Stuff you learn(t) the hard way by being your own mechanic

[muagie]

That the plastic guides for internal frame routing must not be pulled out untill the cables are fastened on it - what a B@lls up , had to take frame to bike store to get the cable routed and man did they nail me on labour

[Hairy]

That the plastic guides for internal frame routing must not be pulled out untill the cables are fastened on it - what a B@lls up , had to take frame to bike store to get the cable routed and man did they nail me on labour

I am sure they had to invest a fair bit of labour to get the routing sorted again

[Hairy]

My first frame with internal guides was a real green to get the cable through, eventually used long reed grasses taped together to feed through the frame and act as a guide for the cable housing.... this technique did work really well at 3am in the morning

[solty]

What I learnt this morning: only buy Maxxis tyres.

I put on a new Ardent 29x2.25 exo tubeless ready and it seated with a few blows from the floor pump. No sukkeling, no hissing and leaking, bombing, driving to garage to borrow compressed air. Just the way it should be.

[MudLark]

What I learnt this morning: only buy Maxxis tyres.

I put on a new Ardent 29x2.25 exo tubeless ready and it seated with a few blows from the floor pump. No sukkeling, no hissing and leaking, bombing, driving to garage to borrow compressed air. Just the way it should be.

Maxxis do indeed have that advantage. Contis on the other hand can be an absolute bitch to get sorted, especially the first time.

[MORNE]

My first frame with internal guides was a real green to get the cable through, eventually used long reed grasses taped together to feed through the frame and act as a guide for the cable housing.... this technique did work really well at 3am in the morning

That time of the morning with fatigue, mild aggression and whiskey/beer brain setting in... i’ll be tempted to cut the frame open, route the cables and tape it all back up again haha.

[MORNE]

Maxxis do indeed have that advantage. Contis on the other hand can be an absolute bitch to get sorted, especially the first time.

I struggle to get schwalbe’s on the rims even with tubes lol.

But the rim makes a big difference with how easily it goes on and seats first time. Deeper section rims paired with a 2.5+ sidewall can be a teef...

Edited November 9, 2019 by morneS555

[MudLark]

I struggle to get schwalbe’s on the rims even with tubes lol.

But the rim makes a big difference with how easily it goes on and seats first time. Deeper section rims paired with a 2.5+ sidewall can be a teef...

Yup. I recently tried to get some new Panaracers onto some new rims - and trust me when I say I'm capable of snapping even the Park Tool tyre levers. For the first time ever I eventually gave up and took it to my LBS. [emoji3061]

[Pieter1]

What I learnt this morning: only buy Maxxis tyres.

I put on a new Ardent 29x2.25 exo tubeless ready and it seated with a few blows from the floor pump. No sukkeling, no hissing and leaking, bombing, driving to garage to borrow compressed air. Just the way it should be.

My WTB tires were the worst to try and get on the rim, never mind seating. My Maxxis were a dream to get on and seat.

[Eddy Gordo]

My WTB tires were the worst to try and get on the rim, never mind seating. My Maxxis were a dream to get on and seat.

Strange, I will agree they are a mission to get onto a rim, but soapy water works for me. Pumping them up with a floor pump is no hassles.

[MrJacques]

Maxxis do indeed have that advantage. Contis on the other hand can be an absolute bitch to get sorted, especially the first time.

 

I have a Conti Race King in 26 that I can get on and off the rim by hand, it's unlikely to work as tubeless.

[Pieter1]

Strange, I will agree they are a mission to get onto a rim, but soapy water works for me. Pumping them up with a floor pump is no hassles.

G’z I sukkled with mine. Lekker tires and last long but to get on and seated was a mission of note. I had a Weirwolf and can’t remember the other one but but both were a mission.

[MORNE]

That reminds me....rim profile vs rimtape thickness plays a part with how easily a tire will seat tubeless. If you have zero hassles you obviously have a good combo. Ive had to build some rims up internally quite a bit using tape...especially if they have a deep’ish channel in the center.

[PhilipV]

My WTB tires were the worst to try and get on the rim, never mind seating. My Maxxis were a dream to get on and seat.

A while ago WTB was involved in a lawsuit after some Muppet tried to blame for the tyre burping and causing a crash. So WTB tightened their tolerances.

They make great tyres, but you need to have patience, soapy water and start praying three days ago. A mate of mine could not get his off his wheel, he ended up using a sidecutter.

[MrJacques]

Cheap tubes suck! I bought some 26" tubes and they seem too small for the tyre, like there is a gap between the sidewall and the tube. I have to inflate it very hard to get it expanded properly. They are supposed to be 1.9 - 2.25. Using a 27.5 (2.1 - 2.4) tube seems to work pretty well and it's also not as stretched out. So... buy better quality tubes that fit the tyre properly.

 

* I'd go tubeless but i'm not sure that the tyres I have are going to work, but after pinch flats and punctures this week I'm might as well give it a try.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Jacquers

[The Ouzo]

Cheap tubes suck! I bought some 26" tubes and they seem too small for the tyre, like there is a gap between the sidewall and the tube. I have to inflate it very hard to get it expanded properly. They are supposed to be 1.9 - 2.25. Using a 27.5 (2.1 - 2.4) tube seems to work pretty well and it's also not as stretched out. So... buy better quality tubes that fit the tyre properly.

 

* I'd go tubeless but i'm not sure that the tyres I have are going to work, but after pinch flats and punctures this week I'm might as well give it a try.

on a road bike I found out many years ago that the cheaper tubes also puncture alot easier.