Tubeless tyre gypo?

[johannrissik]

Some tire/rim combinations can be easier than others to set up tubeless. But for the most part, the conversion is pretty straightforward.

 

I went the ghetto route on both my bikes, with 2.4 Conti's, one pair UST the other non-UST, on Mavic EN520 rims. Worked like a charm, with a floor pump. 18 months later, the occasional top up of sealant, and still hundreds.

 

Trying to do my friend's WTB Speed Disc rims and a pair of Nevegals (not ghetto; used a legit kit) was like wrestling a bear. Even with a compressor, it would NOT seat, and sealant was pissing out everywhere. Eventually got it to work, but after a long battle that went well into the night, sprinkled with a generous helping of colourful language.

 

There's a trick or two required.

1. Seat the tyre before you even open the can of sealant. That way you know it can seat.

 

2.If the tyre won't seat easily use Bead Seat Lube (it's the equivalent KY in the realm of tubeless sex). It works so well that you probably won't even hear the "pop" as it seats on the bead. (Ja, I know dishwashing liquid sort of works, but save that for washing your car)

 

3. Add sealant. Pump. Ride

 

4. No need to clean the ceiling or buy another can of sealant

[Skylark]

 

There's a trick or two required.

1. Seat the tyre before you even open the can of sealant. That way you know it can seat.

 

2.If the tyre won't seat easily use Bead Seat Lube (it's the equivalent KY in the realm of tubeless sex). It works so well that you probably won't even hear the "pop" as it seats on the bead. (Ja, I know dishwashing liquid sort of works, but save that for washing your car)

 

3. Add sealant. Pump. Ride

 

4. No need to clean the ceiling or buy another can of sealant

 

So how do you test seat a tyre before you've added sealant?

With water or something?

[Sitting slip]

hai weet jy soms ne

[DJR]

There's a trick or two required.

1. Seat the tyre before you even open the can of sealant. That way you know it can seat.

 

2.If the tyre won't seat easily use Bead Seat Lube (it's the equivalent KY in the realm of tubeless sex). It works so well that you probably won't even hear the "pop" as it seats on the bead. (Ja, I know dishwashing liquid sort of works, but save that for washing your car)

 

3. Add sealant. Pump. Ride

 

4. No need to clean the ceiling or buy another can of sealant

 

Ha, ha Johan, I only now saw the title above your Danie Theron avatar..... :D

[Vetseun]

PS a ghetto conversion is actually a "tube" solution, so yes, it can be done, but you have to use a small tube like a bmx one and cut down the seam so it lies either side of the rim....seat tyre, add stan's, pump up. Happy days

Good advice Rouxtjie

[Capricorn]

So how do you test seat a tyre before you've added sealant?

With water or something?

 

inflate till it pops into the rim. But it helps to use tubeless valves with removable cores. I cannot stress just how much more convenient it is than seating a bead, then unseating one side of the tyre again just to dose the wheel with sealant.

 

remove core, and inject sealant using this:

 

 

get one that can take up 30ml. The tip of the syringe in the photo just happens to fit exactly into the valve when the core is removed. When done injecting, just pull the plunger back a bit as the sealant is prone to spurting back out abit when you remove the syringe. Just a little bubble making a tiny mess. but i like working neatly.

[Capricorn]

Good advice Rouxtjie

XC tubes work just as well, so no need to run around looking for BMX tubes. Hell, any tube will do, but the thicker it is, the harder it becomes for the tyre bead to lock. XC thin is good for something

[ichnusa]

I often seat both sides of the tire with a regular unslimed tube. Then remove the tube without unseating the one bead. Insert tubeless valve and stans. Re-inflate.

[johannrissik]

So how do you test seat a tyre before you've added sealant?

With water or something?

 

With air, from a compressor, with the valve core removed. Hard and fast, it's really just to check that the thing more-or-less seals before you add the sealant. once you've added the sealant, it gets messy if it won't seat. I've seen some funny stuff in my life, but two people, one non-compliant wheel, a compressor and a can of Stans rates very highly.

[johannrissik]

Ha, ha Johan, I only now saw the title above your Danie Theron avatar..... :D

Hijack on..Yes, that Klein Korporaal Ketoors appears to have gone AWOL. Just no discipline these days ...hijack off.

 

Come to think of it, he (Kpl Ketoors) tried to arrest a bicycle fitted with homeless tubeless, but he failed. Just goes to show that tubeless works

[Skylark]

With air, from a compressor, with the valve core removed. Hard and fast, it's really just to check that the thing more-or-less seals before you add the sealant. once you've added the sealant, it gets messy if it won't seat. I've seen some funny stuff in my life, but two people, one non-compliant wheel, a compressor and a can of Stans rates very highly.

 

Does that work even with non UST or non-tubless tyres?

 

I normally use the magic of stans to make any old tyre with a folding bead inflate and seal tubeless but without stans to help things along I can't see the tyre sealing and inflating even with a high volume compressor blowing air into it?

[Thug]

I seated a 29x3" tyre on a 50mm rim yesterday and neither are tubeless specific.

 

Only once have I got the bead to seat do I "inject" the sealant as Capricorn explains further up.

 

Took all over 20 minutes (including the 10min walk to the garage and back).

[johannrissik]

Does that work even with non UST or non-tubless tyres?

 

I normally use the magic of stans to make any old tyre with a folding bead inflate and seal tubeless but without stans to help things along I can't see the tyre sealing and inflating even with a high volume compressor blowing air into it?

 

My experience has been largely with non-UST tyres and rims (UST stuff works easy peasy), it's the home-brew that can be challenging.....

Non-UST tyres (Crossmark, Larsen TT, Bontrager, Specialised, WTB, Kenda, etc) I would normally do an "exploratory" pump without sealant, just to get an idea of how well they are going to seal. Basically, if they hold some pressure for a few seconds even, then you are good to go. Add the sealant and pump.

 

It's those ones that hold absolutely no pressure when you blast them with the compressor that are the beaches...

Sometimes it helps (if they are folding tyres) to put in a tube and pump them to about 3 bar and leave them overnight, they take shape nicely. Then proceed as above.

 

I guess the gist of what I am trying to say is that it's important to get an idea of how well they are going to seal before you add the sealant.

 

Thanks for making me clarify that.

 

If anyone has ever done the Rambo lighter fuel trick, please let me know, I need a new party trick

[Skylark]

Thanks - That makes sense!

Really cool technique, going to implement it on my next choobliss install

[Paul Ruinaard]

Hmm, wasn't going to reply, but thought you should know that not all tyres are created equal. A UST tyre will simplify your conversion. In fact IMHO about 90% of all the issues are tyre related, and the balance are rim related. And get a compressor to do it.

 

I did a set of non UST contis once and the sidewalks were like sieves, they leaked latex for weeks and were always flat. Eventually they worked and gripped like crazy, but they were a mission.

 

Agreed on GEAX. You need to be Tarzan.

 

Another hint. Take it to a shop. I almost ended up wearing about 500 ml of latex when I was wrestling with a difficult tyre last time.

 

But you can, with enough time, make almost any wheel and tyre combo tubeless. Without rim strips that is.