MTB Tubeless help? I'm lost!

PinkFloyd · 13 Jan 2017 at 21:18

After various punctures and pinchflats over the past year, plus a general lack of grip compared to my mates I want to make the move to tubeless and get some all round better tyres.

I've done a bit of reading up, spoke to some mates and then done a whole load more reading and am just finding myself buried in a slippery slope of contrasting opinions and facts. Not to mentioned I've now got lost in talk about different standards of rim/beading combinations and really complex discussion around tyre compounds and tread patterns. Can anyone give me a bit of direction?

Currently I'm riding a Boardman ProFS 2014 and bar minor tweaks like a dropper coast it's still standard. It's a 650B bike with Mavic XM319 rims, which aren't tubeless ready. So the first question is, is a DIY conversion worth doing or are they more trouble than they're worth? Would it feel like a worthwhile upgrade?

Moving on a little, I believe they are 19mm internal width and from looking around general consensus seems to be you want something bigger when tubeless, more support and less likely pop off the rim - so I took a look around at new rims. Only to then find out there appears to be different standards on the rim/beading design. A mate recommended Stands No Tubes as he's got them and gets on well, but as well as being pricey (in comparison to my bike certainly) I spot that they are BST (Bead Socket Tech) standard, whilst looking elsewhere there are also UST (Universal System for Tubeless) and TCS (Tubeless Compatible System). In some cases it seems that these are just manufacture brand names, but then I find contradicting comments on whether they're compatible and this then started throwing question marks over what tyres I'd want. I'd certainly not want to throw hundreds of pounds at some rims only to find they don't play nice with the tyres I want.

So basically I'm back to square one and completely lost at where to go and looking at prices that start low and can easily go well beyond the value of my bike...
On the whole I like the low rolling resistance of the oem Nobbly Nics; but regularly find I'm low on grip on rocky ground, especially at certain angles on the bike there seems to be a bit of a deadzone I have to lean through. I mostly ride rocky/gravelly all weather trials in the UK but am also going to Andorra with friends later in the year.

Can anyone share a bit of their own experiences on moving to tubeless and/or point me towards some recommended setups?

neil_g · 14 Jan 2017 at 17:33

Can't help you with whether the mavics will seal up but if you want cheap rims then look at superstar components builds. Been running their switch hubs and ds25 rims tubeless (stans fluid, superstar tape and valves).

Although best to wait until they have a wheel deal on.

mangobreeder · 15 Jan 2017 at 21:46

Get down b&q buy the narrow black gorilla tape. Use that on your rim. Pop in a stans valve cutting a hole in the gorilla tape to accommodate.

Pop tubeless ready tyre on. Blast with air to seat it. (Use a co2 canister if you don't have an inflator)

Once seated. Remove core from valve, pour in a very generous amount of stans liquid. Pop valve back in.

Pump up, and shake and spin the tyre like mad.

If the seals your golden. If not new rims.

PinkFloyd · 16 Jan 2017 at 22:26

Thanks for the replies, going to chance it with a DIY approach on the current rims with some new tyres and see how that goes. Will free up some money to convert to 1x10 all being well. Will report back!

mangobreeder · 16 Jan 2017 at 23:10

http://www.diy.com/departments/gorilla-handy-roll-black-tape-l9m-w254mm/1162444_BQ.prd

That's the stuff you want, much better thanks stans tape. Just pull it tight when you lay it on the rim.

Begbie · 17 Jan 2017 at 07:04

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/park-tool-tubeless-tech-talks-video.html

Makes it look easy, worth a watch.

I've done it a few times now. Well worth making sure the rim is spotless, it'll save a lot of heartache.

neil_g · 17 Jan 2017 at 09:14

Couple of things..

If you're getting new foldable tyres, unfold them several hours in advance and hang in a warm place to get the kinks out.

Don't scrimp on the soapy water to get the tyre seated.

Don't scrimp on your inflator. A normal track pump is very hard work and in some cases won't be enough. Co2 cannisters may work, personally I invested in a Flash Charger and its paid for itself in time and effort saved.

Not all tyres and rims will seal first attempt. My old Flow rim and one of my new Superstar rims took several attempts and a few days to fully seal. Likewise one of my Schwable tyres sidewall leaked like a sieve until the sealant plugged it.

neil_g · 17 Jan 2017 at 09:15

Reminds me I need to pop a new Magic Mary on mine today.

touch · 17 Jan 2017 at 09:51

neil_g said:
If you're getting new foldable tyres, unfold them several hours in advance and hang in a warm place to get the kinks out.

I have an old rim lying in the garage which I use for this. Just mount them normally with a tube and leave it like that for a few days.

neil_g · 17 Jan 2017 at 11:25

touch said:
I have an old rim lying in the garage which I use for this. Just mount them normally with a tube and leave it like that for a few days.

Yeah that works

neil_g · 17 Jan 2017 at 15:18

neil_g said:
Reminds me I need to pop a new Magic Mary on mine today.

Should've predicted that they'd not seal without a fight..

PinkFloyd · 17 Jan 2017 at 20:46

Thanks for all the advice / links. The info on Pinkbike looks damn handy, just need to entirely settle on which tyres.

Noakesy85 · 2 Mar 2017 at 11:07

My tyres/rims were tubeless easy/ready so I gave it a go on monday. All I needed was a pair of valves and some sealant which cost me 20euro. Took about an an hour to do both wheels and everything seemed to be going well...

Until yesterday...

I Think I need to tighten my valves as every time I put a pump on them sealant starts leaking out (even tried using a rubber o'ring between the valve nut and the rim). I'll be getting them back into the workshop very soon to sort them out!