[tahoesurfkid]

Mojo SL purchased end of last summer. Need some advice....

Tubeless- Stans Kit or got to a tubeless rim? What do you all think? I know there is lots of threads out there. I'm a pretty simple rider- get on the bike and pedal and I like stuff that just works. I don't mind improved cost based performance (I upgraded fork, stem, bars, seat dropper, brakes, at purchase). But say- wheelsets like Colbalts to Easton Haven Carbons- out of the $ question.

Does anyone know what I actually save in weight (or gain in other ways besides less pinch flats) going from the SLX build wheels on my Mojo SL to a ghetto tubeless? I run 2.35 approx 800g tires front and back + tubes. My wheels are a bit heavy compared to others I ride with. Effect on rotational weight does what?

Is it worth it to go to the Stans Arch with ZTR hubs (I like the price point, drop 200g in wheelset alone, right?) or will the rims work on my current Ibis stock hubs? My riding style fits the arch description to a tee but I have no technical knowledge.

Pros Cons- what do you all like? Its hard to try these things without throwing money at it....

 

[Record]

I have the 2010 SLX wheels and I recently went tubeless with the stans tape, valve stems, and sealant. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE SIZE OF THE HOLE DRILLED IN YOUR RIM BEFORE PURCHASING THE VALVE STEMS. I was setting them up the night before an early morning ride and the valve stem holes in both of my rims were drilled out pretty big so I ended up having to put a couple 1" pieces of the tape over the hole and cutting a smaller hole. they've held for a few months but I definitely need the stems with a larger rubber seat. I never did any weight comparisons but it seems lighter because I was running slime tubes before which are pretty heavy but kick ass for a no-worries no-flats solution, and I even run first knuckle deep sealant which is probably more than is recommended. Joe at bike co. recommended that amount of sealant. also, I tried doing it before checking out the instructions on stan's website and wanted to beat my head into a wall because I could not get them to seat. after reviewing their instructions (and using the soap and water and hanging my wheel while inflating with the compressor) they popped right on. then the way they show you to shake the tires with the sealant works super good. also, when you put the tubeless tape on the rim, stretch it super tight. I ride 3+ times per week and other than checking my tire pressure before each ride I have had no other maintenance issues or flats. I ride san juan trail (rocky) and chino hills state park (thorny) regularly. I'm running a non tubeless schwalbe big betty 2.5 in front and a continental rubber queen 2.2 UST in the rear. I love the combo and run them anywhere from 28-32 psi. this was my first attempt at setting up non tubeless rims tubeless and it has held up super good. hit me up if you have any questions.
-clayton

 

[budgie]

I've run the Stan's retrofit rimstrips (on conventional rims) in the past, and found you have to be a little more selective about which tires you use. Some brands of tires seat better than others; if they don't seat properly they can burp or even worse roll off the rim. I'm not sure how wide the SLX rims are, but I found that you can't reliably mount wider tires (like a 2.3 or bigger) onto an XC rim without burping problems. This is with conventional, non UST tires.

With the Stan's rims, this all goes away. Sure, tires differ in terms of how easy they are to seat, but once you get them to air up the bead-rim connection is pretty bulletproof. I've run 2.4/2.5 tires on the 355 & Arch rims no problem. Once you figure out which tires work best (Schwalbe, Maxxis & WTB from my experience), mounting tires is a 10-minute process, even with a floor pump.

So if you're planning on running 2.1 or 2.2 tires, why not just try the Stan's rimstrips: cheap, easy to experiment, right? If you find it's not working for you, go for one of the Stan's wheelsets or one of the prebuilt Hope/Stan's sets from CRC or Wiggle in the UK. Both are excellent, affordable options.

Overall I'm a diehard Stan's fan. The weight savings is definitely nice and a noticeable improvement in how fast they roll, but the ability to run lower tire pressures and have far fewer flats are the major benefits for me.

EDIT: Just re-read your post, and sounds as if you're a candidate for the full Stan's wheelset rather than rimstrips, just because it'll be less hassle and in general more reliable. Also, you're not likely to save any money by having your old hubs built up on new rims, just because of the labor cost. Might as well go for a new wheelset, especially at the prices of the Stan's or Hope pre-built ones.

 

[adumesny]

My mojo came with mavic 819 UST rims and rear was already setup tubeless (crossmax 2.1 LUST). I recently converted the non UST front tire (El Moco 2.35 - go Brian L. !) to tubeless using stans liquid and that was a pain in the butt.. I highly recommend watching stans video and followed exactly his steps (make sure to get plenty of crystals in your mix - that might have been my mistake). No problem inflating the tire, but leaked all over the rims edges - took tons of shaking/laying flat with soap to get most of it out, but not 100% completely. Now I have to refill with air every 2 weeks or so, especially in cold weather like now.
Never had to adjust the rear (UST tire) so your mileage may vary... running low pressure is nice (though less efficient pedaling/rolling) and never having to worry about pinch flat (not that I got any in a year). UST tires will typically have thicker walls, so that with the liquid will negate the weight saving IMO.

My DH bike (mavic 721EX rims, not UST) has heavy tubes and was looking to go tubeless there as I've seen a fair amount of flats at NorthStar, and terrain is so rough softer tires might help. But there I have to buy tape + rim film + valves and hope the tires (regular high rollers 2.5/2.7) won't give me the grief the El Moco has so far as I don't want to buy new UST ones (have a pair of Nevegal waiting). Bigger commitment there...

 

[tahoesurfkid]

Thanks for the insight. I ride in places similar to Northstar's surface terrain (granite, logs, sand/dust) except no large jump features for me. Toad's, Corral, etc on Tahoe's south shore and Santa Cruz in the winter. I've had pinch flats, but not excessively. On my Mojo and a Stumpy before I use 2.35" Minions & Nevegals (30psi or so) based on what the LBS (closed for the winter) shop has when in need a new tire. I watched Stan's and this video part 1& 2:

Metal tire lever/ compressor?.. seems like a pain in the butt. Has anyone gone this way and given up? Stan's rim system is in the lead. I didn't care about this stuff in the past but I'm riding a lot more and want to beat my buddies up&down the hill.

 

[adumesny]

The "Getto" method of re-using a 20" tube has the disavantage that you probably can't take your tire off and put it back (since the tube doesn't seat inside but on the edge - which might make a better seal on non UST tires though), or won't have removable stem inserts meaning you can't add sealant later on when it's all dry or if you don't have enough to seal all the leaks. But it can be cheap/free vs stans strips...

I got some metal lever (cheap on pricepoint) too as I broke plastic ones on my front tire. They will be a must for my DH tires for sure anyway. Compressor is nice to get the inital tire to seat properly, but maybe not must according to stans video if you have a good high flow pump (and a tire that isn't a pain to seat like the El Moco was).