notyal Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 We are heading to Big Bend in a couple of weeks, and I'm wondering if it's worth converting my daughter's bike to tubeless. Here are my stream of conscience style thoughts on it. There are lots of sharp spikey things in the desert, and I don't even have a spare tube for her bike right now. We aren't planning a long ride, and it would be on the very well traveled trails (if we get to ride at all). Tubes are pretty nice when normally she just wants to grab her bike and ride the neighborhood roads. Tubeless would require regular maintenance. I would never ride a bike that wasn't tubeless because it is SOOOO much better. Why not give a young rider who is just learning that advantage too? Her bike has a nice bike with disc brakes and wide rims, so they would likely convert pretty easily. However, it does have schrader valves, and I've never done it with those. I'm not sure if I would/could/should use schrader or presta. She is getting to the age and ability that she does want to start riding real trails with me here locally. So, if this trip isn't the catalyst, I'll have these same questions rattling around in my head the first time she runs over one of our local cacti. D215973A-EA78-4F42-B38F-F43DE1145DA9.heic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Definitely don't go to Big Bend without some solution. If it's too much trouble to maintain tubeless on the possibly little-use bike, you could just use Slime tubes. If you can't find the right tubes at Walmart, you can probably find them online. I didn't want to set my little-use fat bike up as tubeless, so I just got a bottle of Slime, removed the valve core, and squirted a bunch of Slime in there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Well, my youngest went through tubes (which means I'd patch them but occasionally replaced them) more often than I'd have to refill the Stan's. I'd have to pump his tires to 40psi and that just does not ride very well for a sub 100lbs rider, but that's what it took to minimize the snake bites. Also, if you're up north, I have two new Stan's Schrader valves. I bought these for a wheel I no longer own. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 10 minutes ago, AntonioGG said: Well, my youngest went through tubes (which means I'd patch them but occasionally replaced them) more often than I'd have to refill the Stan's. I'd have to pump his tires to 40psi and that just does not ride very well for a sub 100lbs rider, but that's what it took to minimize the snake bites. Also, if you're up north, I have two new Stan's Schrader valves. I bought these for a wheel I no longer own. I'm way down south (Wimberley), but my wife works pretty far up there. So, I may still take you up on those valves. How far north? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, notyal said: I'm way down south (Wimberley), but my wife works pretty far up there. So, I may still take you up on those valves. How far north? I live in Austin, NW Balcones. I work in the Riata Trace Park area (Oak Knoll and US183) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 1 minute ago, AntonioGG said: I live in Austin, NW Balcones. I work in the Riata Trace Park area (Oak Knoll and US183) Thanks. I'll PM you if I need them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafeend Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 I live in Austin, NW Balcones. I work in the Riata Trace Park area (Oak Knoll and US183)Me to. Hi neighborSent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun_Jeremy Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 Ok, I'm old school. I ride a hard tail bike set up pretty similar to what I've known since I was a child. I don't get out on it every weekend, but when I do get out - I do well enough that it's not worth buying one of these newer full suspension rigs that seem pretty popular. I have been going back and forth between converting my tires to tubeless though. I keep hearing that going tubeless is so much better. Why? My current setup is tubes with inner liners and goop in the tubes, and I keep them around 25-30 PSI depending on the trail. Other than not needing to carry a spare inner tube, how does tubeless make things better? Just so there's no confusion with tone over the internet here, honest question. No sarcasm intended if it comes across that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 47 minutes ago, Shotgun_Jeremy said: Ok, I'm old school. I ride a hard tail bike set up pretty similar to what I've known since I was a child. I don't get out on it every weekend, but when I do get out - I do well enough that it's not worth buying one of these newer full suspension rigs that seem pretty popular. I have been going back and forth between converting my tires to tubeless though. I keep hearing that going tubeless is so much better. Why? My current setup is tubes with inner liners and goop in the tubes, and I keep them around 25-30 PSI depending on the trail. Other than not needing to carry a spare inner tube, how does tubeless make things better? Just so there's no confusion with tone over the internet here, honest question. No sarcasm intended if it comes across that way. The biggest advantage is that you can run lower pressure without fear of pitch flats. Lower pressure equals better traction, better cornering, and an overall smoother ride over trail chatter. There is also a bit of weight savings over heavy puncture resistance tubes. I think I started a thread very similar to this one a while ago debating whether it was worth it on my older CX bike. I went through 4 tubes in 3 rides (not puncture resistant, so kinda my fault, but at least one of those was definitely a pinch flat). After that I converted them using ghetto methods and homemade sealant cost $0 out of pocket and wondered why I even waited. My biggest hesitation with the kid's bike is that she needs to be able to grab the bike and go. It's not like tubeless setup is that hard to maintain. It's just one more thing that I would have to keep an eye on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun_Jeremy Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 What is there to maintain? Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, Shotgun_Jeremy said: What is there to maintain? Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk The sealant dries up, so you have to add more every few months (more often during the hot and dry seasons). The initial setup can be a PITA, too. Some tire/rim combos are more finicky than others. A compressor helps a lot, so there is also that barrier to entry. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moc 5 Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 How old is your kid? I ask because at some point she probably should learn to do some of this bike maintenance herself and changing tubes would probably be easier for her than refreshing Stan's or Orange Seal. Another option would be to convert her bike just for this trip and then switch it back to tubes when you get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted March 5, 2020 Author Share Posted March 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Moc 5 said: How old is your kid? I ask because at some point she probably should learn to do some of this bike maintenance herself and changing tubes would probably be easier for her than refreshing Stan's or Orange Seal. Another option would be to convert her bike just for this trip and then switch it back to tubes when you get back. That's a good idea. She's 9, and bike maintenance would be right up her alley. When we first got her bike, she spent way more time cleaning it than riding it. (Granted it was a little too big for her, and she wasn't allowed to ride on the street by herself.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) 19 hours ago, Shotgun_Jeremy said: how does tubeless make things better? Sharp rocks and spikey plants in central Texas mean you can count on patching or replacing a tube at least once every other ride. That was my experience. If that does not happen to you, you outta start buying lotto tickets. With tubeless for almost a decade, I get a flat maybe once a year. I can patch up the tire without taking it off on the side of the trail with a little plug and a mini pump in less than five minutes. That does not take into account the number of potential flats that were stopped short by sealant. When you remove a tubeless tire, you find dozens of little spots where the sealant did it's job and you could keep riding without even knowing something happened. If that was a tube, it would be dozens of patches or replaced tubes (those get expensive). Ride quality is superior too as you don't have the weight and friction of a tube in there. You can run lower pressure without fear of pinch flats. 30psi? Is that on your ROAD bike? Edited March 5, 2020 by mack_turtle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun_Jeremy Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 30 psi is what I've always ran for general trail riding, but if it's going to get hectic, I usually drop it to 25. It's worked pretty good for me so far over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) If tubes are working for you, stick with it. for all but a tiny minority of riders' experiences, dealing with tubes always sucked. we all switched to tubeless for that reason. Edited March 5, 2020 by mack_turtle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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