removing tubeless tire used with a tube

[jhlacy]

I got a Surly disc trucker.  It's great, but when I got a flat I couldn't break the tire away from the (hooked) rim.  It came with tubeless ready rims and tires, but with tubes.  The salesman didn't see the problem.  All I had to do is take it in and he'd fix the flat.  Of course that doesn't work on a tour.  Do I need to replace the rims, or convert it to tubeless?  If it were tubeless, what's the typical distance between flats?

[ray b]

Shouldn't be an issue. I ride with tubes in tubeless-ready tires on tubeless-ready rims a lot, as I hate messing with sealant when I don't have to.

Some tire-rim combinations are more stubborn than others, but when deflated, the bead should separate from the rim with a little pressure and a couple of tire irons should slip the bead off the rim.

I'd simply ask the dealer to show me how he does it.

[misterflask]

<<convert it to tubeless>>
Here's a vote for- DO NOT DO THIS

I ran road tubeless for a while and I would still be doing it if I were a pro racer and someone else were maintaining my wheels.  The balance of screwing around with it versus probable gains just sagged towards the 'screwing around with it' side.

On a tour, I find flats to be a minor nuisance.  With tubeless, they would be an opportunity to polish your profanity.

My experience was also that the air pressure leaked down about twice as fast in the tubeless vs tubed wheels.

This being the ACA forum, others' experience will differ.

[staehpj1]

<<convert it to tubeless>>
Here's a vote for- DO NOT DO THIS

I ran road tubeless for a while and I would still be doing it if I were a pro racer and someone else were maintaining my wheels.  The balance of screwing around with it versus probable gains just sagged towards the 'screwing around with it' side.

On a tour, I find flats to be a minor nuisance.  With tubeless, they would be an opportunity to polish your profanity.

My experience was also that the air pressure leaked down about twice as fast in the tubeless vs tubed wheels.

This being the ACA forum, others' experience will differ.

For what it is worth, touring in the west in goat head thorn country I got a lot of flats with tubes.  So did the folks I rode with.

My experience with tubeless is with my mountain bike, but I went from weekly flats on my daily ride to no flats when I went tubeless.  My next new wheel buy or build for touring will definitely be tubeless.