Nuetech Tubliss Gen 2.0

What it is

TUbliss is a very high pressure tube or band that seals the rim and between the rim and the tire to create a tubeless seal of air, replacing the innertube. It’s claimed advantage is allowing very low air pressure to be run in the tire for better traction and eliminating the problem of pinch flats. Compared to heavy-duty tubes there is a weight advantage as well, up to two pounds. The system incorporates the rim lock into its tube and produces dual air chambers inside of the wheel. A 100+ PSI chamber around the dish or spoke area inside the TUbliss red tube and then the low pressure area between the tire where a conventional tube would go. Flat tires can now be plugged and repaired without removing the wheel from the bike. Additionally the company claims increased rim protection from the high pressure tube.

How it works

• Detailed installation instructions and videos.
• Safely lower your tire pressure without worrying about pinch plats or the tire getting knocked off the bead.
• Widens tire choice and allows long wearing tires, not known for good traction, to grip like you would not expect.

The biggest task to overcome is the instillation of the TUbliss system onto your wheel and the company is quite aware of this. They include some of the best and most detailed instructions we’ve seen as well as highly recommend that you watch the instillation videos available online. They are very helpful as well. After following the instructions the install was painless, taking just a little more time than a standard tire change. Subsequent tire changes are no different and in fact seem a lot easier without the fear of pinching the tube. Using the Armor All as recommended for sealing and lubrication is about the only additional or more complicated step. Just be aware that due to the sealing needed between the tire and the TuBliss tube you should only use new tires.

Once installed you then have the choice to run whatever pressure you desire in the main chamber of the tire. We ran from 12 for high-speed desert riding all the way down to 1.5 PSI for some extreme endure trails and the additional traction is obvious. The trick is finding the balance between the pressure for great hook to the ground and then not having the tires wallow of flex in turning. Especially the front. And here is where it gets tricky, the tires play a large role in this feeling. Though you’d expect the Tubliss to work great with a trials tire, we found that the soft sidewall didn’t like the lower pressures and the handling really suffered when below about 8 PSI. Conversely running a stiff tire like the Dunlop MX81 AT or a Kenda Triple, tires for hardpack and durability, these loved the low pressures and worked incredible in areas where they skated and slid before, now at pressures near 3 PSI. Even tires that we were not fond of in the front worked a whole lot different when at low pressures. We rarely went below 8 PSI unless it was very slow riding or not a lot of high-load turning. There is also the added bonus of the tires doing a lot more bump absorption making for a more comfortable ride.

How much better is the traction? Well it is substantial. And you don't even have to install the Tubliss system to find out. Just try 2-3 PSI the next time you are in slick mud, loose or slick rock or in roots. Just don't expect to have air in your tube for long. Even for motocross feeling confident to run below the 12 PSI pressure that many are afraid to cross can yield huge handling advantages. The difference in just 2 PSI on the track is huge.

The maintenance of running the TUbliss is in keeping the inner TUbliss tube filled to the recommended 110 PSI. It seems to easily run down to 80-90 PSI if the bike sits for a few days and this lower pressure can compromise the seal. It does not take much in pumps with a bicycle tire pump or TUbliss’ own hand pump to bring the pressure right back up. In reality the only issue we had with the TUbliss was the strange occurrence of the valve core on the low pressure side of the tire coming loose multiple times. This would happen on longer rides and the tire would lose pressure. Thinking it was thorns in the tire we were unable to locate, we also rode the tire flat for 20 and 40-miles back to camp where the leaky valve core was found (twice). Needless to say we tightened then much better and only had it happen one more time, but it was a simple fix. Riding the flat tire is not as bad as a normal flat as the TUbliss adds some cushion and keeps the tire on the bead which in turn protects the rim.There is the fear of slicing the sidewall but how many times has that really happened to you? In extreme cases a tube could always be inserted into a damaged tire if needed.

Overall there is a little more complexity to checking your pressure with double the chambers to check, but that is it. Most of the mounting and dismounting issues are just a first time learning experience that become normal and easy. If you are looking for a way to safely run lower pressures, for better handling and no fear of pinched tubes, or for insanely low pressure that grabs ridiculous traction without tearing the tire off the bead, Tubliss is the answer and a great one at that. The $99 cost is comparable to a few high-quality tubes and much less expensive than a mousse while being much easier to mount, so we’d even go as far to say it is a value.

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