On today's
Technical Tuesday we're going to show you how to convert your standard tire and wheel combo into a tubeless setup. Inside you'll find a great
How-To video running you through the entire process.
Read on...The time tested combination of a tire and tube has treated us well over the years, but the traditional system does have its drawbacks. A tube will always be more susceptible both to pinch flats and holes from thorns, rocks, and any other troublemakers that may be hiding on your local trail. More and more riders are turning to tubeless setups to avoid these troubles, but not all wheels and tires are manufactured with this in mind. Thankfully there are many kits out there that allow you to convert your standard wheels and tires to be able to avoid using tubes. We'll be converting our
Maxxis tire and
DT rim using
Stan's NoTubes yellow tape, tubeless valve stems, and tire sealant. Watch the video below to see how it's done!
Keep in mind that you may be voiding your tire's warranty by converting it to tubeless if it is not designed to run as such. If you're good with that, then continue on!Tools needed: Floor pump or compressor, rag, and a
knife.
Watch the video to see how to do a tubeless conversion:

A floor pump is all you need to seat some tubeless setups
Step by step instructions
43 second mark - With wheel in bike or stand to hold it in place, clean rim thoroughly so the rim tape has the best possible chance of creating an airtight seal

1:11 mark - Pull rim tape very taunt as you apply it to the rim bed

1:37 mark - Overlap tape by 6" and cut with sharp scissors. Use edge of tire lever to be sure that the tape is fully stuck to inside curves of the rim bed

2:02 mark - Using a sharp knife, cut a small "X" to open the tape the is covering the valve hole. Be careful not to cut any extra beyond the hole

2:13 mark - Install the tubeless valve stem and tighten it securely with the lock nut

2:20 mark - Seat only one side of the tire, just as you would if you were installing a tube

2:31 mark - Hang the wheel off your handlebar or bike stand with the valve in the 6 o'clock position

2:42 mark - Add the appropriate amount of sealant for your tire size

2:48 mark - Keeping the wheel in the same position (valve stem at 6 o'clock), use both hands to install the bead evenly around the tire, finishing at the 12 o'clock position

3:08 mark - Add air. Certain tire and rim combos may inflate quickly with only a pump, while others may require soapy water or a compressor to get them to seal
Past Tech Tuesdays:
Technical Tuesday #1 - How to change a tube.Technical Tuesday #2 - How to set up your SRAM rear derailleurTechnical Tuesday #3 - How to remove and install pedalsTechnical Tuesday #4 - How To Bleed Your Avid Elixir BrakesTechnical Tuesday #5 - How To Check And Adjust Your HeadsetTechnical Tuesday #6 - How To Fix A Broken ChainHave you found this tutorial helpful? Share any of your hints or tips below! Visit
Parktool.com to see their entire lineup of tools.
102 Comments
And iamamodel, ya, I really don't know who in the modern english-speaking world still uses that word, hence why I was joking around. I get the impression that the word might be old-english, and that might, on the rare occasion, still be used in the american "deep-south", when people of lesser-education are seeking to sound more educated.
Tubeless can be finiky and anoying at times, but hey its what I run so dont be overly discurraged. Just be prepared to spend a bit of time on it, also take care to not use metal tire levers as it may put small dings in your rims that lead to slow pressure loss.
Lighter, faster rolling, lessens pinch flats, but not always easy.
1: Using soapy water to helps the tire pop out and seal against the rim. It also help you to spot where the tire is leaking from because of the bubbles it creates. Which will allow you to....
2: shake the tire to allow the sealant to cover the tire and seal between the rim & tire. Going for a ride does not do this well enough.
I've done quite a few Maxxis 2.5 DH High Rollers and they are a bit of a bitch to do. I just cant get them to seat properly without a compressed air line and soap, it may be different with xc tires. I've done them on MTX and deemax rims and they both work about the same for me.
It takes a bit of time but I have never had problems with them once sorted. You really have to get them leak free the first time. If not its very hard to get them sealed if there is a small leak more than a day of so later unless you remove the valve cores and inject more sealant.
My maxxis seemed to leak from some of the little rubber spike things in the side walls from the moulding process. You would never notice that without soap and riding your bike would probably not solve this.
I usually pump them to 50-60psi just to get them seated and sealed, use soap to find the leaks and shake till all the leaks are gone. I think it take 30-60 mins per tire to get a perfect result. The Stans video is also very usefull
If going tubeless allows you to run at a lower psi, will it allow at least 18psi? Because that's what I currently run on my front tire (20psi in the back) with tubes. I never have issues with pinch flats on the trail, so would converting be of any benefit to me?
Good how-to btw.
Before you screw the nut on the other side slide a small rubber washer over the valve so when its tightened the whole thing is under load. I found this cured the leaky valve problem.
Its also cheaper because if you have been running tubes you'll have loads of old ones full of holes and pinches to cut the valve from; then all you need is the rim tape and the latex.
The main advantage I have seen from tubless is zero flats (in over two years) and being able to run with "softer" tyres. I say "softer" and not lower pressure because although the pressures I run are pretty much the same as with tubes the tyres seem to run softer.
If you run a little wee tube in a big tire it will probably fail.
If you run on rough terrain with big tires and do not want flats or dead feeling wheels then tubeless is the way to go.
"JUST feel", the whole reason i ride is for the feel.
My advice is: use one, allround type of tyres or get another wheelset as long as you are really seriously into DH racing. For freeriding 1ply tyres in UST system will be enough, and lower rotating mass gives you better fun from every ride + gets you to your riding spot faster and less tired. For DH racing you can't get away with 1ply, you have to have 2plies.
ALLROUND TYRES: Maxxis Swampthing, works totaly fine in dry, and well should work for you in any mud as long as you are not going to fight for first 3 in Polish DH elite... If you find it difficult to come in first 10 of hobby on DHC, save yourself pain of changing tyres instead of riding.
Maxxis Highroller: have them love them, even in really wet conditions, as long as it is not muddy on steep stuff (I.e. Wisla DHC)
Gluey softy compounds not for me. I'm too poor rider to really get something out of advantage they give and I like my tyres to last for some time. I'm too old for performance speculation, just want to get out to ride my bike without tweaking anything by it
Darkstar 63: I think ghetto UST with proper UST tyres is a damn good thing, much better than getting a wheelset with ust rims (what I did actualy). There is no spare UST rim fitting my likes: XM819 too weak, EX823: way waaaaay too heavy. Ex721 or En521 with ust conversion tape would be perfect for me. proper UST tyres are tighter and they are not gonna go off the rim easily as the regular ones.
Personaly I also say: f*ck low pressures, I like my rims too much, and well getting a dent in an UST ain't a good thing... and If I struggle to qualify to final run on a local race, grip increased by low pressure won't help me either so... screw it!
I run Maxxis Highrollers 2,35" 1-ply LUST 70a on XT Am wheelset, super satisfied can do pretty much anything on them. Since I'm not racing 1ply is more than fine.
I find swapping tires dead simple, but obviously not as quick as tubed. And like others have said, some tires seal up much easier than others so it can be a painful experience. 2.2 Rubber Queens almost had me off of tubeless for life they were such a pain to pop.
I also tend to forget that thanks to guys that are really into racing, we have good racers coming out of that attitude, and thanks to those guys, we "grey zone" people get better products
www.notubes.com/support_movies.php
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRM7gq1fcoQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwON2VxZL0g&feature=related
I wouldn't mind if you guys show some tips how to fix a broken chain without a chain breaker using only stuff you can find in the woods (You could turn it into a competition