[fastmtnbiker33w]

Seems like there was quite a bit of input on the "tubeless conversion" thread and no one bothered mentioning something that I thought everyone was doing. This requires no "trimming" or any other hassle that others are dealing with....and it's cheap!

This is my way of stickin' it to the man and making the system work for me:

Rim- WTB dual duty - probably the worst rim for running tubeless due to a deep interior with prevents the bead of the tire from seating

Tape- I used the stan's yellow tape because I had some left over from the stan's wheels I race on....but you can use the reinforced packing tape.

Tubeless rimstrip - 650 road tube - The best is the continental because it has a removable valve core. They only cost $4.00. And you don't need to slice it down the middle and trim it up to fit in the rim channel. Run an ultralight tube if you have a shallow rim channel....run a heavier weight if you need to take up some rim space in order to get the tire bead to seat.

Directions: cut a small hole opposite of the valve stem and lay the whole tube into the rim channel. Install your tire and inflate using your favorite sealant. The tube will flatten out into a perfect rim strip. Make sure your whole is not too large.

I've been able to run wire bead and foldable tires of various brands and I've had no problems.

Check out the pic.

 

[teamdicky]

LIB!!!!

(sorry, ******* for "well I'll be")

That's pretty darn cool. I'm not a big fan of home brew tubeless, but I'm all about watching people skin cats.

 

[Minjin]

I'm not too up on these tubeless tires and such but I have read a little bit about them. Why do people use sealant? I understand needing a rim strip to seal the spoke holes but why do you need anything to seal the tire bead? I've had to use sealant when mounting auto tires but only when the wheel or tire is extremely corroded.

 

[JSD303]

Minjin - I don't mean to speak forfastmtnbiker33w, but... I think he means the liquid sealant like Stan's or TrueGoo stuff to seal punctures of the tire, not to actually seal the tire onto the rim. In tubeless setup for mountain bikes, you run your tires without a tube and then put liquid sealant in the tire before a puncture, so if punctured, the tire pressure will force sealant into the hole and fill it. That way you don't go flat at all - in theory.

 

[None]

Sealant is used to seal the casing during initial inflation of non-tubless tires. They are NOT air tight!
And flat resistance of course, as stated above.

 

[Minjin]

I was thinking that people were using it just for initial inflation. How about using an air compressor and giving it a real shot of air? I've had to use pressures approaching 100psi to get auto tire beads to seat.

 

[JSD303]

See how little I know? Thanks None for the help!

 

[29Colossus]

Sweet.

I'm getting ready to Stans up a set of those rims. I love a good tubeless set-up challenge. I am going to assume that it will go just fine. It always seems to.

If for some reason it doesn't work out, I will have to consider your method!

 

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Air compressor is a big help

I was thinking that people were using it just for initial inflation. How about using an air compressor and giving it a real shot of air? I've had to use pressures approaching 100psi to get auto tire beads to seat.

I bought an air compressor when I first tried tubeless.....the Mavic/UST system. It just saved a bunch of time and I needed one for working on my vehicles and cleaning bike parts. I can't believe how much I've used that thing. Be careful though. My little laundry room that houses the air compressor has a bunch of tire sealant all over the place....from accidents while speeramintin'. HEE HEE. "What's that honey? I can't hear you. My ears are ringing."

But sealant is necessary if you are not using a UST tire. Since UST tires tend to be much more expensive and heavier, I choose to use standard tires and sealant. I make my own....top secret formula:smilewinkgrin:

Man...if you don't know what sealant is for...you must live somewhere that has NO spikey things. I'd never finish a ride if it weren't for the tubeless system with sealant.

 

[Wish I Were Riding]

Pretty cool idea. Thanks!

Which tube do you use specifically? Or do they all have removable cores?

 

[Rainman]

Pretty cool idea. Thanks!

Which tube do you use specifically? Or do they all have removable cores?

He said.."continental" .

R.

 

[Wish I Were Riding]

He said.."continental" .

R.

Yes he did. But I tried looking for them, and the "continental" ones I found don't say whether they have removable cores. :nono: Which is why I was asking for specifics.

 

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Conti's are what I've used in the past

Yes he did. But I tried looking for them, and the "continental" ones I found don't say whether they have removable cores. :nono: Which is why I was asking for specifics.

I had a couple Continental tubes that I used. They had removable cores. You can tell they are removable in that the main part of the valve is brass and the end that unscrews is silver. I don't think it indicates on the box that they are removable. It's been a while since I bought any and from what I've heard, they still have removable cores. Tube fans like them because they can put their own sealant in them for much less than the "green" brand.

 

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Ideal tube choice...

I was trying to tell a friend how to do this and from some of the comments here it seems that there may be some confusion as to what the best tube choice may be.

I've actually used several different 650c road tubes to do this. Most were junk and patched tubes in my stash. The best tube is the Continental brand because of the removable core. Why removable core? So when your sealant dries out you can refresh it without having to remove the tire.....or....sometimes the valves clog up with sealant. A removable core can be removed and cleaned in some solvent.

Thickness and tube diameter will depend on the rim you are using. A 650x19 ultralight may work great in a rim like the TK7.1 from DT, but the WTB rims are pretty deep and filling that space works best with a standard weight tube.

Mountain biking has been a constant experiment for me since 1983 when I was a skinny kid living on the coastal flats. Some of you are new to the game. Experimentation is what makes this sport so great. Don't be scared to try something new. If you're on this forum....(29'r)...then you've taken a bigger step than most.

 

[29Colossus]

I was trying to tell a friend how to do this and from some of the comments here it seems that there may be some confusion as to what the best tube choice may be.

I've actually used several different 650c road tubes to do this. Most were junk and patched tubes in my stash. The best tube is the Continental brand because of the removable core. Why removable core? So when your sealant dries out you can refresh it without having to remove the tire.....or....sometimes the valves clog up with sealant. A removable core can be removed and cleaned in some solvent.

Thickness and tube diameter will depend on the rim you are using. A 650x19 ultralight may work great in a rim like the TK7.1 from DT, but the WTB rims are pretty deep and filling that space works best with a standard weight tube.

Mountain biking has been a constant experiment for me since 1983 when I was a skinny kid living on the coastal flats. Some of you are new to the game. Experimentation is what makes this sport so great. Don't be scared to try something new. If you're on this forum....(29'r)...then you've taken a bigger step than most.

I bought the only 650 tube in the valley today. Gonna try and tubeless up a Dual Duty tonight!

:thumbsup:

 

[29Colossus]

Holding air!

I used one layer of 3m tape (stans). I bought a totally generic 650 tube. I think it said 18-23 or something. It has a super long stem. 29er Dual Duty rim. Specialized Reso 2.3.

I only had about an ounce of Stans sealant handy at the time of fill up. I couldn't make it fill up with the Joe Blow floor pump, but it felt like it wanted to... almost. I hit it with shop air, and it filled, but it didn't really want to hold.

I kept hitting it with air until it held enough to be flipped and rolled... get that sealant flowing. That really helped. I found my second bottle of sealant, cracked the bead, and added a good amount as I usually do. That is what it needed.

It has been holding steady for 9 hours now.

:thumbsup:

Thanks for the tip! No way I could have done that with my current Stan's strip.

 

[tamjam]

Any attempts to make this system work on the Salsa DD29er rim, which I think is considered too wide to be Stan'zd?

 

[29Colossus]

Follow up

When I installed the 650cm tube as a rimstrip, I heard a definite, "POP" that I told myself was the bead. I knew I did it, but was in full denial mode. It wasn't the bead. It was the rimstrip/tube. I had kinked the tube a bit so it actually inflated and exploded before doing it's job as a rimstrip. I remember hitting it with the airhose again and the tire set up fine. I quickly put it to the back of my mind and forgot about it.

Several hundred miles later including a pretty long ride in Utah, I threw the bike in the vehicle for some cleaning at the shop. When I got to the shop, the tire was flat. I figured it was the shock from the cold air. I maybe added air to the tire once after filling it up the first time. To be done in by the cold seemed less than glorious.

It cracked me up when I saw the "rimstrip" upon inspection. I can't believe it worked that well all blown up. I had another 650cm tube to use and would have, but it had no threads on the stem. Gotta have threads to clamp that stem down, or it doesn't work. The tire was pretty dry inside. It really just needed some more sealant.

I grabbed a new Stan's rimstrip out of the cabinet, soaped up the rim and strip, installed, inflated, and it is perfect. I have no idea what I was doing wrong before when I attempted it, but no problems now.

 

[Padre]

Soooo...isn't that set-up heavier than just running a tube?

 

[TooTallUK]

Yes it will be - as you've put the sealant in there and you still need the rim strip / 650 inner tube. I have just done this for thorn puncture resistance and for no other reason. Where I ride we have lots of brambles and thorns out there and regularly get that pinprick puncture - so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Took out my inner tube, put the 650 with hole straight on, soaped the tyre & rim, sealant in & pumped. Worked a treat. Many thanks fast - a mucho cheaper option!