Wayneman Posted January 5, 2016 Share This is my first post of the forum so Im hoping the gurus can please give some advise..... Im in the process of buying a new MTB - my first one since my school days over 20 years ago.It seems the latest and greatest thing is to convert to the tubeless setup.I have seen a few videos on YouTube and it seems simple enough to convert.I have replaced my fair share of tyres and tubes in my youth so Im hopeful all goes well. Can anyone give advise and recommendations on this conversion.And what conversion kits can you recommend, and do I also need to use that liquid in the tyres to prevent leaks. Happy days ahead - cant wait to get riding again soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JXV Posted January 5, 2016 Share First things first - you need to ensure that your rims and tyres are suitable for tubeless conversion. Some rims do not seal at the joint and some tyres that were designed to be used with a tube are too porous or the bead does not seat tight enough. There are workarounds for some of these issues but you need to know before you spend money on a kit. What bike, tyres and rims ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted January 5, 2016 Share If the wheels are tubeless its a breeze, fit tubeless valve, fit tubeless tyre leaving section open for sealant to be added, add sealant and complete. You might need to use soapy liquid to complete the fit, depending how tight it is. To do the initial inflate i use the pump at the garage, inflating with the valve removed works best for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaper Posted January 5, 2016 Share If you buying new, get the bike shop to do the tubeless conversion as part of the deal !! JXV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayneman Posted January 5, 2016 Share Im looking at getting the merida Big Nine XT 29er. Im still trying to find out if the rims support a tubeless conversion, but im sure they do.As far as I know I need to change the tyres.Im trying to save a bit of cash, and the bike shops want to charge anything from R1690 to R1800-00 to do the conversion.Im sure I could buy the tyres and tubeless kit and do it cheaper by myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubber Posted January 5, 2016 Share Once you have confirmed that tyres and rims are tubeless compatible you will need: 2 x tubeless valves1 x roll of tubeless tape1 x bottle of sealant(optional: roll of gorilla tape or duct tape to apply before sealant tape.)2 or 3 good quality tyre levers (I suggest parktool). There are numerous brands around - I use STANs very successfully. I have tried american classic tape very unsuccessfully! The above will set you back around R800 depending on brand and amount of sealant purchased. (Probably more if you go name brand, maybe less if you go with generics). Once you have everything, check out the STAN's youtube page. They have good instructions which are applicable to pretty much all brands. Have fun! Edited January 5, 2016 by Dubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watsonr Posted January 5, 2016 Share Im looking at getting the merida Big Nine XT 29er. Im still trying to find out if the rims support a tubeless conversion, but im sure they do.As far as I know I need to change the tyres.Im trying to save a bit of cash, and the bike shops want to charge anything from R1690 to R1800-00 to do the conversion.Im sure I could buy the tyres and tubeless kit and do it cheaper by myself.Assuming your rims support a tubeless conversion; just Youtube "Ghetto Tubeless Conversion" and follow the steps. Total cost to do my wife and my bike was +/- R900. R400 for Stan's sealant, R100 for alligator tape at builders and R350 for the Stan's tubeless valves with removable inner core. Plus still have sealant for future top ups and never have to go back to LBS for basic tubeless problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted January 5, 2016 Share Im looking at getting the merida Big Nine XT 29er. Im still trying to find out if the rims support a tubeless conversion, but im sure they do.As far as I know I need to change the tyres.Im trying to save a bit of cash, and the bike shops want to charge anything from R1690 to R1800-00 to do the conversion.Im sure I could buy the tyres and tubeless kit and do it cheaper by myself. I'm pretty sure those rims can be converted. Doing a tubeless conversion isn't that difficult to do. You do need to have the right equipment and parts. You'll need:Tubeless ready or UST tyres; Rim strip/tape; Presta tubeless valve; Track pump or compressor; and Tyre levers (although you can do the conversion without them).Here is a nice video done by GMBN, which covers the topic nicely: https://youtu.be/Q89NTR2yNyc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaper Posted January 5, 2016 Share Im looking at getting the merida Big Nine XT 29er. Im still trying to find out if the rims support a tubeless conversion, but im sure they do.As far as I know I need to change the tyres.Im trying to save a bit of cash, and the bike shops want to charge anything from R1690 to R1800-00 to do the conversion.Im sure I could buy the tyres and tubeless kit and do it cheaper by myself.Haggle to get it as part of the deal... there are many bike shops you can buy from.... if they wont do it, others will pellieg and Dubber 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted January 5, 2016 Share Im looking at getting the merida Big Nine XT 29er. Im still trying to find out if the rims support a tubeless conversion, but im sure they do.As far as I know I need to change the tyres.Im trying to save a bit of cash, and the bike shops want to charge anything from R1690 to R1800-00 to do the conversion.Im sure I could buy the tyres and tubeless kit and do it cheaper by myself.Do it yourself on tubeless rims, plus side is you will have learned the skill Tyre x 2 (R650 each) R1300Tubeless valve R120Stans Sealant 475 mls R200. = +/- R1620. Edited January 5, 2016 by scotty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubber Posted January 5, 2016 Share Do it yourself on tubeless rims, plus side is you will have learned the skill Tyre x 2 (R650 each) R1300Tubeless valve R120Stans Sealant 475 mls R200. = +/- R1620.And tubeless tape? R250 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayneman Posted January 5, 2016 Share Thanks guys for the advise - I def think Im going to give this a bash.Great forum and knowledge base Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JXV Posted January 5, 2016 Share To me it doesn't make sense to throw 2 perfectly new tyres away. Ride them with tubes till worn then convert when you buy replacement tyres......provided the standard tyres are at least reasonable for the riding you plan to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted January 5, 2016 Share To add to what others have said - do it yourself. It's a pretty basic cycling maintenance skill. Oh, remember to have a few cold beers close by. It always comes in handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted January 5, 2016 Share And tubeless tape? R250If needed yes, mine did not need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted January 5, 2016 Share To me it doesn't make sense to throw 2 perfectly new tyres away. Ride them with tubes till worn then convert when you buy replacement tyres......provided the standard tyres are at least reasonable for the riding you plan to do.That can take a long time to wear down, many, many stops for puncture repairs. You could get slime tubes but that in itself is an extra cost with no real guarantee. JXV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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