Question about going tubeless vs keeping tubes on a gravel bike

I've been running tubes on my gravel bike for years but finally tried tubeless last month after a buddy swore by it. Setup with Stan's sealant took me about 45 minutes per wheel and it's been holding air fine. But I punctured a sidewall on a rocky section near Boulder and the sealant barely did anything - had to throw a tube in anyway. Anyone else find tubeless not worth the hassle for rocky terrain or am I doing something wrong with the sealant amount?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_nguyen71mo ago

Heard a mechanic say thicker sealant works better for rocky stuff...

-3

david7391mo ago

Used to be all about thin Stan's sealant for everything, thought that was the only way to go. Then a buddy took me out on some gnarly quartzite trails and I burped air twice on the same descent, lost all my sealant both times. Swapped over to something thicker like Orange Seal Endurance, way more fibers and solids in it. Honestly that stuff plugs up the bigger holes from sharp rocks way better, haven't had the same issue since. Just have to remember to check it more often cause it can dry out a little faster in there.