what's the crack with tubeless tyres?

[02GF74]

as it say in post.

anyone have experience with tubeless tyres and p*ures?

1. are they harder to get onto the rim since they need to be tight sealing?
2. are they harder to pump using a small pump since they rely on rim sealing - car tyres need a load of air so they seat properly to seal?
3. presumably p*tures are fixed by patching the inside of the tyre - is that easy to do? how do you find the hole if you cannot blow the tyre up like an inner tube in a bucket of water?
4. can tubed tyres be fitted to tubeless rims? and are they easier to fit over the rim?
5. do they use some special rim tape? otherwise how are they sealed for the spoke holes?

any other info. appreciated.

thx.

 

[John the Monkey]

Some good info here;

http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/tubeless_tyres.html

I have some vague knowledge of them from the Interbike stuff I've read, Hutchinson are introducing them for road riding.

 

[gavintc]

You need special wheels sold as 'tubulars' although I was scanning the net recently and have noticed some manufacturers are now selling a wheel that can take clinchers and tubs. The tyre comes as a complete package with the inner combined. You glue the tyre onto the rim. Punctures demand that you carry some glue and a complete tub tyre - somewhat heavier than carrying an inner tube. For this reason, they are much more popular as race tyres when you have the comfort of a car carrying the spare wheel. The overall package is lighter than a clincher wheel. For general riding and training, clinchers are just so much easier to use.

I once followed a club mate who had fitted a new tub in the wet. The glue had not taken properly and his tyre was starting to lift making it a very uncomfortable ride home.

 

[John the Monkey]

Gavin, I think you're talking about tubulars, which are a different animal to tubeless - tubeless are essentially clinchers that are sealed, so can hold air without a tube (in normal operation - a tube can be used for a "get back home" fix).

 

[gavintc]

I stand corrected - and learn something. Thank you.

 

[nickb]

I have Bontrager tubeless wheels on my Sugar 1 and they can take regular tyres too. I just carry a tube with me in case of a puncture and worry about fixing it when I get home (it hasn't happened yet).

 

[Kirstie]

I've been running tubeless (Mavic Crossmax with either hutchinson mosquito, maxxis ignitors or conti vert pro) on my mtb for 6 years and in that time have had 2 punctures.
Punctures can be fixed with either a tubeless repair kit, which have always worked in my experience, a bonkers canister of foam that you can squirt into the tube via the valve. You don't ahve to take the tyre off the rim for either of these solutions.
You can also put a tube into them, but the one time I tried using a tube after a puncture I discovered that the valve had seized into the rim and so I was a bit stuffed.
To reinflate a good pump generally works but when racing I always carry those pressurised air canisters which do a good job too and save a lot of effort.

 

[User482]

'fraid I've seen too many tubeless deflations in my MTB club to be convinced of their benefits. They're also a pain if you want to swap tyres regularly.

 

[jay clock]

Nothing but hassle. I bought an MTB with them on. Had a puncture in the first 5 miles, so stuck a tube in. Repairing tubeless punctures whilst out and about seems nigh on impossible. After several punctures I bought new tubed tyres and had very few probs ever since

 

[Steve Austin]

Been using for the last couple of months, bonty mud x on 819 rims.
1st ride rear got a flint cut and goop didn't seal it.
Riding at Afan, front tyre kept farting off the rim, and has refused to seal since.
Now the front tyrewall has shredded and has patches of porous rubber that just leak air.

No my opinion is based on bontrager Mud-X and how they work as a tubeless tyre. Well they don't work at all.
Now running them with tubes, as i want to use the tyres a bit before i throw them in the bin.

I'm gonna keep trying, scwalbe nobby nics next

 

[RedBike]

1. are they harder to get onto the rim since they need to be tight sealing?
Yes

2. are they harder to pump using a small pump since they rely on rim sealing - car tyres need a load of air so they seat properly to seal?
Ideally you'll need a CO2 canister or a good track pump to get them inflated the first time; but once the tyres are seated correct they will inflate very easily.

3. presumably p*tures are fixed by patching the inside of the tyre - is that easy to do? how do you find the hole if you cannot blow the tyre up like an inner tube in a bucket of water?
I just carry a spare tube

4. can tubed tyres be fitted to tubeless rims? and are they easier to fit over the rim?
Yes you can fit normal tyres and they're no harder to get on than normal.

5. do they use some special rim tape? otherwise how are they sealed for the spoke holes?
You don't need rim tape (well my Mavic 819's don't) as there are no spoke holes.