Maintenance

When you first starting riding mountain bike trails, it’s highly likely you started hearing all sorts of specialized words and terms that made no sense to you. It’s also likely that one of the phrases you’ve heard often has something to do with “tubeless tires.” What in the world are tubeless tires, and what are the advantages to running them on your mountain bike?

Tubeless Mountain Bike Tires Explained

The concept of tubeless tires is actually quite simple, though the execution may not be. Simply put, running tubeless tires on your mountain bike is exactly what it sounds like—there’s no tube in your tire. So how do you air the tires up? How do the tires stay inflated?

The first thing you need to know is that to use tubeless tires on your bike, you need to have tubeless-ready wheel rims as well as tubeless-ready tires. Yes, the truth is that you may be able to do a ghetto tubeless conversion on your existing rims using Gorilla tape, but there’s no guarantee the setup will work. Feel free to learn how to do a ghetto conversion on your wheels—especially if you’re the handy type—but prepare for frustration and failure. It’s literally a hope for the best but expect the worst situation.

The better—and yes, more expensive—option is to either purchase a bike that comes with tubeless-ready rims and tires (many new mountain bikes do nowadays), or purchase new rim and tires that are made for the challenge. Here at NTX Trails, the first thing we do when we get a new or used bike that’s not already setup tubeless is drop it off at our favorite local bike shop and have the mechanics perform the conversion. Most shops will do it for $25-50, and we believe it’s worth every penny.

So, how is it done? In short, special tape is applied to the inside of the wheel to cover the spoke holes and create an air-tight barrier. Then, as the tire is mounted, a special sealant such as Stan’s NoTubes, Slime, or Orange Seal is poured into the tire. Once mounted, the tire is inflated, the bead set, and the wheel spun around in various directions to coat the inside of the tire and rim with sealant. Used properly, the sealant does exactly what it sounds like it should do—it protects against flats by sealing holes and punctures.

Benefit #1: Fewer Flats

The primary benefit of running tubeless tires is the flat protection you’ll gain. Since there are no tubes to puncture, you don’t have to worry about flatting out as often along the trail. With a tubeless setup using sealant, you can pick up thorns, nails, and other potential ride-enders because the sealant will close up the puncture and keep you riding. Of course, there is a limit to how large a hole the sealant will close up, but for most punctures you’ll be able to keep rolling. For those few punctures that bring you to a stop, you’ll probably be able to keep yourself going with a good tubeless plug kit and a frame pump or CO₂ inflators.

In addition, running tubeless eliminates the dreaded pinch flat—also known as a snakebite puncture. This kind of flat happens during an impact on the trail where the inner tube gets pinched between the rim and the tire, causing catastrophic holes in the tube. Tubeless makes such punctures a thing of the past.

Just be sure to check your sealant fairly often. The nice thing is that the more you ride, the longer your sealant will last. If you go too long between rides then the sealant can pool up in your tires and harden into a goopy rock. Even in the off-season, it’s a good idea to manually spin your tires around or take your bike for a spin around the block once a week or so to keep the sealant distributed.

Tip: It’s a good idea to carry at least one tube in your saddle bag or taped to your frame when you head down the trail. Tubeless sealant can’t fix everything, and even a good patch kit won’t help if you’ve slashed your tire or gotten a large enough puncture. Having a spare tube may make the difference between walking and riding back to the trailhead.

Benefit #2: Better Traction

A tubeless setup allows you to use lower tire pressures in the absence of inner tubes. What’s the big deal? Lower pressures means a “softer” tire, and a softer tire means more contact with the ground—called a wider contact patch. The wider your tire’s contact patch, the better your traction and grip along the trail. Many riders find they not only have better all-around traction, but can suddenly corner faster with more control, and are able to float over roots and rocks at higher speeds.

The average rider can lower their tire pressure 15-20 PSI when running a tubeless setup. Not only that, but tubeless tires allow for much more variation in pressure. Many riders change their tire pressure based on the terrain and trail conditions they’ll be riding that day. One downside to larger contact patches is that you’ll experience more resistance which can lead to slower rotational velocity. This is where PSI experimentation comes in handy. Play with your pressure until you find that sweet spot that feels just right for you.

Benefit #3: Smoother Ride

In addition, a softer tire can “wrap” around objects along the trail and serves as a sort of added suspension—this is why some riders prefer plus size or fat tires—which translated into a smoother all-around experience. Related to the traction issue above, lower tire pressure allows your bike to absorb impacts, especially in those gnarly technical sections filled with roots and rocks. Your tire is also less likely to lose traction and spin out when attempting technical climbs where you’re applying a great deal of force to your bike.

Use caution and don’t go too low on the air pressure when riding a gnar-fest. Low pressures can lead to rim damage due to impacts to the wheel. In addition, the air pressure is part of what’s keeping your tire set to the rim—go too low and the tire’s bead will possibly get unseated from the rim under enough force. Again, adjust your tire pressure until you find the zone that allows for great traction without endangering yourself or your bike.

Benefit #4: Lower Rotational Weight

While we’re no fan of weight weenies around here, we have to admit that the Laws of Physics still apply to cycling. Why is that important? Because the fact is that the heavier your tires and wheels, the more effort it takes for you to get them rotating rapidly enough to propel you forward. So, while we’re not in favor of spending big bucks to shave a few grams off your bike, we are huge fans of spending the money it takes to go tubeless (because of all the other benefits listed here), which will probably end up shaving some rotational weight from your bike.

Think about it, the average mountain bike inner tube weighs about 0.45 pounds. If you’re running plus size or fat bike tires, then your tubes probably weigh between half a pound to a pound. So, it seems like a no-brainer to spend the money to get all of the benefits listed here AND shave almost a pound or more of rotational weight from your wheelset. However, keep in mind that as you refresh your sealant over time you’re adding more weight to your tires. It’s a good habit to completely scour the insides of your tires after every few sealant refreshes.

Benefit #5: Long-Term Cost Savings

It’s hard to say how much money you’ll end up saving going tubeless, but it’s pretty safe to say you’ll save something. Depending on how much you had to spend to purchase tubeless-ready wheels and rims, it may be a long time before you see any savings. But if you purchased a fairly new bike that came tubeless-ready from the factory, your initial $25-50 investment to get the tubeless conversion done will probably save you quite a bit in the first year.

The average mountain bike inner tube runs up to $10-15 or more, so replacing just two tubes will pretty much justify the expense of paying a shop for the tubeless setup. Plus, the more aggressively you begin to ride your bike, the more likely you’re going to encounter conditions in which tubes would fail. It’s safe to say—based on our own experience—you would probably experience flat tires on about one-third of your rides or more. If you ride a lot, that adds up pretty quickly.

Tip: When you get your tires setup tubeless at the shop, make sure you ask for the tubes that they pull out of the tires. Why buy a new set of emergency tubes when you can simply reuse what you already own?

That’s it for our take on why you should go tubeless. You’ll get fewer flats, better traction, a smoother ride, and both weight and cost savings. What have we missed? Let us know in the comments.

Have fun, ride smart, and keep shredding!

Other than tires (and tubes), chains are one of the parts of your bike prone to wear out most often—especially if you ride hard and ride a lot. Your chain is under a lot of stress when you hit the trail. If you think about it, all of the force your legs generate propelling you along the trail is getting transferred to the chain. So, maintaining and changing your chain as needed will not only make for a better ride, but will save extra wear and tear on your drivetrain.

It’s About Spacing

Take a look at your chain and you’ll notice that there are two main parts—the inner link and the outer link. There’s more to a bike chain’s construction, but we’re going to keep it simple here. Each chain link is connected to the next with pins, alternating between inner links and outer links.

It should be obvious that the spacing between the links is uniform all the way up and down the length of the chain. This gap between the links is where the teeth of your bike’s gears grab onto the chain and propel you forward. The spacing between the pins should be 0.5in (12.7mm), which is the industry standard for chains used on multi-speed bikes that use a standard derailleur.

Not sure what some of the terms in this article mean? Check out the NTX Trails Glossary of MTB Terms and Slang.

Identifying Chain Wear

As you ride your bike and put stress on the chain, over time the chain begins to stretch out—this is called, obviously enough, chain stretch. This happens because the metal bushings on the links wear the pins down. As the pins wear down, the spacing between the links increases, which produces slow and inconsistent shifting. If you’re beginning to experience this sort of shifting trouble, there are a couple of methods you can use to determine if you need a new chain.

First, you can measure your chain using a ruler. A new chain will measure exactly 12 inches across 12 links, from the middle of the first pin to the middle of the last pin. A one-percent stretching of your chain is considered worn and worthy of replacement. If you’re wondering, or simply don’t want to work out the math, that means anything longer than 12 1/16 inches means you need a new chain.

A second, and far more accurate method for measuring your chain is to use a chain checker. There’s some debate on the accuracy of these tools since some models push the rollers in opposite direction when used. Other makes are designed in such a way that the rollers are pushed in the same direction, therefore (theoretically) offering a more accurate reading. Our advice is to do your own research before you buy a chain checker.

Is the Chain Sloppy?

Another type of wear that’s much harder to identify is called slop. This is caused by the amount of torque a rider places on the chain—typically while climbing or attempting to shift gears under load. Slop is side-to-side chain wear that cannot be identified by measuring chain length. The symptoms of slop are the same as chain stretch: slow shifting and shifting inconsistencies.

So, how do you tell if your shifting troubles are caused by chain slop? If you’re having shifting difficulties, check first to see if your chain is stretched. Next, see if minor adjustments to your shifters or derailleurs help. If neither issue seems to be the culprit, you have two choices—either bite the bullet and spring for a new chain, or take your bike to the shop and see what the mechanics think. Either way, you’re going to be out some cash, so it seems to us that the less expensive option is to go ahead and buy a new chain.

In the end, deciding whether or not you need to replace your chain isn’t that difficult. Don’t overthink it. If you legitimately suspect your chain is worn then buy a new chain. You’ll be happy you did in the long run because using a severely worn chain can cause irreparable damage to your cranks, cassette, and derailleur pulleys—all of which are much more expensive to replace than your chain!

For a more in-depth look, check out this great video from Park Tool.

Have fun, ride smart, and keep shredding!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means, at no cost to you, NTX Trails will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your support of NTX Trails helps keep this site alive and up to date!

One of the questions we see very often—especially among newbie MTBers—is, “How do I wash my bike?” It’s not as hard as you might think, though there are a few words of caution necessary to ensure your bike stays in tip-top shape. Make no mistake, mountain bikes are hardy pieces of modern engineering and they’re made to get dirty. Don’t be afraid to get out there and get rowdy, and don’t feel ashamed if you don’t clean your bike at the end of every ride.

1. Set Up a Wash Station

The obvious first step is setting up a place to wash your bike. You can go as basic or as fancy as you’d like here—either use a purpose-built bike repair stand or simply lean it up against the nearest wall or tree. There’s no right way to create a wash station—though some might argue there are wrong ways—just do what works for you and fits your budget.

Beyond a place to wash the bike you’ll need some pretty basic equipment: a bucket, dish soap, brushes and rags, and a hose with a sprayer attachment. Again, you can go as high or low tech as you want here when it comes to the types of brushes and cleaning implements you use. Some of us just use and old toothbrush or simple bottle scrubber to get into the tight places around and frame and drivetrain, while others prefer to go all out with something like Park Tool’s Chain Gang Cleaning System. You really can’t go wrong either way.

If you want to take your cleaning to the next level, ditch the dish soap and grab you some bike-specific cleaner such as Muc-Off.

2. Washing the Frame and Wheels

Have you ever hand-washed a car? Washing your bike is essentially the same procedure. You’ll start by spraying the entire bike down, using low- to medium-water pressure to knock off as much of the worst grime and mud off of your frame, wheels, and components. Just make sure you remove anything you don’t want to get soaked such as your seat bag and frame pump. If you don’t want to get your saddle too wet, just don’t spray it down.

Caution: Be especially careful about spraying water into any part of your bike that has bearings—your bottom bracket and wheel hubs. Don’t use high-pressure water, and try not to spray water directly into the bottom bracket, hub ends, or anywhere else with a bearing seal.

Just like washing a car, squirt some dish soap into your bucket and fill it with water. Now get ready to use the brushes and rags you have on hand to suds up your bike. Just be sure to not use a brush with hard or super-stiff bristles on your frame or any other part of the bike that could get scratched. Lather your trusty bike up, scrub all the dirt and grime off, and rinse it clean.

When it comes to the wheels and tires, just be as fastidious as you choose. If you want to scrub the knobs of your tires clean go for it, just realize that cleaning the tires isn’t all that necessary unless you’re also taking the time to inspect your tread and search for potential problems like punctures or cracks in the sidewalls.

Once you’re satisfied that you’ve cleaned your bike as best you can, hose it down one more time and get all that soap off.

Not sure what some of the words in this article mean? Be sure to check out our Glossary of MTB Terms and Slang.

3. Cleaning the Drivetrain

Now we come to the drivetrain—collectively the front chainrings, the chain, derailleurs, and the cassette. It’s ok if you’ve already soaped up and rinsed off these parts, we’re going to give them a little bit deeper clean.

First up, it’s a good idea to spray the drivetrain down with a degreaser. Again, you can use a specialty bike chain degreaser like WD-40 Bike, but we prefer something you can get at almost any store such as Purple Power. Degreasers are simple solvents that help remove excess grease and oil from your drivetrain. Spray the degreaser onto the gears and chain, then use a brush with long bristles to get down in between the sprockets, teeth, and chain links.

Be careful to not overspray and get degreaser on your brake rotors or pads as this can make the brake’s surfaces slick and—at least temporarily—lessen your stopping power.

Once you’ve fully degreased and cleaned the drivetrain, hose the entire area off one more time. Feel free to soap the drivetrain up one more time to get it extra clean before rinsing.

4. Drying it All Off

Now that your bike is all shiny and clean it’s time to dry it off. Let’s keep it simple here folks. Unless you’re worried about water spotting, just let the thing air dry in the sun. Alternatively, you could wipe it down with a soft cloth or towel, or if you really want to expedite the process you can blow it dry with a leaf blower or a compressor-powered air gun.

If conditions are cloudy or not all that warm, you’ll probably want to go ahead and wipe the bike down to prevent rust from setting in. If that’s the case, focus on the chain and other moving parts. You can also pick your bike up a foot or so off the ground and drop it onto the tires a few times to knock water out of places you can’t easily reach with a cloth.

5. Lubing it Up

Once the drivetrain is completely dry, make sure you re-lube your bike chain. If you haven’t already, choose a lube that’s made for the conditions in which you typically ride. Check with your local bike shop to find out what’s best for you. WD-40 is not a lube, it’s a solvent/degreaser. Do not use WD-40 as chain lube (although WD-40 DOES make bike-specific lube products).

Shake your chosen lube’s bottle as directed, then apply a thin layer to the chain as you backpedal. One time around is probably good enough for an application. After you’ve gotten the lube on the whole chain, keep backpedaling for several more rotations to work the lube into the chain. If you have the bike hanging from a work stand or something similar, crank the pedals forward and shift up and down through the gears to lube the cassette and chainrings.

Wipe off any excess lube with a clean rag by backpedaling again while you hold the rag lightly against the chain. This step is just as important as cleaning your drivetrain because excess lube will make grime build up on the chain more quickly.

6. Go Get Dirty!

Now that your bike is clean, there’s only one thing left to do: go ride it! Seriously, we don’t clean our bikes to keep them showroom fresh, we clean them to extend the life of the frame and components. Your bike was made to get dirty, so do your duty and go shred your favorite trail.

For a deeper look at washing your bike, check out this great video from GMBN:

Have fun, ride smart, and keep shredding!