I was chatting to a friend of mine when he came up with an idea, just wondering what your thoughts on it are. The idea is this: To save time at timed trials (i.e. SSDT) could fitting a tube but not pulling the valve through and still running the tyre as a tubeless one work. If you got a puncture, or similar problem all you'd need to do is get rid of the old valve, pull the new tube valve through and pump it up. What do you all think?

to get the old valve out would be fairy tricky it would involve taking the tyre off and pulling it through.then you would have to fish around for the valve of the innertube. then there is the chance of nipping the tube when running it tubeless. sh*t idea if you ask me. 2 words, dog turds.

Hmmmm.....I'm not convinced.

By the time you needed it I reckon the valve could be all the way round the other side of the tyre, so you may have to have the tyre half off just to get the valve through.

And the battering you've given it in the mean time would probably have holed the tube anyway. Valve being crushed inside the tyre, dunno though.

I reckon go for dog turds with a carried tube. Only takes 5 minutes to shove a tube in anyway (probably 10 when you're full of mud).

Mind you I haven't done the Scottish so what do I know

And don't blame your friend for your idea's

Ryan Young and David Chaves have been experimenting with some round pnuematic balls that would take the place of a tube. Even if you puncture one ball there are still several left and your tire dosen't go flat. If I remember right they are about the size of a baseball. I would guess that you still use a tubeless tire and still air it to your desired pressure.

Edited September 21, 200421 yr by Brian R

Even if you puncture one ball

Might not stop you finishing the trial, but it certainly brought tears to my eyes

Toilet humour...rated just below sarcasm I think

ha, never notifced that one bikespace

And don't blame your friend for your idea's

Seriously, wasn't my idea. He did conceive the idea over a few Stellas though.

How about one of these:

http://www.motorace.com/miva/merchant.mv?S...egory_Code=MTBM

Perhaps we should all badger Michelin to make one that runs at 4-5 PSI

This is what Brian was referring too.

They are pressure adjustable.

They have also done some one off's and testing on the Sherco 80 and 50.

http://www.tireballs.com/company.htm

How about one of these:

http://www.motorace.com/miva/merchant.mv?S...egory_Code=MTBM

Perhaps we should all badger Michelin to make one that runs at 4-5 PSI

I think this is really a good idea. I never knew they did this stuff for bike tyres, I

Really popular in Enduro. Not cheap at all though.

Hence, loads of mooses going round second hand well past their sell by date.

There's a joke there but I daren't

I'm a gentleman after all HL

Edited September 21, 200421 yr by Bikespace

When I spoke to Chavez at the TTC, he was using the tire balls, and he said they worked fine.

Can you adjust the pressure aswell? is it ball by ball or overall?

Can you adjust the pressure aswell? is it ball by ball or overall?

Seems to be ball by ball. They even sell a pressure guage at 80 quid a pop.

It doesn't say anywhere on the site what presure they will go down to and still be useful.

I would imagine slightly less than a tube, because a tubes pressure gets spread around the full circumference of the tyre when you hit something.

It looks like you do also have normal air in the tyre as well.

Would be good to hear how the two American trials riders got on with them. Not cheap but I'd imagine they would last for years in trials. Looks like a bit more of a pain in the butt every time you change a tyre though, although I bet they'd help you get the initial pressure in to bead the tyre.

They are set ball by ball, and arrive preset to what pressure you want I believe.

It takes a press thingy to get it assembled. A bit of work but very do-able.