Bosock

Hey All

Got a 29er and the shop informed me it is setup to go tubeless if i want. They will charge me $25 bucks to setup both tires. I have heard from some there is great advantages with going tubeless; however, others say it can be a pain...specially with flats. I have been riding for a bit but never ventured or looked into tubeless tires before. Can anyone share their thoughts on the pros and cons of going tubeless or share some experience. I am searching the forum as well. Thanks

gbg

I have a couple tubeless wheelsets (Mavic 823 and DT Swiss 4.1 rims) and they are OK. However I mainly ride fast dirt roads or even pavement so
I don't take advantage of their strengths. I tend to run high psi 45-55 (so hi that I blew a tire off the rim after I filled it up in a 70
degree room and rode on a 95 degree day). They are meant to be run at low psi so you have better grip on wet roots/rocks and don't pinch flat.
And without a tube the tire rubber can conform better to the terrain.

If that isn't your main riding (and you like higher psi) I say go with tubes, especially if you don't have a true tubeless rim and want to convert using a rimstrip and liquid flat stop.
That's a mjor pain. The main reason I kept riding the "true tubeless" was they sealed well enough without sealant, they would need a top up every other ride or so.
Once the valve stem on one went, I went back to tubes since a replacement stem was $20+. And if you do get a flat, a mini pump wont reset the bead,
and if you have a C02 you have 1 shot at success, so tubes are way easier/safer to fix.

Billy Bones

As a 50+ Refugee, I just the last two years made the jump to tubeless on my mountain rig. I'll share that the new setup is functionally flawless. They perform...light as a fart...LOVE 'EM.

That said...and as a long-time cyclist...I'm "reliability-oriented". I'm fastidious to top up the "goo" every three months...and to clean-replace the "goo" annually.

After all, it's the "goo" kept in a fluid state that forms the critical piece that makes "tubeless" an advantage in the Real World. If the "goo" dries, you're just another Fred taking a d@mn long walk if you flat.]

On long unsupported outings, I carry all the stuff to seat a tube if need-be. As GBG noted, seating a "tubeless" bead on the trail is a problem.

Mr Pink57

Tubeless systems are hands down the best invention brought to MTB'ing.

roastbeef

go on...

Mr Pink57

https://www.helium.com/items/1059511-...tubeless-tires

pablosnazzy

i ride tubeless, i like it a lot, only one flat in a year and a half and that was my fault for letting the stan's run dry. i think tubeless is totally the way to go.

i also ride tubes, and i like them a lot. i probably had about one flat in a year. i also think regular tube set up is totally the way to go.

hope this helps.

crazyotte

I trust pablo's word the most, I'm goin with him.