TuBliss Question

[husky390or]

I made the mistake of installing the Tubliss system on my bike. In order to do this, the rimlock hole had to be drilled larger. Can I go back to standard tubes or am I stuck with the Tubliss?

[DEMI]

you will be fine, the bigger hole won't cause any issue. Difference in size is minimal.

[husky390or]

Thank you.

[Gunner354]

I made the mistake of installing the Tubliss system on my bike. In order to do this, the rimlock hole had to be drilled larger. Can I go back to standard tubes or am I stuck with the Tubliss?

I've had the tubliss in my 09 for two years and will NEVER go back to a regular tube.

[beezer]

What was your problem with the Tubliss?

I can't get Pirelli's to seal without using slime.

[Gunner354]

What was your problem with the Tubliss?

I can't get Pirelli's to seal without using slime.

Since they suggest using slime you should be OK

[husky390or]

For starters, when I bought this system, I lived in Az where they had Cycle Gears. $15 to change tires so I never bothered to buy the equipment to change my own tires. Now that I live in CO, all the shops want $80+ to change out a tire with the tubliss system so when I went to Az over Thanksgiving, I had Cycle Gear change out the tire but they refused since it had the Tubliss system even though they installed it for me when I bought it from them. Now, I'm not going to knock them since they did take care of me and gave me a free tube, rim lock, and changed the tire for free. But, here are the issues I had with the system.

1. Tires always leaked air. I always had to add air to both stems before I went riding.

2. Air leaks became so bad that slime would begin to leak from the bead of the tires.

3. Tire changes are an absolute pain in the ass with low profile tires. BTW, I was using Dunlop MX51's and they never sealed from day 1.

4. I can buy a lot of tubes for the price of one tubliss. In theory, great system but IMHO not worth the money for the issues that come with them.

[Stu2]

I have run tubliss for a season and have had a few flats in races, but Ive always been able to finish, but if your going for a top finish it does not help much,

I had one inner tube fail, had a small hole in it, the other 3 failures were the tires getting holes in and were too big for the slime to seal, one tire I tore a knobby almost off and it was leaking bad

I so want to go to mousses but i hate the feel of them especially the front!!

[Gunner354]

For starters, when I bought this system, I lived in Az where they had Cycle Gears. $15 to change tires so I never bothered to buy the equipment to change my own tires. Now that I live in CO, all the shops want $80+ to change out a tire with the tubliss system so when I went to Az over Thanksgiving, I had Cycle Gear change out the tire but they refused since it had the Tubliss system even though they installed it for me when I bought it from them. Now, I'm not going to knock them since they did take care of me and gave me a free tube, rim lock, and changed the tire for free. But, here are the issues I had with the system.

1. Tires always leaked air. I always had to add air to both stems before I went riding.

2. Air leaks became so bad that slime would begin to leak from the bead of the tires.

3. Tire changes are an absolute pain in the ass with low profile tires. BTW, I was using Dunlop MX51's and they never sealed from day 1.

4. I can buy a lot of tubes for the price of one tubliss. In theory, great system but IMHO not worth the money for the issues that come with them.

Checking your air pressure before you ride is a normal thing. If I let the tire sit for a few days the air will leak down some. Big deal! The last two rides there was a flat tire on another bike and they did not have the tubliss. I have gone two years without any major problem. I change my own tires and it's pretty easy. You need to watch the video because changing tires is slightly different .

[beezer]

I never ride without checking tire pressure but some tires just won't seal for more than a few hours. When I put my bike in my van I fill the tires up and then adjust the pressure when I get to where I'm going to ride.

I found tire changes to be easier with Tubliss.

I think that the Tubliss are more trouble than they are worth.

[Gunner354]

I never ride without checking tire pressure but some tires just won't seal for more than a few hours. When I put my bike in my van I fill the tires up and then adjust the pressure when I get to where I'm going to ride.

I found tire changes to be easier with Tubliss.

I think that the Tubliss are more trouble than they are worth.

I find tire changes easier with the tublis.

I disagree that they are more trouble than they are worth. I think this is a fantastic product!

[woods-rider]

I have had tubliss front and rear for about a year and a half and here is my take on them.

I have the same problem with them losing air quickly. If the bike sits for more than a week I need to top off both tires and tubes (with regular tubes this was never an issue unless sitting for months). This is a little annoying, but not that big of a deal as long as you remember to check before leaving home.

They don't seem to reduce the number of flats I get in a year. However, the type of flats I get are different. With a regular tube something like 99% of my flats were pinch flats which require removing the tube to patch or replace. This is something I do not do on the trail as I don't want to carry all the big heavy tools required to do this so I would have to ride back slowly on a flat. The type of flats I get now are holes in the tire its self (have yet to get a hole in the small tube). I carry a very small tire plug kit and tiny hand pump. I run Slime in my tires (doesn't do a damn thing to plug holes though) so it is easy to tell where the hole is, just look for green stuff leaking out somewhere. It takes me about 5 min trail side to plug the tire, fill it up and be riding again. I have found these plug kits to seal 100% of the time with ZERO leaks. I have three plugs in my tires right now and some have been there for over 4 months. (Note: the slow leaking issue I mentioned above is a problem even when there are no plugs in the tires.)

They advertise this system as being lighter than standard tube systems (thus increasing performance). I don't believe this. I have not actually weighed both setups, but the weight of the small tube and sheath thing are about the same as a standard tube and a rimlock, then add 8+ oz of slime and I don't think you have lost any weight to speak of.

I think the value in the Tubliss system is being able to repair a flat quickly trail side and not having to return to the truck/camp which ruins half the day or more depending on how far out you are. If you ride track only then I would not recommend Tubliss, but if you find yourself hours from the nearest road often then this system can be worth it's weight in gold.

[Gunner354]

I have had tubliss front and rear for about a year and a half and here is my take on them.

I have the same problem with them losing air quickly. If the bike sits for more than a week I need to top off both tires and tubes (with regular tubes this was never an issue unless sitting for months). This is a little annoying, but not that big of a deal as long as you remember to check before leaving home.

They don't seem to reduce the number of flats I get in a year. However, the type of flats I get are different. With a regular tube something like 99% of my flats were pinch flats which require removing the tube to patch or replace. This is something I do not do on the trail as I don't want to carry all the big heavy tools required to do this so I would have to ride back slowly on a flat. The type of flats I get now are holes in the tire its self (have yet to get a hole in the small tube). I carry a very small tire plug kit and tiny hand pump. I run Slime in my tires (doesn't do a damn thing to plug holes though) so it is easy to tell where the hole is, just look for green stuff leaking out somewhere. It takes me about 5 min trail side to plug the tire, fill it up and be riding again. I have found these plug kits to seal 100% of the time with ZERO leaks. I have three plugs in my tires right now and some have been there for over 4 months. (Note: the slow leaking issue I mentioned above is a problem even when there are no plugs in the tires.)

They advertise this system as being lighter than standard tube systems (thus increasing performance). I don't believe this. I have not actually weighed both setups, but the weight of the small tube and sheath thing are about the same as a standard tube and a rimlock, then add 8+ oz of slime and I don't think you have lost any weight to speak of.

I think the value in the Tubliss system is being able to repair a flat quickly trail side and not having to return to the truck/camp which ruins half the day or more depending on how far out you are. If you ride track only then I would not recommend Tubliss, but if you find yourself hours from the nearest road often then this system can be worth it's weight in gold.

Although I have not encountered a puncture of the tire, I think the idea of carrying a couple of plugs and a small air pump or CO2 cartridge is an excellent idea. I will be adding those to my pack. Thanks!

[beezer]

Last weekend I put a new Pirelli MT-16 on the front of my bike and couldn't get it to seal without slime. It held pressure over night.

1/2 way through the ride the tire was flat again. I had to use C02 cartridges to finish the ride.

[Mr. Neutron]

Gunner,

I bought a nice, compact kit to fix flats, that was actually meant for quads, Everything but a pump is in a small plastic cylinder, about 2" in diameter, by 6 or 8 inches long. Comes with plugs, the screwdriver handled tool to insert them into a puncture, and 2 co2 cylinders, along with the fitting to get air from the cylinders into the schrader valve. I also carry a small mtn. bike sized bottle of Slime, and a mtn. bike pump. This stuff has ALWAYS gotten me back to the truck, and it really doesn't weigh much, or take up much room in my pack.

Like some of the others, I haven't had any luck with Slime for a slow leak problem. Having used TUbliss on 2 different bikes (front & rear tires) over the last few years, it seems like some setups simply seal up better than others, for a variety of reasons.

I love the TUbliss setup. The majority of my flat tires (prior to TUbliss) seemed to be pinch flats, usually. I think it makes tire changing A LOT easier than with a tube. Same for puncture repairs. But you do need to pretty much need to keep a close eye on the TUbliss tire's air pressure. And really, you should do that whether you have a TUbliss or conventional tube setup......

A person really should run whatever they have the most faith in, or feel comfortable with. A phone call conversation with Jeff Douglas (creator of the TUbliss) revealed he was thinking "Motocross" when he originated the design. I think they're a GREAT deal for mx, where the worst is a short push back to the truck in the case of some catastrophic tire/Tubliss failure. Offroad, I still think they're a really neat deal for 90% of that. The ability to air down a tire to 5 lbs. or so, and get all that traction ya need, is really neat. I finished a 60 mile muddy enduro at 6 lbs.of pressure on a Pirelli MT-43 trials tire. Rocks really weren't an issue on that ride. If I rode a lot of rocks, or was riding an ISDE event (in my dreams...? ), or riding a LOOONG ways from anywhere, I'd probably opt for a mousse.

I got tired of the not-so-slow leak I have with my TUbliss/Michelin Starcross MS3 combo up front on my YZ450, so I went back to a UHD tube for an upcoming Hare scrambles race. If I can figure out what's going on with the TUbliss, I'll switch back to it, but have no problems with using UHD tubes. Other than the stuff you have to carry required to fix 'em, and changing tires, & etc.. ? But I dealt with this stuff for years prior, & can do it again.....

Jimmie

Edited December 9, 2011 by Diesel Goober
wanted to clarify something....

[Gunner354]

Gunner,

I bought a nice, compact kit to fix flats, that was actually meant for quads, Everything but a pump is in a small plastic cylinder, about 2" in diameter, by 6 or 8 inches long. Comes with plugs, the screwdriver handled tool to insert them into a puncture, and 2 co2 cylinders, along with the fitting to get air from the cylinders into the schrader valve. I also carry a small mtn. bike sized bottle of Slime, and a mtn. bike pump. This stuff has ALWAYS gotten me back to the truck, and it really doesn't weigh much, or take up much room in my pack.

Like some of the others, I haven't had any luck with Slime for a slow leak problem. Having used TUbliss on 2 different bikes (front & rear tires) over the last few years, it seems like some setups simply seal up better than others, for a variety of reasons.

I love the TUbliss setup. The majority of my flat tires (prior to TUbliss) seemed to be pinch flats, usually. I think it makes tire changing A LOT easier than with a tube. Same for punture repairs. But you do have to pretty much live with a pressure gauge & an air compressor with some of these setups, for whatever reason..... ?

A person really should run whatever they have the most faith in, or feel comfortable with. A phone call conversation with Jeff Douglas (creator of the TUbliss) revealed he was thinking "Motocross" when he originated the design. I think they're a GREAT deal for mx, where the worst is a short push back to the truck in the case of some catastrophic tire/Tubliss failure. Offroad, I still think they're a really neat deal for 90% of that. The ability to air down a tire to 5 lbs. or so, and get all that traction ya need, is really neat. I finished a 60 mile muddy enduro at 6 lbs.of pressure on a Pirelli MT-43 trials tire. Rocks really weren't an issue on that ride. If I rode a lot of rocks, or was riding an ISDE event (in my dreams... ? ), or riding a LOOONG ways from anywhere, I'd probably opt for a mousse.

I got tired of the not-so-slow leak I have with my TUbliss/Michelin Starcross MS3 combo up front on my YZ450, so I went back to a UHD tube for an upcoming Hare scrambles race. If I can figure out what's going on with the TUbliss, I'll switch back to it, but have no problems with using UHD tubes. Other than the stuff you have to carry required to fix 'em, and changing tires, & etc.. But I dealt with this stuff for years prior, & can do it again.....

Jimmie

I just bought a ms3 for the front to mount up. Hope I don't have the same issues.

[Mr. Neutron]

I just bought a ms3 for the front to mount up. Hope I don't have the same issues.

I hope so, too..... And I'd bet you probably won't.... Most of the TUbliss setups seem to work really well, the majority of the time.

Now, my 21" front setup is a "carryover" from my old 300 KTM. It worked flawlwssly on that bike, so I kept it, and put it on the Yammer. The high pressure chamber held it's air for weeks at a time (still does that!), and held the tire's pressure for long periods of time, on the KTM. And it actually worked really well the first few months or so I had it on the YZ. I dunno what's happened lately.....? I'm wondering if it may possibly have something to do with my using regular old duct tape in the middle of the rim. The original tape that came with the TUbliss is still on the KTM's front wheel. I've read, somewhere, there can be "issues" with the tape if it extends to far up outta the "valley" of the rim. I really hope it may be something as simple as getting some of that tape from Jeff at Nuetech..... That would be sweet!

But since I do have the Hare Scrambles race coming up, and carrying 2 different types of flat repair tools & stuff won't be an issue for that ride (and others before my race), the tube setup will work fine. If it ever warms up enough for me to feel all "Fluffy" about working on the bike in my pole barn (it's been cold here....), I'll try to fix the TUbliss. It works out really great for 99% of MY riding I do.....

[sean3239]

I like the Tubliss system but have realized it is very sensitive to how you install it (back to that in a minute). With regular tubes, I got a lot of pinch flats and tire spinning on rim (I only do MX) tearing valve stem. So I tried the Tubliss. I've only had one flat occur in 3 years and that was a result of the small inner bladder failing (not sure what caused that).

I've only used Michelin Starcross and if I get a slow leak after installing, its because the red inner liner did not mate with tire well on inflating the inner bladder. So, I did like the instructions said, take bead of one side of tire off and lube up the red liner so it can move freely and re-air. That usually takes care of it. I change my own tires so I am really careful to not get the tire iron on the red liner and damage it. I could see this causing a lot of issues cause its kind of easy to be over zealous and get that tire iron to deep and damage the red liner especially on rear. Any damage to that liner and it will leak. Having said that, as someone said, I think its much easier to change a tire with the Tubliss system.

If I was having some of the problems on here I've read, I would be torn between the two because I've had so many regular tube issues as well.