do i need a compressor to run a tubeless set-up...
I'm pretty convinced about switching from tubes to none, but will i get tyres on easily without a compressor.
minion/high rollers on DT 5.1's and plan to use Stans, at the moment if that makes a difference?
what do the STW tubeless guru's reckon?
depends, proper UST set up, no, ghetto, perhaps. I have just ghettoed old Mavic 517's with ust tyres with no problems (using a track pump).
You might be alright. I use that combo, and have done it with a floor pump, but I bought a "cheap" compressor in the end from Halfords (£50). Once on though, I've had no problem using Stans/HR's, 5.1's.
CO2 Cartridges have been a godsend in seating UST tyres on UST rims; would probably be a similar advantage to tubeless. Just add latex sealant afterwards, as the CO2 can degrade it.
so...
maybe, or maybe not.
Hmmm...... still concerned that this might be the loads-of-hassle-for-not-much-gain nightmare that i had always thought.
nearly all the puncture's i get are from thorns, or glass, and sometimes pinch flats. Can see the benefits, and the better trail feel would be good. BUT, i'm not one for needless faffing..., and i like to get the bike out from the spare room, squeeze the tyres and go.
tell me why i need this stuff?
lardman: all the right reasons. Try with a track pump, but try to seat the bead as best you can first and use thick soap suds - helps the bead slip into place. If you fail after 30 minutes, get a compressor or CO2 fingy.
Unless you're a tyre fiend, it's worth it.
thanks for that buzz - no tyre fiend here... just run Minion/highroller all year come mud or shine. Why bother with anything else!
Can i do it at the petrol station? i mean does it always go on just fine if you have a good compressor? Because once the tyre is on, i'll be leaving it on until it's as bald as i am.
Dont want a compressor taking up space, and money, if there's another option.
Buy the proper UST stuff and there wont be any faffing. Try and ghetto it and there will be faffage. That has been my experience.
As long as you are not a compulsive tyre swapper then running real UST will be much less hassle than running tubes. Real UST you can set up with a track pump and once set up you can run it until your tyre wears out. With tyre and tube you might have to change it once every couple of weeks for punctures.
i needed a compressor for my stans rims but not for my dt 5.1 with dt strips or my ghetto set of xm321. Defo worth it tho
I spent a year pondering whether to go tubeless & having now done it I wish I'd done it much sooner.
I have Alex rims, Bonty Mud-X (tubeless ready) & Stans. Initially I had problems but when I removed the original rim strip & replaced with the Stans supplied tim tape it inflated easily using a Halfords track pump.
Not had a puncture for 3 months which for me is amazing as I'd get them pretty often.
If you do it then read the instructions several times & watch the video so you know exactly what you are doing. The soapy water is very important!
thing is.... i dont want to fork out for UST specific new rims. So, standard rim/stans combo only for me.
Unless i'm missing something and there is a better approach for throwing on UST tyres?
i found my dt 5.1 with tubeless strips to be a complete pain in the @rse and the other wheels I have mavic x3.1 rims and Crossmax SX to be easy as falling off a very small kerb
I'd only get dedicated tubeless rims now, i wanted to try stans flow rims on hope hoops new for this year but the crossmax 08 model were cheaper and hopefully stronger
i'm with lardman on this, I am also considering changing to tubeless, as I get a flat every week. Combination of pinch, thorns etc.
I was just thinking of Stanning(?) my 717s and going from there.
With the cost of buying tubes and before out laying on new rims, I am wanting to try almost anything.
as per other tubeless thread. 3.5 months, no punctures (1 burp) riding most days on steep / fast / rocky / thorny terrain. 819's, big earls, bonty milk. Needed compressor at first but you can go to a garage and do it if you want.
do your groundwork.
My first attempt the trackpump wouldn't work (stan's rims by the way). Hunted around and picked up a few tips.
a) make sure the tyres you're using have been inflated on a tube and rim overnight- gets any kinks out of the sidewall.
b) don't think soapy water, watery soap is easier. I used neat washing up liquid.
c) It may be heresy, and on reflection it could have ended up very messily, but I put the latex in before trying to inflate the tyre.
Tyres went up as if they had tubes in them. One burp flat in 9 months riding.
I don't think it is a hassle, and for the reasons you want to use it, you'll get the benefit. Again, personally, I've used off the shelf products (Stan's) and found them to be excellent. As mentioned above, as well as 5.1's, I'm also using 717's, which are non-UST and they work fine too. The other set-up I've got uses Maxxis Advantage's on Stan's Flow rims, and again, a doddle to set-up. The only slight issue you might have with 5.1 IME is the fact that they are a bit of an inbetween width for the stan's rim strips. You're supposed to use the standard (as opposed to freeride) rim strip but I found it needed a couple of layers of the tape they include the first time I set them up before putting the rim strip on, but that was hardly a faff to do (and may have been just me!).
End of the day, with the rims and tyres you guys want to run, I don't think you'd have a problem if you just stump up for a Stan's kit and go from there - no need to get new rims.
I agree with vinneys tips a & b. not sure about c - sounds like a recipe for getting covered in wheeljizz!
The disadvantage of doing it at the garage is the embarrasment as befuddled motorists look on. And garage compressors are for schraeder which doesn't help if your rims are presta, unless you're drilling them out to take schraeder.
just told the misses I've got some Latex and plan to get messy tonight..... if only she knew what I am planning on doing.... 
Got a Stans kit...
Looking forward to flat free time...
I originally converted my non-tubeless wheels with Stan's. A bit of a faff, but no need for a compressor. I then got a set of wheels built up with Stan's Olympic rims and the process of changing tires became far easier. Just make sure you seat the bead right in the valve area - this was the key thing for getting them inflated quickly. Also - if they are new tyres, get them on the rim and inflate them with an innertube first - this helps with the tubeless bit.
I haven't flatted (touch wood) in two years.
Joe's No Flats kits are cheap on ebay, only for narrow rims though - anyone used this?
I got away with using a track pump with a Maxxis Minion front and Crossmark rear although the crossmark was abit of a ball ache, it took a few attempts but that was the eXCeption model which may have had something to do with it.
Managed it in the end by fitting a schreader adaptor to the presta valve and using the other part of my pump. Seemed to work!!
Seeing as i actually have a compressor and inflater already, i really should just get a hose and make life easier!
righty...
well thanks for the posts everyone. I think i'll just try Stans for now, and get some UST tyres when these wear out.
The local garage is just next door, so that compressor will have to do.
Lard.
CO2 cartridges all the way here. You get a shed load of them for the same price as a £50 compressor and I've not had a FAIL using CO2
Basically you need something that inflates so fast that the air can't get out around the edges as fast as it's going in. If you can trackpump as fast as a teenager on the vinegar strokes who's just heard his mum coming up the stairs - maybe you'll succeed, but it's always defeated me. While all the stuff about soap, etc. is good as it helps the seal and hence reduces leakage, I find that a bit of a faff and recently have been refitting tubeless with CO2 and no soap, still no issues.
Just remember to wear gloves as the cartridge gets cold!
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