Monday, August 31, 2009

Mountain Bike Tires - Inner Tubes or Tubeless?

By Tabetha Luquin

The type of tires you use on your bike depends on its usage. Mountain bikes can be ridden on many different terrains and for different activities. You need different skills as well as different tires for many of these. If you pick the right mountain bike tires they will help your riding and make it safer.

Tires come with either an inner tube to keep them inflated or they are tubeless,but the question is which kind should you use?

Most tubeless tires have a thick side-wall that locks into a specific sealed-bed rim. These tires can take a beating over rough terrain so they are ideal for downhill, but the downside is that they are more expensive.

The advantages of an airtight seal and a stable, puncture-resistant, low-pressure performance are balanced out by the high price. You also need a clean rim and tire to fit them, along with a big pump to inflate them.

If a tire has to be replaced on a trail clean conditions are usually unavailable. Even with a CO2 cartridge pump you'll probably have to use an inner tube to get you home, where you can the repair the tire. Although large holes can mean the tire has to be written off, even though small holes can often be fixed.

Tubeless tires are heavier than tires with inner tubes so if you are looking for fast start times and riding speeds choose a lighter tire. Inner tube tires also offer greater flexibility as you can get them in a wider range of design and tread styles.

You can now get kits to convert a conventional tire with an inner tube to a tubeless tire. These combine a latex-based filling liquid and a rubber rim strip to seal the inside of the tire and rim. You will probably have to top off the filler now and then, but the cost is still much less than a standard thick wall tubeless tire.

You will still get most of the benefits of a tubeless tire but with a much wider choice of treads and rims, and with only the cost of the kit and latex-based filler to pay for. They are lighter as well, but you might still get the same repair issues while on a trail.

Whichever sort of tires you use it is really important to replace them regularly. A blow out could cause injury on a trail or cost you a competition. By making the right choices and with regular maintenance your tires will help your riding massively.

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