Are Tubeless Tires Worth It?
THE DO-IT-YOURSELF APPROACH
Plenty of people prefer to spend less cash on their tubeless system and flat-out distrust UST because the French invented it. Fair enough. Such folks simply add a special rim strip to their conventionally drilled rims (the rim strip is used to seal off the rim’s spoke bed), mount a conventional tire, and add a latex sealant (to help improve the seal and stop small puncture leaks). Stan’s No-Tubes was one of the first systems of this kind (and is still quite popular).
Though there is a much smaller price barrier with this approach (and such systems can be lighter than even conventionally-tubed wheels), there are some downsides. Conventional (non-UST) tires typically do NOT feature the robust, reinforced sidewalls that you’ll find on UST tires—that’s because conventional, cross-country mountain bike tires generally aren’t meant to be ridden under 40 PSI. You can easily damage a lighter conventional tire by riding it at low pressures. The lighter sidewalls are also more prone to getting gashed and tore up.
Finally, some sealants (and there are at least four on the market) can blister and destroy some tires—you need to do your research before you start mixing and matching tires and sealants. The best thing to do here is to call the tire manufacturer and ask them if there are any sealants that will damage their tires.
Can you run UST tires with a non-UST rim if you seal that rim with one of those fancy rim strips and some sealant? You bet. The upside here is that you don't need to cough up the dough for a new Mavic (all Mavic wheels are UST ready) or Shimano UST-compatible wheelset. Personally, I've always found the rim strip approach a little cobbled-together and hokey, but as long as you are using a real (UST) tubeless tire, you are headed in the right direction. Besides, it's hard to argue with the notion of not coughing up cash for a new wheelset if you're current hoops are holding up fine.
THE DOWNSIDES OF UST
There aren’t a whole lot of downsides to the UST system (which is why I run it), but those downsides are worth mentioning because UST can be a bit of a pain in the ass if you buy into it under the assumption that there won't be any hitches.
Skinned Knuckles: Tubeless tires (we’re talking UST certified ones here) can be an absolute bitch to install. You’re not supposed to use tire levers when installing UST tires, as the levers can deform the tire bead and prevent the tire from sealing properly. Thus, you need to rub the very stiff beads with soapy water and finess the sumbitch. Some tires glide on magically. Some are holy hell. Rub your stiff beads with soapy water…that sounded kind of freaky didn’t it?
Now, Magically De-Flating! One of the first gripes people had with the UST tubeless systems was that random tires would lose random amounts of air overnight. This is still a bit of a problem, but can be remedied to some degree with the use of a sealant. Yes, you can use a latex or glycol sealant on a UST system, just do your homework and make sure that the sealant isn’t going to eat the brand of tire you are installing. Yes, adding a sealant will add rotational weight and sealants can be messy, but well, everything has a trade-off, right? On the upside, using a tire-friendly sealant can help stop small puncture leaks from thorns.
Why Am I Still Carrying A Tube? Yes, you should still carry a tube with you at all times. Why? Because trying to fix a punctured UST tire out on the trail is a bear. You need to patch the tire correctly, you need to mount the UST tire and get it up to a high PSI real quick so that the beads lock into place (try doing that with a crappy hand pump—oh joy!), and so forth. It’s a hell of a lot easier to just slip in a tube while your stranded out there in the wilderness. Swallow your tubeless pride and just call it a day.
RSS
TWITTER 
FACEBOOK
YOUTUBE
Add Comment