UST Tubless

[ravewoofer]

Anyone else ride them? I've put on nearly 3 months of riding and had only two problems. First time, I snapped of the valve stem when a branch or root snagged it and secondly, got a side wall cut while going through some rocks.

The valve break was a freak accident. I've never had that happen 32 years of riding with presta valves.

I wonder about the sidewalls, though. Supposedly, with tubeless, one can really ride anywhere as there won't be pinch flatting. Lower pressure, too, makes it much easier to haul over the rough stuff.

Dunno, though, yesterday's ride cost me one tire and two CO2 cartridge inflators. All in all, nearly $40 for the 2 hour ride.

So far the pros outweigh the cons, but I won't be happy replacing tires before they wear out.

 

[Mr. Toad]

I'm running a redneck tubeless set-up with some made-for-tubes Contis and surgically altered BMX presta tubes on Mavic Crosstrail rims. Worked well so far.

Sorry no help on the USTs.

 

[ravewoofer]

I'm running a redneck tubeless set-up with some made-for-tubes Contis and surgically altered BMX presta tubes on Mavic Crosstrail rims. Worked well so far.

Sorry no help on the USTs.

I put on a new tire last Sunday, pumped it up and have been on the road until last night. Checked the tire, yesterday and it held its pressure.

I'm good to go for this afternoon.

 

[dixie_cragger]

i used to ride UST tubeless but am a recent convert to stans/ghetto tubeless setups with non-UST tires. The tubeless UST tires in my opinion do not last very long. I'm not sure why but I have gotten longer life out of non-UST tires on stans/ghetto setups. Yes the sidewalls arent as thick as UST tires but I do ride a LOT and ride rocky/ledgy/babyhead terrain in Austin, TX and havent ran to many problems with sidewall tears (i ride close to 2k miles a year offroad but I am a lighter rider)

Also, I have started going with Stans No tubes rims (ZTR Arch) on all of my bikes given how they have held up/performed.

 

[MANUCHAO]

if yah go tubeless.. use Stan's tire sealant. I have finish a few rides with thorns on my wheels with out going flat... some others use the green slime product.. Either way can't go wrong...!!

 

[davegonz]

I'm running some Hutchinson Python USTs. They have held up well and don't seem to leak. These are my first pair of tubeless tires and I'm really digging the large volume/low pressure.

 

[ravewoofer]

I was out again today, riding smoking fast for 2 hours 20 minutes. The USTs are just plain quicker and as they float over the rough stuff, you can more or less pick any line through the rough stuff.

 

[Tigerstripe40]

I've been running the Stans/Ghetto tubless setup on 3 of my 4 bikes for 3 years now.
On my DH and Freeride bikes, I run Maxxis Minions, and on my 29er I run WTB Exiwolfs.
All have held up fine and I run my tire pressure at 20psi for the FR and DH bikes. 30psi on the 29er.

Ghetto Tubless is a bit more effort than running regular tubes, but I'm completely sold on the setup. Its worth the effort, and well worth the (little bit of) extra time involved.

 

[ravewoofer]

I've been running the Stans/Ghetto tubless setup on 3 of my 4 bikes for 3 years now.
On my DH and Freeride bikes, I run Maxxis Minions, and on my 29er I run WTB Exiwolfs.
All have held up fine and I run my tire pressure at 20psi for the FR and DH bikes. 30psi on the 29er.

Ghetto Tubless is a bit more effort than running regular tubes, but I'm completely sold on the setup. Its worth the effort, and well worth the (little bit of) extra time involved.

The thing about "tubless" is that the bicycle manufacturers really don't support the technology. I suppose it's because of the extra work involved, and after all, the lbs doesn't want to sell or demo bikes with flats, but really any tubless is waaaay better than the standard inner tube/rim/tire tech out there today.

 

[Lugboot]

Sidewall tears are the downfall of tubeless. The simple fact is that some tires have better sidewalls, whether they're UST or not. And if you live in an area with a lot of sharp rocks, you still have to kinda pick a line. That said, I have gone less than a ride on a new tire before cutting a sidewall, and I have gone months without cutting a sidewall. Overall, I'll swap the sidewall possibility for pinch flats any day. Being able to run lower pressure is the clincher for me. I've just found tires that work better for the terrain I ride and I tend to stick to them

I have a full sus Kona Hei Hei 29 running Stans Flow rims and Continental 2.4 Mtn Kings (not a UST tire) and an OS Blackbuck 29er hardtail running a Salsa Gordo with a Maxxis 2.4 Ardent, tubed, in the front, and a Bontrager Duster with a Maxxis 2.4 Ardent in the back, tubeless. In a way, this is my test of the Maxxis tires since the 2.4 is supposed to have a beefier sidewall than the 2.25.

Oh yeah, most 29er tires aren't UST so it's pay to play until you find a good tire. The Mtn Kings work great--one of the more durable tires for where I ride.

When I originally went tubeless with a Titus Racer X 26" wheeled bike, I sliced the sidewall on a UST tire on the first ride. Bad line choice. Subsequent tires of the same make lasted forever. I just learned I still had to pick a line and not rub up against quartz outcroppings!

 

[nautilus]

Those of you that are giving up on your tires from a simple sidewall tear I'd gladly pay you shipping costs to send them my way. They're extremely easy to fix, all you need is some needle and thread to sew the cut back together, that's probably all you need to do if you're using stans, but I go an extra step and coat the inside and outside with some aquaseal. Have never had a problem with them after.

 

[Lugboot]

Yes, you're right, they can be fixed, and I have a few I intend to repair, but when you're in the middle of a ride, it's a PITA, so I've tended towards tires that don't slice as easily. If you have to go home and sew a tire after every ride, what's the point? Why continue running that tire? Not to mention having to boot it and put in a tube in the middle of every ride.

Some tires simply have thinner sidewalls than other tires and those are the ones I now try to stay away from so I can make use my tubeless setup more effectively--that is, by riding more and not having to fix flats on every ride.

That said, you make a valid point because it sucks to throw out a brand new tire because of a sidewall cut. Fix it and run it tubed on another bike, at the very least. Tubes help support thinner sidewalls and you could probably run the tire until it's toast.

 

[ravewoofer]

I was honking through some granite knife edged rock gardens this weekend. I didn't ruin any tires, but I sure deserved to!

The ride is so much better with the UST tubeless set up, that I just go straight through the rough stuff. During my tubed days, I'd have to pick a line and work it. Not anymore!

 

[2littletime]

I have been running tubless for ten years now. Very little flats and a much better ride. I have been setting it up ghetto style for most of that time. I do not use UST tires, way to rough of ride. Has anyone tried the new cafe sealant. It foams in the tire, versus running to the outside.

 

[bustanutley]

I prefer the UST tires for the strong sidewall which allows you to run lower pressures have not the tire fold in very fast cornering. And when combined with ust rims just makes life real easy getting them mounted. I normally don't even use sealant. I have never heard of that sealant but here is what mtbr had to say on the subject which I’m sure you have already read Cafe Latex doesn't seem to be sealing punctures as good as Stans - Mountain Bike Forums

 

[ravewoofer]

I prefer the UST tires for the strong sidewall which allows you to run lower pressures have not the tire fold in very fast cornering. And when combined with ust rims just makes life real easy getting them mounted. I normally don't even use sealant. I have never heard of that sealant but here is what mtbr had to say on the subject which I’m sure you have already read Cafe Latex doesn't seem to be sealing punctures as good as Stans - Mountain Bike Forums

I've only ridden on UST or tubed tires, both Nevegal 2.1s. The UST is a better tire all around as not only do you ride with a lower pressure, but you get a much more supple ride. I ride the tubeless starting at 30 psi and will pump up the tires around 25 in the rear and 22 in the front. Dang, they still feel great at those pressures.

The Kenda tubed tires would have collapsed and/or been unridable for me anywhere near 30 psi. The tubed tire is much lighter, but not faster than the UST. Oh yeah, no sealant whatsover, either. I don't have to worry about cactus, although a thorn will get me now and then.

My .02 ymmv

 

[bustanutley]

I just carry a small tube of super glue for potential thorn problems, but haven't needed it in the places I ride my MTBs. Sometimes I will rip a sidwall on my DH but stauns won't seal that anyway. Overall, i'm pretty blown away with how durable the ust tires are that I have used(limited to sticky minions and tomac nevs), worth the extra weight, I could never ride the single ply tires when tubed anyway.

 

[alex e]

Ghetto tubeless here- I'm running Stan's in Nevegals on UST Mavic 819s. Just gotta get the Stan's all over the bead of the tire when you mount them and do the shake and spin per Stan's instructions. 5 min per side should do it. I had a difficult time sealing up one tire when I mounted this brand new set of Nevegals, as the sidewalls absorb a lot of stans initially, but wetting the bead did the trick eventually.

 

[ravewoofer]

Update: I've logged over 1000 miles on the Crank Brothers Cobalt wheelset and UST Nevegals 2.1s since mid February. No problems until yesterday. While going up a small hill and over a log, I hear a loud ping. I thought for sure the chain snapped, but my problems were actually worse. I sheared something in the cassette body so the cassette would not engage while pedaling. Feck!!

I was a long way from home, with really no way out of the woods except by foot. Feck! It turns out I snapped one of the pawls in the cassette body, rendering it useless. There's really no off road fix unless you carry a spare assembly, chain whip and cassette removal tool. Not gonna happen!

Crank Bros. is overnighting the part so I can go out pronto, however, the company is just sending the same defective part as a new generation assembly is being built and tested now.

I'm not too happy about not being able to trust a critical part of the wheelset, but for the time being, I'll reinstall and keep riding.

Crank Bros. customer service was prompt and excellent, but still, I'm just getting the same defective part just waiting to explode at an inopportune time.