Tubeless - what tools/spares do you take on rides?

[andrew_s]

Have you checked that the levers are up to getting the tyre off the rim, and that you can get the tubeless valve out?

It's better to check and modify the toolkit than to get stranded with a non-sealing puncture and a broken tyre lever.

Also, should you ever have cause to use a tube, don't forget to go round the tyre removing all the pointy things that did seal before you put the tube in.

 

[Pedropete]

Have you checked that the levers are up to getting the tyre off the rim, and that you can get the tubeless valve out?

It's better to check and modify the toolkit than to get stranded with a non-sealing puncture and a broken tyre lever.

Also, should you ever have cause to use a tube, don't forget to go round the tyre removing all the pointy things that did seal before you put the tube in.

Really good points.
Most of the skinny flat levers are hopeless on anything other than loose beads. I use a pair of old TipTop plastic fantastics; hard as nails, relatively slim and plenty strong enough to shift an awkward tyre. Should probably find some spares before they finally die on me. I also make a point of removing and cleaning valve cores and lock-rings every month or so in case they become gunged up; only takes five mins and saves 30 mins cursing by the road side when trying to get a stuck valve out before putting in an emergency tube.

Which reminds me of three other bits I carry in my tardis pack: spare valve core, core remover, 40cmm loop of mech cable for popping difficult master-links. Cable loops around the spare tube with the zip ties. As for what you find in a tubeless tyre on removal, you’re spot on - amazing what they’ll seal round when set up properly.

 

[MrGrumpy]

My bikes aren't tubeless. I carry a pump, some tyre levers and a repair kit. So, it seems, do people that ride tubeless, except that instead of a repair kit they bring a tube or tubes, meaning they can cope with one or two punctures once they've cleaned all the self sealing goo out of the tyres.

Remind me again what the advantages of tubeless are

Sounds like tubeless is all well and good for comfort but more hassle than its worth ? Looking to buy new wheels for the CX and the summer roadie but this is just clouding things in mind even more. Add in the extra cost for tubeless tyres, not seeing the advantages here.

 

[Pedropete]

Sounds like tubeless is all well and good for comfort but more hassle than its worth ? Looking to buy new wheels for the CX and the summer roadie but this is just clouding things in mind even more. Add in the extra cost for tubeless tyres, not seeing the advantages here.

Really not that much hassle at all. Trying to bodge non-tubeless rims and tyres together will always be a bit of a faff but even then, most combos will eventually seal. When you use dedicated tubeless tyres and rims it’s an absolute doddle. Maybe 30 mins to setup and you’re done.

Benefits are improved ride comfort, reduced rolling resistance, self-sealing on most punctures and no more than a couple of minutes work to plug anything too big to seal on its own. Anything worse than that will likely need a spare tube and a tyre boot, which you should be carrying anyway and would mean a roadside intermission whether running tubed or tubeless.

 

[AlanW]

My two pence worth HERE

 

[MrGrumpy]

Aye that about sums it up ! Alot of hassle for not a lot of gain.

 

[AlanW]

Aye that about sums it up ! Alot of hassle for not a lot of gain.

Yep, that was my conclusion to!

 

[Pedropete]

Yep, that was my conclusion to!

With the exception of cuts/gashes too big to self-seal, which would mean booting and remounting regardless of tubed/tubeless setup, most of the issues you identify can be relatively easily addressed in the way I (and many others in many other places) described:

Regularly check valve cores and lock nuts to ensure they’re removable by hand. Give ‘em a clean if they’re looking a bit grotty or reluctant to move.

Carry a tyre boot and accept that you’ll get gunged when fitting an emergency tube, but remember that grass and leaves are useful in wiping out sealant. Had to do this a couple of times over the years running tubeless on MTBs with big sidewall gashes and it’s really not that bad. Not as clean and refined as a tubed roadside repair admittedly, but far from the stuff of nightmares.

All that said though, each to their own, and nice one for trying it out in the first place.

 

[AlanW]

Regularly check valve cores and lock nuts to ensure they’re removable by hand. Give ‘em a clean if they’re looking a bit grotty or reluctant to move.

Its the solidified sealant internally that effectively glues the valve core in that is the problem, and unless you remove the tyre you cannot check that.

Then there is the issue with the solidified sealant around the internal circumference of the tyre. Do you just keep adding 2oz of sealant until you get a near solid tyre....okay thats a bit tongue in cheek. Or does one do it properly, and remove the tyre and scrap the old sealant off and then start all over again sealing the tyre, adding sealant etc etc? Possibly every three months in the summer

 

[Pedropete]

I’ll be honest, I’ve never had a valve I couldn’t remove, but did have a couple of occasions when first running tubeless where I was swapping tyres end-to-end and the lock ring was reluctant to let go, needing pliers to get enough grip. That prompted me to check valve cores and lock rings more often to avoid any roadside Basil Fawlty moments. To actually pull/push the valve through just wiggle it around to break the seal and then twist from the base. I tend to use valves with a rectangular base so that helps. If you’re pulling a valve at the road/trail-side remember to remove the core first, then you can use a twig or other non-marking object to push against the end of the valve stem.

How often you check sealant levels and top up largely depends on the sealant used. Stans is notorious for drying out well before the stated 6 month lifespan. Whereas Orange Sealant, Magic Milk and some of the others really are good for 6-9 months before needing a top up. I stopped using Stans years ago because it was quite high maintenance. Magic Milk and Orange Sealant have been much better. Finish Line have just announced a new sealant that never dries out. Time will tell on that one.

As for maintenance (top ups and cleaning etc) I set a calendar reminder for 5-6 months to check levels and then look to swap tyres front-to-back at around 9-12 months depending on mileage and wear rate. Thirty mins with some hot soapy water and gentle scrubbing with an old (softened) bit of scotchbrite lifts most residue out and cleans up the bead enough to form a new seal when you mount the tyre. Just don’t scrub too hard on the bead as you don’t want to expose any threads. Same process for the rim-hook, but use less water as you want to avoid lifting the rim tape, and to dry as you go with the rim. Plastic tyre levers with a decent hook profile are good for forcing the scotchbrite into the rim-hook to clean ‘em out thoroughly.

Important: don’t go too crazy cleaning out the carcass as you’ll unseal any perforations that the sealant plugged for you in the last year’s riding. This’ll make it much more work to get a seal when you refit and re-fill the tyres.

So essentially, you’re looking at 10 mins work every 5-6 months to check levels and then maybe an hour every 9-12 months to swap tyres round and refit/refill. Plus a couple of mins every month or so to check valve cores and lock rings are free and to give ‘em a quick scrub if needed. Granted, it’s more maintenance than running tubes but I’m pretty certain I save far more time in fixing flats at the roadside, and the ride comfort and handling are drastically improved.