Calling all "bikers".

Discussion in 'Off-Topic' started by Krazylegz1485, Feb 27, 2018.

  1. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    I think that you should get a “fixie”.
     
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  2. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    Let’s REALLY get Sneefy going!!?
     
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  3. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    He'd have to live in Uptown for that.
     
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  4. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    I HATE EVERYTHING!
     
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  5. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    He can pretend! Skinny jeans and sweet beard on a Surly fixie sipping on a lit crafty beer=uptown bike scene.
     
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  6. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    Scene. So LIT! Drinking a Surly riding a Surly. Beard oil and a man bun.

    Oh yeah.
     
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  7. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    Hahaha, forgot about the man bun! Good call

    Also ftfy.
     
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  8. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    Furious man bun.

    That would make a good band name...
     
  9. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    I nearly peed mahself. And it would! FMB fo lyfe! I’d be a roadie follower.
     
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  10. Krazylegz1485
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    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

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    This entire second page so far is disgusting. I'm slightly disappointed in you, Josh...
     
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  11. GrawvyRobber
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    GrawvyRobber Active Member

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    Its decent for the price, components aren't really up to date. It's def your size. Specialized geo is hit or miss, so it would really come down to a test ride.

    Do you prefer flat bars over drop? I've never been a fan of the "hybrid" and crossover bikes. I would say it would be better to lean more MTB heavy and just get some smooth rubber if you're doing pavement rides. Have you ever looked at CX bikes? Drop bar gravel bikes are the do-all machines.
     
  12. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    You should be!
     
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  13. skubi1
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    skubi1 Well-Known Member

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    I use Specialized Hemisphere Armadillo tires on mine, (Armadillo is their puncture-reisitant line of tires). Flat in the middle with some grip on the outsides for going through dirt. As for disc brakes, lots of newer bikes have them on, I still prefer old rim style. Easier if you're out in the middle of nowhere and they fail on you to diagnose, discs you are *supposed* to bleed the system every year (kit costs like 50 bucks for the bleeding system, or about 60 bucks to have someone do it. You do have better response and grip with them, but still..
    Carbon bikes, I think Trek's been doing them the longest, highly unlikely, but they can catastrophically fail (wouldn't buy a used one). With the carbon frames, they either were made one-piece or they were carbon tubes that were epoxied into aluminum butting. Aluminum is lighter, but steel's going to be the strongest (chrome molybdenum, CrMo or chromoly). Of course you have to be careful if you get chips in your paint or your bike will look like the rear fenders of a Subaru. Aluminum makes up for the lack of strength by making oversized tubing. Think most companies have steered away from titanium, was kind of a fad in the 90's with the Litespeed bikes, and LeMond (yes, that LeMond) made a couple as well.
    As for shocks, you can either go full suspension (don't need unless you're doing some serious downhill), or hardtail. I'd recommend front suspension only for our lovely roads out here. Think suspension is still the same as back in the day, either elastomer bumpers, oil filled with springs, or a mix of the two. They will need to get rebuilt as time goes by (the elastomer will deteriorate), and seals go out.
    Most bikes out there have Shimano components, higher end ones will have Shimano XT/XTR/Dura Ace or SRAM. Just mechanically better parts.
    As said before, best bet is go into a bike shop (on a nice day so you can fart around in the parking lot), get on a bike, and find one that feels best to you. Or CL and ride one around.
    As for pricing, box stores have a big markup on theirs-you can tell by their end of year closeouts. Best is shop their last year models.
    As for bars, as said before, personal preference and how you like to ride. Drop bars will give you the most versatility (can either go way up or way down), flat bars will give you the most control (why you will never see mountain bikes with drop bars), and hybrid usually have a risen bar for a more upright position (easier on your back).
    Buying a used bike, check the seat tube where the bolt goes through. They tend to crack there and the bottom bracket.
    Sorry about getting a little long-winded there, I'm sure I am forgetting a lot of stuff, but there's my .02.
     
  14. Krazylegz1485
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    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

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    Having little to no recent experience I'd have to say i definitely don't see myself doing any sort of drop bars. Flat bars at minimum. That whole hunched over thing is not my deal. Already got lower back pain just from existing as an above average height person, then add in the out of shape factor and anything that puts stress on the back is no bueno.

    Granted I know I don't wanna be sitting completely upright while cruising through the trees, but still, find a happy medium of course. I'm guessing flat or a slight rise if anything.

    At this point I think I'm definitely leaning towards a mtb heavy bike with "occasional" on road use. Basically, if I can get a second set of wheels with street tires and I figure out an efficient way of swapping them (is the rear wheel a total PITA or am I making a wrong assumption here?) then I think that would be ideal.

    Long story short, I don't see myself buying a "road" bike. I feel like I'd rather have a mountain bike that can do alright on the road with a different set of wheels rather than a road bike that just sucks off-road. Make sense?
     
  15. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    Makes sense to me!
    0689116E-8496-4C19-A230-468A9106CA5A.jpeg
     
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  16. pillboy
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    pillboy Well-Known Member

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  17. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    Designed for longer legged fellas! That thing is pretty badass with the shifter.
     
  18. pillboy
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    pillboy Well-Known Member

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    That was the ultimate bike back when we were 12.
     
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  19. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    A second set of wheels is a waste unless you need to change often. Tires and tubes are really easy to change.

    The rear wheel drops out once you get the chain out of the way. Cake.

    I don't like drop bars either. It's just preference. What you do want is to be balanced. If you carry too much of your body weight on either the bar or the saddle, one will hurt more. You want the spread to be equal. This is all about fitting the bike.

    And yes, a mountain bike will do great on the road with less knobby tires.
     
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  20. GrawvyRobber
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    GrawvyRobber Active Member

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    I own multiple handlebars, as it can sometimes take a while to get the perfect fit, but that's nothing to worry about quiet yet. Flat bars it is. It's not a bad idea to have two wheelsets, you can get a used set and a new cassette for like $140ish total, especially if your ride is 26" wheels. I'll try to keep an eye on the FB page for you. The Hub has used bikes for sale, which sometimes you can find really good deals. Worth checking out occasionally imo.
     
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  21. Krazylegz1485
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    Don't forget those armpit tanners.
     
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  22. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    And the racing slick back tire so that you can hook up on those 1/4 mile runs!
     
  23. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    I had a banana seat on a bike when I was a kid. They should really make a comeback. They're really comfortable.
     
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  24. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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    I had the Huffy Flame with banana seat. Vinyl seat had some sweet flames on it!

    I think chopper style would be the way that i’d go!
    73E49BB7-4FB5-4906-82D0-1654C8FE5BE0.jpeg

    Stretched forks, suicide shifter for the dori dori, slow and low!
     
  25. Jason C
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    Jason C Well-Known Member

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    Did you get your bike yet, Krazylegz? I'm curious to see what you got, if you did get one. Lots of really good info in this thread.
     
  26. Krazylegz1485
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    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

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    Not yet. Probably in a month or so I think. Got one more student loan payment and then it's time to celebrate!
     
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  27. pillboy
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    pillboy Well-Known Member

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  28. tangledupinblu
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    tangledupinblu Event Coordinator Staff Member

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  29. Krazylegz1485
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    That second one looks like a pure wheelie machine.
     
  30. pillboy
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    pillboy Well-Known Member

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    Really? How tall is this freak?
     
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  31. Jason C
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    Jason C Well-Known Member

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    I'd think a 29er hardtail would be a very good all-purpose bike that could tackle pretty much any kind of terrain you plan to ride. Nice thing about them I recently found out is 29er wheels can also use 700c tires for more efficient road riding.
     
  32. Krazylegz1485
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    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

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    Resurrecting this one back from the dead! Hallelujah!

    So almost exactly 9 months later, sh!t's getting real. Seems like the trick to finding what you want is to just stop looking for a while and it'll all of a sudden fall into your lap. Well, more like just get stupidly busy for the entire summer and just not have time to do anything. Long story short, ended up bringing a bike home tonight! Not really ideal timing with how cold it is, of course, and the fact that there's salt on the roads now. So already checking into a trainer of some sort so I can get some "riding" in without having to get this thing all nasty before it's even warm enough outside to thoroughly enjoy it.

    The story, if anybody cares.

    Wife's been working a little side job in Anoka recently and stopped into Jerry's Schwinn last Friday just for S's & G's. Sent me a few pics of some big frame bikes they had from Trek. 2018 Marlin 5, and 2019 Marlin 6. I was kinda digging the black of the 2018, but the 2019 is a little bigger and they made some cool frame changes. However, I wasn't super excited about the fire engine red color. So I checked it out on the Trek website. Sure enough they've got a matte black one with neon green accents (pretty much right up my alley, and not in a Monster way...).

    Anywho, swung in on Sunday to check out the sizing on the red one and to see if they could order a black one in at the same price (they're running a sale on next year's bikes already...). He called me Monday morning saying they had access to a few of the black ones yet and could order it in. I put $100 down over the phone and they said it should be here Tuesday. Got a call this afternoon saying it was in and done, ready to pick up. So we headed that way this evening.

    In prefect timing fashion, something's up with the truck and I couldn't get it started tonight. We were already kinda mentally committed to going so I figured we'd make it work with the WRX one way or another. So I grabbed a bunch of straps and bungees and prepared for battle. Apparently it was meant to be as I flipped it upside down and strapped the bars to the front crossbar. The seat ended up sitting right on the rear crossbar so I strapped it down and we headed home.

    The bike.

    https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...untry-mountain-bikes/marlin/marlin-6/p/23121/

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  33. JaloP
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    JaloP Well-Known Member

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    Nice bike! Haven't read the full thread or your story yet but thought I'd chime in quick. I personally use an old kinetic trainer that I got back in the old college days. If you're really looking for a good kick in the butt check out the Spinnervals DVDs. Congrats on the bike though, I love Trek bikes :thumbup:
     
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  34. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    Nice! Best time of the year to buy a bike. Price-wise, anyway. Tha hard part is waiting for spring to ride it!

    You could always get some studded tires for it and ride in winter. Swath yourself in windproof gear.
     
  35. Jason C
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    Jason C Well-Known Member

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    Ha! That looks like a great way to carry a bike! At least it looks like it would be more secure than the racks that strap to the wheels and downtube.

    Treks are nice. Looking at the website, funny how they add the swoopy top tube to the ladies' bikes, but keep it straight on the men's. Bit of a throwback, I suppose.

    Sneefy's right. Studded tires, run tubeless if you can, and drop the tire pressure lower. To help fight the salt, I lubed the drivetrain with motor oil rather than the usual summer dry wax lubricant. I still did get some mild surface rust on some of the non-stainless hardware, though. This winter I'm going to try hitting all metal parts with WD-40 after every ride. I also covered up my tail light in a sandwich bag to protect it from the crud the rear tire slings up. But I guess a rear fender would solve that.

    Yeah, best time to buy a bike is now. I scored a pretty good deal on a Salsa fatbike recently. Didn't get studs for these tires. Fatbike tires are ridiculously expensive.
     
  36. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    Oh, if you get a trainer, you'll want a slick tire for the rear.
     
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  37. Krazylegz1485
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    I was suggested that by my buddy's dad. Is it easier to just swap the tire on the wheel I have or have a separate wheel altogether?
     
  38. JaloP
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    JaloP Well-Known Member

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    Not sure about tubeless but if you go with tubes it's super simple to just swap the tire with some bike tire levers. Probably the same with tubeless as long as the rim's sealed up but then again I've never run tubeless so I really don't know.
     
  39. Krazylegz1485
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    If I could find/build some sort of attachment for my crossbars that would clamp around the handle bars, then something to hold the seat down to the rear bar, it'd probably be pretty slick. It's pretty much the perfect size as is and I can still open the hatch completely.

    The best part about being upside down is the side to side stability you get from the full width of the handle bars. Was just kind of a pain wrapping the crossbar with a towel and using the combination of tie downs.
     
  40. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    As Jalop, said, it's easy. Don't get another wheel unless you find yourself swapping constantly. I've never run tubeless either so I can't speak to that. I'm pretty sure yours has tubes (though your tires and rims are apparently 'tubeless ready')

    With tubes, I often don't even need a tire lever unless the bead is really effing tight. It's really easy, you just need to do it properly to avoid pinch flats. You might as well pick up a pair of levers. They are probably the cheapest bike-specific tool you can buy.
     
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  41. Krazylegz1485
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    Krazylegz1485 Well-Known Member

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    That sounds cool. Something to learn at the same time, and there's nothing wrong with that. Stupid question but how do I know for sure if I have tubes or not?
     
  42. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    Well, you'll know once you get the tire off! Or you can just let all the air out and see if the tire slides easily on the rim. Or peek under the bead. Tubeless uses a slime-like goo to basically seal everything. You'll know it's there.
     
  43. sneefy
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    sneefy Well-Known Member

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    I have an old Yakima Raptor roof tray and claw I'll sell you dirt cheap. I haven't used a roof rack since switching to a hitch rack.

    For that matter, I have a spare Saris hitch rack I'll sell cheap too.

    FYI, there are some that say you shouldn't turn a bike with hydraulic brakes upside-down. I don't know if there's really any truth to it or not. I did a bunch of reading when I got my first bike with hydraulic discs. I found seemingly reputable arguments on both sides of the issue. I'm not a bike mechanic, though I have done pretty much everything to my bikes over the years except build a wheel. (Though, I have yet to bleed my brakes.) So I have no first-hand evidence that it matters. But, erring on the side of caution, I keep it upright. If anybody actually knows for certain if it matters, please chime in, lol.
     
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  44. Jason C
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    Jason C Well-Known Member

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    A quick way to tell tubeless is to roll the wheel around a few times to distribute the sealant and then let out a puff of air from the stem. Like Sneefy said, if there is any sealant in there, a tiny bit will spray out and get on your finger. This way, you don't have to deal with letting out all the air, nor do you have to pop the bead. I run tubeless on all my bikes and the biggest headache is trying to reseat the bead. Unlike tubed, you need either an air compressor or a special high-volume bike tire pump to deliver a quick blast of air to pop the bead onto the seat. For that reason, I only take my tires off once a year at most - to clean off old dried up sealant and to refill with fresh stuff.

    Another way is to check the valve. If it's schrader, chances are it is a tube. If it is a presta with removable core, it could be tubed, but it also could be tubeless. All tubeless set ups run presta with removable cores. Some presta-valved tubes have removable cores for those who like to inject sealant into the tube for greater flat resistance. Unless specified, or if the bike is very high-end, it will come with tubes and of the non-removable core type.

    If you're going to use the trainer and run tubes, I'd just do the quick swap. Much cheaper and it doesn't take long at all. If you're going to tubeless, then I'd get another wheel. For winter riding, I favor tubeless due to the much lower tire pressure you can run without pinch-flatting. I switched over years ago and it is a big difference when you can get a bigger contact patch with the same tire on snow (nothing helps on ice except studs).

    As for upside down bikes with hydro brakes, I've not found any issues with hanging a bike upside down. If the brakes are properly bled, there shouldn't be any air in the lines. I hang all my bikes upside down in the garage and none have had any ill effect. Sometimes I have had the brake lever feel soft and exhibit greater throw, but a few quick pulls and the brakes firm right up and everything works as it should.