Tubeless Puncture Experiences + Tools

[TobinHatesYou]

I'm pretty sure it's faulty, but I'm hesitant to buy another as I still prefer having co2 for speed and my hand pump will never run out of juice.

I've had leaks where I struggled to find a hole to plug in the dark with no liquid sealant and just limped home by topping up with the hand pump every few miles. A mini compressor with limited capacity just doesn't provide that kind of security. This reminds me I need to put a much bigger tube in my kit when I'm running 35s and 40s!

I tested the battery on the AS2 Pro before ever riding with it. It inflated a 28mm tire to 60psi five times, and on the sixth attempt it got to 50psi before going dead. I've never had to inflate a tire six times one ride. I seriously doubt I'd ever run out of battery on a single-day ride.

I bet it could inflate a 40mm tire to 40psi at least four times since the motors don't have to work as hard against lower pressures.

[Jaisen]

I'm pretty sure it's faulty, but I'm hesitant to buy another as I still prefer having co2 for speed and my hand pump will never run out of juice.

I've had leaks where I struggled to find a hole to plug in the dark with no liquid sealant and just limped home by topping up with the hand pump every few miles. A mini compressor with limited capacity just doesn't provide that kind of security. This reminds me I need to put a much bigger tube in my kit when I'm running 35s and 40s!

I tested the battery on the AS2 Pro before ever riding with it. It inflated a 28mm tire to 60psi five times, and on the sixth attempt it got to 50psi before going dead. I've never had to inflate a tire six times one ride. I seriously doubt I'd ever run out of battery on a single-day ride.

I bet it could inflate a 40mm tire to 40psi at least four times since the motors don't have to work as hard against lower pressures.

Mine's also holding it's charge really well, though I haven't needed to use it at all this season. I do carry a mini usb c dongle just in case the battery does go flat, I can then charge it up from my iPhone. I don't ever see myself going back to CO2.

[bobones]

I'm pretty sure it's faulty, but I'm hesitant to buy another as I still prefer having co2 for speed and my hand pump will never run out of juice.

I've had leaks where I struggled to find a hole to plug in the dark with no liquid sealant and just limped home by topping up with the hand pump every few miles. A mini compressor with limited capacity just doesn't provide that kind of security. This reminds me I need to put a much bigger tube in my kit when I'm running 35s and 40s!

I tested the battery on the AS2 Pro before ever riding with it. It inflated a 28mm tire to 60psi five times, and on the sixth attempt it got to 50psi before going dead. I've never had to inflate a tire six times one ride. I seriously doubt I'd ever run out of battery on a single-day ride.

I bet it could inflate a 40mm tire to 40psi at least four times since the motors don't have to work as hard against lower pressures.

Mine's also holding it's charge really well, though I haven't needed to use it at all this season. I do carry a mini usb c dongle just in case the battery does go flat, I can then charge it up from my iPhone. I don't ever see myself going back to CO2.

That's persuaded me to try these again, so I've just bought an AS2 Pro, but I'll need to upgrade my iPhone to one with reverse charging.

[LoremIpsum]

I have accepted that I have had to drop my love of tubulars to allow myself to keep rim brakes and get XDR hubs.

Apologies for a slight drift - if you like tubulars, why not order a wheelset with tubular rims and xdr hubs? I'm sure Farsports or similar can do that. But sure, why not try different tech.

I think it's just a realisation that to have XDR hubs with rim brakes and keep tubulars makes the choice of rims became very limited. I'm happy that moving to tubeless now is the right option. In 10 years time I might even accept disc brakes

[LoremIpsum]

If you're just starting out on tubeless then keep it simple and skip the air liners. In 7 years tubeless I have never felt the need to have them. Yes, I've had a fast downhill blowout on super thin Corsa Speeds, but I was still able to stop safely and get home with a boot and a tube. Tubeless is enough of a phaff without the extra hassle of liners, especially if you're just starting out.

The big mistake people make with tubeless is having no contingency plan for a non-sealing puncture, or immediately jumping to fitting a tube, which will be a messy business. The key is having a good plugging system and Dynaplugs have worked for me after I had little success with bacon strips on their own. (I also own WTB TCS Rocket Tyre Plug Kit but haven't used it yet).

Good sealant like Orange Seal Regular will also lessen potential frustration as long as you ensure there's always some in the tyre. (I've just taken delivery of some Bartender Pro sealant, which promises a lot, but I haven't used it yet either).

I carry 2x CO2 carts as these can help reseat a tyre and help find the location of holes to plug. I also have a small hand pump and a TPU tube in my kit as a last resort. I own a Cycplus inflator but any time I've gone to use it the battery has been flat or there was insufficient charge to inflate the tyre.

Plugs can be a permanent fix, but it's still possible to repair a tubeless tyre by applying a patch to the inside, but leave this type of repair until you're back home.

When you say phaff, are you comparing to a world where you are using inner tubes or a world where you spend 2 days applying layers of glue to mount a tyre? My hope is that I don't have to carry more than the CO2 cartridges and the dynaplugs.

[bobones]

When you say phaff, are you comparing to a world where you are using inner tubes or a world where you spend 2 days applying layers of glue to mount a tyre? My hope is that I don't have to carry more than the CO2 cartridges and the dynaplugs.

Most of the tubeless phaff is in the preparation. Just getting tyres mounted, inflated and seated can be a challenge for some tyre/rim combinations. Then there's the potential for mess when dealing with sealant, valves getting clogged, etc.

As long as you've got decent sealant in your tyres, CO2 and Dynaplugs should see you fine for 99.9% of your rides. For that other 0.1% I carry a tpu tube, boot, and patches as well as a hand pump for when I run out of CO2.