trail_monkey

I currently am set up tubeless but would like the ability to switch tires for different applications without losing and wasting the expensive sealant. Switching tires on a tube wheel is fast and effortless. I have yet to have to remove my tubeless tires but dread the day remembering how tight those things went on. What is the popular concensus on this for gravel where you likely won't be running the ridiculous low pressures you might on a mountain bike trail thus not having to worry about pinch flats?

fietsbob

Burping all the air out in a corner is a Tubeless possibility.

You May not have noticed the Real racing in Cyclocross remains favoring Glued on Tubular tired wheels

when They run lower pressures (poorly Glued on tires can still Roll off the Rim).

Gravel grinding you just go with the trends (i dont do them)

Just Buy a second set of wheels .. 1 Tubed and the other your Tubeless Setup.


./.

KonaRider125

Tubeless tires are the way to go for gravel bikes. I would suggest just having two wheelsets if you want to run different tires, thats what I'm planning on doing.

I currently have Stans Notubes Grail wheels setup tubeless with G Ones 35mm, thinking of buying another set of Stans Grails to run a tubeless road tire for longer rides on the road.

trail_monkey

I considered a second set of wheels. Maybe someday lol. If I could find a happy medium tire for both mountain biking and gravel I would not be switching. Right now my front tire is such an aggressive knobby tread that the rolling resistance is horrible on gravel. I may look into more of a xc tire with smaller knobs.

BluesDawg

I'm a big proponent of tubeless for gravel when running 35-45mm tires on gravel/CX/monstercross/hybrid type bikes. It allows you to run lower pressure for a smoother ride and better traction without worrying about pinch flats.

Although he hasn't come right out and said so, I get the impression the OP is talking about bigger MTB tires and thus has much less concern about pinch flats at higher gravel riding pressure. But to go with tubes still means giving up the very low pressure desired for MTB trail riding. I think you would find swapping tubeless tires to be much less problem than feared.

trail_monkey

Yes I was referring to mountain bike tires. I have a gravel bike but I have a sweet hardtail rigid mountain bike that I love to ride on gravel just as much. I am looking at some tires in the 2.10 range that roll smooth on gravel and pavement with some tread for gravel. And come winter I may want to throw my more aggressive treads on for snow. Right now I have a smooth rolling 2.10 maxxis icon on the rear but a 2.4 maxxis ardent on the front that just has so much rolling resistance with its large knob aggressive tread.

GlennR

That's what i did. I liked the knobby that come with it but wanted street tires for foul weather riding. So I bought a second set of wheels and the street tire setup is tubeless.

1242Vintage

I use my hardtail 29er for both gravel and mountain bike races. Bike fits and handles beautifully and is my preferred ride most of the time. I run tubeless and switch tires often without any hassle. First couple times changing tires was a little messy, but after I got the hang of it have even been able to recycle some of the sealant.

Last gravel race I did was in June. When I was putting my bike on top of the car after the race I noticed lots of little wet spots on the rear tire where the sealant did its job in sealing small punctures. Passed quite a few guys changing tubes that day.

trail_monkey

I thought when the sealant was exposed to air it was no good but then again I guess when you add air to your tire your doing the same thing?

BluesDawg

I ran Specialized Renegade 1.95 tires on my AWOL for a while. They grip well in dirt, roll fast and smooth on gravel and rolled pretty well on pavement. They measured 2.1" mounted on 22mm internal Roval rims.

Since my rides tend to be half or more on paved roads, I switched over to 40mm Clement MSO. Tubeless all the way.

trail_monkey

Those tires look nice but on the site I was looking on it doesn't specify if they are tubeless ready. Are they?

BluesDawg

Which? The Renegades are tubeless ready, the Clements are not (but I've been running them tubeless for 2 years with zero issues. YMMV).

1242Vintage

I have a set of 1.95 S-Works Renegades sitting on my workbench ready to go. They are tubeless ready and will run them tubeless on the hardtail for a gravel race out in the dry high desert in Bodie, CA later this month. Will be mounting them on a set of Roval carbon wheels this weekend.

Jiggle

Switching tires is a pain. I'd just get a set of $150 Aksiums and set them up specific and not mess with swapping tires.

Mr IGH

I'm up to three sets of tyres/wheels for my Gravel Grinder, fast, comfy and studded. I hate swapping tyres and I build my wheels so it's not too bad $$wise.

trail_monkey

I also build my own wheels. This set was built with Hope hubs so I still got a bit of money tied up in them. I could build a nice set out of Shimano hubs and save some money.

Mr IGH

All three wheelsets are Shimano XT756 based, I'm too cheap to purchase expensive hubs.

trail_monkey

Yeah the set I built for my cross bike used the new Shimano xtr m8000 hubs which I still got for 50 bucks a hub. Nice hubs and I have no problem servicing bearings from time to time. I could buy 4 of these hubs and still have 30 bucks left in my pocket vs the cost of 1 rear Hope hub. But I must say I really like my Hopes too.

Mr IGH

Pssstt, two of the wheelsets have front Shimano dyno hubs, that's my bling....

trail_monkey

Cool