[treemonkeys]

I have old 2014 Bontrager AT-850 rims, they have been lightly used and are not in bad shape or anything. I have everything for a tubeless conversion and asked my bike shop to do it since I don't have an air compressor, they said it wouldn't be safe and basically the rim could blow apart.

Is this really the case or do you think it's just something they didn't want to be liable for? I thought converting non-tubeless rims to tubeless was a common practice.

 

[Sparticus]

It is common if the rims are designed as tubeless ready.

If not, personally I’d never go there.
=sParty

 

[treemonkeys]

Ok, my rims are not tubeless ready, I guess I shouldnt do it

 

[Nick_M]

you can do this safely, just add more rim tape to create appropriate beading for the tire;

 

[mrpizza]

I am riding the original rubber stans strips on non tubeless rims. Have been using them for about 20 years. Had a blowout this weekend but I think that was due to the extreme forces in play and not the tire or strip that caused it.

 

[Sparticus]

Allow me to clarify my previous comment.

I won't do it. Not because it can't be done. I won't do it because you can't tell if it can be done safely until something goes wrong.

We have a saying out here for slippery PNW rainy season riding: "Traction doesn't matter until it does." The same thing can be said for a tubeless tire seating properly on a non-tubeless rim. It's perfectly safe until it isn't.

Anyone who wants to take that chance is welcome to. But I won't. Not the way I ride. My life frequently depends on my bike operating the way it's supposed to. Others may not ride like I do or may be more willing to place their fate in the hands of an unproven tire/rim interface. Not me.

To those that do: good luck with that. Sincerely. I mean it. Good luck with that.
=sParty

 

[SoDakSooner]

I would agree that it depends on the type of riding you do as @Sparticus stated, but for most of us if you can get the bead to seat and I mean really seat (with a pop) you should be ok. Ive run tubeless with non tubeless rims for a long time (with the old stan's kit) and never had an issue. That particular bike is/was very xc oriented. Every bike Ive had since 2005 was either tubeless ready or whatever that old naming convention was...

 

[Gumby_rider]

I have old 2014 Bontrager AT-850 rims, they have been lightly used and are not in bad shape or anything. I have everything for a tubeless conversion and asked my bike shop to do it since I don't have an air compressor, they said it wouldn't be safe and basically the rim could blow apart.

Is this really the case or do you think it's just something they didn't want to be liable for? I thought converting non-tubeless rims to tubeless was a common practice.

people have been doing this for years before tubless ready rims were common. I understand why bike shop doesn’t want to do it because some rim/tire combinations work better than others. It‘s more hassle if the beads can’t be seated quickly. And no the rim doesn’t blow apart. That’s just nonsense.

 

[Sparticus]

No, the rim won’t blow apart.

Rather, the tire will blow off the rim. And this is most likely to happen when pressure is greatest, for example when landing a drop or jump.

But yeah, the rim will likely still be good to go once you get out of the hospital.
=sParty

 

[006_007]

Only concern would be if those are a rim brake rim? If they are and the brake tracks are worn then no.

I admit I am not familiar with that rim, and am too lazy to see if they are rim brake units.

 

[treemonkeys]

They are disc rims, I'm also a very conservative rider and I don't do any jumps or big drops, I also don't want a bad crash so it might not be worth the risk.

 

[Gumby_rider]

No, the rim won’t blow apart.

Rather, the tire will blow off the rim. And this is most likely to happen when pressure is greatest, for example when landing a drop or jump.

But yeah, the rim will likely still be good to go once you get out of the hospital.
=sParty

That could happen. It has also happened on tubeless ready rims as well.

 

[jimPacNW]

The shop probably won't due it due to the simple liability of doing something that is not recommended by the mfg.

If I were you, I would try it: see how tight the bead is on the rim, if it's really easy to get the tire on, it's probably not a good match and the tire might not stay on very well (and will probably be really hard to get inflated). If the tire bead is pretty tight, and you have to struggle a little bit to get the tire on, it will probably be ok. I have setup non-tubeless rated tires on non-tubeless rated rims (old IRCs on 26er Mavics) for my kids old race bike, -zero issues.
If the tire is a tight fit on the rim, it should also be possible to inflate it with just a floor pump without too much trouble.
I find that I always have an easier time getting the tire beads to seat if I make sure the bead is wet all the way around with soapy water, that's something I always do when mounting tires.

Don't be intimidated by tubeless, you can figure it out, but it might take a little practice to get comfortable with it.

 

[Hurricane Jeff]

I've done it many times, before tubeless was started to take off. I think the first time I did was around 2001/2002. Stan's used to sell a conversion kit, not sure if they still do.

 

[baker]

I've done it many times, before tubeless was started to take off. I think the first time I did was around 2001/2002. Stan's used to sell a conversion kit, not sure if they still do.

Same, I've done it over and over with no tires blowing off rims. I have, however, had issues w/ air burping and having to top up mid-ride. Or, I've had some tire/rim combos that are such a PITA to keep aired up that I've given up on the combo. YMMV.

BTW, I recently went through all of my wheels (and I had tons) and either gave away or threw away almost every single non-tubeless wheel.

 

[baker]

.....

 

[dysfunction]

Yep, I ran ghetto-tubeless way back in the day.. I wouldn't do it again, since it's kind of a pain (buuuurp) and there are much better options these days.

 

[slimat99]

I worked at a shop right around the time when tubeless was starting to trend but only UST existed. The main shop mechanic and the assistant manager were at odds over ghetto tubeless. Mechanic said only UST should be tubeless, assistant manager was all about ghetto. I was interested but not sold. I let my friend, the manager talk me into ghetto. (split tube) It was a pita but it worked. Non tubeless rim, 21mm internal, non tubeless tires. I continued to run tubeless in many iterations from rim strips to tape all with non tubeless rims/tires. Ironically, the only tubeless tires I've rolled off the rim was a mavic UST because the rim was dented, and a generic carbon TR rim. I say go for it if you really want tubeless, but it might be a pita. Even TR can be a pita sometimes. If tubes didn't suck so bad I wouldn't bother with tubeless. I can't tell you how many cuss words my neighbors have heard over the years. Have fun!

 

[slimat99]

Are you sure your rims aren't TR? TR started trending well before 2014, and it didn't take long before it completely took over. 2014 rims really aren't old when talking about tubeless.

 

[Dingleberrry]

I think you’ll be fine. You can buy a kit but for my money I’d just go gorilla tape. If you don’t get it to seal just run an extra layer. Here’s a forum on this topic - sounds like others did have success.

Anyone gone tubeless with Bontrager AT-850 disc rims?

Has anyone gone tubeless with the Bontrager AT-850 disc rims? These are the rims that come on the Trek Cobia. I did a search and couldn't find anything. If you have gone tubeless what method(ghetto, gorilla tape, etc...), what tires are you using and how is it working out? Thanks.

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