back to tubes?
 

New fatty owner bought a used Salsa Mukluk that the previous owner had setup tubeless, [holy Daryls w/ Surly Nates 3.8] - LBS recommended tubes instead of keeping up on sealant, and also is of the opinion that weight savings is not that great............then my front tire goes flat. So, rather than go through the gyrations of the tubeless rigamoroe I am inclined to live with tubes, [I'm old, leisurely rider] and a little bit more weight ain't going to make or break me.

Question is am I going to run into issues going back to tubes? Gunk inside the tire, on the rim, etc.?? If so, what's the protocol to go back to tubed setup?

And, best tube recommendations would be appreciated. looking at these: https://www.modernbike.com/surly-fat...ube-26-x-3-4.8

thanks in advance!

Around here we have to run sealant in tubes also. When you break this one down it may be a mess if the sealant isn't totally dried. Do it outside with a hose ready to clean everything up. I peal the dried old sealant off the wheel. I have gone back and forth with the tubeless thing. When tire and wheel are both tubeless ready, it works alright. If one of the 2 is not, then all bets are off. If the bead hasn't broke yet, find the puncture and put a plug in it. If it airs up, add more sealant and go ride.

I kind of get the people who don't want to try road tubeless. There is a bit of a learning curve.

For a mountain bike. Well, aha, all the cool kids ride tubeless. It is the pool noodle in the tire that I don't get.

Tubes on a Fat Bike? Are you going to ride on soft sand or snow? You really need to find a new LBS. The ability to run at very low pressures on a Fatbike is the reason to run tubeless. Better float on soft surfaces and better grip on climbs and corners. The flat resistance is another good feature. The weight saving is the bonus.

There are really no "gyrations" and no "rigmarole". Get a syringe to add sealant, and don't use a sealant intended for wheel barrow tires. I run studded tires in the winter and plain tread for the summer. Orange Seal subzero has lasted a whole season for me, so I put fresh in when I swap on / off the winter and summer tires. If I wasn't swapping tires I would just top up the sealant twice a year. It is less effort than maintaining air pressure in your tires or keeping a chain lubricated.

You'll just want to clean up the inside of the tire and rim as much as you personally care to do for peace of mind, cosmetics, etc. A bit of dried sealant here and there shouldn't bother a tube.

I have tubes in my Surly Nates and they're perfectly fine. The tubes certainly have some mass to them but, as with you, an extra pound or two on the bike certainly isn't going to make or break me. I'm a 240 pound rider and I ride my Nates down to silly low pressures with tubes and they're fine. That's of the benefits of a fat bike and you don't have to have a tubeless setup to enjoy the pleasures of low air pressure.

I'm a big guy also, and run my tubed tires around 5psi on winter snow and about 10psi, give or take, in summer. No problem so far.

thanks for the responses!........turns out I'd inadvertently loosened the presta valve core, not taken on something sharp. The tire completely deflated overnight, almost like it inhaled [very strange], but - the bead stayed in tact! good news for the tubeless execution. I'll be adding some fresh sealant and carrying on [as recommended by my LBS] perhaps with some tubes for backup..........

Stan's was easy to clean off my wheels with a blue scotch brite sponge. I wouldn't bother with the tires.

The rolling resistance of tubes in a large tire at low pressure is significant. I had two fat bikes set up for sand riding, one with tubes and one without. Anyone could tell the difference right away when riding.

In our area (goat head heaven) you have to maintain sealant whether you run tubes or not so the choice is an easy. Maintaining sealant in a 5 minute job every 3 months… not a big deal IMO.

IME, this is the reason most people lose air in a tubeless setup (one that actually "sets" and initially seems to work). You really have to make sure the valve core is tightened down. Not doing so often results in a slow leak. I don't ride tubeless for flat protection, as that hasn't been an issue for me here in Minnesota, and not really to save weight either. I just don't like riding tubes at low pressure because the tires and tubes fighting each other feels like raccoons wrestling in a gunny sack, to say nothing of the squishy squeegy sound.

Tubeless also allows you to ride at lower pressure in winter. Lower pressure that would cause a pinch flat if using tubes.

Try Fatty Strippers in your tubeless setup. IMHO the only way to go. No fight inflating them and they seal right up. I haven't changed them since last season and haven't added air to my tires for weeks. Running MuleFut rims and Dillinger tires - pretty standard setup.

All you really need for backup is one tube. Stick it in your framebag and break glass in case of emergency. IME, most problems with tubeless tires that deflate after doing fine for a while are due to a valve core issue. The rest are about dried sealant. Add a few ounces of sealant every six months and you're good to go.

I run tubes in my fat bike. I change my tires from Jumbo Jim’s to 45 North Dillinger 5 with studs often so dealing with sealant is too much. I’m 160 pounds and run as low as 3psi without issue.

I did one winter with tubeless on my Pugsley, the Marge Lite rims are not tubeless compatible and I was left walking twice over that winter. I threw in the towel, and went back to tubes, and for 8,500 miles, I've had only one flat on tubes.

Converting back wasn't a big deal, drain any liquid sealant, that's all. And year's later you still have dry sealant pealing off the tires like sunburnt skin when you are doing maintenance.

I'm using Surly Ultralight Fat Bike tubes, they have been great.

For refence, I'm a big mileage fatbike rider - https://www.bikeforums.net/22195497-post28.html

Having the right rims makes a difference. I currently have Specialized Stout wheels (HED knock offs) and any future wheel upgrades will be HED wheels. They don't require any tubeless tape.

I've got fatty strippers on my "to buy" list - I have an old cheapo bikesdirect gravity fatbike, and when I tried tubeless it just wouldn't hold. From where I had issues, pretty sure that Fatty Stripper would have solved my problems.