[snowrydr01]

Picking up a Spark Jr 20 this weekend and since im already down the mods rabbit hole i want to convert it to tubeless. Ive setup tubeless on bikes before so thats not an issue but i am wondering what tires everyone is using?

He is likely not doing lift assist runs until next year at a minimum but where we ride weekly is tight, twisty, very rooty and almost never dry. On my personal bikes i concede rolling resistance to a more open tread that i know will clear even at slow speeds.

 

[svinyard]

We liked the Spawn Maxtions 20". They are really nice. The casing is pretty light which is nice for this age but they also aren't a XC tread. I'd def go with those. You can get them from Spawn for 40$ a tire. Kind of like a very light, generic DHF-ish tire. Wider wheels make them even better. i27 worked well for us but they look good on an i23 wheel too. Grip is great. Not many good alternatives that don't sacrifice grip or weight...especially in the wet rooty stuff. Most kid tires are just XC tread, which is fine for most kids, not for your terrain imo.

You don't want them for really rough rocky, fast riding or most Park riding tho. Casing is too light.

 

[CeUnit]

+1 (or +2 ) for Spawn Maxtions.

You don't want them for really rough rocky, fast riding or most Park riding tho. Casing is too light.

Note they come in the 'normal' version or the DH version. Didn't realize this at first and bought the normal ones and kept getting flats in Whistler Bike Park, then bought a set of the DH ones and no more flats.

 

[snowrydr01]

Thanks for the feedback. Its interesting mentioning XC stuff since he pretty excited to enter a couple CX kid races in fall. Since we are all bike nerds at heart i feel like a thinner little joe is required for those but wasnt sure if they are tubeless ready or will leak through the sidewalls a while before they seal up naturally. And he has a set of smooth BMX tires for a kids fun street race this week. Never too early to learn about why you need multiple sets of tires hanging in the garage

Wider rims are in the 2nd phase of upgrades when i have to lace up new wheels anyway for a disk conversion.

 

[CeUnit]

Since we are all bike nerds at heart i feel like a thinner little joe is required for those but wasnt sure if they are tubeless ready or will leak through the sidewalls a while before they seal up naturally.

In addition to the normal and DH versions of the 20" Maxtions, we also have the Little Joes. They aren't officially tubeless ready and I have yet to try ghetto tubeless with them. The (center) tread is notably 'thin' in the sense that after a bit of rear tire skidding while riding trails, there isn't much left. We're getting much better longevity from the Maxtions.

 

[End_User]

In addition to the normal and DH versions of the 20" Maxtions, we also have the Little Joes. They aren't officially tubeless ready and I have yet to try ghetto tubeless with them. The (center) tread is notably 'thin' in the sense that after a bit of rear tire skidding while riding trails, there isn't much left. We're getting much better longevity from the Maxtions.

I tried to setup tubeless Little Joes with folding beads on my sons orbea MX20 team disc. No luck. I got them to seat and you could see tons of bubbled coming out of the sidewalls even with sealant.

 

[RMCDan]

Maxtions are definitely the best option and I'd recommend the DH casing for a FS bike. If you want to spend less, we also had good luck with Maxxis MaxxDaddys tubeless. But, the MDs may not shed mud well enough for your locale.

 

[WTomlin76]

My son runs MaxxDaddys tubeless at 22 PSI front and 24 PSI rear and I've had no problems with leakage, burping, etc. But we only have access to suburban trails and we'd be judged, placed in stocks, and publicly flogged by the trail erosion Nazis if we rode wet trails here. They may not be the best tires for you.

I was planning on trying Little Joes for my daughter's bike but with the negative comments here I'm pessimistic and may just tube them up on her ride.

 

[slowride454]

I've got my son's 20" bike tubeless with Bonty XR2s. His 16" bike is tubeless with Schwalbe Black Jacks on Skyway Mags. I'll be attempting tubeless on his 26" bike next with Panaracer Fire XCs