Why is Stan's such a PITA? And, why do I bother?

[Evil Chocula]

Originally Posted by Chewyeti

you gotta be mechanically inclined to use stans

Herein lies the problem.

[b-40]

i use to be a diehard tube only guy until one ride a buddy and i were out and not 10 minutes into the ride i picked up 4 goat heads ok undo everything and patch them up....good to go, just as we were about to start up the ride again my buddy sais oh look i have some goatheads in my tires as well....10 of them to be exact but he has the stan's tubless setup and no flats for him.....so were about halfway and this time i pinch flat the other tire because it too had some goatheads in it but they were slow leakers. ok now i have to replace the tube cuz im out of patches, all back together and about 2 miles from the car and guess what 45,000 more goat heads this time in both tires same with my buddys but his tires are still holding air, well needless to say i had to walk the bike back while my buddy road along side mocking me, and ever since that day i'v used stan's and never looked back and (knock on wood) have not had a flat in 2 years on any of my bikes.

peace

[b-40]

oh and by the way, i have done a total of 10 tubeless conversions all on non tubeless tire/rim combos and all are still goin strong......yes a couple of them were PITA but once they were set they were golden, just follow Stan's instructions to the letter for sealing and airing up and all is well

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by Evil Chocula

Here I am, 5 days without a bike, and I still can't get this POS tire to reseal.... after it exploded on a two foot drop last week and bucked me.

WTF

Like 29'ers.....Stan's is more suited for California riding

[Evil Chocula]

Originally Posted by DeeZee

Like 29'ers.....Stan's is more suited for California riding

This may be true.

[Lefty Kev]

I always run tubeless tires with Stan's and have had very few problems over the years. I've had a couple of tires burp air on the trail but they aired back up immediately.

I've also found that adding Stan's is a breeze if you use their tool for removing the valve core and then injecting the sealant via the 2 ounce syringe which screws right on to the stem. No mess! It also makes replacing the Stan's less than a five minute job as you no longer have to remove the bead

[JoeTruth]

I saw the word PITA and thought someone was reviewing a middle eastern restaurant and got all excited. That is, until I opened the thread and realized it's about boring tires and tubeless solutions. Yuk!

Tried Stans a few years ago and had too many problems. Gave it up and went back to tubes and I'm fine with it. I don't ride hard enough to pinch flat frequently but I pay the price with a semi-uncomfortable ride by keeping my tires @ 35-40 psi.

[BrewMaster]

Originally Posted by JoeTruth

I saw the word PITA and thought someone was reviewing a middle eastern restaurant and got all excited. That is, until I opened the thread and realized it's about boring tires and tubeless solutions. Yuk!

No need to read about middle eastern restaurants. You can smell the good ones from a mile away as they roast lamb. The bad ones just smell like Drakkar.

[Evil Chocula]

Originally Posted by JoeTruth

I don't ride hard enough to pinch flat frequently

Not surprising.

[JoeTruth]

Wasn't aware "Drakkar" was used as a food ingredient as well. Wow, talk about a multi-use product!
If I want good middle-eastern food, I just go to my moms or aunts house. Worse case, I'll hit up a couple of local mom n' pop joints in Pasadena and yep you guessed it, Glendale!

Originally Posted by BrewMaster

No need to read about middle eastern restaurants. You can smell the good ones from a mile away as they roast lamb. The bad ones just smell like Drakkar.

[LncNuvue]

Never going back to tubes. Stan's is the way to go. Not only does it seal punctures and eliminates pinches it provides a better more supple connection to the trail and it's lighter than running tubes.

[art23rockpile]

Originally Posted by JoeTruth

Tried Stans a few years ago and had too many problems. Gave it up and went back to tubes and I'm fine with it. I don't ride hard enough to pinch flat frequently but I pay the price with a semi-uncomfortable ride by keeping my tires @ 35-40 psi.

35-40psi on a FS is still comfortable... the old fully rigid bikes in the 80s; now THOSE were uncomfortable!

I'm probably kind of "retro" with some things (I do still use toe-clips, as some of you know), but i'm used to the simplicity and predictability of tubes... they work the same all the time, and when they flat, you just either patch 'em or put in a new one. Since switching to tires with thicker sidewalls and increasing tire pressure to 35-37psi I haven't flatted yet... and this includes 4 days in Downieville (I'm knocking-wood )

[dubjay]

I've been running tubeless on most of my bikes for the last 2 years. I used to be plagued with lots of goathead punctures and slow leaks.

But since switching over to tubeless, I've only had 5 flats, where I needed to throw in a tube.

1) Specialized Captain on Stan's Flow 26" - Picked up about 15 goatheads. Sealant was all dried up inside, so it didn't seal up. Reminder to add sealant every few months.

2) Bontrager Dry X on Stan's Arch 29er - Rock puncture causing 1/4" slit in tread. Sealant didn't seal it up.

3) & 4) Bontrager Dry X on Stan's Arch 29er - Tires blew off rims. User/gauge error. Thought I was running 30psi - it was more like 45psi. Stan's recommends a max of 41psi or so for a 2.1" tire.

5) Bontrager Dry X on Stan's Arch 29er - Stick puncture causing 1/4" slit in tread. Sealant didn't seal it up.

2 out of the 5 incidents wouldn't have happened with tubes. The other 3 incidents would have caused flats with tubes anyways. So as long as your gauge is accurate, I wouldn't necessarily say tubeless is a PITA.

For any future slits, I'm going to start some superglue with me for trailside repairs. Hopefully the superglue can help close the gap, allowing the sealant to do it's job. Once I get home, I'd just patch the tire from the inside just like I would a tube. (Or maybe stop using these Bontrager Dry X's)

I guess like anything else, YMMV.

[ODB]

Was just good-naturedly stirring the pot with my anti-tubeless post. Ride whatever works for you. I prefer running higher pressures and rarely get flats with tubes, so I'm sticking with it. Still, the whole tubeless thing always seemed like a solution to a problem that never really existed in the first place ... just like 29-inch wheels.

[JoeTruth]

We understand. We understand that late night drunken posts are beyond our control and you're no exception to the rule.
How's the head this morning, Oh-Blah-Dee?

Originally Posted by ODB

Was just good-naturedly stirring the pot with my anti-tubeless post. Ride whatever works for you. I prefer running higher pressures and rarely get flats with tubes, so I'm sticking with it. Still, the whole tubeless thing always seemed like a solution to a problem that never really existed in the first place ... just like 29-inch wheels.

[1080P]

Tubes, tubeless, tubes, tubeless... I hear tubeless and Clydesdales don't mix or play well together. Fall seems to be the season when I got flats running tubes. That and a new wheelset that had a burr somewhere near the spoke bed, but exposed from the rim tape that kept shredding the inside of my tube every 22-23 miles, 3x in a row. When I went to patch all three tubes at the same time, I noticed the location being the same on each tube. Electrical tape fixed that problem.

I'm about to try a Mavic 819 and a Big Betty tubeless. The other thing I found is that tubes that are Shraeder valved with 50/50 mix of Slime and water, where you pull the core out and squirt in 4 oz into the neck of the tube works flawless. I ran Downieville 3 days straight with a thin walled Nobby Nic in the rear, saw bits of chartreuse Slime after every ride, and lost about 8 psi pressure over the course of 4 days, then thrashed at Mammoth on the way home.

I'm undecided at this point, both systems work, but the Slime in the tube is heavy and noticeable when you first start riding, gives the wheel an out of balance feel until it dissperses evenly inside the tube after not riding a while.

[Pho'dUp]

I won't run Bonty DryXs tubeless. I had so much hope for these as they are super tough to get on the rim and thought they'd seal well. But after watching Dubjay blow two off the rims, and me ripping one in the center of the tread. No way.

I've also blown Specialized Resolutions off Stan's Arches too. Crashed, then taco'd the wheel. Boo.

I'm at the point now where I won't run tubeless in the front tires and use Specialized Turbo tubes instead.

I have a Specialized Roll X 29er that has worked well tubeless so far.

Far from perfect system as based on rider's weight, ride style, tire, and tire pressure you get way mixed results.

UST tire, and UST rim I think is still the way to go. Never had a problem with my old dearly departed Mavic 819s.

[Evil Chocula]

I'm really happy for everyone who's had such great experiences. However, I have no garage, no free time, and IMO, Stans blows.

Discuss.

[ODB]

Originally Posted by JoeTruth

We understand. We understand that late night drunken posts are beyond our control and you're no exception to the rule.
How's the head this morning, Oh-Blah-Dee?

Did you say something just now? I was busy hurling in the wastebasket under my desk.