Tubeless

[TheLegend]

 

I have had enough of punctures on my MTB and hear that tubeless is the way to go. Any comments?

 

 

Me too, me too. I punctured 3 times in the weekends MTB race and due wlaked my fair share of the route in those damned hard soles.

DEFINITELY going tubeless now!

what other comments do you want? all been discussed here. ask BigBen for cheap tubeless conversion.

 

[NC_lurker]

Checkout this link for all the detail on the cheap "Ghetto" Tubeless option:

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=24545

 

[stratus5]

Hi Kevin

 

Tubless conversion is very easy and quick with the Maxxis Crossmarks. They are a bit tricky (side walls leak a bit at first) if you have put some miles on them, but its a cinch if they are new as they seal almost instantly.

 

Normal Crossmark is fine for the front, but at some point consider a UST tyre for the back as the extra sidewall protection is useful even if it is 100g heavier. The only puncture I have had with tubless is when I badly scuffed/tore the sidewall going over rocks.

 

Suggest you go with the Stans or Joes kit the first time. Once comfortable with the setup, then try a cheaper home made option. Its really simple to install with the right stuff.

 

Some tricks... Its a pain putting sealant through the valve. Rather leave about 6 inches of the tyre off the rim. Pour 60-80 ml of sealant through this opening and then rotate tire slowly 180 degrees before pushing final piece of tyre onto rim.

 

A floor pump wont seal the Maxxis no matter how fast you pump the first time. You will need to pop along to the local garage. Some people sacrifice an air bomb, I have a scuba cylinder that does the trick.

 

With a scuba cylinder, remove the hose from your floor pump. Hold it against the opening in the cyclinder as hard as you can, but dont attempt any proper connection. Its far from a perfect seal, but the air goes in quickly and its difficult to put in more than 4 bar. If you could connect to the cylinder properly it would be easy to put in 200 bar in an instant. Dont want to be around when that happens 

 

Once converted to tubless you will need to carry an air bomb. Should you tear a sidewall, then a new tube needs to go in, but its also possible to 'burp' the tire by hitting a object that pulls the tyre sidewall away from the rim such that all the air rushes out in an instant.

 

Your hand pump is unlikely to inflate a 'burped' tire, but the bomb should do the trick. I have burped a tyre after having a disageement with an irrigation system in the middle of a citrus orchard after taking that last turn just a little too fast   

 

Good luck.