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Using tubes inside tubeless rims

3K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  PeteW 
#1 ·
I am new to Wee2 ownership. It is my first road bike in 40 years and my first with tubeless rims.

I have extensive dirt riding experience and use a modified DRZ400 for rougher trips.

I am setting up my bike for dirt road cruising. I plan to fit MitasE07 tyres.

My concern is what happens if I hit a rim and loose air pressure in a remote area.

I am assuming that others have worked this problem out. Do you fit tubes and if so which ones? Or do you carry tubes as emergency supplies?
 
#2 ·
safety first

I don't like tubes, the whole point of tubeless is safety, they are basically self sealing when punctured so only going down slowly giving you time to react. Tubes tear and go flat very quickly. try sticking a pin in a balloon, then try the same with a polypropylene ziplock bag and you will get the idea. You'd have to hit something bloody hard to ding the rim and in doing so you are possibly on the wrong bike, the Strom is not really a trail bike. Given the speeds it is capable of tubeless really is a safety feature worth having. I ride mine on some pretty rough dirt roads and in five years have not dented the rims.
 
#3 · (Edited)
+ 1 What he said! Tubes will also add additional heat when on the blacktop at speed, which is said to add to wear rate, so I read on an adventure site.
There are some reports that the Wee's alloys are not strong but this I don't believe. Rim damage risk will increase when tyre pressures are dropped so take that into consideration. Weighing in at 189 kgs dry, plus fuel and luggage it's a dirt road bike, but not an enduro. It has good blacktop abilities when travelling long distances to get to the dirt road areas you want to explore.
Outback cattle grids seem to account for a lot of damaged rims, spoke or alloy. If you stay with dirt roads and not get into the really rough stuff, then the Wee is an excellent choice.
 
#4 ·
Carry the tubes and tire irons if you'd like. Practice breaking the bead before you get out on your trip. The tubeless rim has a hump that the bead must be pushed over to get the tire loose, and it isn't easy. Is the tubeless rim valve hole the same size a tube valve stem?
 
#5 ·
Thanks

That is the feedback I am seeking.

In essence unless I hit something at speed I should be OK relying on tubeless tyres. I don't plan to ride at speed with the DL, but as you guys know washaways and grids can be hard to see at times.

I think I will carry tubes if I am going outback on the DL, but will more than likely be riding my DRZ if I venture far from civilization. It is a lot lighter and better suspended!
 
#6 ·
Another way to look at this would be to consider how common the situation is where:

A) The rim is damaged so badly that it won't hold air while tubeless.

AND

B) But not quite damaged so badly that it's dangerous to ride.


I think this exact situation is going to be pretty rare -- I've seen some pretty banged-up rims holding air just fine. Anything worse, or bad enough to start leaking, and the aluminum would likely be cracked and/or the tire would be badly damaged. And you'd be walking anyway.

In sum, an "ideal" in-between situation like this is rare and most likely not worth the bulk and weight of carrying a set of tubes.
 
#7 ·
cast wheel, crack before bend



That the rim is likely to crack with real abuse is an excellent point. I am virtually certain that the V-Strom wheels are cast aluminum, without the bulk that would let them withstand near-point loads when the tire ceases to distribute the load. Cast aluminum is not ductile; it will break when overstressed rather than bend. I expect there is no gap between bwringer's case A and B, and hence zero probability that the tube(s) would prove useful.
 
#8 · (Edited)
The only time I've seen it a close call with a big ding in a DL rim, the tire had a SLOW leak and a pushbike pump every half hour kept up with that.

Gut feeling says it's so rare a case where a tube would be useful that a credit card and a cellphone are lighter, easier to pack and more useful.

Pete
 
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