I’m being inundated with unscheduled deflations recently so have decided it’s about time to make the move to a tubeless system. Obviously dont have tubeless rims and dont really want to blow £60 on the full kit if i dont have to so am considering the ‘ghetto’ method. Have watched the youtube vids and it looks relatively straight forward and very similar to Stan’s method but I just wanted to know if anyone on here has gone down this route, if they have encountered any problems or if they have any tips?

A layer of thin foam insulation tape between the rim and the 20″ tube makes getting the tyre to seat a breeze on rims with a deep centre like XM/EN321’s.

i did it with a set of xm321 wheels and it worked a treat they stay pumped up no problems at all it was as easy as.

im currently taking a break from trying for about the 20th time to make my dt rimstrips work on my dt rims im gonna give it another half hour then if its not stopped leaking im doing them ghetto

good luck tho its really easy

justridingalong have cheapo wheel milk and 20″ tubes – just got some but not tried it yet.

There is a guide here – dunno how good it is though.

http://www.tubelesswheels.com/tubeless.html

Anyone found any problems with the latex/milk/stuff damaging tyres?

Second the tubelesswheels.com guide, nice and easy.

All i would add to his guide is

1) Stans sealant seems to last a bit longer than the JRA wheel milk, although both do the job well.

2) Second Doug’s advice. i had all sorts of issues until I made a point of building up the bottom of the rim well with insulating tape. I deliberately used four or five layers of tape. This makes the tyre really tight to get on, and as a consequence you might have to then fish out the rubber strip again, but having done so, and having soaped everything up, it should inflate easy.

As a bonus, i never seem to have suffered from burps, which may be down to the tight fit between tyre and rim.

If all else fails, a cheapy CO2 inflator makes life a bit easier!

I only ask as ammonia is damaging to rubbers, and its found in latex mix.

All i can add is that “ghetto” just works. As long as you follow the various instructions/videos to the letter it works a treat.

I decided to switch to tubeless when my tyres were knackered and went with Maxxis(Minion front/Crossmark rear) as they seemed highly recommended by Just Riding Along….and they were right!

Minion was a piece of pee to get seated with a track pump and sealed up, Crossmark took a good few attempts with a track pump to seat and seal but got there in the end. It’s a eXCeption version so does have slightly more porous sidewalls. All sealed up now though.

As for long term….we’ll just have to wait and see!

FWIW i was using DT E540 rims with just a Schwalbe 20″ BMX tube. No tape underneath etc.

Tape also helps with loose fitting problem tyres.

CO2 alledgedly cures the latex quicker than air. Try to use air to fill the tyre where possible.
Remember to refill your trye with a few mls of wheel milk every monthas it does dry out.
Always carry a spare tube, and a latex top up.

reporting back on my tubeless attempts – received all the kit last night and i now appear to be in the tubeless gang. i left em overnight and no air seems to have escaped so looking very good. i used the 20″ bmx tube method which seemed to make if difficult to seat the tyre at first and i couldnt get it inflated with a track pump. had about 4 trips round the corner to the local petrol station to use the air compressor which seems to have worked a treat.

just need to take them out on the trails for a test ride now!!

what size tube for 29er tyres?

i would probably go for a 24″

Ive been doing for over 6 years, and one wheel is still on its original air and is almost bald after 2 years of use.

One time i found 4 thorns well sealed up, which i hadnt evn notice.

Use contact adhesive on the bead for instant inflation and no leaks

I just did this. A bit over a fiver for 2 Bontrager rim strips (fit with a bit of faff onto normal rims), four quid for some sealant, seven for a pair of valves with removable cores and I needed new tyres anyway, so £40 for a pair of Specialized The Captain 2bliss tyres (or any tubeless tyres!). Done! Excluding new tyres a total of £16.