Bruce 0 Posted June 5, 2015 Does anyone have experience with tire balls? I'm thinking about putting them on the front tire of an XR650L. Other than the cost, are there any other big downsides to consider? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted June 5, 2015 why are you considering them? flats? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bruce 0 Posted June 5, 2015 Yep. My sole reason for looking into them is to avoid flats. Hate 'em with a passion. Was looking at the Mousse option, but was concerned about longevity and the relubing aspect. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted June 5, 2015 ah... well; technically, the balls don't prevent flats, they just isolate the area of puncture. I hear they are a bit of a pain to install, and they do have to be replaced on occasion. I have never used them, but have come to regard flats as: A Time To Stop And Smell The Flowers... just enjoy the experience Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwood 11 Posted June 6, 2015 I think 'tire balls' are better suited for racing, where tires aren't on the bike all that long. All BS said, I agree with from what I've seen of them. If you puncture one, it still has to be serviced after the ride. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bruce 0 Posted June 6, 2015 Would you recommend bib mousse or anything else? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted June 6, 2015 What kind of flats do you get? Pinch? Air up or slow down...stem pulls? rim lock...thorns? slime....nails? move to a nicer neighborhood Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted June 6, 2015 I've heavily researched everything out there. From what I've read, tire balls are a waste of money. Thy're great in theory. When one goes the remaining balls step in to pick up the load. Great, you made it to the end of the ride without flatting a tire. The problem is 14 balls are now doing the work of 15 and the dominoes start to fall, quickly. When it starts to feel flat, you pull the tire you find 4 or 5 flat balls and a few more that are questionable. So now you're replacing half your tire balls every few ________ (insert periodicitiy depending on how often your ride). The only sure way to hit the sticks without getting flats is with a mousse. However, they have their own shortcomings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted June 6, 2015 Tubliss still gets flats, but you can plug them on the trail and air up. I have plenty of mountain biking buddies that swear by the Tubliss system, and wouldn't have anything else Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darylhunter 1 Posted June 6, 2015 I've run heavy duty tubes and slime in the past on the DRZ and TE. Knock on wood, but I've never had a flat. Used to get flats from thorns all the time on my mountain bike, but added slime and the problem went away. I've got a new mountain bike now that can run tubeless but haven't made the switch. A lot of folks swear by it though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deltadude 0 Posted June 26, 2016 I converted my rims on my mtn bike to Stan's tubeless system about 2 months ago and won't go back to tubes. I ride where there's lots of goat heads, smaller jumps and obstacles and each time out I'd get flats. Uncle Champ rescued me once, went out without an extra tube but since I've gone tubeless I've not had a flat. Great system, I just bought tubeless rims for my road bicycle for under $300 a pair at probikekit.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
350thumper 336 Posted June 26, 2016 I could use some extra heavy duty tubes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastaPilot 17 Posted June 27, 2016 3 hours ago, 350thumper said: I could use some extra heavy duty tubes. I saw your other post from the ride today. See my post above. UHD tubes still pinch and puncture flat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bp619 104 Posted June 27, 2016 When I run uhd tubes I add slime to tubes and I use waterproof grease all around the tube (baby powder doesn't work that good) and I've never had a pinch flat normally run 10-15 psi with uhd tubes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deltadude 0 Posted June 27, 2016 just to be clear slime comes in three different types. 1. for tube tires 2. for tubeless tires 3. for all tires, does anyone know what the differences are? I also doubled the amount they suggested to use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HM berg 0 Posted June 27, 2016 The owner of Tube Saddle side he ran only 4 psi in a MT43 rear this last week end at the Big Bear Trial ride and no flats. But I ran 9 psi and uhd tube MT 43 rear and I liked it. check out https://tubesaddle.com/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blakeNY9 0 Posted June 28, 2016 IMO.... Bib Mousse is the only way to go IF you want true protection for NO flats. Granted as Pasta said they have their own trade offs. You should mainly only ride off road (stints of pavement are ok to connect trails, but not hwy commuting). They do require occasional inspection, re-lubing and re-stuffing as the foam gets softer. But you get to do that in the comfort of the garage, and never out on the trail. I've put over 2000 miles on a front bib mousse. It's done two desert dashes, a baja trip, several dual sport rides and countless half-day rides locally in between. I have removed it, inspected, re-lubed and added additional sections only twice in that time. That's acceptable to me. I'm bib mousse only now. I'm currently running mousse in the rear as well. I have been very happy with both. FYI per above post.... I did try the tube saddle. Met the owner at a SoS ride in Kennedy Meadows. Great concept. I ended up getting a lot of tire creep on the rim and I'd have to reset the valve stem alignment every few rides. It could have been the tire, the rim lock, who knows..... so I have an used 18" tube saddle that anyone is welcome too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
