# Yup- gonna ask: Tubeless Ready tires, Can I tube em?



## Tatuued1 (Oct 27, 2015)

I am not tubeless, know I should go tubeless, will go tubeless someday. That being said- I want to change my Specialized stock tires out and put on some Maxxis, but the High Rollers only come Tubeless Ready (going to put a Tomahawk on the rear, so shouldn't be an issue there) and I want to run em with tubes. Doable? Yay or nay. Thanks for the assistance.


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## mfa81 (Apr 1, 2011)

yes you can run tubes, that's how everybody does when we get a flat and also ehy we carry a spare tube!

now I'm curious why you don't wanna tape your rim and go tubeless?


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## Tatuued1 (Oct 27, 2015)

Honestly, still too new to dive into that, but I want to know if I can get away with just being standard til I get ready to step it up. So, I can run tubes til I am ready with no issues?


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## mfa81 (Apr 1, 2011)

yes you can use tubes! when changing tires check if your rim isn't taped already life is so much easier tubeless and you can always go back and put tubes!


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## Slash5 (Nov 27, 2011)

It will work. However, you may find that tubeless tires and tubeless rims seal so tightly that it would be very difficult to dismount them and patch a tube in the field. You might as well go tubeless to start with.


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Tubeless isn't really necessary where I ride, so I use tubes in all my tires, which are mostly Maxxis.


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## milliesand (Jun 29, 2015)

As others have already posted you can run tubes if you want....

Look for tubes with removable cores. That way you can add an ounce or two of sealant to help with goat-heads and MAYBE pinch flats. You'll need a $10 tool to remove Presta valves but if and when you go tubeless you'll need it anyway.

Here's one example of a removable core inner tube. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0068FARSQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I keep saying someday I'll go tubeless but....


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## Tatuued1 (Oct 27, 2015)

I went ahead and ordered the Maxxis and we shall see how if goes. I appreciate all of the thoughts and suggestions here. I plan to start looking into the tubeless transition, but this is all a never ending quest for knowledge at this early stage.


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## idividebyzero (Sep 25, 2014)

Theres nothing different about tubeless tires besides having a higher quality casing so sealant doesnt seep through the sidewall. These days nearly all foldable tires are tubeless capable.


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## Slash5 (Nov 27, 2011)

idividebyzero said:


> Theres nothing different about tubeless tires besides having a higher quality casing so sealant doesnt seep through the sidewall. These days nearly all foldable tires are tubeless capable.


Don't think so:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/To-The-Point-UST-Rims-Tires-2013.html
On the tire side, a UST tire must have a bead that is shaped correspondingly to the 
UST bead hook - it's more square than round, and it has a small flap on the inner edge 
to help create an airtight seal. This flap also helps the tire gain an airtight seal against 
the rim when it's first being inflated. The dimension and mechanical characteristics of 
a proper UST tire bead are critical. Any variance in diameter or profile, or the bead stretching 
under inflation pressure, can cause the tire to not fit correctly and therefore not remain 
airtight. Finally, a proper UST tire casing is airtight and holds air over time. Again, an 
independent lab certifies the proper bead dimensions, allowable bead stretch, sealing 
capability, security of the bead lock even when deflated, and ability to retain air over 
time. However, a company that wants to make a UST tire doesn't have to pay a license
fee. It just has to make the tire such that it passes the certification test.

Note that on the tire side, "UST-ready" systems are ubiquitous. A UST-ready tire has a proper 
UST certified bead, but it requires sealant in order to make the casing airtight. Several brands 
of tires have sought and achieved UST certification with the use of sealant. Of course the new 
Mavic Charge, Roam, and Roam XL tires fall into this category, as do the TCS tires from WTB.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Not that long ago we all used tubes, and somehow managed to not die instantly. Now people make it out like you cant ride a bike with a tube 5 feet before it flats. Everyone in my riding group would get a flat or two per season and we'd just toss in tubes trailside. Now its about the same with tubeless failures.

Im tubeless now too, but no need for the hyperbole. Tubes aren t that bad, and tubeless isnt that good.


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

One Pivot said:


> Not that long ago we all used tubes, and somehow managed to not die instantly. Now people make it out like you cant ride a bike with a tube 5 feet before it flats. Everyone in my riding group would get a flat or two per season and we'd just toss in tubes trailside. Now its about the same with tubeless failures.
> 
> Im tubeless now too, but no need for the hyperbole. Tubes aren t that bad, and tubeless isnt that good.


I'm still really wanting to like tubeless, but recently went back to a tube on the back of one bike when I couldn't find a decent tire I liked under $50. I still haven't died (or flatted for that matter) after ~75 miles' riding, unlike the Schwalbes I kept getting sidewall tears with.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

One Pivot said:


> Im tubeless now too, but no need for the hyperbole. Tubes aren t that bad, and tubeless isnt that good.


I wouldn't call it hyperbole, for me tubeless is right up there with front suspension and disc brakes as far as upgrades go. You're right that tubes aren't that bad but I think tubeless really is that good. It's geographically dependent of course but I've gotten 1 flat over the course of about 2 1/2 years with tubeless compared to several dozen over that same period when using tubes, and I always tended to flat less than most of my riding companions.

For the op I'd say that unless you like to change tires often to match different trail conditions there is absolutely no downside to just going tubeless from the start, but as mentioned tubes will definitely work too.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Ive had to reset my tire 3 times, use one tube and then finally switch brands to get it to seal tubeless. Tubeless is great when it works, which is usually, and a pretty big hassle when it doesnt work.


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## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

Yes you can tube them. I didn't even know that until I asked on here, and now I have a tube in a Maxxis DHF 2.5 and it's great. I don't know how common this is but compared to the non-TR (tubeless-ready) tires, the Maxxis, for as large as it is, fit on the rim a lot easier than normal. From reading many posts on this topic (on other threads) I've come to the conclusion that it's a personality thing for tubeless: if you are mechanically inclined and love to 'get things right, no matter how long it takes', in other words a bit of a perfectionist, then you'll probably do tubeless. If you want to 'cheat' and put in self-sealing Slime tubes then you are a more pragmatic person like me who does not like to spend hours working on their bike. Now if you can get it right for tubeless, that's great and you may not have to worry about the tire for months or even years, but again don't underestimate mechanical inclination.

I've had exactly two flats with Slime tubes, and about ten without Slime tubes. Again it's really about how much you like learning how to do something that to me is not even worth learning. Some guys out there are millionaires and they still change their own tires on their cars. Good for them. I don't have time or tools for that so I take my cars to a shop. The learning curve for tubeless vs. tubed is steeper than you think; 1/2 the experienced people on here still run tubes because they can or they don't want to learn something that is not essential for biking.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

richj8990 said:


> From reading many posts on this topic (on other threads) I've come to the conclusion that it's a personality thing for tubeless: if you are mechanically inclined and love to 'get things right, no matter how long it takes', in other words a bit of a perfectionist, then you'll probably do tubeless. If you want to 'cheat' and put in self-sealing Slime tubes then you are a more pragmatic person like me who does not like to spend hours working on their bike.


I don't know why this myth perpetuates but honestly it's the exact opposite of what you describe, I use tubeless because I don't want to spend time messing with my tires and it seems most other people have the same results. If you get the right rims and tires there's nothing difficult about it and over the life of the tire I'd estimate maintenance is at least 4x less (time/money) compared to tubes.

I worked in a shop that sold 1,000's of slime tubes and they don't even come close to the reliability of tubeless and they also add a ton of rotating weight. I'm glad they work out for you but personally I hate those things.

So in a nutshell it's for lazy people who would rather spend time riding, also a slight performance improvement.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

The benefits of Tubeless, like a lot of other good options for MTB can be exaggerated. But on my Heckler, which came tubeless, I have not had a flat in 3 years and it is my main ride. I have never gone so long without a flat and I am riding the same stuff. I also run much lower pressure, 10-12 psi lower than I would with tubes.

To OP, you may have better luck setting up the Maxxis tubeless now before you ride that tire. When I have set it up on worn tires in the past, it seems to be harder. In addition, if you are interested in doing it, then give it a try. It isn't rocket science but can be messy if it is hard to get the tire to seat. 

With new tires on tubeless rims it's been very easy for me, but maybe Maxxis is just making great stuff these days, as I also use HRII. If you get a Stan's Kit or similar brand, get the syringe, core remover, and use a compressor or take it to REI for the inflate. I am only encouraging you because it isn't as hard as you may think and you seem interested. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

J.B. Weld said:


> I don't know why this myth perpetuates but honestly it's the exact opposite of what you describe, I use tubeless because I don't want to spend time messing with my tires and it seems most other people have the same results. If you get the right rims and tires there's nothing difficult about it and over the life of the tire I'd estimate maintenance is at least 4x less (time/money) compared to tubes.
> 
> I worked in a shop that sold 1,000's of slime tubes and they don't even come close to the reliability of tubeless and they also add a ton of rotating weight. I'm glad they work out for you but personally I hate those things.
> 
> So in a nutshell it's for lazy people who would rather spend time riding, also a slight performance improvement.


"I worked in a shop", "...there is nothing difficult about it..."

You are mechanically inclined. I am not. It would be like if I expected you to know what I worked on in graduate school: small nuclear RNA. I don't expect you to understand what small nuclear RNA does, so why would you expect everyone to easily put on a tubeless tire? Everyone has different talents (even though I grew to hate that career). One of the other threads had a guy ask how to put on a tubeless tire and a response was 'It's not hard, you'll figure it out'. That's not a helpful response. Write out a very anal-retentive, detailed protocol on it and I'll be impressed. I have no idea if my wheels are tubeless ready or not. Two slime tubes add a total of 1.6 lbs to the bike. For a typical aluminum bike that's around 5% extra weight, not insignificant but not horrible. These TR tires also seem a lot heavier than normal even if there are no tubes in them. You guys should take that into account too.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

richj8990 said:


> You are mechanically inclined. I am not.


If you can install a tube you can install a tubeless tire, that's the level of mechanical inclination involved.


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