To tube or not to tube?

[Andy M]

Not Thumper related but I'm sure someone will know.

The Brick outfit has car wheels rear and side and a BMW alloy in front. I've been carrying a can of foam and RAC card in case of punctures, but as I'm now getting confident enough mechanically to go more than a few miles from home it's time to add kit to fix my own flats.

Does the fact that valves have no external nut on the stem prove that they are tubeless?

Having all tubed or all tubeless will make the kit a bit smaller.

Cheers

Andy

[trophydave]

They sound like tubeless valves.Does the valve stem fatten out slightly before it dissapears through the hole in the wheel?If so they are tubeless.Just to confuse things you can get tubes with a rubber coated,rather than threaded,stem.You could try letting the tyres down and seeing if you can push the valve in through the hole,not all the way,if it stays put it's tubeless.

[Andy M]

Thanks Dave,

I think the fresh air test is best, the front is bikey enough to feel tubeless, car tubes these days are probably so hard to get you won't get much of a choice so they could be anything.

How long you think it'll take to blow up a 155/60 R15 to 40 PSI with a bicycle pump? 

Andy

[trophydave]

About the only time I find tubes in car tyres are in those Landrover contraptions or if someone has been too tight to replace a punctured tyre that is knackered and has put a tube in it.

As for inflating them have you thought about a small 12v compressor

Thanks Dave,

I think the fresh air test is best, the front is bikey enough to feel tubeless, car tubes these days are probably so hard to get you won't get much of a choice so they could be anything.

How long you think it'll take to blow up a 155/60 R15 to 40 PSI with a bicycle pump?  

Andy

[johnr]

get  a stirrup pump and keep it in the sidecar, of course if you could get a front wheel to match the ones on the back and chair, you could carry a spare that would cover all the bases and require just a wheel brace and a jack to sort a puncture!

[Andy M]

I have a compressor, I'm just in the habit of leaving it in the tent on club rides out    

The "all wheels the same" idea doesn't work well in practice. I had a BMW outfit with 15-inch car tyres all round. The one on the front caused lock to lock tank slappers at anything from 30 to well over 90 mph  . Then of course the spare weighs a heck of a lot compared to a plug kit. I think with chairs in general, the trend is set by Ural and 1940's BMW's whose tubes were made from very dodgy materials. I've actually never had a puncture in a car tyre on an outfit, so the plug kit it will be.

Cheers

Andy

[johnr]

i had car wheels on all corners of a honda outfit and it handled great, didnt even need a steering damper!