying...are you saying that if tubeless busts open that you will have to walk home....or are you saying that you can put a tube in the tubeless....??? I'm getting the picture that your right.



Originally posted by Funko
If you get a flat using a tubless system, either you: a) walk home or b) slime your tires before you ride which reduces the chances of getting a puncture (please correct me if I'm wrong)

From what i see....your wrong. Most tubeless....(probably all) let you put a tube in the tire if you get a flat by unscrewing the valve, and inserting a tube. Anyway......my worst experience with tubeless was....I was riding with a group and they got to a really steep hill and they were all taking turns going really slow.....so i (like a hotshot) rode around them, really fast and started the downhill really fast.....but there was a little root like knub sticking out of the ground, and the left half of my front tire ran it over, causing the damn tire bead to momentarily unseat itself....I heard a loud bang as I was going over the bars....and landed on my face.

There is no tube right so if the tire comes off the rim then you are done. Its like a car. But if you have a tube then you replace it if you have tube tires. There is still a stem and that in the tubeless just no tube.

Originally posted by newmtb
There is no tube right so if the tire comes off the rim then you are done. Its like a car. But if you have a tube then you replace it if you have tube tires. There is still a stem and that in the tubeless just no tube.

:confused: <<Confused smilie.......Here this is how it is.....if your tubeless tire somehow comes off the rim, you put it back on. If the tire punctures.....then you UNSCREW the valve thats in the rim, and then INSERT A TUBE.....just like a normal non tubeless system.

From what i see....your wrong. Most tubeless....(probably all) let you put a tube in the tire if you get a flat by unscrewing the valve, and inserting a tube.

Well hot-dawg! I never knew that! Whoever made up the idea of placing a tube in a tubless system if you get a flat is a genious! Sorry about what I posted earlier, I guess I should get my facts straightened out before I post information.

Klein, I feel for you. Recently I got into an accident. I was riding a bit fast on a downhill section that was a gravel type road and started braking too late with my POS brakes (RST cable discs-dont get them if you value your life) and I crashed. Luckily, I escaped with scrapes on my right side, and a sligthly scratched helmet. My wounds are still recovering, my bike survived. :beer:

Funko!

IMHO, unless you're racing, they're more of a status symbol than anything else! The wheels + tires weight is about equal due to the tires being beefed up to resist punctures (sp?). I know that the availability is increasing as more manufacturer's jump into the "Tubeless" craze, but I guess I'm becoming a grouch and I have no complaints with the tire selection of "Tubed" tires and the traction they provide!

I test rode a pair of the Mavic Crossmax Tubeless and they looked great and rolled very smoothly. Did they offer any significant advantage and performance improvement? Not really! But they looked great and only cost $800 USD. Needless to say, I'd save my $ or spend it on a pair of Chris King Disc-o-tec wheelset!

I think I forgot to mention that the wheels that I had were the crossmax's, with hutchinson python tires:D I loved them, they were REALLY fast wheels.