Posts
14
Joined
9/3/2021
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
US
I’ve been running tubeless in my mtb for years. Doing the same in my mx bike and saving some weight was really appealling. Watched the videos. IMO- 10x more work than a regular tube and not even close to worth the effort. Truly disappointed. Will be returning
Your write-up above sounds like it's based just on watching a video of installation.
Would love to know if this is an actual ride report.
I ride hard enduro and find the ability to run low PSI, like around 5psi is amazing. Changing tires is very quick too. I wouldn’t run them in a race though. They aren’t puncture proof like a mousse.
The Shop
I ran the system for a couple years. Love the adjustability.
I ended up going with mousses because sometimes flats are not an option.
I was very excited to try the Tubliss system when it came out in 2009ish. Unfortunately it didn't work great for me. It seemed like the bead of the tire would flex and allow air to escape, resulting in a flat tire by around 60-90 minutes of racing. I tried different tires and pressures, and finally gave up and went back to tube or Tireballs. Tireballs worked awesome but expensive and tedious to change.
15 years later I'm currently using inner tubes because of the cost, handling characteristics, and because flats don't happen that often. If I was racing seriously I'd probably get tire balls again.
In bicycles the tube less systems use a special tire with reinforced bead (and sometimes rim) to reduce the likelihood of burping air.
I think the Tubliss system could work for a light rider for a short race like standard 5 lap amateur motocross.
I think the Tubliss system would work well for hard enduro stuff where they want a flat tire for straight line traction at the expensive of corner speed.
I've been using Tubliss consistently for 13 years for off-road riding on at least one of my bikes (I also use tubes on some wheels). They have worked well for me as a heavy rider (250 lbs) for multi day rides and they have a great feel unlike a mousse (although I would use a nitro-mousse if I was still racing). They really only work with new tire installs, they are roughly the same difficulty to install as a tube after initial installation, you must follow directions closely, and you need to check pressures before each ride. You also need to use a reliable and accurate air pressure gauge. Problems with Tubliss are that the valve cores tend to be unreliable, early bead locks were a little weak, you must use their rim tape and install it well, and friends who try to help by checking my pressure (and letting high pressure out). You also need to inspect and maintain Tubliss every tire installation but you need to do the same for all tire changes. I would recommend Tubliss systems for all riding except MX as their best trait is the ability to run low tire pressures for traction and small obstacle compliance which doesn't help on an MX bike.
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