Tubliss flat notes

[GMP]

Got a flat front with a Tubliss in Hancock last Sunday, appears to have been from a sharp piece of bluestone that is common up there. Probably a 5-6mm cut so its questionable if more Slime would have worked. I didn't have a lot in the tire, just some for mounting/sealing the liner. Anyway I rode out a few miles, which is easy on a Tubliss with the HP liner intact. Got home and figured I'd try and plug the tire. Checked the HP liner pressure, installed plug easy enough, and filled the tire. No leaks at plug, but tire would leak down in a couple minutes. Found another hole/leak that looked strange. I dismounted the tire, and found the casing worn through from the inside right over the rimlock. The button head on the back of the LP stem had obviously worn through the casing while riding flat.

Now, this is not a bash on the product. I have beat the hell out of it with a few tires over the past year with excellent results. Likely I could have avoided this problem and saved the day by running a lot of Slime, which I will do from now on. I think I was riding flat longer than I thought, as the tire stays stable on the rim, and it was muddy and slick, so hard to get a feel. I was wondering why I had so much trouble making a good pace though. Point is that the bolt head had a lot of time to work on the tire casing.

To counter this potential problem in the future, I'll put a nice heavy patch on the inside of every new tire, and align it with the rimlock when mounting. That should provide a little more protection if you happen to run flat.

 

[stainlesscycle]

i have run and entire race (or most of) with a flat front tubliss. the only damage i've seen from this is the inner tube gets wear around the stem. i run about 12 ounces of slime, i've got a pin hole or two in the front now (3 races on tire) - i can see the slime ooze out. have not had a flat in quite a while. you can definitely keep moving with a flat tubliss - much better than a flat tube - it still sucks and makes the front wheel feel really heavy, but you can at least finish. i've also had more of an issue with fronts chunking the outer knobs (mx31 @ 7psi) faster on tubliss - but i'm assuming it's from such low pressure. once the tires chunk, it leaks down pretty fast.

 

[twowheels]

Does the SLIME make changing tires a PITA? Can you clean it up and start over or does it get sticky and messy?

I remounted a rear tire when I changed the Tubliss from one rim to another and it leaks down in a day or so.

 

[stainlesscycle]

slime is not as messy as you would think. it's not particularly sticky, and cleans easily with water.

 

[lankydoug]

I've been running about 8 ounces of Berryman tire sealer which is similar to slime and it cleans up easily as well. So far zero flats and no overnight seepage of the tire but the inner liner usually drops from 110psi down to about 100psi after a week.

I've considered bringing a tubeless patch kit and a compact had pump along on long rides just in case.

 

[GMP]

When I started using Tubliss I had issues with slow leaks, especially on the fronts. Used Armor All, soapy water, silicone, etc. Cleaned everything up real good and used Slime as a lube, coating the liner seal area and inner tire. Problem solved! My tires stay at pressure at least as good as a tube. I just check and top off the inner HP liner tube every couple weeks. I had refrained from filling the tire with Slime because I thought it would be a big mess at change time, plus I never punctured a tire like this before, all my flats have been pinch flats (which is my main reason for Tubliss) and a few sidewall tears on Michelin and IRC trials tires. Lesson learned.

Twowheels, what you can't do without a likely leak is use a tire that had a conventional tube and rimlock previously installed. The inner surface is damaged where the seal must be made. I tried some fixes but it was not worth my time anymore and I just didn't trust it. Tubliss to Tubliss should be no problem.Clean and inspect the liner seal lips carefully, my first one had some mold flash that caused a slow leak.

From now on, on long rides anyway, I'll carry a plug kit and small pump I already carry. If the HP liner goes flat for some reason on the trail your screwed, so I'm not sweating that as its unlikely. Also, dismounting on the trail in an attempt to patch a hole on the inside of the tire will be a nightmare and a mess, and likely not work if dirt gets on the liner. If Slime doesn't stop a leak from a puncture, a quick plug will. If I had a plug kit on the trail I might have been OK too, as I did a lot of road back to the truck so the tire always had an even flat compression against the rimlock every rotation, which likely did most of the damage. This particular flat would have occured with a tube too, which is a lot more time and work to fix on the trail than installing a plug.

So what I learned in addition to all this is if the bike just doesn't feel quite right, it isn't, check the tires! A flat Tubliss is not as obvious as a flat tube.

 

[Eric K]

I had a rear flat a few weeks back - sidewall cut in a Metzeler knobby. Sealant would not have helped this cut. I decided to run flat at a very moderate pace. After 4 miles riding flat the Tubliss tube & liner popped - about a 1.5" tear.

Good thing I had a spare tube so I could get back.

The autopsy & e-mail exchange with Jeff @ Tubliss revealed that the red Tubliss liner had been slightly damaged during installation some time ago. I have had the Tubliss for about 2 years. The bead wire got nicked by the spoons causing it to rust and scale. After time the rough bead wire ground through the casing cords. Jeff sent me a new Tubliss at no charge! Excellent customer service!

Most of the side wall cords inside the Metzeler knobby were broken away from the rubber casing and a general mess. I can't really blame the tire since it is a tube type tire and without a tube the side wall cords are not properly constrained. There is some sidewall cord separation when running with a Tubliss at 6 psi. When run flat it is a complete mess. I bought a new tire.

Next time I get a flat with the Tubliss I am going to put in a spare tube to save the tire.

 

[GMP]

Then you have to ride out with the Tubliss around your shoulder if you want to save it, plus taking it off a dirty possibly knicked rim might damage it. They make a big deal about rim prep. I guess it all depends on the ride and doing what you have to do.

My biggest fear dealing with that system is grabbing and damaging the liner with the spoon when dismounting the tire. I bought a couple of nice, polished Motion Pro spoons just for this purpose.

 

[Eric K]

Since the Tubliss was quite warm from the ride I just poured some water on it and pulled it off by hand. I didn't use tire spoons and it came off easily.

I tied the Tublisss liner & tube to my pack and away I went. It was way easier and smoother riding with air in my tire. I had many miles to go back to the truck.

 

[dualsportutah.com]

I stop using them on my rental bikes
too much work staying on top of them and your average guy doesn't know what to do with them or mess it up it was a wast of my time a tube woks fine it either hold air or not bottom line most anyone can change 1
I have 5-6 tubless for sale $50 each comes with a new tube for it

 

[GMP]

Well in your situation of rental bikes in a business yeah, tubes would be eaiser for everyone to deal with and cheaper. I can't complain about the product, it has worked very well for me hammering rocks and racing for quite some time without a failure. If your in a situation where puncture flats or tears from sharp objects are common, I'd just run bibs then and be done with it, but I hate the way they feel.

I just mounted a new M59 and it aired up fine. The Tubliss insert look perfect and was not damaged riding flat. The tire looked OK too, I plugged and patched it and it should be OK but I have a race coming up and don't want to chance it.

 

[Zhack]

I quit using Tubliss

They were a pain to stay on top constantly.

You use them so you can run low pressure which often leads to ding in rims (but no immediate pinch flat) and often , a slow leak.
I got LOTS of sidewall tears. I was removing tires with 90% tread left because of a sidewall nick.
It's too tempting to keep riding fast on them in a race when they are flat....leads to crashes....no bueno

Switched to mousses. Much happier. No fussing with them EVERY ride. No worries when racing.