Going tubless

rojasj

Active Member
I am thinking about going tubeless on my 27.5" currently my bike is running Vittoria Mezcal 27.5's but I
m swapping them for tires that have more grip. I'll mainly be riding the Ringwood and Ramapo areas.

I've read both good and bad bout going tubeless and I'm still up in the air about it. My main concern is sealant. I've read that it dries up in a few months after being added and is a impossible to get off once it dries up. Secondly, I have also read that it shortens the tire life be breaking down the tire materials from the inside out and third, if it does spray out it will obviously get all over the bike and is near impossible to remove once it drys.

So before making the plunge I'd like to learn from wisdom rather than experience on this one.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Your concerns have not been concerns in at least 10 years. MTB tubeless has been 100% figured out and put through the ringer.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
if you don't plan to ride your bike more than once a month, it's a no brainer
the 3 bikes I ride the most are tubeless, the occasional bikes still have tubes

If your main park is Ringwood, my only suggestion is to get a tire with thicker/stronger sidewalls.
 

SSmtbr

Well-Known Member
Another vote for tubeless! Zero issues in 4 years since my first conversion and many tires. Do it and don't look back.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
I believe 95% of us run tubeless, however, there is some learning curve.
@rojasj some tires are easier to do with certain rims
what wheels do you currently have and what tires are you considering?
having a compressor helps quite a bit to seat the bead, first time will take a some time and trial/error, afterwards its cake and you get over the bead popping sound
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Yes tubeless. You will have to add sealent every 2-3 months, which is easy. Also you will need to carry a tube just in case tubeless fails on trails(It happens, sometimes a flat won't seal). Even with this the benefits far out weigh any negatives. The benefit is improved tire handling on the trails by the ability to run lower tire pressure. Lower psi increases traction and cuts down on tires bouncing off of rocks. Tubed tires need higher psi to avoid pinch flats.
 

Monkey Soup

Angry Wanker
Go tubeless, especially if you ride Ringwood. And get real tires, Maxxis Minion DHF front and rear, or Minion front, Aggressor rear. I've experimented with latest and greatest garbage from the other big brands and ended up back with the Minions.
 

Mr.Moto

Well-Known Member
Nothing more to add other than I waited longer than I should have to swap over to tubeless due to silly concerns. Once I did, I never looked back.

Oh, and what @Monkey Soup and @qclabrat said. If your hitting these parks, the tires will take a beating. Look for something beefy like the Maxxis stuff.
 

rojasj

Active Member
Well...we shall see. My LBS converted my bike to tubeless last evening. One tire keeps loosing air very slowly but we'll see if it seals as I ride.
 

rojasj

Active Member
This is the tire to run. I've used them for 2 years with no issues. Do you have the TNT version with the grey sidewall?
No, I don't have the TNT version. I do like the tire but for my taste it looses traction too easily. I like a tire that has more grab.
 

rojasj

Active Member
Tubeless. No reason to run tubes anymore.
We'll see. My front tire was giving us problems last evening and finally held. This AM it was flat again. I pumped it up and it seems to be holding. If I have time today I need to find a basin to dunk it in water and look for leaks. My gut says it cold be the valve core.
 

Mr.Moto

Well-Known Member
We'll see. My front tire was giving us problems last evening and finally held. This AM it was flat again. I pumped it up and it seems to be holding. If I have time today I need to find a basin to dunk it in water and look for leaks. My gut says it cold be the valve core.

I find that most leaks seem to occur at the valve stem. Make sure you snug up the nut holding the stem in place. Other than that, you can take the wheel off and do the Stan's shake to be sure the sealant is distributed around the inside properly.
 
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