just looked at some fire xc pro tyres on internet and discovered the weight is 780 grams per tyre. As the standard one is 440grams - am i going to feel that extra weight. Just use standard folding panaracers at mo - would i be best sticking with them?

Unless I am being thick, aren't these meant for if you are going tubeless, so you save some of the weight on having no tubes?

no i'm sure you're right - i'm the thick one. never used tubeless before. but does a tube weigh 300 odd grams. i'll have a look! maybe i'm being a bit uptight!

mmm..I think they do weigh more than you think...not sure they weigh that much though, and it depends what tubes you have.
You definitely do feel extra weight on the wheels as well, so worth checking out! Presumably you are going tubeless then?? I am too scared to do that - it confuses me!!!
I'm sure someone will be along in a minute to advise you!

yes HOPEFULLY SOMEONE WILL ADVISE US SOON!!! MAYBE SOMEONE LIKE BIKESCOOBY!

I have been thinking about it since my wheels are UST friendly adn Pez keeps talking about them.

But i do not really know much about it and what is the advantage. I think that 1. they are easier and quicker to repair. adn 2 they have less rolling resistance.

Anyone help us with this?

No pinch flats! Less punctures? But presumably punctures are more of a pain if you do get them as aren't UST tyres meant to be quite hard to get on and off?

Ask Pez if she's got them!!

Yes Pez has got them. I thought they were supoosed to be really simple to repair. I'll ask her tomorrow when i see her.

Maybe we need a shecycles article - "Tubeless for dummies"!

If your wheels are tubeless compatible then I reckon you should go for it..

I heard the less rolling resistance thing too (actually it was the guy at AQR who told me that so you probably heard too...I can't remember the reason though)

my boyfriend swears by tubeless... i would give it a go myself if a money tree grew in my backyard to buy new rims with

might be a bit fiddly if you change your tyres often for different conditions? you put latex stuff inside to seal any little punctures before it goes flat. you do it for less rolling resistance and can run lower pressures if you want. no real weight savings but shouldn't be heavier than running tubes.

have a look at http://www.xcracer.com/content.php?pid=2249
for more info

treehugger - have you ridden with anyone who has UST tyres? Have you watched them try to fix a puncture, because they can still puncture, particularly when the sealant doesn't work (factor that into the weight as well) ? I have and I can tell you there is no way I will be going to tubeless, it takes me long enough to faff with tubes.

There are advantages though I'm not sure weight is really one of them, mainly you can run them at lower pressures with less (note less, not no) risk of various puncture types and less rolling resistance. They can indeed be a b*gger to get off the rims and seating them again can be even more trying particularly the initial inflation (my OH carries CO2 canisters for it), the sealant is very messy and ends up everywhere and the easiest/most reliable puncture repair is a tube so you have to carry them still. Its a definite no for me as I freely admit I'm a puncture numpty but I can manage tubes.

My OH is the only one of our group who has them on any of his bikes and he succeeded in puncturing them first time out which we found hilarious and numerous times since, the hilarity soon wore off for us when standing on a freezing hillside in the winter as it can take ages to fix.

There are people that do get on with them, but my OH managed to put everyone we ride with off so as that's my experience I'm not convinced. Also my OH is not know for "riding light" if you imagine how a rhino would ride a bike you'll get his style (thankfully he never comes on here else I'd be dead) which probably contributes somewhat to his puncture count.

There is an infamous story of one of our night riding group throwing his wheel over a wall and telling everyone that he hated them and was never riding with them again after having problems with his tubeless tyres!!! (he is stroppy b***er though!)

(Something to do with a South African making a sarcastic comment that he would have been shot and robbed if he took that long to fix a puncture in SA)

great stuff - this is the kind of advice we need. Putting me off already - as I the price wasn't doing that anyway. Think i might stick with tubes.

Did someone call? Sorry, been a bit slack on the forum recently.

Right then, if you want to go superlight get yourself some Schwalbe Racing Ralphs (for dry conditions) or Nobby Nics (for mud) and seal your tyres with a liquid called stans. Oh, and you'll need the rims as well. Have a look at justridingalong.com and it'll tell you all about it.

It's not a puncture proof system as you can still impact puncture but you'll need to be going at some speed to do that. For most thorns etc, the stans liquid will just fill the hole without you noticing and away you go. If you do have an impact puncture, you can still stick a tube in to get home.

Right - I see. I already have Crossmax rims which are UST friendly. Do you find the tyres easy to get on and off?

I don't have UST friendly rims, but my mud tyres are tubeless ready (although obviously I use tubes with them). They are quite a bit harder to get on and off than my rest-of-the-year tyres (mind you, I could get those off with my bare hands if I really had to), but not actually difficult - just require two tyre levers to get off and a bit of thumb strength to get on. Dunno how the proper rims would affect the situation.

Depends on the make of tyre to be honest. Some are a lot easier than others.

sorry another tyre question

will my mavic crossmax sl ust rims take a tyre that is bigger than 2.1. this is for going to spain. and what suggestions do people have for that kind of terrain?

Treehugger, I've ridden in Spain with Switchbacks (you're going with switchbacks?). I used normal Kenda 2.1 Blue Groove/Nevegal tyres with normal tubes, my frame won't take anything wider in the rear. The guides were using similar Kenda tyres but in 2.35 or so width. I had one puncture for the whole week, admittedly it was a pinch flat which may have been avoided by tubeless (but the way I pinged into that boulder I doubt it). I took some spare downhill tubes with me but quickly decided that there was no way I was going to ride anywhere with them as they were so damn heavy, some of the climbs went on for over an hour. I was also glad I didn't have very big tyres on for that reason as well and the 2.1s coped fine.

There weren't that many punctures to be honest the week I was there and most of them I seem to remember were in tubeless tyres.

thanks guys - really useful advice. i think i'm going to try a pair of fire xc pro ust, with an open mind. i guess its a few quid extra but will give them a go. i will soon be back on this post if i cant get them on to my wheels lol!

yes going with switchbacks - did you have a good week julbags?