Tubes, Tubliss or Mousse?

Riders here at 27MOTO have ran all 3 and everybody here has a different opinion on them. We have diehards in all camps and every riding discipline has they're opinions on what to run. There are advantages and disadvantages to running a tube, mousse or the Tubliss system and we'll try to educate the unwashed masses on the subject.

Tubes: They have been around since the dawn of tires and are a solid way to retain air inside a dirtbike tire. Lightweight and cheap to use, most MX guys run tubes in their tires. They're somewhat easy to install and replace, easy to pack with you on a trip and provide a simple way to adjust tire pressures for different conditions. Off-road/ desert riders will often "double up" on tubes, meaning they will cut an old tube and overlay to a new one. This offers more flat protection than just a single tube because of the added tube material. The same can be accomplished with thicker heavy-duty tubes. HD tubes are 3-4mm thick and do a great job of stopping thorns and most "debris" from puncturing. MX guys who commonly ride square edged or rocky tracks also run HD tubes to prevent a tube failure. 

Tubes have a place in every riding discipline, but they are not without their limitations. They are relatively fragile compared to a Tubliss system or a Mousse. They are susceptible to pinch flats, where the tubes gets slammed between the wheel and tire and creates a hole in the tube. They require the use of a rim lock and they build heat between the tire/tube when ran at higher speeds. There are powders/lubes you can run to limit this though. 

Mousse: Mousse inserts are relatively new compared to tubes. They offer a 100% way to never have a flat because...there's no air inside them! Millions of nitrogen charged micro-cells make up the body of a mousse insert and they are made with different properties to achieve different "pressures" for the tire. Available in low and high pressure variants for different riding disciplines, mousse inserts have a huge advantage in that you never really have to think about them. You don't check pressures or worry about running over a cactus or another riders bike and losing air pressure. Just pick the type of mousse for your riding style and ride worry-free. Desert guys, XC and outdoor MX guys generally use the 10-12psi inserts, while HardEnduro and single track guys like the low pressure 6-8psi option. 

The single biggest complaint from every rider running mousse inserts is mounting and maintenance. They can be a pain in the butt to mount. One rider at 27MOTO calls it wrestling with a greased anaconda snake! With the lube required to make a mousse live, they take some effort to mount.  They require periodic maintenance as well, removing and re-lubing the mousse is recommended to keep it from drying out. Of course, with the proper tools and experience, it gets easier but they're by far the hardest option to deal with. They're obviously not adjustable, what you buy is what you get, so your swapping inserts or wheels to ride a different discipline. 

Tubliss: The Tubliss system is even newer than other options and has some qualities from the other systems. It offers a pressure adjustable option that has less possibility of losing pressure than a tube with the worry-free riding of a mousse. It's easier to swap tires (if you can follow directions), does not require a rim lock and provides a "beadlock" to secure the tire to the wheel. It allows a rider to run an MX track one weekend and then drop to low tire pressures and run a HardEnduro race the following weekend. The rim is protected by 100psi inner tube and the tire itself becomes the air chamber. The tire can also be repaired with a plug kit like an automotive tire in the event of a puncture. 

Maintenance and modification are the biggest negatives to the Tubliss system. You will have to drill the rim lock hole out to install the second Schrader for the inner tube. And they require the same maintenance of checking pressure of a tube but doubled cause you're checking the tire and tube pressures.  The inner is also high pressure, 120psi, that may require a good compressor at home. (We use a WP airfork pump to add and check pressures). They require a little more mechanical skill to install than a tube or a mousse, skill that some riders will have to farm out. 

It's a lot to consider but pretty simple in the end. Just have to ask yourself: Where do you ride? How do you ride? And what do you do with your bike to do? The Tubliss system is hard to beat for is versatility. Being able to ride MX one weekend and enduro the next with the same setup is great. Tubes are hard to beat for the cost and ease of use. They're easy to find and cheap to buy. And a mousse insert is hard to beat for the hammer simplicity and almost no maintenance in between. None are a bad decision, just what you need from your motorcycle.