Tubeless Systems Experiment

Just say 'NO' to tubes...

...Stan's VS Super Juice

Several years ago CRASH turned me onto running my mountain bike tires "tubeless" with his success in the thorny and rocky environs of the Sierra Nevadas around Tahoe. I was skeptical at first - but another ride with multiple flats during a group ride finally gave me the motivation to give it a shot. So after going to notubes.com where I got a thorough edu-ma-cation on the subject and watched the installation videos there, I was primed to give tubeless a shot.

I have been running 'Stan's' as it is called, for three years now. It has won me over. The only flats I have suffered were due to my own neglect. Either I didn't bother checking my tire pressure before a ride and knew I was running below recommended limits (lower than 30psi for me) over rocky terrain - or I had not replenished my Stan's solution in over three months.
The stuff does cure and dry out over time as well as fill holes with use, so it needs to be re-added to the tire every two months or so.

Success with tubeless...
Check your air pressure before each ride, replenish solution after every two months or after a major puncture and you too will be 'over' running tubes. The fact that you can run lower pressures - for me 32-35 psi is ideal on the rear and 28-30 on the front, is a strong argument where you are riding at speed over rocky terrain and slick roots. More contact patch = more traction. Lower pressure = smoother ride. With tubes I have to run 45 psi to avoid pinch flats - creating big difference in all of the aforementioned qualities.

What kind of tires?
Certain 'non-tubeless' tires do better with Stan's than others. I ran Continental Vertical Protection (I didn't have success with the non-'Pro' tire) tires F&R for two years with good success. It is a great tire for our local terrain, but it bleeds fluid through the sidewalls as the tires breakdown through heavy use. This is not a big deal - you just see sticky beads of fluid on the sidewall casing. After wearing out two-sets of this tire I decided to try a set of Tiogas that I got a deal on at East Coasters. I was looking for a tire that would float over Sierra Nevada sand and rocks well for a return trip to Cali, as well as to ride on locally through the year.

I have been very happy with the Tioga Pro DH 2.3 on the front and the XC Xtreme 2.1 on the rear for all conditions - even snow and ice. They are exceptionally light for such large cross-country tires and will climb and descend with total confidence. My front is beginning its 2nd season and I have rotated the rears as I wanted a fresh rear for traction on the Shenandoah Mountain 100 last September.

Experiment...
Yesterday, I decided to give Bontrager's new 'Super Juice' sealant a go. I cleaned out the dried latex from around the bead of the Tioga rear that I'd rotated out last August and mounted it using soapy water, then removed the valve core and squeezed in about 60mls of the Juice. It is super easy to do. The Juice is a glycol-based fluid like what long-haul truckers use to reduce leakage in their tires.

A few notes...

1. I run non-tubeless specific tires. They are lighter and run on non-tubeless rims.
2. My rims are a Than-BILT Bonty Tubeless Mustang rear and a Cane Creek WAM Disc front.
3. I use Stan's Rim Strips in both (the rear also has a Bontrager rim srip underneath modified for the Stan's Presta valve).
4. I weigh 150 and carry about 20lbs including my pak-pak, water, helmet and shoes.

This is my first experiment with Super Juice and I am still running Stan's in the front. We'll see how it goes. Stan's has set the standard, we'll see if Super Juice can match it.

Run your own experiment or learn more about the two systems...

Stan's NO TUBES...
http://www.notubes.com/tubeless_about.php
Bontrager SUPER JUICE TUBELESS SEALANT
http://www.bontrager.com/Mountain/Parts_and_Accessories/Tire_Accessories/5872.php --dB