Originally Posted by
DuneRider
I'd say 1.75lbs is pretty noticeable on the wheels and you'd be happy to lose it.. Especially off jumps the bike will feel much less rigid and more maneuverable IME. I have Mulefut 80's with 4.8" Jumbo Jim's and was able to get away with 60ml of Stans Race Seal per wheel. I taped the rims with one layer of Tyvek tape, and one layer of OEM Sun Mulefut tape. After about one week of that setup I bombed into a creekbed with super low PSI and smashed my rear rim to the point of cracking and having a big flat spot. The tubeless setup went to hell with that, not a good seal on the bent up rim. So instead of dropping $300 on a new wheel, I hammered the rim as straight as I could get it then put in a 159 gram Revoloop.fat tube. I had to order it from Germany and it was like $50 for a tube when you add in the DHL shipping, but it pretty much weighs the same as my tubeless setup when you account for tape, valve stem, and sealant. It's been just over 2 weeks and so far so good with the tube. I got it from a website called r2-bike.com if you're interested. For me it was worth $50 to save over 150 grams of rotational weight... But maybe I'm just bad with money! : )
UPDATE: Well I've just gotten my first flat with my fancy expensive tube... It's a super slow leak and I have no idea what's causing it. I'll update more once I know, but maybe these things aren't as durable as I hoped!
bummer on the leak, light tubes for trails are never the answer, I usually just save them for backups. I'd just stick with a regular tube till you replace the rim. Fat tires unlike smaller tires are less forgiving to rim damage. Also consider a few more PSI with tubes to avoid pinch flats. I was getting them every other ride till i got tired of it and stuck with around 10 pounds in the rear. Yes, it bounces around, but at least I'm not patching it every week. Another route maybe to go with the smaller JJs, with less sidewall mush, you should have more stability despite the lower pressures.