I've cracked ....

[02GF74]

those of you with good memories will recall I posted more thant 1ce about tubless tyres.

well, I've gone and put inner tuvbes in after both front and rear have gone down.

my reckoning is the spesh tyres are very thin and suscpetible to leaking.

interesting to note that the 2009 and 2010 bikes have inner tubes, .....

better to carry some extra weight than walk 10 miles in SPDs pushing a bike is my motto for the week.

 

[Panter]

I've really umm'd and agh'd over going tubeless for my new Enduro build.

I think I may go the Ghetto route but haven't decided yet. It's certainly a complex subject for something that should be so simple!

 

[02GF74]

wot is Ghetto route?

I am not against tubeless, just I suspect the specialized tyres are ultra light which results in air loss.

The rear had a cut, maybe 1 mm across and no matter what I tried, super glue, patch on inside it still leaked, is it like the air was getting in via the plies a fair distance away from the cut so even big patch did not fiux it.

since wieght is saved by not having an inner, then tubelss tyres could be made a touch heavier with some puncture resistant material put in.

I did consider buying some Stans or equivalent sealant, even latex, to paint the insdie ofthe tyre but didn't round to it.

 

[Panter]

I don't want to link to another forum TBH (an MTB one) but if you Google search "Ghetto tubeless" all will be revealed

In actual fact, I orderd the sealant today, I'm going to ghetto all the off roaders.

 

[GilesM]

MBR magazine did a good bit about "ghetto tubeless" in last months edition, very interesting. I'm still an old timer with tubes.

 

[Panter]

Have you seen some of the video's promoting the sealant type systems though?

I saw an incredibly one recently but I can't remember where. This gives you an idea, although it is using the Stan's system which is a lot more expensive and the video's not very good.

I must admit I was happy to stick with tubes until seeing this sort of video. The protection against pinch flats and extra traction over loose rock really appeals too

I had no idea it was avaialble for road tyres though, the idea of banishing the p***tu*e fairy to hell forever sounds a tempting one

 

[GilesM]

That's very impressive, and as you say the ability to run lower pressures for traction and not get the pinch flats is tempting, the only downside is I was out with someone at Mabie who punctured a tubeless tyre, it was a small cut int he side wall and we couldn't get it to repair itself with the sealant inside, I think it had lost so much air and using a mini pump, it was impossible to get enough air in quickly, we ended up putting a tube in, and it was messy. When inflating the tubeless tyres you really do need a track pump or ideally, a compressor. Now I've said all that, I bet the farmers have been out cutting the hawthorn hedges and I puncture this evening.

 

[Panter]

I must admit I was worried about that.

However, there was another thread about tyre slits I read and apparently the answer is these things.
The beauty is that you repair the hole from the outside, you don't even take the tyre off, and if the air loss is so great that the tyre bead has unseated, you simply inflate with a CO2 cartridge which pops it back on the rim.

I have to say that I don't speak with any experience, this is simply the experience of the guy who I did my MTB skills training with but I trust his opinions completely.

As you say, if you do have to resort to a tube then it must be a messy business but it should be a very unusual occurence if you have CO2. The instructor actually claimed to have worn tyres down to being useless having never removed them from the rim!


I'm going to convert my HT this week and see how it goes.

 

[02GF74]

it had lost so much air and using a mini pump, it was impossible to get enough air in quickly, we ended up putting a tube in, and it was messy. When inflating the tubeless tyres you really do need a track pump or ideally, a compressor. .

I struggle even with a track pump to get air in; a mini pump out on a trail, well, forget it.

It goes help the seal a bit if you use water/washing up liquid mix and splosh it over the bead. Also by pressing the wheel down squased the tyre and help the seal, still not a quick job.

the fact that spesh do not have tubelss on theiur 99 and 10 range says something I think.

 

[GilesM]

the fact that spesh do not have tubelss on theiur 99 and 10 range says something I think.

I agree, I'm waiting to see how a few people I know get on with tubeless over the winter, good to get Panter's feedback aswell, I am currently using the Continental Mountain King Supersonics (2.4) on my Orange 5, they are light, grip well, only one puncture since I fitted them about 8 months ago, no pinch flats, I usually run them at 40psi, and my rims aren't tubeless either so it would be a ghetto job, which I am still not too sure about.

 

[ed_o_brain]

<snip>
the fact that spesh do not have tubelss on theiur 99 and 10 range says something I think.

It says to me they are economising.

 

[02GF74]

It says to me they are economising.

interesting. if you were as big as spesh and asked someone to make tyres, tubeless or otherwise with spesh logo, I'd be surprised there would be that much difference in cost between the two.

I guess if they are using stock wheels, as oppoese dto their own brand, then that is a saving and tubeless are more expensive even if you take into account inner tube cost and time take to fit.