Boxerworks.com

Ken Whitehawk asked a question in the old forum in regards to a way of eliminating tubes on spoked wheels. I went to the site he referred to and was impressed with the tube eliminator. Ken also wanted to know if it would work on his Lesters. Do the Lesters need something like that. It was my understanding that the Lesters were made to be tubeless, did I misunderstand.

For us lazy ones, could you provide the link to the "tube eliminator"?

BR
Hal

Early Lesters did not have a lip on the inside of the bead area of the rim to help keep the tire in place when deflated. This tubles tube seems to have something there so that the tire will stay mounted with no air.

There has been lots of discusion in the past if that lip is realy needed or not as a regular rim allows the tire to un-seat when it goes flat.

Lester cast wheels were made in both tubeless and tube required versions.

Adding weight to any given wheel (esp.) at the rim will compromise it's handling quality.
The advantage of a cast wheel vs a spoked wheel will be lateral rigidity.
Durability and repairability aside, given a cast wheel and a spoked wheel of equal road-ready mass –
physics tells us that the cast wheel will be a better performer due to that rigidity.
The problem will be that old cast wheels are very often heavier than their spoked counterparts.
In other words, increased lateral rigidity is gained as ( a lesser ) unsprung weight is sacrificed.

Unless the comparative weight of the Tubliss product is less than the weight of a tube,
I can see no good reason to install such a product.
One has basically two options to use a tube-type Lester without a tube:
(1) change out the valve-stem and simply fit a tubeless tire to the Lester without a tube or
(2) install the Tubliss (or similar product – as there are many)
Neither option is considered "approved" / "legal" for street use,
and although the Tubliss ( or other ) might be considered the safer of the two illegal choices by some –
there will still be the additional unsprung weight of the second option to factor into the handling equation.

IMO, the Tubliss product will be better suited to those with conventional wire wheels who wish to go without tubes ...
Cast wheels designed for tubeless operation or BMW tubeless spoked rims ( if they can be fitted )
will be better options in any event to consider for the street.

Garnet wrote:...There has been lots of discusion in the past if that lip is realy needed or not as a regular rim allows the tire to un-seat when it goes flat.

YES ! In the event of catastrophic side-force trauma, that tubeless tire can be knocked off of the rim
just as quickly as a tube tire and tube will be knocked off that rim !

vanzen@rockerboxer.com wrote:

Garnet wrote:...There has been lots of discusion in the past if that lip is realy needed or not as a regular rim allows the tire to un-seat when it goes flat.

YES ! In the event of catastrophic side-force trauma, that tubeless tire can be knocked off of the rim
just as quickly as a tube tire and tube will be knocked off that rim !

In that "catastrophic side-force trauma" scenario, does it matter? Either way, it's catastrophic.

Yes, it does. It's the instant blowout that makes it catastrophic.

How come nobody pointed out that the tire still has a tube in it. To go tubless requires a tube.

What am I missing here? Please splain it to me in simple English.

I thought the attraction is the ability to plug a puncture.

Chuey