Switched to tubeless tires 3 months ago, night and day difference on goathead thorns

I used to get flats about once a week riding the trails near Tucson, Arizona. Those little goathead thorns would punch right through my tubes no matter what I did. Three months ago I finally converted my old mountain bike to tubeless with some Stan's sealant. I've hit the same patch of thorns twice since then and both times the sealant just bubbled and sealed up on the spot. Anyone else have a before and after moment like that with a tire change?

4 comments

4 Comments

max22327d ago

Hell yeah, @hayden_craig95, those needle-nose pliers are a lifesaver out here, totally agree with you!

xena_bailey1828d ago

Hate to be that person but goatheads are actually puncturevine, not thorns. They're little seed pods that look like thorns from a distance. Still a nightmare for tires either way.

hayden_craig9527d ago

@xena_bailey18 I learned that the hard way last summer after pulling about 50 of those little monsters out of my mountain bike tires on a single ride. Pro tip: a cheap pair of needle-nose pliers in your pack saves a ton of frustration, way better than trying to pick them out with your fingers. They really are evil little seed pods, not thorns, but the result is the same (flat tires and cursing).

nelson.vera27d ago

Wait, 50 of them in one ride? That's insane. Did they all hit at once or was it like a slow death by a thousand pricks?