Tubes or Tubeless?

Q: I ride my MTB around every three months (as I’m riding my road bike or running most of the time). As tubeless sealant needs to be replenished every 3–6 months, it seems I need to add sealant every time I ride the MTB. Should I switch back to tubes and save the hassle? I’ve never seen anyone make that recommendation.
Larry Lem
Redondo Beach, California

A: While most people recommend switching to a tubeless setup for mountain biking and tout its benefits, few recommend going back to tubes. For riders who are regularly out on the trail, race frequently or enjoy the benefits of lower tire pressures, running a tubeless setup far outweighs an inner tube. However, for riders who don’t ride off-road as frequently (like yourself), traditional inner tubes might be a better option for longevity and less maintenance each time you want to ride.

Most mountain bike sealants are designed to last anywhere from 2–4 months, depending on the climate and how often you ride. We have had very good luck with Orange Seal’s Endurance sealant, which seems to last longer than most before drying up, so you might give that a try. Being in Southern California and near the coast, climate doesn’t play as big of a role for you, but the infrequency with which you ride does.

As you’ve experienced, you need to add sealant to your tires almost every time you want to ride, which is time-consuming and a nuisance. Letting your bike sit for weeks or months at a time allows the sealant to settle and begin to dry up, making it less effective and can cause your tires to lose air. If you don’t have a sealant injector, you also have to break the bead of your tire to add more sealant, which can affect the longevity of your tire and cause the bead to not seal as strongly or damage the rim tape.

As we mentioned above, running inner tubes in your mountain bike’s tires may be advantageous and eliminate some of the headaches you experience with a tubeless setup. You won’t need to worry about re-upping on tire sealant or having to clean gunk off of your wheel whenever you change your tires. There may be an increase in the frequency of flat tires if you ride technical trails or in areas with lots of sharp plants and goatheads, but it doesn’t sound like you’re riding often enough to worry about that too much. If you want to reduce the headache of having to add tire sealant whenever you want to ride, tubes might be worth considering.