Suggestion for tubeless set up for a rookie

L

LandCruiserPhil

Expedition Leader
Looking at going tubeless what system should I use?
Im a rookie
I live in the dry desert SW
My rims say " WTB Speeddisc 559x17/541 ERD" on them
My tires are currently Bontrager Jones ACxB 26x2.2

Educate me:)
 
Flagster

Flagster

Expedition Leader
I have always used "stans" systems for my wheelsets that are not UST...simple as drilling out the valve hole in the rim...installing the rim strip...and filling with sealant...good to go...

I never have found it to be necessary to use the fancy injector to add sealant later...i just break a small 2 inch portion of the sealed bead and add a bit of sealant...stuff dries out fast in AZ

As for tires I have always run what I have/like...not sure if it is still the case but when I started running tubeless about 7 years ago they "recommended" certain tires and some were "incompatible"...I have run almost all brands of non UST tires and they all seem to seal and work just fine...

I know there are some other systems out there but I have not used them...
Good luck...

http://www.notubes.com/Stans-Tubeless-Kits-C12.aspx
 
Last edited:
goodtimes

goodtimes

Expedition Poseur
About the time you started this thread, I was at the LBS inquiring the same thing.

All of the employees there use Stan's on their own bikes, and tell me that most of the new bikes that they sell get fitted with the (Stan's) conversion before they go out the door at the request of the buyer. For clarity - this is the conversion (rim strips and sealant), not the tubeless rims that are listed on Stan's website.

I was out the door for under $70 - so I'll give it a shot either tonight (depending on how ragged I am after tonight's ride) or tomorrow.
 
D

djsixbillion

Adventurer
I've tried a few different configurations:

-Regular (non-UST) rim and tire with Stan's kit
-Regular rim with "Tubeless Ready" tire and Stan's kit (from what I have gathered, Tubeless Ready means the tire has a UST bead but the sidewall is not fully air-tight, necessitating the use of a sealant)
-UST rim with Tubeless Ready tire
-UST rim with UST tire

Most of my riding buddies swear by the Stan's stuff, but honestly I prefer the full UST setup. Yes it may require new wheels and the tires are a bit heavier, but I really like not dealing with the mess of liquid sealant. I've also found it much easier to get the UST beads seated; have always been able to do it with just a floor pump whereas the other setups often require a compressor. YMMV of course :coffee:
 
mtnbike28

mtnbike28

Expedition Leader
x2 - nice and easy. Run any tire, and any bike shop has Stans sealant for sale!

Flagster said:
I have always used "stans" systems for my wheelsets that are not UST...simple as drilling out the valve hole in the rim...installing the rim strip...and filling with sealant...good to go...

I never have found it to be necessary to use the fancy injector to add sealant later...i just break a small 2 inch portion of the sealed bead and add a bit of sealant...stuff dries out fast in AZ

As for tires I have always run what I have/like...not sure if it is still the case but when I started running tubeless about 7 years ago they "recommended" certain tires and some were "incompatible"...I have run almost all brands of non UST tires and they all seem to seal and work just fine...

I know there are some other systems out there but I have not used them...
Good luck...

http://www.notubes.com/Stans-Tubeless-Kits-C12.aspx
Click to expand...
 
Flagster

Flagster

Expedition Leader
djsixbillion said:
I've tried a few different configurations:

-Regular (non-UST) rim and tire with Stan's kit
-Regular rim with "Tubeless Ready" tire and Stan's kit (from what I have gathered, Tubeless Ready means the tire has a UST bead but the sidewall is not fully air-tight, necessitating the use of a sealant)
-UST rim with Tubeless Ready tire
-UST rim with UST tire

Most of my riding buddies swear by the Stan's stuff, but honestly I prefer the full UST setup. Yes it may require new wheels and the tires are a bit heavier, but I really like not dealing with the mess of liquid sealant. I've also found it much easier to get the UST beads seated; have always been able to do it with just a floor pump whereas the other setups often require a compressor. YMMV of course :coffee:
Click to expand...

I have never had to use a compressor/air source for stans...just my trusty silca track pump...
I have found the most common area for the tire to leak air until the bead is completely seated is where the rim strip bulges by the valve stem...the tire has a slightly harder time seating so I place this section directly on the ground slightly compressing the tire to "seal" the bead as best I can...a few quick pumps and the tire usually seats...sometimes there is a bit of messing around with the tire to get it to hold air but usually within 30 seconds or so I can have the tire seated...
I ran the UST tires once but they were so heavy...maybe this has changed though...and I do agree the sealant can be a bit messy...especially when it starts to dry out and you have to clean it from the inside of the tires...
 
Flagster

Flagster

Expedition Leader
One more thing I found was that the one set of UST rims I had (mavic crossmax xl vintage 2006 or so) had a valve stem that was very prone to leaking air from the rubber gasket that sealed it to the rim...since the UST valves are not one piece with the rim strip like the Stans system (they don't need to be since the rim is sealed)... they tended to pull through the rim and the rubber seal would crack...I was forever battling these and buying replacements...ended up drilling out the rim and converting to Stans anyway even though they were UST to begin with...
I am sure all the "newer" stuff has improved in regards to UST...my junk is all really old
 

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p nut

p nut

butter
For cheapskates out there (...me), there are alternative methods. Commonly referred to as "Ghetto Tubeless", I have found success using two different methods.

First is Gorilla Tape. Super strong duct tape used around the inside of the rim to create an air-tight seal (replace existing rim strip/tape). For the valve, just cut out the one on your tube. There is a 2 part YouTube video about this. Search for Gorilla Tube Ghetto Tubeless or something like that.

Second method is split-tube tubeless. Instead of the Gorilla Tape or rim strip, it uses a regular tube (sized down. ie, if you ride a 26" wheeled bike, you would get a 24" tube). Split the tube down the middle, place it on the rim, mount the tire on top and cut away the excess. This is a better method, in my opinion, as it creates a better seal. However, one drawback is that you can't change tires without buying a new tube. Plenty of instrutions on the web on this.

Both systems have worked well for me. $16 for Stan's sealant, $5 for tape or $6 for tubes.
 
goodtimes

goodtimes

Expedition Poseur
goodtimes said:
About the time you started this thread, I was at the LBS inquiring the same thing.


I was out the door for under $70 - so I'll give it a shot either tonight (depending on how ragged I am after tonight's ride) or tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Oh the irony . . .

Lets just say that it took longer to push my bike out of the desert last night (with an unrepairable flat, no more patches, and no spare tube), than it did to install the Stan's tubeless kit once I got home.


:smilies27
 
Flagster

Flagster

Expedition Leader
oof...sorry...
I love tubeless but I still carry a couple tubes/patch kit/Co2 or pump when I head out for long rides
 
goodtimes

goodtimes

Expedition Poseur
Flagster said:
oof...sorry...
I love tubeless but I still carry a couple tubes/patch kit/Co2 or pump when I head out for long rides
Click to expand...

I had patches & a pump . . . but not enough to overcome what the cactus did to the rear tire.

The short days have me riding as soon as I get home from work, then working on stuff around the house afterwards (when it's dark & I can't ride anyway). Oh well - at least my girlfriend came out to pick me up so I didn't have to hoof it down the way-to-narrow & twisty road through the park at night.
 
Flagster

Flagster

Expedition Leader
One race in PHX in 2005 was all it took to make me switch to tubeless...I think it was Mcdowell mtn park...4 flats in a period of 30 mins...out of tubes/patches/and energy...walked back to the start line cussing and trying to pull out the cholla spines in my arm...you guys are tough riding down there in the desert:)...me I will stick to pine trees and aspen
 
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