9

I'm thinking of getting a pair of tubeless ready wheels for riding on the road. I've never ridden tubeless and was wondering what tools and equipment I need to carry to fix a flat?

Normally, while riding with clinchers I carry a spare tube, CO2 and nozzle, tire levers, a small multi-tool and allen wrench.

What should I carry for riding road with tubeless tires?

Improve this question
5
  • 3
    Er ... a tube :-)
    – andy256
    Commented May 30, 2015 at 21:37
  • 2
    You should carry a tube and stuff you had before. Some tubeless combinations can be run without sealant in which case you could in principle patch the tire if something goes wrong, but a tube is going to be smaller to carry and more practical anyways. If you need the sealant you're not going to be able to seal it on the road, so you'll need the tube anyway.
    – Batman
    Commented May 30, 2015 at 22:03
  • I go commando, use a lot of sealant, and air up before every ride. My tubeless are really hard to get on and off. And then when you get home you have to pull tubes with slime all over them. Less chance of a flat is less on tubless
    – paparazzo
    Commented May 30, 2015 at 22:15
  • 1
    I ride mtb tubeless, all depends on the maxium distance I'm going to have to walk to the car, work, home or a bike store. Either nothing on short rides, maybe levers, glue patches and pump on longer rides and for long rides mulit-tool, levers, patches, tyre boot, pump and a spare tube.
    – DWGKNZ
    Commented May 31, 2015 at 2:02
  • 1
    The 'Dial the Spouse' option comes to play, but a tube is always going to be way cheaper than that option.... :)
    – mattnz
    Commented Jul 26, 2019 at 22:00

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

Same as before,

You're setup changed not your personality. If you carried spares before, you will still carry spares after.

In this case your spares will be the same between the setups. Tubeless does not make make you impervious to flats, it's benefits are more about the ride quality.

You can do many things to make your tubeless work really well and would hardly ever need your spares, but you being you may still be carrying them along.

Improve this answer
4
  • So no patches, extra sealant or lube to work the tire back on with carbon bead undamaged (I've seen soapy water used)? Seems like it would be more difficult to get on a stiff tubeless tire especially with a tube underneath. I've also heard people getting punctures and they just self seal, or you can use a bit more silicone sealant to do the job. Does this type of thing actually work?
    – ebrohman
    Commented Jun 1, 2015 at 14:12
  • "So no patches, extra sealant or lube to work the tire back on..." To get the job done right you need a few things, which will be a drag to ride with. "more difficult to get on a stiff tubeless tire especially..." Not really, it's more about the bead smoothness, tire itself should have the same measurements as before. " people getting punctures and they just self seal"
    – piet
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 5:26
  • "people getting punctures and they just self seal.." That is the idea and works most of the time. But you may get a 2cm cut, which the sealant will not block up. "silicone sealant to..." wouldn't use that in the tyre at all. You probably meant latex sealant. There are a few types on the market, each with there own benefit. Follow bottle instruction for the recommended amount. This will get you home in most cases.
    – piet
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 5:40
  • Sealant may take a minute to seal a puncture, hold you finger over the hole and sealant will work quicker. Then add air again. So if the tyre in not sealing when punctured (for whatever reason), pop it off and add a regular tube. Then add air again.
    – piet
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 5:40
7

Anchovies and a fork.

I don't mean that as a snack :) They are actually small "rope plugs" made of butyl rubber that can be plugged through the help of a "fork" when the puncture is more nasty and when you see the air is leaking from the tyre. They are called anchovies in the MTB circle, but they can be used on road tubeless tyres as well. You can read up more about that in this review, where they were tested on road Schwalbe One tyres: https://road.cc/content/review/183575-genuine-innovations-tubeless-tire-repair-kit

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    Surprised others didn't mention tubeless plugs. Cyclingtips very strongly recommends Dynaplugs over all other brands. cyclingtips.com/2019/01/…
    – Weiwen Ng
    Commented Jul 26, 2019 at 19:33
  • @WeiwenNg I was surprised as well! Dynaplugs are the best, because very portable. You don't need to carry the fork. Unfortunately they are also the most expensive.
    – Alessandro Cosentino
    Commented Jul 26, 2019 at 20:35

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.