Puncture resistant tires
 

I just picked up my first serious MTB and am being plagued with thorn punctures.
The bike came with Nobby Nic performance line.
I am looking for a tire that will resist thorn punctures. Of course low rolling resistance and good grip.
I've read good things about Magic Mary and Minion DHF, but they have so many different models of the same name it's hard to figure out.

I would like some recommendations.
Thanks

A MTB tire that resists thorn punctures will be pretty much any MTB tire that is tubeless.

What kind of thorns? Goat heads or others. Run tubeless, use sealant, add at regular intervals, done.

tubeless is the best option to keep punctures managed. There is also a puncture tape like this. one thing about the tube liner or puncture resistant tires is they will be heavier.

Thanks for the replies. I have never done tubeless, so I am a little concerned about bad/difficult install, or a blowout on the trail.

I'll build up the courage sooner or later.

You are less likely to need to do anything on the side of the trail with tubeless.

True, but I know how to patch or change a tube. I am always a little weary when I try something for the first time.
Ordered the sealant and valves today, hopefully for the weekend I'll be set.

Not sure about the type of thorns, but these are fire roads covered in all kinds of branches and debris

When you get a flat running tubeless you can still just put a tube in it.

Of just plug it, which is faster.

As has been mentioned, you can still stick a tube in there. In fact, you should still carry a tube. I have done that on two occasions on my MTB over the years when I got sidewall rips too big to seal (which would have flattened a tube as well). The only difference is that instead of pulling out a damaged tube, you are dumping out some sealant and removing the tubeless valve.

I have never used a plug, but my friends have on a couple of occasions. Those are really easy. Easier than changing a tube.

But isn't near impossible to inflate a remounted (meaning the bead came out) tubeless tire with a mini pump?

You mean fixing a flat trialside?

If you are putting a tube in, it is just like mounting any tire with a tube, and if you are using a plug you don't need to unseat the tire.

The reason you need more airflow to seat a tubeless setup is that there is no tube to keep the air in before the bead seats. Once you stick a tube in there, it is no longer "tubeless".

What specific model rims and tire do you have? If they are both tubeless ready, tubeless could be really easy.

+1 for tubeless, and always carry a tube and some sort of tire boot, just in case you get a small tear that slime can't fix. I've had a dozen goatheads (at once) in my 29er 2.3" tubeless with no noticeable pressure loss, I just left them in until I got home. If you prefer to pull the goatheads out while on the trail, make sure to first rotate the goathead to the bottom, and wait ~20 seconds for the slime to pool at the bottom of the tire before pulling it out, waiting longer may be necessary if the slime is older and dried out, and therefore more viscous. I'm still on the fence with going tubeless on high psi road tires.

Better yet, use a quality sealant like Stan's or Orange Seal. Then you won't have to wait ~20 seconds for the Slime to pool at the bottom of the tire, etc.

So, I made the change and as expected, running into problems. Rear tire is all good, but the front is not sealing.
There are pin holes (3) along the seam of the sidewall. I would like to say defect, but I have taken the bike out a number of times.
The sealant stops the air loss, but half hour later opens up again.
The tire is Schwalbe Nobby Nic 29 x 2.60 Performance line. I googled the defect and found the same problem, but from 2012. What's strange is that this particular tire does not exist on the Schwalbe website.
I used Schwalbe Doc Blu sealant so if it is defective, the LBS cannot say I used the wrong sealant.
As far as the quantity goes, I put in 60 ml as per manufacturer's instruction, but thinking maybe to add a little more. What do you think?

Well of course after everyone telling you how easy this is, it is going to be a hassle.:)

Does this sealant have suspended particles in it? If so did you keep it shaken well enough that it was mixed in when you added it to the tire?

It sounds like you have liquid in there but not the particles.

I have always used Stans, but have heard Orange Seal highly recommended. Never heard anything about Schwalbe’s sealant. .

Of course I had to think for a minute, but yes, I absolutely shook the sealant before putting in. According to a few sources, Schwalbe sealant is made by Stan's and is very similar in characteristics.

Things are looking up. The front tire has held 40 psi for several hours now. Just waiting for the rain to stop, so I can do a real world test.

Thanks to all for the input. :beer:

If the problem continues. Shake it up good, add some extra sealant (a couple ounces), ride right away after adding, and be patient if it takes a few days or a week of daily riding before it seals. I had one tire I needed to do that with when new, but it never leaked again after that. I was using Stans and that was what the guy at Stans recommended. it worked fine for me.

Edit: If that doesn't work, I would consider asking for a replacement tire.

is your rim tubeless ready?

All is well. The pressure holds, but the next day, I need to top it off, which I hear is expected. But much, much improvement and am no longer thinking about buying new tires.

have you ridden the bike yet? taking it out for a spin should coat the insides nicely but you shouldn't need to add air every day. Did you seat the tires properly and hear the scary popping sounds of the tires seating? btw: Magic Marys would not be a tire to use if your bike came with NoNis....