TUBELESS???

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Posted: May 15, 2017 at 18:06 Quote
I was talking to a friend about tubeless because I have been thinking about it and they said that it would WRECK the inside of my rims. Then I went to a trail and at the shop I rented my bike from they said the same thing. What do y'all think?

Posted: May 15, 2017 at 18:17 Quote
1Big-Hit1 wrote:
I was talking to a friend about tubeless because I have been thinking about it and they said that it would WRECK the inside of my rims. Then I went to a trail and at the shop I rented my bike from they said the same thing. What do y'all think?
I run tubless on all my bikes and overall think it is one of the best upgrades i have put on my mtbs. It wont mess up your rim at all and if you decide too go back to tube just clean out your rim and your fine. Don't see any downside in tubless except for the fact of the upfront cost of sealant, tape, etc

O+
Posted: May 15, 2017 at 18:54 Quote
They are talking about a popular sealant that eats non anodized aluminum I believe. I too have seen the light and am switching to a newer product. Tubeless is the shit if you don't mind the learning curve. A good air compressor helps, and oh yeah, run tubeless ready tires because straight clinchers don't always seal up too well. TR tires are now popular and on sale!

You will need; tape, tubeless valve stem Presta or Schrader to fit the applicable wheels, and sealant. I have run tube type tires with sealant in years past and depending on the tire it can work. If you have a wimp compressor go for the stems with the removable core, remove the core to force a greater amount of air to get the tire to seat on the rim. Also, check out the tubeless sealant system videos on Youtube.

There are performance gains in going tubeless as well, mainly improved traction. We got all things thorny and spiny here in the Southwest so this is a common upgrade for seasoned trail riders.

Posted: May 15, 2017 at 20:22 Quote
Orange seal has given me no issues.

Posted: May 15, 2017 at 21:21 Quote
Dude, tubeless all the way. The benefits are huge. Will never go back to tubes. The rate of flats is near nonexistent and I'm not sure about what rumors you've heard of it ruining your rim but it sounds like a bunch of bullshit. Orange sealant is the best as some one else stated above I run tubeless and non-tubeless rims and used gorilla tape. I do run tubeless tire tred, the better bead is worth it though you can if you want with regular tire tred; don't recommend it however

Posted: May 16, 2017 at 5:42 Quote
Martron12 wrote:
Dude, tubeless all the way. The benefits are huge. Will never go back to tubes. The rate of flats is near nonexistent and I'm not sure about what rumors you've heard of it ruining your rim but it sounds like a bunch of bullshit. Orange sealant is the best as some one else stated above I run tubeless and non-tubeless rims and used gorilla tape. I do run tubeless tire tred, the better bead is worth it though you can if you want with regular tire tred; don't recommend it however

I make my living in the wheel business. I'd basically agree with everything Martron12 is saying. There's a little bit of a learning curve associated with going tubeless, but there's also a learning curve with just about anything. It's worth the initial hassle.

Posted: May 16, 2017 at 6:24 Quote
1Big-Hit1 wrote:
I was talking to a friend about tubeless because I have been thinking about it and they said that it would WRECK the inside of my rims. Then I went to a trail and at the shop I rented my bike from they said the same thing. What do y'all think?
Go for Stans or Orange seal, they won't do any damage. For converting just google "Convert to tubeless", you have tons of videos, its not hard. Just be sure to have tubeless ready tires and some decent rims.

Posted: May 16, 2017 at 7:03 Quote
Tubeless is one of the best upgrades. Defiantly do it.

Posted: May 16, 2017 at 7:25 Quote
Tubeless always all the time! Big Grin .

A few cool tips a picked up racing are while running tubeless you can toss some rice and or glitter in your tubeless setup.
this can help fill some of the bigger holes that you may get while racing slay riding.

Posted: May 20, 2018 at 4:04 Quote
Is there a difference for bikes between:
https://shop.slime.com/collections/tube-and-tubeless-sealants
&
https://shop.slime.com/collections/tire-sealants
?

O+
Posted: May 20, 2018 at 6:24 Quote
Absolutely the best upgrade that can be done for $50 or so. I don’t even carry a tube or let alone a pump on long rides anymore, never been a problem. The only thing is you need to check your air pressure before each ride, as generally there is a little bleed off of pressure between rides. I probably put in 5psi a week. No biggie.

Posted: May 20, 2018 at 6:51 Quote
I recently converted to tubeless and agree it is a really nice improvement. I am 200 lbs and the trails I ride are pretty rocky (but I am not particularly fast). I have decided to keep the rear wheel at 30 psi (on a 26x2.3 Hans Dampf) and front at 25 psi (on a 27.5x2.3 High Roller II). Both tires are tubeless ready. I don't want to go lower than these pressures in case I get issues with rock strikes or burping.

Like the last post, I also am getting noticeable pressure drop between rides. Definitely more air is lost tubeless than when I used tubes. Is this normal? Do all tubeless setups lose pressure all the time, or does this mean I have done something wrong? I have been noticing that the valve cores do not open and close as smoothly as with tubes. I am using DT Swiss tubeless valve stems. I was thinking that maybe there is some sealant in the valve core, keeping them from sealing up all the way even when they are "closed". They are brand new stems and I didn't get any sealant in them more than would have to happen naturally. So I guess my two questions are:

1) Is it normal to lose pressure all the time with tubeless conversion. I use Stans with Stans tape with DT valve cores.
2) Is it likely that the pressure is coming out of the valve stem? Do others notice that they don't open and close as easily with tubeless sealant?

Thanks.

Posted: May 20, 2018 at 7:26 Quote
Just switched over to tubeless. Was interesting trying to figure it all out with being new to it all. Not too tough. I actually used a tube to set the bead and left it with a high 40psi over night. Next morning I took the tubes out and the tire kept its shape well. Going for my first ride on them jen a couple hours, but just cruising through my complex you can feel the difference. Not nearly as rigid, and the quality of tire is superb. Go for it, and don't look back.

Posted: May 20, 2018 at 9:02 Quote
shortsguy1 wrote:
I recently converted to tubeless and agree it is a really nice improvement. I am 200 lbs and the trails I ride are pretty rocky (but I am not particularly fast). I have decided to keep the rear wheel at 30 psi (on a 26x2.3 Hans Dampf) and front at 25 psi (on a 27.5x2.3 High Roller II). Both tires are tubeless ready. I don't want to go lower than these pressures in case I get issues with rock strikes or burping.

Like the last post, I also am getting noticeable pressure drop between rides. Definitely more air is lost tubeless than when I used tubes. Is this normal? Do all tubeless setups lose pressure all the time, or does this mean I have done something wrong? I have been noticing that the valve cores do not open and close as smoothly as with tubes. I am using DT Swiss tubeless valve stems. I was thinking that maybe there is some sealant in the valve core, keeping them from sealing up all the way even when they are "closed". They are brand new stems and I didn't get any sealant in them more than would have to happen naturally. So I guess my two questions are:

1) Is it normal to lose pressure all the time with tubeless conversion. I use Stans with Stans tape with DT valve cores.
2) Is it likely that the pressure is coming out of the valve stem? Do others notice that they don't open and close as easily with tubeless sealant?
Thanks.

Yeah, it's totally normal to lose a little pressure with tubeless tires for a couple reasons, but you shouldn't need to add more than a few psi per week if everything is working/installed right.

Tire sidewalls are seldom completely air tight. A lot of perfectly good tires will seep a little bit of sealant through the sidewalls when under high pressure and/or when you get them wet, especially tires with lightweight carcasses. Sealant works by seeping into tiny pores and drying there, so it combines with dust to form tiny scabs and if you wash those scabs off, it's like picking a scab or staying in a shower long enough to make it dissolve. The pore/cut/hole starts to bleed again. Unless your sidewalls are shredded or you're asking the sealant to fill a slash, the rate of pressure loss is usually not a big deal. The reason you don't see it as much with tubes is because the tube nearly doubles the amount of rubber that air has to pass through to escape. You keep your air in longer with a tube, but you pay price in weight and performance. Pick your poison.

Not all rim tape jobs are perfect, so sometimes sealant has to bleed into the rim/tape interface to create a seal, and sometimes that takes awhile. While this is happening you're losing pressure. If it never happens, you never stop losing pressure.

While most valves work fine, the shape of the rubber plug at the base can vary quite a bit, as can rim inner profiles, and they don't all fit together well. It doesn't matter if your valve core is good if the profile of the base of the valve doesn't conform to the rim profile. As far as I know, there is no compatibility chart that will tell you what works well with what. You just have to look and guess and hope.

Yes, sealant DOES build up in valve cores, but you can remove the core, clean, and reinstall to fix the problem. Also, adding air with the valve at a 3 or 9 o'clock position relative to the ground can help minimize sealant buildup.

Tubeless can be a pain in the ass to get used to, but if you stick with it you eventually develop a feel for how everything works and it becomes pretty low hassle. These days I tend to only think about sealant every couple months when I notice the rate of pressure loss getting a little high.

Good luck!

O+
Posted: May 20, 2018 at 23:27 Quote
Holy thread revival batman

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