It’s amazing reading how many people have had issues with tubes. I’ve never ran a tubeless setup once in my life, and rarely do I ever get a pinch or puncture with tubes. I can count on my hands how many times I have had to replace a tube while riding, granted we don’t have gigantic thorns like it seems a lot of others have on their trails. You also cannot beat the simplicity, and who cares about the weight savings? I’m not a world class racer, so shaving that little bit off doesn’t matter. To me, tubeless is just another thing to spend money on in a sport that is already insanely expensive.
Depends on the trail, carcass and riding style. I live in the Alps and after a hard run i can count the sealant points on the MAXXIS exo carcass. Never had a sealant leak on my Schwalbe supergravity.
@@notparanoid912 Maxxis in my personal opinion make some of the worst tires on the market. I replace more Maxxis tires then anything else by a long run for punctures. If I replace the same riders tires with Specialized or Vittoria, they will be perfectly fine for comparable ride times on the Maxxis.
I think people often had problems with punctures when they using some expensive, extra-light tires. I'm using relatively cheap heavy tires with adequate puncture protection, so there is no reason to have sealant inside. And since they are heavy, tubes don't make much difference. I think tubeless should be used on races, where weight and speed really matters. Using them for leisure riding just adds more problems
Glenn here on my wifes account after purchasing a new bike after 15 years since my last one all the modern changes were insane when asked if I wanted mt 2022 GT force carbon pro set up tubeless I said no im so old school and need to get use to all the changes first then thought about it and come up with most of the issues raised here in this video I'll never change to tubeless and after hearing it from the experts only proves my thought's to stay tubed is the way to go
When i first started mountain biking, I used to have constant tube flats, so much so i nearly gave up the sport. Needing to replace one of my tires for a separate issue, I decided to upgrade both and get set up tubeless. I have never once looked back, especially as I have yet to go flat. Tubeless setup saved my love of this sport, I could never consider tubes again.
Yep, before I went tubeless I had a statistic of a puncture in about 40% of my rides. Now I’ve put down more distance in total than with the previous setup, and got only one puncture.
same here with lots of flats before, but i just ride for recreation. Now i m not going to trail without tubes with sealant inside. Not yet tried tubeless setup.
I have the same statistic if not worse. That's why I went tubeless even though it was an ungodly pain the in arse to set up. Reading these comments has really surprised me and has me suspecting that it's not just "proper tubes and tyres", it's about a careful matching of rim and tyre to avoid pinching. I have pinched every tube out there. And to be clear, pinching is the problem for the vast majority of people, I'm quite sure of it.
Tubes with sealant in them is the bomb. Zero issues in thorny Pine Barens. All the pros and none of the cons. Green Slime makes both Schrader and Presta valve tubes with sealant in them in Fat, 27.5 and 29.
Which of it do you use? Brand and size? I skimmed through real users reviews and many of them complained about clogged valves, drying sealant, loosing air and still having punctures. So I decided to stick on good old butyl tubes for my bike travels
does not help here, we have goatheads and my entire tire can be full of them after one ride. been through 8 tubes with sealant in less than 4 months, no way to patch hundreds of tiny holes and goop only works most of the time.
I run tubes still and a Tannus in the rear. I'm not too fussed about weight, I just want to have reliable fun. Granted you can run inserts with tubeless and mitigate some of the problems Rich mentions.
if you want reliable fun... switch to tubeless.. I haven't had a flat that I have had to repair on the trail in a decade... Having to do the chore once in a blue moon vs thorns taking your tubes out once a month is a no brainer.....
Problems so severe on road I almost went airless on the back (road) I now believe a loose tire bead fit contributed to pinch flats. Different tire/rim combinations result in a wide variety of bead tightness. No tire iron neeed with one. It almost fell on, and was tricky to center.
My favorite reason for still running tubes is the cost and sustainability(reusable) I haven’t bought a new tube for my bikes in years. I have one spare and will switch it out if I get a flat on trail. Then a patch the tube with the puncture when I get home and put that one in my pack to switch back on if I get another flat in the future. One of my tubes has three patches on it 😆 but it still works great and cost only a few cents to repair. That was a perk I realized later. The original reason I never converted was the mess and fact that you still need to carry a tube for long rides incase of a picture that the sealant won’t plug.
I had up to 12 patches 😅 Sometimes patches over the patches My tyres work for 5-7 years. I think tubeless tyres would collect lot of dried slime inside and become useless after 3-4 years
Missed one of the biggest: tire changes. Changing tires when running tubeless is a messy pain in the rear. With tubes it's quick and easy. Some of us run one bike for multiple purposes and change tires relatively often. This is not really viable if tubeless. I tried going tubeless for a couple of years and ended up hating it. More mess, more cost, more hassle, and i still got as many punctures. I'm back to using tubes and happier for it.
I think it’s crazy that you change tires that often. The solution to that would be to have a whole Nother wheel and tire set up just swap the entire thing out instead of just the rubber. And you’re literally the only person I’ve ever seen that said they had multiple punctures running tubeless.
@@jbw5485 for the cost of a wheel set I could almost buy an entry level hardtail or I could (did) buy a set of gravel tires to swap out when I want to grind pavement. $75 with tubes.
@@jbw5485 Wheels are not cheap. Some of us ride on a budget. And I ride everything from trails to gravel to roads to city pavement. The only thing that is effective for avoiding flats is quality tires with built in puncture protection. I actually got more flats running tubeless because of running lower tire pressure. And not pinch flats - penetrations and cuts are more likely with lower pressure. Basically, the "benefits" of tubeless never balanced the cost and hassle.
went tubeless in 2016, IVE NEVER had a flat, and life has been bliss. to each his own, but to say dont go tubeless as the title states, is reckless and irresponsible 🤣
I always run innertubes! I even have the tubeless set up ready to use, but I just cant pull myself to use it....also haven't had a puncture in years :) I tend to run slightly higher pressure for doing jumps and softer suspension to absorb the bumps
I will never do 2 things. #1 run tubeless. The tires do not fit the rim properly and are a nightmare to remove to patch a tube. The tires almost require a pair of tin snips to remove them #2 no front derailleur Planning ahead may be required but at least the ratios work and all I have to do is to plan a front shift in the best spot possible on the trail when its needed
I had so much flat tires before i get tubeless… so i can‘t complain anything about tubeless. I also switched tires two times with my tubeless system… no problems at all 😅🤷🏻♂️ I‘m more than happy to switched to tubeless.
The mess is the main reason I haven’t gone tubeless with our bikes. Also I’ve gotten mixed stories on how often I would have to take the tires off to replace dried sealant. The performance improvement of tubeless wouldn’t be as much for us as most people because of how I set our tire pressures. If we’re riding off pavement I set the tire drops to 18% if on pavement I set to 15%. I don’t do it to calculated PSI, based on estimated weights, guesstimated weight distribution, and the imprecision of a pressure gage. I’ve made actual template style gages for each drop setting and the pressure is whatever the pressure is to get that drop for each tire for whatever the actual total weight of person, clothes, bike, and gear is. Point is that we are safely at ideal pressures which turn out to be lower than what most people think they can run their tubed tires. So the “lower pressure” advantage of tubeless is a smaller step for us. Never have had pinch flats. The long life and uniform wear across the width of our treads is another indication that we’re using the entire tire for our rolling footprint. Our single track riding is all green and blue level trails. We don’t do black level and we don’t do downhills that we can’t pedal up to. So I can’t promote my tire methods for the most extreme types of riding.
Great video. I tried tubeless during the summer. The liquid lasted 3 months then started leaking air like crazy around the valve. I decided to go back to tubes. I am a weekend rider and it just wasn't practical. Taking the tire off was tough because of the sealent along the foldable tire. Finally muscled it and then spent time peeling off the rubberized sealant. Now it is back to the tube glory.
Had muc off in my trance worked mint and water soluble easy to clean and replace but have tubes in my hardtail they are just fine as well.Think having good tyres in the first place helps alot
I’m a professional bike tech and avid rider, primarily road but also do quite a bit of single track. Tubeless is great until it’s not. Tubes are easy to mess with, predictable, and cheap. I would rather deal with glued on tubulars than road tubeless. One great thing that’s come from the tubeless system is the sealant. It works wonderfully on tubular tires and there is no longer a need to carry a full spare tubular.
Best piece of advice that I have seen on MTB sites bar none. Tubeless is simple and inexpensive, easy to repair and no mess. Long may tubeless rule!!!!
Okay, so commuter \ touring cyclist here... I have pretty big body weight (around 90 kilos) and having constant problem with punctures. I have pre-installed tubless ready rimms and tyres on my newer bike and tyre is such a paint to install! It is so stiff and hard to put it on the rimm when I change my inner tube that I just want this suffering to end and go tubless all the way.
The tube in the rear of my 24 year old XC racer (Jamis Dakota) is…24 years old. I’m kinda surprised the tire and tube aren’t rotted out but they aren’t. Leaks a bit of air over the winter months but that’s it.
For CX it also depends on your surroundings. Here in 🇳🇱 tubes work fine, but once on holiday in 🇫🇷 i got punctures from thorns every other day. Can see the added value of tubeless in that case.
Don't be fooled. The sealant would have just made a mess. At least you can repair a tube. Once you puncture a tubeless tire it's not repairable and you have to use a tube anyway.
@@raff5604 You can repair it in a similar fashion as a car tire is repaired. And are you speaking from experience that the sealant doesn't work or is that just your expectation?
@@pycanthusderossi4665 Unfortunately I am speaking from experience. I have had three pin like punctures that just would not seal on the road bike. Then on the mountain bike I had a blow out and all the sealant did was make a mess. I still run tubeless on the MTN but tubes for the road.
Having retired more time to ride tubes are always in mind for a trail repair an cash is king on maintaining a good day of enjoyment out on a trail or any wear on a ride most flats happen close to home. Thanks 😊
All my Latest bikes since 2014 were tubeless ready but came with tubes in the wheels. Both me and my wife's bikes. so 4 bikes, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022. all still have the same tubes they started wqith and still stay inflated. Onething that wasn't mention is the incredible invention of the Patch Kit. No need to buy a whole tube. In the old days I would patch till they fell apart. Tubes are lighter and stronger now. Tube on till the break of dawn. (that was just silly :))
Got a new bike a couple of years ago and it came fully tubeless ready with rims taped and valves in the box so only needed to get some sealant which at £15 for a litre is hardly bank breaking. The tyres dry inflated no problems so then sealant could just go in through the valves, zero mess. I still take a tube and pump out with me, no difference to tubes there, though I've never needed the tube. Not sure I'd go to the fuss of converting an existing bike though.
I have never heard a person running tubeless say “you know what I’m gonna run tubes again”. As for set up I just bead the tyre then use a syringe no fuss no mess. It was interesting to hear you have to carry a pump. To be safe you should carry one and if you need to replace a tube you will need one regardless. Tubeless for me the whole way
I went back to tubes. I didn't like how soft the sidewalls were with tubeless, tons of tire roll for my style of riding. There was no balance between pressure and roll. With tubes I could still run a lower pressure with the added sidewall stiffness which let me corner a lot faster. There's no one answer for everyone.
I run tubes still, I live in West Texas and we have goat heads (grass burrs) I use slime in my tubes as I have seen more problems with tubeless than tubes. Sealant goes off really quick if the bike stands for a few weeks.
I used to ride tubeless, but tried a tannus armour and a welterweight Maxxis tube + a good dose of talcom powder to prevent flats Been running that tube for over a year now! I used to get pinch flats constantly so switched to tubeless for years or so, but since using the tannus, a thicker tube and lots of powder it's not punctured since. I had to carry a spare tube strapped to my frame with tubeless anyways incase of tears. So now it's just a spare. Got a new emtb recently and will keep tubes on front now also, never punctured a front so why bother with tubeless (even without tannus armour) I haven't pumped rear tire in like months. My tubeless front on my downhill bike needs a pump every few weeks. Another win for tubes! Tannus on rear also feels nice too, makes the rear feel a little bit more planted. Much better feeling than a cushcore because it hugs the tire wall
I'm not sure what Tannus armour is, but does that not add weight to your wheel? I like to keep everything as light as reasonably possible--especially when it cones to rotational weight. Maxxis has lighter tubes than the welterweight. I'm not sure, but I think they are called Flylight--sub 100 grams.
Switched to tubeless both on my mtb and road bikes years ago and would absolutely not go back. Haven’t had issues with it and the only flat I’ve ever got on tubeless was quickly fixed by the sealant (it was on the road bike, which can be a little more challenging with the higher pressures). And if you carry a spare tube for the event that the sealant won’t work, you’re in a similar situation as running tubes - you unseat the tire, take out the valve and put a tube in. Not much different from replacing a tube!
Sure tubeless in general is more bomb proof, but what I hate are the clogged valve cores, the sticky walls inside the tire when they bond to each other when u do get a flat or want to change tire , the hard tire beads that break tire levers, the layers of dry latex inside the tire that turno into balls of latex ñ. I prefer Tubeless rear wheel, tubed front wheel. Full Tubeless only for racing. I miss the old UST Tubeless tires that worked well without sealant.
One more problem when running tubeless... If you get a flat with tubeless and have to put a tube in to get home, you have to find all the thorns in your tire the sealants stopped leaks at or they will puncture your new tube.
I recently damadged my rear tyre, I was running tubeless. If I had been better prepared I could have fixed it. In the end having a tube in the pack pack sure is a good get out if you run tubeless 😉
yeahhhhh i went from pinch flats every ride to not seeing a single puncture for several years now since going tubeless.. still carry a tube in my pack for long rides just in case but i promise the extra maintenance and up-front cost is very much worth it
I have to say The upfront cost of going tubless maybe somewhat expensive however once you have it it remains cheaper than buying tube after tube after tube. Also, adding sealant is not a mess at all if your using the valve stem. Were they have removable valve cores which all of the tubeless valve stems have, there is no reason to ever have to break the seal of the tire. I just feel like there is so much more benefit in the tubeless setup then the tubes. Just one rider's opinion though.
I've always run tubes and never understood why you want to stick a load of gunk in your tyres. It seems one of the more ridiculous ideas in cycling. Learning how to change an inner tube is one of the rites of passage in cycling.
Said the Guy never tried tubeless. Yes ITS gunk is U never Change the Fluid Then ye. I can Ride lower pressure With No Flats ever. U Go to Low With Tube U get a pinchflat.
That's like saying any of these: "I've always run cable brakes, I don't understand why anyone would want a bunch of gunk in their brake lines" "Disc brakes? Rim brakes have worked for a century, why would I want disc brakes?" "A one by drive train? Who would want to downgrade from a two by?"
For off-road tube is better... So, for not changing the tires everytime, I prefer the Slime tube ready with sealant, and is working perfect in all terrain
I live and ride in the desert southwest - tubeless is the only way to go. I switched to tubeless after frequent punctures from cactus thorns. As far as maintenance, I remove the valve core and inject the sealant with a sealant syringe; easy and clean process.
Pro tip. Use tubes. If you get a puncture use some emergency tire sealant. In germany most of the people can fill air in their tire at any gas station because we have the same valves as cars do.
Tubes here - but my MTB is older and not tubeless ready. And since the wheels ain't broke, and I can run my 26er tires sufficiently low on air with out pinch flats, don't see the reason of replacing the wheels (leave that for when I finally decide to no longer party like it's 2004).
In SoCal we have these goat head thorns all over. Tubes stand no chance against them but with tubeless I just remove the thorns and make sure I add fresh sealant every couple months and I’m good to go
I run tubeless the down side is that if u get a puncture in ur tire that the sealant can’t seal u gotta change the whole tire even worst when the tire is new even worst if u dent ur rim u gotta change ur rim bc u will always leak the sealant
When I first ran tubeless I did get a flat that required me to use a tube to get home. I do not recall it being all that messy--I certainly did not get sealant all over everything.
I got back from vacation in Tuscany yesterday where I did a few laps on my trike. In the left frontwheel stuck 13 thorns, in the right 4. I have not count the thorns on the backwheel. I think, Tubeless saved the fun for me.
Last time at windhill, hitting jumps, my riding buddy got a pinch-flat / snakebite in both wheels (separately). No issues with my tubeless set up. Tubeless is a no brainer for anything than gravel paths (with.no thorns).
I'll stick with tubes for simplicity and I hardly if ever get punctures, last one was probably around 4 years ago, I do have slime filled tubes though, so maybe that helps!
I hate tubeless! Finally found my perfect, better than tubeless anti-flat system. Tannus Armour Tire Inserts! I run them with, yes I really do, undersized Slim Extra Strong self sealing tubes. Aaaand, I run my regular 28psi front & rear, because the Tannus make for softer tread pressure with 2x improved Traction. : ))
I put baby powder between tubes and tyres. Doesnt help with punctures, but feels much better when driving with low pressure, as the tube can move freely.
I never had any puncture on my 2017 Scott Gambler 720 during 2018-2021 ownership... run stock TUBES which> the bike came with. 2.35 width schwalbe magic marry tires. Rode downhill only sharp rocks, sharp tree leftovers lots and lots of jumps and abuse.. It's just people either don't inflate them that much, in regards to having better traction or just not careful enough tubes.. Having said that currently own Scott Ransom 910 and converted them to tubeless and it's first time will be riding tubeless in my life. Already can say indeed pretty expensive, and so much headache putting sealant, however weight saving is well worth.
I decided to try tubeless to see what all the fuzz was about. It felt pretty good, to be honest… for three months. Then my rear tire got sliced. Had to put a tube in. Couple of weeks later my front tire burp and throw me OTB. The tire never sealed properly again. So, I’m down $ 100 bucks and went back to tubes anyways. But at least I know now that tubeless sucks.
Make sure to bring PLYERS of some type with you on the trail. You will need them to loosen the valve stem on the tubeless setup. One more thing to carry with your spare tube. Otherwise you may find yourself walking when you can't get the tubeless valve stem out.
I got back into MTB during COVID and within the first week or two got a few punctures. And I live in the flatlands of Suffolk. Went tubeless and not had a puncture since.
You just have to check your tires pressure ! And tubless system is an automatic repair ! I loose more time to change tubes and pump it by hands or repair it because also it depends on the quality of your tubes , for me it's definitely more pro ! Use new tires and pump it at the right pressure with tubless system it will make you more confortable 😉
Back in 2015 when i started riding mtn bikes again, i would flat probably on 1/3 of my rides. On a fat bike, thats gets expensive. Since switching to tubless, i haven't had a flat. 9 years without a flat. Thats riding bike park and local trails 1-2 times a week. Also, running lower pressures without worrying about pinch flats is another great benefit. I'll never go back to tubes on a mtb or gravel bike.
I run tubeless on all my bikes, my wifes bike, and my childrens. MTB, Road and Cyclocross. In three years not a single puncture. And the mess... There really is no mess once you know how to do it. Drill out the valve core and the inject the sealant with a syringe. Don´t use too much sealant (30ml for Road, 60 for MTB and the sealant will nicely cover the inside of your tire. Then there ist no mess, once you put on a new one. Tubeless has made life so much easier for me.
Where I live there are massive amounts of goat heads, which are hard, sharp, large, and quite nasty thorns. I normally have to pull dozens of these monsters out of my tires during any ride, even on the road. I ran tubeless for a while, and was constantly having to add air, and eventually found the sealant dried up, and was left with a very flat tire, and an unpleasant mess. I went back to tubes with Slime sealant and almost never have any issues. I will admit that tubeless feels great, but I don't think that it is particularly useful for the environment that I ride.
Converted to tubeless almost 10 years ago and haven’t run into any problems since then. Would never see any reason to go back to running tubes other than as a temporary fix if a tyre got ripped. The amount of times on group rides where we were waiting around for ages whilst riders repaired punctures or replaced a tube (not great when the weather was wet and cold). Running tubeless is a no brainer to me.
switching setups keeps profits high. thanks to so many people who will buy pretty much anything they see on a commercial. go ahead and seal your rims with a bottle of glue when thats all a tube is, except its already been made at a factory
Tubes are not "old faithful", they're "last resort". Most of the downsides of running tubeless are a bit over the top - modern bikes are tubeless ready, setting up tubeless is messy and cumbersome for the first time, every next maintenance is quick and painless, burps and dings happen only if you run very low pressures (which would mean immediate puncture with a tube). If the sealant doesn't do its work, a tube definitely wouldn't survive it.
I have to address some of the points in this video, first, you don't need to take the tyre off to put sealant in, and you don't need any special tools either, all you need is a cheap plastic syringe, remove the valve core and then squirt the sealant in, plus if you do get a puncture that's too big for the sealant to fix then you can just plug it using a tyre plug, its much quicker than replacing a tube. Second, you don't need a special valve to go tubeless either, you can just cut the valve out of an old tube, ideally you want one with a removable valve core though, and yes it is more expensive initially, but it could actually be cheaper in the long run if you keep getting pinch flats with tubes, plus pretty much everything is tubeless ready these days. I've been tubeless for years now and I don't even carry a tube, all I carry is a tyre plug kit, I can't think of any reason to stay with tubes unless your rim is so badly damaged that it wont seal.
I have rode for two years every weekend on my tubes and just found my first slow leak on a tube..no mess..no fuss...just switched it out in a few minutes and back riding again...
It’s amazing reading how many people have had issues with tubes. I’ve never ran a tubeless setup once in my life, and rarely do I ever get a pinch or puncture with tubes. I can count on my hands how many times I have had to replace a tube while riding, granted we don’t have gigantic thorns like it seems a lot of others have on their trails. You also cannot beat the simplicity, and who cares about the weight savings? I’m not a world class racer, so shaving that little bit off doesn’t matter. To me, tubeless is just another thing to spend money on in a sport that is already insanely expensive.
Depends on the trail, carcass and riding style. I live in the Alps and after a hard run i can count the sealant points on the MAXXIS exo carcass. Never had a sealant leak on my Schwalbe supergravity.
@@notparanoid912 Maxxis in my personal opinion make some of the worst tires on the market. I replace more Maxxis tires then anything else by a long run for punctures. If I replace the same riders tires with Specialized or Vittoria, they will be perfectly fine for comparable ride times on the Maxxis.
I think people often had problems with punctures when they using some expensive, extra-light tires. I'm using relatively cheap heavy tires with adequate puncture protection, so there is no reason to have sealant inside. And since they are heavy, tubes don't make much difference. I think tubeless should be used on races, where weight and speed really matters. Using them for leisure riding just adds more problems
Same bro. Some people just cant ride their mtb.
@@notparanoid912 continental baron or continental der Kaiser. Those are by far the best tyres. Pls just dont ruin them with tubeless
still using tubes,and never thought to change something about it,im pretty happy with running tubes🤗
Tubes are easy. ...👍
Yes, easy to live with.
Easy to repair.
Especially if u ride ur bike twice a week.
It's definitely easier than messing around with tubeless sealant!😅
@@gmbn 👍
I agree, tubes worked always well for me too 👍
Just mountainbiking got too boring for me, so added the tubeless hobby to it.
I ride mountain unicycle.... Trust me. You wont be getting bored.
Glenn here on my wifes account after purchasing a new bike after 15 years since my last one all the modern changes were insane when asked if I wanted mt 2022 GT force carbon pro set up tubeless I said no im so old school and need to get use to all the changes first then thought about it and come up with most of the issues raised here in this video I'll never change to tubeless and after hearing it from the experts only proves my thought's to stay tubed is the way to go
When i first started mountain biking, I used to have constant tube flats, so much so i nearly gave up the sport. Needing to replace one of my tires for a separate issue, I decided to upgrade both and get set up tubeless. I have never once looked back, especially as I have yet to go flat. Tubeless setup saved my love of this sport, I could never consider tubes again.
Yep, before I went tubeless I had a statistic of a puncture in about 40% of my rides. Now I’ve put down more distance in total than with the previous setup, and got only one puncture.
Good stuff! At the end of the day, tubeless can save a lot of hassle out on the trails; however, it takes a bit more time to set up! 👍
same here with lots of flats before, but i just ride for recreation. Now i m not going to trail without tubes with sealant inside. Not yet tried tubeless setup.
Hmmm I've never got a flat running tubes, seems a bit odd to me
I have the same statistic if not worse. That's why I went tubeless even though it was an ungodly pain the in arse to set up. Reading these comments has really surprised me and has me suspecting that it's not just "proper tubes and tyres", it's about a careful matching of rim and tyre to avoid pinching. I have pinched every tube out there. And to be clear, pinching is the problem for the vast majority of people, I'm quite sure of it.
Tubes with sealant in them is the bomb. Zero issues in thorny Pine Barens. All the pros and none of the cons. Green Slime makes both Schrader and Presta valve tubes with sealant in them in Fat, 27.5 and 29.
Yeah I swear by them, I run slime tubes on my xc bike and tubeless on my trail bike. Both work really well, slime tube definitely more user friendly
Which of it do you use? Brand and size?
I skimmed through real users reviews and many of them complained about clogged valves, drying sealant, loosing air and still having punctures. So I decided to stick on good old butyl tubes for my bike travels
does not help here, we have goatheads and my entire tire can be full of them after one ride. been through 8 tubes with sealant in less than 4 months, no way to patch hundreds of tiny holes and goop only works most of the time.
I run tubes still and a Tannus in the rear. I'm not too fussed about weight, I just want to have reliable fun. Granted you can run inserts with tubeless and mitigate some of the problems Rich mentions.
Also use the tannus armour, best of both worlds and can run a lighter tyre
if you want reliable fun... switch to tubeless.. I haven't had a flat that I have had to repair on the trail in a decade... Having to do the chore once in a blue moon vs thorns taking your tubes out once a month is a no brainer.....
Problems so severe on road I almost went airless on the back (road) I now believe a loose tire bead fit contributed to pinch flats. Different tire/rim combinations result in a wide variety of bead tightness. No tire iron neeed with one. It almost fell on, and was tricky to center.
@@rascaldere9327 makes sense, although thorns aren't a problem where I live luckily.
@@davidburgess741 is that with a tannus?
A great halfway solution is to run an inner tube with sealant in it! Puncture resistance with no mess. A bit heavier, but works well.
Dude said give him all the excess weight. 😂🤣😂
Seems to me you don’t get the advantage of faster speeds, but still get all the mess. Also do you use special valves to get the sealant in the tube?
@@toadlguy he’s joking, calm down. Regular Presta valves.
I did this on my kids bikes when they had some thorn punctures.
Thats something pure idiots and no skilled drivers would do.....
converted to tubeless. loving the feel, but loving the simplicity of a tube. its also what i like about a hardtail. its simple🙂
Glad you like it! It saves a lot of time changing tubes out on the trail! 👍
Next week:
TUBES SUCK!, why you must go tubeless
Gotta make that content. 🤣😂
These guys are so bipolar
They’ve def ran out of content
@@hrjr5165 have run vs have ran
My favorite reason for still running tubes is the cost and sustainability(reusable) I haven’t bought a new tube for my bikes in years. I have one spare and will switch it out if I get a flat on trail. Then a patch the tube with the puncture when I get home and put that one in my pack to switch back on if I get another flat in the future. One of my tubes has three patches on it 😆 but it still works great and cost only a few cents to repair.
That was a perk I realized later. The original reason I never converted was the mess and fact that you still need to carry a tube for long rides incase of a picture that the sealant won’t plug.
I had up to 12 patches 😅 Sometimes patches over the patches
My tyres work for 5-7 years. I think tubeless tyres would collect lot of dried slime inside and become useless after 3-4 years
Missed one of the biggest: tire changes. Changing tires when running tubeless is a messy pain in the rear. With tubes it's quick and easy. Some of us run one bike for multiple purposes and change tires relatively often. This is not really viable if tubeless.
I tried going tubeless for a couple of years and ended up hating it. More mess, more cost, more hassle, and i still got as many punctures. I'm back to using tubes and happier for it.
I second this comment.
I think it’s crazy that you change tires that often. The solution to that would be to have a whole Nother wheel and tire set up just swap the entire thing out instead of just the rubber. And you’re literally the only person I’ve ever seen that said they had multiple punctures running tubeless.
Exactly, if im doing a long journey which will involve 50% road, i'll switch different tyres. job done in 10 minutes.
@@jbw5485 for the cost of a wheel set I could almost buy an entry level hardtail or I could (did) buy a set of gravel tires to swap out when I want to grind pavement. $75 with tubes.
@@jbw5485 Wheels are not cheap. Some of us ride on a budget. And I ride everything from trails to gravel to roads to city pavement. The only thing that is effective for avoiding flats is quality tires with built in puncture protection. I actually got more flats running tubeless because of running lower tire pressure. And not pinch flats - penetrations and cuts are more likely with lower pressure. Basically, the "benefits" of tubeless never balanced the cost and hassle.
went tubeless in 2016, IVE NEVER had a flat, and life has been bliss. to each his own, but to say dont go tubeless as the title states, is reckless and irresponsible 🤣
reckless? care to elaborate with that?
Yeah I agree, tubeless since 2018 and never had a single issue
Cushcore + tubeless = no problems
Tubeless since 2019, no flats yet
2016-2019 I had almost a dozen flats due to thorns.
Love it. Went tubed or 'rigid' as some tire manuf's call it and never looked back. Besides, ever see a bike with sealant bosses? Nuff said.
Staying with tubes personally. If you gotta carry a pump and spare tube anyway then I don’t see the point in the extra complication
@@Gari.Hughes exactly! The same thing I've been saying 😂
After running the tread down on a set of tires without a puncture... I stopped carrying all that junk.
I was thinking in changing to tubeless, but after this video I won't. I like simplicity. Thanks man.
I was tubeless and I kept burping when I land a little sideways on small jumps. I got sick of it and went to tubes and everything is great now.
I always run innertubes! I even have the tubeless set up ready to use, but I just cant pull myself to use it....also haven't had a puncture in years :) I tend to run slightly higher pressure for doing jumps and softer suspension to absorb the bumps
I will never do 2 things. #1 run tubeless. The tires do not fit the rim properly and are a nightmare to remove to patch a tube. The tires almost require a pair of tin snips to remove them
#2 no front derailleur
Planning ahead may be required but at least the ratios work and all I have to do is to plan a front shift in the best spot possible on the trail when its needed
I had so much flat tires before i get tubeless… so i can‘t complain anything about tubeless.
I also switched tires two times with my tubeless system… no problems at all 😅🤷🏻♂️
I‘m more than happy to switched to tubeless.
The mess is the main reason I haven’t gone tubeless with our bikes. Also I’ve gotten mixed stories on how often I would have to take the tires off to replace dried sealant. The performance improvement of tubeless wouldn’t be as much for us as most people because of how I set our tire pressures. If we’re riding off pavement I set the tire drops to 18% if on pavement I set to 15%. I don’t do it to calculated PSI, based on estimated weights, guesstimated weight distribution, and the imprecision of a pressure gage. I’ve made actual template style gages for each drop setting and the pressure is whatever the pressure is to get that drop for each tire for whatever the actual total weight of person, clothes, bike, and gear is. Point is that we are safely at ideal pressures which turn out to be lower than what most people think they can run their tubed tires. So the “lower pressure” advantage of tubeless is a smaller step for us. Never have had pinch flats. The long life and uniform wear across the width of our treads is another indication that we’re using the entire tire for our rolling footprint. Our single track riding is all green and blue level trails. We don’t do black level and we don’t do downhills that we can’t pedal up to. So I can’t promote my tire methods for the most extreme types of riding.
Great video. I tried tubeless during the summer. The liquid lasted 3 months then started leaking air like crazy around the valve. I decided to go back to tubes. I am a weekend rider and it just wasn't practical. Taking the tire off was tough because of the sealent along the foldable tire. Finally muscled it and then spent time peeling off the rubberized sealant. Now it is back to the tube glory.
Tubes with pipe insulation and Stans, job done.
The man made space ships to the moon and still cant figure out how to keep air inside a tire
Had muc off in my trance worked mint and water soluble easy to clean and replace but have tubes in my hardtail they are just fine as well.Think having good tyres in the first place helps alot
Been on tubeless for years. Swear by them.
Tubes with Tannus Tyre Armour gives me the best of both worlds. Puncture resistance without the mess and burping.
I LOVE this smile you have when hanging the tube
You're so right! Tubeless just doesn't cut it for me, for all the reasons you pointed out.
I’m a professional bike tech and avid rider, primarily road but also do quite a bit of single track. Tubeless is great until it’s not. Tubes are easy to mess with, predictable, and cheap. I would rather deal with glued on tubulars than road tubeless. One great thing that’s come from the tubeless system is the sealant. It works wonderfully on tubular tires and there is no longer a need to carry a full spare tubular.
Best piece of advice that I have seen on MTB sites bar none. Tubeless is simple and inexpensive, easy to repair and no mess. Long may tubeless rule!!!!
Okay, so commuter \ touring cyclist here... I have pretty big body weight (around 90 kilos) and having constant problem with punctures. I have pre-installed tubless ready rimms and tyres on my newer bike and tyre is such a paint to install! It is so stiff and hard to put it on the rimm when I change my inner tube that I just want this suffering to end and go tubless all the way.
The tube in the rear of my 24 year old XC racer (Jamis Dakota) is…24 years old.
I’m kinda surprised the tire and tube aren’t rotted out but they aren’t. Leaks a bit of air over the winter months but that’s it.
For CX it also depends on your surroundings. Here in 🇳🇱 tubes work fine, but once on holiday in 🇫🇷 i got punctures from thorns every other day. Can see the added value of tubeless in that case.
Agreed! The gnarlier the terrain, the more of an advantage running tubeless will give you. 👍
Don't be fooled.
The sealant would have just made a mess.
At least you can repair a tube. Once you puncture a tubeless tire it's not repairable and you have to use a tube anyway.
@@raff5604 You can repair it in a similar fashion as a car tire is repaired. And are you speaking from experience that the sealant doesn't work or is that just your expectation?
@@pycanthusderossi4665 Unfortunately I am speaking from experience. I have had three pin like punctures that just would not seal on the road bike. Then on the mountain bike I had a blow out and all the sealant did was make a mess. I still run tubeless on the MTN but tubes for the road.
@@raff5604 Google ,lezyne tubeless repairkit. The misinformation about tubeless is just bizarre.
"Why you shouldn't go tubeless, yet."
Me, who has been tubeless since 2018: "fuck!"
Having retired more time to ride tubes are always in mind for a trail repair an cash is king on maintaining a good day of enjoyment out on a trail or any wear on a ride most flats happen close to home. Thanks 😊
Tubes all day. Easy to deal with, makes riding more fun when I don't have to worry about all the cons that come with tubeless.
All my Latest bikes since 2014 were tubeless ready but came with tubes in the wheels. Both me and my wife's bikes. so 4 bikes, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022. all still have the same tubes they started wqith and still stay inflated. Onething that wasn't mention is the incredible invention of the Patch Kit. No need to buy a whole tube. In the old days I would patch till they fell apart. Tubes are lighter and stronger now. Tube on till the break of dawn. (that was just silly :))
Got a new bike a couple of years ago and it came fully tubeless ready with rims taped and valves in the box so only needed to get some sealant which at £15 for a litre is hardly bank breaking.
The tyres dry inflated no problems so then sealant could just go in through the valves, zero mess. I still take a tube and pump out with me, no difference to tubes there, though I've never needed the tube.
Not sure I'd go to the fuss of converting an existing bike though.
I have never heard a person running tubeless say “you know what I’m gonna run tubes again”. As for set up I just bead the tyre then use a syringe no fuss no mess. It was interesting to hear you have to carry a pump. To be safe you should carry one and if you need to replace a tube you will need one regardless. Tubeless for me the whole way
I went back to tubes. I didn't like how soft the sidewalls were with tubeless, tons of tire roll for my style of riding. There was no balance between pressure and roll. With tubes I could still run a lower pressure with the added sidewall stiffness which let me corner a lot faster. There's no one answer for everyone.
Sealant never worked...I went back to tubes on both my road bikes and mountain bike.
I have...
Just read the comments lol
Read more comments. I've seen comments going back to tubed from tubeless.
I run tubes still, I live in West Texas and we have goat heads (grass burrs) I use slime in my tubes as I have seen more problems with tubeless than tubes. Sealant goes off really quick if the bike stands for a few weeks.
Just great. I’ve had the bike services and set up for tubeless it’s a Merida e-one sixty 10k
I used to ride tubeless, but tried a tannus armour and a welterweight Maxxis tube + a good dose of talcom powder to prevent flats
Been running that tube for over a year now!
I used to get pinch flats constantly so switched to tubeless for years or so, but since using the tannus, a thicker tube and lots of powder it's not punctured since.
I had to carry a spare tube strapped to my frame with tubeless anyways incase of tears. So now it's just a spare.
Got a new emtb recently and will keep tubes on front now also, never punctured a front so why bother with tubeless (even without tannus armour)
I haven't pumped rear tire in like months. My tubeless front on my downhill bike needs a pump every few weeks. Another win for tubes!
Tannus on rear also feels nice too, makes the rear feel a little bit more planted. Much better feeling than a cushcore because it hugs the tire wall
I'm not sure what Tannus armour is, but does that not add weight to your wheel? I like to keep everything as light as reasonably possible--especially when it cones to rotational weight. Maxxis has lighter tubes than the welterweight. I'm not sure, but I think they are called Flylight--sub 100 grams.
Switched to tubeless both on my mtb and road bikes years ago and would absolutely not go back. Haven’t had issues with it and the only flat I’ve ever got on tubeless was quickly fixed by the sealant (it was on the road bike, which can be a little more challenging with the higher pressures). And if you carry a spare tube for the event that the sealant won’t work, you’re in a similar situation as running tubes - you unseat the tire, take out the valve and put a tube in. Not much different from replacing a tube!
Tubeless is more work
Sure tubeless in general is more bomb proof, but what I hate are the clogged valve cores, the sticky walls inside the tire when they bond to each other when u do get a flat or want to change tire , the hard tire beads that break tire levers, the layers of dry latex inside the tire that turno into balls of latex ñ.
I prefer Tubeless rear wheel, tubed front wheel. Full Tubeless only for racing.
I miss the old UST Tubeless tires that worked well without sealant.
i run tubes only because i have so many bikes many of them sit for too long
One more problem when running tubeless... If you get a flat with tubeless and have to put a tube in to get home, you have to find all the thorns in your tire the sealants stopped leaks at or they will puncture your new tube.
😁😶🌫😁
Thats not a problem, rather it is a step needed to use a tube. The very thorns you mention are another reason to stay tubeless.
I recently damadged my rear tyre, I was running tubeless. If I had been better prepared I could have fixed it. In the end having a tube in the pack pack sure is a good get out if you run tubeless 😉
I use tubes in my Trek xc bike, and tubeless in my polygon trail bike, and use the tubes that came with the trail bike as spares.
yeahhhhh i went from pinch flats every ride to not seeing a single puncture for several years now since going tubeless.. still carry a tube in my pack for long rides just in case but i promise the extra maintenance and up-front cost is very much worth it
I have to say The upfront cost of going tubless maybe somewhat expensive however once you have it it remains cheaper than buying tube after tube after tube. Also, adding sealant is not a mess at all if your using the valve stem. Were they have removable valve cores which all of the tubeless valve stems have, there is no reason to ever have to break the seal of the tire. I just feel like there is so much more benefit in the tubeless setup then the tubes. Just one rider's opinion though.
I've always run tubes and never understood why you want to stick a load of gunk in your tyres. It seems one of the more ridiculous ideas in cycling.
Learning how to change an inner tube is one of the rites of passage in cycling.
Said the Guy never tried tubeless. Yes ITS gunk is U never Change the Fluid Then ye. I can Ride lower pressure With No Flats ever. U Go to Low With Tube U get a pinchflat.
Yes. I still remember how my dad taught me how to glue a punctured tube in the bicycle. So I still prefer to have a repair kit instead of spare tube
I ride through thorns and swamps. I couldn’t ride on my local terrain without tubeless.
That's like saying any of these: "I've always run cable brakes, I don't understand why anyone would want a bunch of gunk in their brake lines"
"Disc brakes? Rim brakes have worked for a century, why would I want disc brakes?"
"A one by drive train? Who would want to downgrade from a two by?"
@@nk-dw2hm 😂🤣😂lmfao. Accurate
For off-road tube is better... So, for not changing the tires everytime, I prefer the Slime tube ready with sealant, and is working perfect in all terrain
I tried tubeless for trail riding and loved the feel. I am planning to give it a shot again this year.
I live and ride in the desert southwest - tubeless is the only way to go. I switched to tubeless after frequent punctures from cactus thorns. As far as maintenance, I remove the valve core and inject the sealant with a sealant syringe; easy and clean process.
I love hardtail. So I have vibrocore rims with low-pressure tubeless to be my suspension. And its work!
Pro tip. Use tubes. If you get a puncture use some emergency tire sealant. In germany most of the people can fill air in their tire at any gas station because we have the same valves as cars do.
Yep but you can for a couple of pounds get a small brass adaptor that screws on to a presta valve and then allows a schrader pump to inflate it also.
I am using a tube until now and havent a flat for years. I use schwalbe super gravity tires. Heavy but pretty safe.
The video all tubeless hatin' old-farts have been waiting for - well done GMBN!!! lol
A great video again guys!
Much appreciated! Thanks!
Tubeless all the way!
Tubes here - but my MTB is older and not tubeless ready. And since the wheels ain't broke, and I can run my 26er tires sufficiently low on air with out pinch flats, don't see the reason of replacing the wheels (leave that for when I finally decide to no longer party like it's 2004).
I run my enduro with tubes and my DH with insert in the back and tubeless, best of both worlds imo
I'm on tubeless for a few years, never had a flat tyre, but had a few punctures that the sealant took care imediatly. Never going back to tubes 🤣.
In SoCal we have these goat head thorns all over. Tubes stand no chance against them but with tubeless I just remove the thorns and make sure I add fresh sealant every couple months and I’m good to go
My bike came set up tubeless, haven't had to do anything since
I run tubeless the down side is that if u get a puncture in ur tire that the sealant can’t seal u gotta change the whole tire even worst when the tire is new even worst if u dent ur rim u gotta change ur rim bc u will always leak the sealant
When I first ran tubeless I did get a flat that required me to use a tube to get home. I do not recall it being all that messy--I certainly did not get sealant all over everything.
There’s inner tubes that have that in them. When you get a puncture, the sealant fills the hole so you can just pump it up and be on your way 🤟🏻
I remember that from way back in the 90s lol. Was pretty ass back then i think, probably now now 😁
I got back from vacation in Tuscany yesterday where I did a few laps on my trike. In the left frontwheel stuck 13 thorns, in the right 4. I have not count the thorns on the backwheel. I think, Tubeless saved the fun for me.
Last time at windhill, hitting jumps, my riding buddy got a pinch-flat / snakebite in both wheels (separately). No issues with my tubeless set up.
Tubeless is a no brainer for anything than gravel paths (with.no thorns).
I'll stick with tubes for simplicity and I hardly if ever get punctures, last one was probably around 4 years ago, I do have slime filled tubes though, so maybe that helps!
I hate tubeless! Finally found my perfect, better than tubeless anti-flat system. Tannus Armour Tire Inserts! I run them with, yes I really do, undersized Slim Extra Strong self sealing tubes. Aaaand, I run my regular 28psi front & rear, because the Tannus make for softer tread pressure with 2x improved Traction. : ))
I put baby powder between tubes and tyres. Doesnt help with punctures, but feels much better when driving with low pressure, as the tube can move freely.
I never had any puncture on my 2017 Scott Gambler 720 during 2018-2021 ownership... run stock TUBES which> the bike came with. 2.35 width schwalbe magic marry tires. Rode downhill only sharp rocks, sharp tree leftovers lots and lots of jumps and abuse.. It's just people either don't inflate them that much, in regards to having better traction or just not careful enough tubes.. Having said that currently own Scott Ransom 910 and converted them to tubeless and it's first time will be riding tubeless in my life. Already can say indeed pretty expensive, and so much headache putting sealant, however weight saving is well worth.
I decided to try tubeless to see what all the fuzz was about. It felt pretty good, to be honest… for three months. Then my rear tire got sliced. Had to put a tube in. Couple of weeks later my front tire burp and throw me OTB. The tire never sealed properly again. So, I’m down $ 100 bucks and went back to tubes anyways. But at least I know now that tubeless sucks.
Make sure to bring PLYERS of some type with you on the trail. You will need them to loosen the valve stem on the tubeless setup. One more thing to carry with your spare tube. Otherwise you may find yourself walking when you can't get the tubeless valve stem out.
Nope. They should be hand tight. Why would you need to remove them on the trail?
@@geraldhenrickson7472 You have yet to experience the tubeless failures including the valves
I converted from tubeless to tubes injected with tubeless sealant. No flats since on desert trails where there is a lot of cactus.
this is some absolutely groundbreaking content
Been tubeless for years, only had one hole that didn’t seal itself . Which I plugged and never had to put a tube in
I got back into MTB during COVID and within the first week or two got a few punctures. And I live in the flatlands of Suffolk. Went tubeless and not had a puncture since.
You just have to check your tires pressure ! And tubless system is an automatic repair ! I loose more time to change tubes and pump it by hands or repair it because also it depends on the quality of your tubes , for me it's definitely more pro ! Use new tires and pump it at the right pressure with tubless system it will make you more confortable 😉
Back in 2015 when i started riding mtn bikes again, i would flat probably on 1/3 of my rides. On a fat bike, thats gets expensive. Since switching to tubless, i haven't had a flat. 9 years without a flat. Thats riding bike park and local trails 1-2 times a week. Also, running lower pressures without worrying about pinch flats is another great benefit. I'll never go back to tubes on a mtb or gravel bike.
This reminds me of the olden days when tubular/sew-up tires ruled. Some advantages for racers but not for the everyday rider.
During the 90s IRC tubes were thick, I put car tire sealant and solve my John Tomac tire punctures, the tube sticks to the inner wall of the tire.
I use tubes in all my wheels and also use tube sealant in them. Avoiding most flats.
I have ridden Peleney with tubes, all good
I run tubeless on all my bikes, my wifes bike, and my childrens. MTB, Road and Cyclocross. In three years not a single puncture. And the mess... There really is no mess once you know how to do it. Drill out the valve core and the inject the sealant with a syringe. Don´t use too much sealant (30ml for Road, 60 for MTB and the sealant will nicely cover the inside of your tire. Then there ist no mess, once you put on a new one. Tubeless has made life so much easier for me.
Where I live there are massive amounts of goat heads, which are hard, sharp, large, and quite nasty thorns. I normally have to pull dozens of these monsters out of my tires during any ride, even on the road. I ran tubeless for a while, and was constantly having to add air, and eventually found the sealant dried up, and was left with a very flat tire, and an unpleasant mess. I went back to tubes with Slime sealant and almost never have any issues. I will admit that tubeless feels great, but I don't think that it is particularly useful for the environment that I ride.
Sounds like living in Reno
To each his own.
I put tubes back into my Trance. 24 PSI over sharp rocks - never had a flat, and I only have to pump up my tires twice a season.
I Run 25 F 20 R 😎 Tubes No Flats All Summer I Ride Daily 20Km Black Trails on the Weekend 😎
I've had a few dinged rims with tubeless, but i just bent them back with a pair of big pliers and then its seals great again
great points, good video
Converted to tubeless almost 10 years ago and haven’t run into any problems since then. Would never see any reason to go back to running tubes other than as a temporary fix if a tyre got ripped.
The amount of times on group rides where we were waiting around for ages whilst riders repaired punctures or replaced a tube (not great when the weather was wet and cold). Running tubeless is a no brainer to me.
switching setups keeps profits high. thanks to so many people who will buy pretty much anything they see on a commercial. go ahead and seal your rims with a bottle of glue when thats all a tube is, except its already been made at a factory
Tubes are not "old faithful", they're "last resort". Most of the downsides of running tubeless are a bit over the top - modern bikes are tubeless ready, setting up tubeless is messy and cumbersome for the first time, every next maintenance is quick and painless, burps and dings happen only if you run very low pressures (which would mean immediate puncture with a tube). If the sealant doesn't do its work, a tube definitely wouldn't survive it.
I have to address some of the points in this video, first, you don't need to take the tyre off to put sealant in, and you don't need any special tools either, all you need is a cheap plastic syringe, remove the valve core and then squirt the sealant in, plus if you do get a puncture that's too big for the sealant to fix then you can just plug it using a tyre plug, its much quicker than replacing a tube.
Second, you don't need a special valve to go tubeless either, you can just cut the valve out of an old tube, ideally you want one with a removable valve core though, and yes it is more expensive initially, but it could actually be cheaper in the long run if you keep getting pinch flats with tubes, plus pretty much everything is tubeless ready these days.
I've been tubeless for years now and I don't even carry a tube, all I carry is a tyre plug kit, I can't think of any reason to stay with tubes unless your rim is so badly damaged that it wont seal.
Exactly my thoughts and experience.
Haven't watched it yet but i use Slime Tubes! I love them! They are about 50g heavier though but definitely worth it!
Ive gotten a bunch of thorns on my wheels, never had to change them out! I only cary a few cheap spare patches for my riding buddies just in case.
I have rode for two years every weekend on my tubes and just found my first slow leak on a tube..no mess..no fuss...just switched it out in a few minutes and back riding again...
have ridden vs have rode
I literally used a gmbn video to learn how to fit my tubeless kit 🤯😵💫🤣
I use Tubes too . I always put seal liquid into the tubes. works fine for me
I've been running tubes since I started and was thinking about going tubeless. After this video I think I'll wait.