Want to go tubeless

[RJClegg]

19 minutes ago, Steady Spin said:

You can get the narrow black Gorilla tape from Builders Warehouse. Not too expensive but you can do a couple or wheels. 

I might look at that when I go tubeless. The issue I am having is my rims are narrow in mm - 19mm according to the spec on the side and I see most tapes are 25 - 30mm which wouldn't work, right?

[RJClegg]

48 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

darn-it .... THIS is what surfing leads to ...   Seems like a very nice tool ...... https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za/product/blackburn-big-switch-multi-tool

 

That's a very nice tool indeed. Adding to my shopping list for end of the month. Thanks!

[ChrisF]

Did our shopping for the week, walked over and checked at these two:

OutdoorWarehouse - R100 for 1''x10m of Gorilla tape

 

Builders - R110 for the same

 

LBS and Evobikes .... R145 for exactly the same product ....

 

Helps to plan ahead and stock up on consumables. 

 

Ouch for my buddy that had to do a quick buy before the shops closed on a Saturday .... school fees ....

[Thomo]

Cycle stores appear to have quite a markup on Gorilla tape ... or perhaps it's just the result of volumes.

R100 seems to be fair price via hardware outlets.

[dasilvarsa]

4 hours ago, RJClegg said:

I might look at that when I go tubeless. The issue I am having is my rims are narrow in mm - 19mm according to the spec on the side and I see most tapes are 25 - 30mm which wouldn't work, right?

Sometimes You Have to Use A Stanley Knife to cut Off the Excess on One Side Alternatively You can Make the Roll Narrow by Cutting with A Stanley Knife or Hand Saw. (Better Plan)

Edited May 16, 2021 by dasilvarsa

[RJClegg]

Was at the local bike park this afternoon and got a pinch flat. More motivation to go tubeless. 

[100Tours]

reviving this thread -

The biggest challenge (for me) in road tubeless has been the un-learning of all my MTB tubeless bad habits - road/gravel tubeless has been a lot more awkward and expensive than the MTB route.

I have settled on an inexpensive taping solution that now seems to be working for me (currently have 4x 700c tubeless wheelsets in the house, so I get lots of practice). Probably still looking for the 'right' sealant, although I feel like I've made some progress.

For taping I have adopted the approach from 'Syd fixes bikes' - a 2-tape solution. Basically most tubeless tapes are quite inflexible to be able to deal with the high pressures, and so they don't easily conform to the narrower 700c rims. This was never really a problem on MTB rims, but it has been problematic on the road. Solved using a no-name tubeless rim tape (R250 for 60m, which should do 10 wheels), and then finished off with electrical tape. The electrical tape helps the underlying tape fit the rim more snugly and also helps the tyre beads seat better (i.e. they slide easily into place on the taped surface). win.

For the sealant the latex based options just do not work for me. They are expensive, they spray a lot of messy fluid if you puncture, and they need a fair amount of maintenance to prevent balling up. Even considering shaving my legs again so that I don't have to deal with latex leg hairs as a result of fixing other people's punctures. I've been having more luck with the glycol based sealants (which can be washed out), and they're often cheaper too - Ryder or Sludge for R50 a bottle/2 wheels works just fine, and lasts a good 3 months before topping up.