Tubeless Tires: Add your 2 cents here.

I have no experience with that setup, but I do find it very interesting. I would use it if I could afford it. The price is probably worth it, if it works well. I just don't want to throw down $60+ to convert my $15 tires to tubeless.
 
WAY more trouble than it's worth unless you can actually feel a few ounces difference in your wheels. MUCH harder to install and service when you DO get a flat (and you WILL)
Mostly just another way to separate bicyclists from money with "New and Improved" (insert latest gimmick here)
Not better at preventing flats in a street setting.
 
maniac57 said:
WAY more trouble than it's worth unless you can actually feel a few ounces difference in your wheels. MUCH harder to install and service when you DO get a flat (and you WILL)
Mostly just another way to separate bicyclists from money with "New and Improved" (insert latest gimmick here)
Not better at preventing flats in a street setting.
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Yeah but repairing a hole in tubeless in painless compared to removing off a wheel out in the Styx, especially the back wheel, and installing a new tube or trying to repair one with a hole in it. It's a nightmare by yourself if your bike has fenders.
 
bigbutterbean said:
I have no experience with that setup, but I do find it very interesting. I would use it if I could afford it. The price is probably worth it, if it works well. I just don't want to throw down $60+ to convert my $15 tires to tubeless.
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$16 for the the 2 airtight valve stems and then you can use any electrical or plumbers self sealing tape and wrap your wheel to make that air tight. Of course you will need extra stiff sidewall tires in case you get a blow out cause it could get real ugly at speed if you don't. LOL
 
I guess anything that makes installing a tire more complicated isn't worth the trouble. I run slime tubes, and other than pinch flats, haven't had a problem in over 3 years. I can change a tire in about 15 minutes, even a back one. I don't run fenders, so no problem with that either. That whole setup just sounds too complicated for me. If you want to try it, go for it and good luck. Let us know if it works out for you. Btw, self-sealing tubes are $9 a pop and last a good long while. My Kenda K838 street tires were $15 a pop and Amazon Prime eligible, so free shipping. After 100 miles, they still look brand new. So for under $50, I've got a setup that will probably last me a year. Just saying.
 
bigbutterbean said:
I guess anything that makes installing a tire more complicated isn't worth the trouble. I run slime tubes, and other than pinch flats, haven't had a problem in over 3 years. I can change a tire in about 15 minutes, even a back one. I don't run fenders, so no problem with that either. That whole setup just sounds too complicated for me. If you want to try it, go for it and good luck. Let us know if it works out for you. Btw, self-sealing tubes are $9 a pop and last a good long while. My Kenda K838 street tires were $15 a pop and Amazon Prime eligible, so free shipping. After 100 miles, they still look brand new. So for under $50, I've got a setup that will probably last me a year. Just saying.
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A tire that could be fixed without removing a thing? A simple tar plug inserted in the hole and then add air. Done. Just like a car. LOL

You have to wonder why cars, trucks, planes and motorcycles are all tubeless. Why is it only bicycles have tubes?
 
My bike is so heavy. How heavy? So heavy it has blown inner tubes (twice) while it wasn't even moving and nobody on it. It wasn't a slow leak either. It was complete flat within seconds. I'm going TUBELESS!
 
A blowout while sitting still is usually due to over inflating. I've done it myself a few times. I've since gone to Walmart and got a pump with a psi gauge. Its the type you put your feet on and pump with your hands. It also does Presta or Schrader valves (Schrader is the universal type). Think I paid $15 or 20 for it. Worthwhile investment imho, since my tires can be inflated from 35-60 psi, but I prefer 40. I seriously doubt te weight of your bike is causing blowouts. Scotto has a 212cc racer, even with an aluminum frame that thing has got to be heavy, I've never heard him complain of random blowouts, nor anyone else on this site for that matter. My bike weighs about 120 lbs or so with my 98cc engine, 15 lb motorcycle forks, 20 lb steel front rim with 11g spokes and drum, 15 lb steel rear wheel with shimano coaster brake, etc. I weigh almost 300 lbs myself, and ride hard over railroad tracks, cracked bumpy roads, and the occasional pothole. Never once had a tire blowout while driving or sitting still, only when I over-inflated. Going over the tire's recommended psi is the most likely cause of a random blowout.
 
bigbutterbean said:
A blowout while sitting still is usually due to over inflating. I've done it myself a few times. I've since gone to Walmart and got a pump with a psi gauge. Its the type you put your feet on and pump with your hands. It also does Presta or Schrader valves (Schrader is the universal type). Think I paid $15 or 20 for it. Worthwhile investment imho, since my tires can be inflated from 35-60 psi, but I prefer 40. I seriously doubt te weight of your bike is causing blowouts. Scotto has a 212cc racer, even with an aluminum frame that thing has got to be heavy, I've never heard him complain of random blowouts, nor anyone else on this site for that matter. My bike weighs about 120 lbs or so with my 98cc engine, 15 lb motorcycle forks, 20 lb steel front rim with 11g spokes and drum, 15 lb steel rear wheel with shimano coaster brake, etc. I weigh almost 300 lbs myself, and ride hard over railroad tracks, cracked bumpy roads, and the occasional pothole. Never once had a tire blowout while driving or sitting still, only when I over-inflated. Going over the tire's recommended psi is the most likely cause of a random blowout.
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It was 5 psi below maximum when it blew out. If I go any lower I risk a pinch flat to my back tire. The tube was paper thin. Replaced with a thicker tube.

I want to know why the only thing that use inner tubes are bicycles? Is it because they are normally so light weight?
 
Most other pneumatic tires no longer use adjustable spoke rimmed wheels. There's so many possible leak points on these wheels that it would be unfeasible for the manufacturer to deal with a lot of angry customers who's new bikes wouldn't hold air in the tires for more than a short while. Spoke rimmed wheels are relatively cheap.

Adequately sealing the spokes adds to the expense of making the cheap bike. Using sealed alloy or composite wheels adds to the expense of the cheap bike. Soon, the cheap bike isn't cheap.
 
xseler said:
Most other pneumatic tires no longer use adjustable spoke rimmed wheels. There's so many possible leak points on these wheels that it would be unfeasible for the manufacturer to deal with a lot of angry customers who's new bikes wouldn't hold air in the tires for more than a short while. Spoke rimmed wheels are relatively cheap.

Adequately sealing the spokes adds to the expense of making the cheap bike. Using sealed alloy or composite wheels adds to the expense of the cheap bike. Soon, the cheap bike isn't cheap.
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How do motorcycle spokes adjust and seal then? Are they different than bike spokes and nipples?
 
The mystery magic box that I like to call Google reveals that spoked motorcycle wheels are not designed to be tubeless. They have to be sealed with the same process as the kit that you linked to in your OP. Only mag wheels can run tubeless without being sealed. I still think your best bet is to use the tubes that come with sealant and inflate to the recommended psi.
 
Needless expense and complication.
Leave tubeless tires to the lycra crowd.
Send me money if you have too much and need ways to waste it.
 
maniac57 said:
Needless expense and complication.
Leave tubeless tires to the lycra crowd.
Send me money if you have too much and need ways to waste it.
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LOL It's only $16 for 2 valve stems and the rest is just simple tape over the nipple holes. You might even save money over the cost, time and hassle of inner tubes, slime and tire liners? Every other wheeled vehicle on the planet is tubeless. Flats could literally be fixed in seconds.

Come on. Nobody here has even tied it yet to compare the difference between the two?
 
bigbutterbean said:
The mystery magic box that I like to call Google reveals that spoked motorcycle wheels are not designed to be tubeless. They have to be sealed with the same process as the kit that you linked to in your OP. Only mag wheels can run tubeless without being sealed. I still think your best bet is to use the tubes that come with sealant and inflate to the recommended psi.
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There are spoked motorcycles and classic cars since I was pooping in my diapers and they have always been tubeless. What does your crystal ball say about those wheels? LOL
 
Ok whatever dude. I'm not going to get into an argument over it. Since you're pretty well set on insisting that bicycles are the only wheels that aren't tubeless. It doesn't seem that anyone else has tried to go tubeless, so maybe you could be the first. Get your feet wet, and let everyone else know how the water is.
 
bigbutterbean said:
Ok whatever dude. I'm not going to get into an argument over it. Since you're pretty well set on insisting that bicycles are the only wheels that aren't tubeless. It doesn't seem that anyone else has tried to go tubeless, so maybe you could be the first. Get your feet wet, and let everyone else know how the water is.
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"A tubeless bicycle tire system requires a compatible tire, an airtight rim — capable of being sealed at the valve stem, spoke holes (if they go all the way through the rim) and the tire bead seat. The main benefit of tubeless tires is the ability to use low air pressure for better traction without getting pinch flats because there is no tube to pinch between the rim and an obstacle."

"If a tubeless tire gets a small puncture, air escapes only through the hole, leading to a gentle deflation. Conversely, an inner tube could potentially burst like a balloon, leading to a rapid deflation of the tire which could result in sudden loss of control of the vehicle."

Agree or disagree with it, it's still fascinating reading nonetheless. LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubeless_tire
 
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