Hello, I'm new to this forum and seriously need advice on whether tubeless is what I need to try to (hopefully) increase my puncture resistance to the evil puncture vine that infects so much of our rural America. I have yet to find anyone who can tell me exactly why (if so) they would be better than tube tires for puncture resistance. I'm aware of all the other advantages of tubeless so please limit replies to those relating to puncture resistance (tube vs tubeless) as I'm really not interested in pinch flat, rolling resistance, or speed, or weight advantages. Also, please don't recommend a "puncture resistant" 29er tire that you personally have not tested by getting hundreds of puncture thorns in it. By far it is the puncture vine that slows me down the most. If you can lead me down the right path I will be eternally grateful! Thank you so much for your valuable time.

Tubeless is better because the sealant automatically patches the holes. So its not that you don't get holes, its just that they self patch, and you don't really have to think about it. Sealant with an innertube doesn't work as well, because the tube can flex away from the tire disrupting the sealant plug.

Those things are nature's revenge against bikers....

Thanks!

If I ever go tubeless, punctures will be the main reason why. I've had a run of good luck lately, but I'm sure the goatheads will get me again eventually.

Ok, convinced. Shopping for new wheelset hehe. Thanks!

Ok just to make sure: I'll still be able to run max pressure (65psi) with tubeless, right? Everyone talks LOW PRESSURE lately and that's another thing I'm not sure of. I always ride at max pressure. A deal breaker for me. 8)

65psi?

Unless you're running 35mm tires, or you weigh 450lbs, that's not reasonable for off road riding. You'll have little to no control of the bike. Try 35psi.

I always ride max pressure on gravel roads and cover 50-60 miles per day some days and 100 miles most weeks. To be polite as possible: I know what I need. Does anyone even know if you can run max pressure on tubeless? That's what I need to know. Thanks

The max pressure is set by the limits on what your rim will allow. There are a lot of rims that can be converted to a tubeless set up as well.

I agree with Duke, even if you stick to tubes.

You should not run a tubeless MTB tire any higher than 45-50 psi at the very most. Beside the risk of it blowing off the rim, it simply doesn't help.

Sealant is far more effective if you have less air pressure in the tire, because it's less force pushing out the sealant while it is attempting to congeal and close the puncture. Schwalbe and many others have done some instrumented testing that show that wider, lower pressure tires have lower rolling resistance on non-smooth surfaces. The bumpier the surface, the faster a wide, low pressure tire is in comparison to a narrow, high pressure tire.

If you try to run 65psi on tubeless tires, you'll blow a tire off the rim.

The recommended tire pressures printed on the outside of tires are for use with tubes. It's usually about half of that for tubeless in most cases.

Probably? It depends on the tire & rim combination. I run road tubeless tires at up to 80-100psi routinely, so its definitely possible. If you're planning to run that high pressure you will want tubeless specific tires & rims.

What size tires are you running? 65psi might be about right for a 700x38mm tire, but you should definitely be riding at lower pressure if you're riding on 2"+ 29er tires.

Now really, can you guys read? How can you not know that you can run a 29X2" tube tire at 65 psi? How many thousands of miles do I have to tell you I've ridden before you believe that you can? Really, I'm trying to be nice here but, uh, are there some extra chromosomes here I need to know about before we go any further? Seriously, my IQ is dropping every time I read your last post. Please, dead horse.

You CAN run it there. The question is why the heck would you want to? The only reason you'd want to run pressure that high is if you're north of 400lbs counting gear. Lowering the pressure would give you a better ride AND lower rolling resistance. Stan's recommends psi~(weight/7) for 29er rims, so 65psi is the recommended pressure for a 450lbs rider.

The lower pressure thing goes double for tubeless. I ran clinchers at 115psi, but after switching to tubeless I run at ~85psi, and it feels like lower rolling resistance. Before you go attacking people have you tried riding at 40-45 psi?

I don't see a problem so long as you stay within what your tire is rated for. I'll add the caveat that I've no experience with tubeless, but a tire rated to hold 65psi should hold up under that pressure with or without a tube.

my avatar pic here on BF for reasons of discussions just like this!

The reason we are suggesting lower pressure for 2" or larger tires is that it is faster on anything other than paved roads. Multiple tire manufacturers have tested this and confirmed it.

Not to mention, it sounds terribly uncomfortable.

So, as we have alluded, YES, YOU CAN RUN YOUR 29x2.0" TIRES AT 65PSI WITH TUBES. Tubeless, probably not; they will almost certainly blow off the rim. I've seen them blow off well below the stated max, which, again is for use WITH TUBES.

Perhaps, just maybe, we are all significantly more experienced than you (based on your bike, I'm guessing that's the case) and are trying to help. If you want to be the idiot bouncing all over the place and riding slowly because you refused to listen to the advice of those that have a lot more time on the bike than you, that's fine. I'll laugh as I go sailing by you at 25psi. Enjoy rattling the fillings out of your teeth.

No, the tube helps hold the tire on the rim. Without a tube the tire is more likely to blow off the rim. I think Stans rims have a max pressure of 55psi for mountainbike tires. Their CX rims have a max pressure of only 45psi.

Plus running high pressures sort of defeats the purpose of going tubeless, but to each their own.

If you look most tubeless MTB tires are rated for a max pressure of ~55 psi, so I think you're going to be unlikely to find a wide tubeless tire with the ability to run at 65psi. For that pressure, you would likely need something closer to a carbon bead road tubeless tire.

You're right. I stand corrected.

+1 on either lowering your pressure with tubeless or stick to tubes.

with rim tape, valves and sealant you can use almost ant tire rim combo. In fact it is quite likely with a compressor your current tires and rims you could try it for a low cost.

the more the tire stays connected to the ground the more speed you will have. This is achieved off road by lower pressures. this advice is pretty consistent and possibly you should rethink your position and at least try it. Guy in our group used to do the same thing. He changed his mind and is running lower pressures now after trying it. If you are on a paved road this advice would change and suggest slicks at higher pressure.