MT 43 Tubliss ride report

[lankydoug]

Here in OK we got a break in the winter weather with a 70 degree day last weekend. I had not planned ahead for this but since I have a tag on my Husky I jumped on it and went searching for places to ride down by a local river. I had already ridden this set up in the tight woods on the rocks and leaves and it was like velcro compared to the knobby on my Gas Gas but now I was going to see how it did on the pavement and the gravel roads in the transition to the woods. I put the usual 110psi in the Tubliss and 5psi in the tire and set out. I found that the tire would really stick to the pavement as expected but the good surprise was that with only 5psi it was stable with no wobble all the way to 73mph on gravel roads, that's assuming my speedometer is correct.

I already purchased a Tubliss set up for the rear of the Gas Gas but was waiting to test the MT 43 out on the Husky before I put one on the Gasser but this sealed the deal. I can't imagine a better all around set up than this.

 

[husley]

Yes

Had the same set up on my 450

 

[flybars]

I have the mt43 on my xr440 and love it. I bought TuBliss, and plan on mountin a mt43 on my ec250's extra wheel. I'm riding wet rocks and sand right now with my ec250 and wonder if the mt43 would work in the sand? I could have used it saturday climbing the wet muddy solid rock step ups. The knobby just spins on that stuff.

 

[GasGasDreamer]

i run the pirelli mt 43 on the rear of my gg ec300 and love it.
i ordered a front mt 43 to try out this weekend.

my questions are....
is the tubliss alot better than bridgestone ultra hd tubes?
is the tubliss worth the extra money?

thanks in advance for the replies.

gasgasdreamer [but not anymore, i have two !]

 

[lankydoug]

i run the pirelli mt 43 on the rear of my gg ec300 and love it.
i ordered a front mt 43 to try out this weekend.

my questions are....
is the tubliss alot better than bridgestone ultra hd tubes?
is the tubliss worth the extra money?

thanks in advance for the replies.

gasgasdreamer [but not anymore, i have two !]

I didn't try the MT 43 with a tube but I don't see any way to run 70+ mph @ 5psi. and have it grip slippery rocks like velcro.

I run about 4 oz. of Berrymans flat fix in the tire to prevent flats but I'll bet there is still some weight savings over an HD tube not to mention the rim protection by basically having a 360 degree rim lock.

 

[firffighter]

I've run the MT43 going on 4 season now. First 2 seasons with Bridgestone HD tube and last year with the Tubliss.

The Tubliss allows you to run at ridiculously low pressure without fear of flat compared to the HD tube, although I only had 1 pinch flat over 3 seasons.

I normally run the MT43 at 7-8 lbs. for slow, technical stuff and 9-12 for faster terrain. With the Tubliss I am able to bring those pressures down to 5-7 for technical and 8-10 for fast, all without fear of pinch flats.

Is it worth the $? I am not sure, but I does let you really take advantage of the trials tire and make it very effective.

 

[GasGasDreamer]

thanks for the replies, i really appreciate the first hand info.

i have the mt43 in the rear already [man that doesnt sound right] with the ultra hd tube.
since i only like to make one change at a time, to really evaluate whats going on, i will run the mt43 on the front with the ultra hd tube. then i will try the tubliss, just so i can truely know what changes are from what change.

if i like the front tubliss i'll try one in the rear
thanks
gasgasdreamer

 

[lankydoug]

FYI
I was told by tech support at Tubliss that the Tubliss set up works better with a new tire because of the indentation made by the rim lock on a used tire it may cause a sealing problem where the Tubliss meets the bead. They recommended using the Tubliss on a new tire.

 

[GasGasDreamer]

...They recommended using the Tubliss on a new tire.

thanks for that info.

i understand that the tubliss allows lower psi that a tube, and there is the weight savings issue too.

at the risk of being a p.i.a., can i get some description of what these differences feel like?
i have a bad left wrist. does the tubliss, and lower psi, add an extra level of plushness?

thanks again...i really appreciate the replies

 

[firffighter]

Good question.

When I first started using a trials tire, I noticed a big difference in plushness. It felt like I had softened the rear suspension.

I really dont feel a difference in plushness between the Tubliss and HD tube, but I do feel a big differnce in traction. You can really feel that rear trials tire grab at the low pressures. It is awesome.

I have never run a front Tubliss or trials tire, so cant comment on the front end.

 

[Skidad]

Don't forget the TuBliss with a knobby (say MT16 Pirelli) at 5-7psi is also fantastic. Better braking and cornering angles than what you get with a trials tire yet still greatly improved traction over a tube/tire combo. Still for all around use the TuBliss/MT43 is awesome and they wear pretty dam good.

 

[roostafish]

thanks for that info.

i understand that the tubliss allows lower psi that a tube, and there is the weight savings issue too.

at the risk of being a p.i.a., can i get some description of what these differences feel like?
i have a bad left wrist. does the tubliss, and lower psi, add an extra level of plushness?

thanks again...i really appreciate the replies

I have noticed a big difference in traction, especially at 5-6 psi. At that pressure, sharp edges seem to be gobbled up.

One thing you won't get away with is running a tyre ' till it's destroyed. If the knobs start cracking off, give the tyre to a competitor and spoon on a new one.

Trailside flats are quickly fixed with a plug kit if you get a puncture. I only have had one flat in two years of running TuBliss, and that was on a trials tyre with 4.5 psi.

 

[swazi_matt]

if you looking for plushness you might want to fit some air-cells. I had them on my kx and constantly thought i had a near flat tyre!