[doctor nick accent]Hi everybody[/doctor nick accent]

i’ve been running tubeless for a few years, (XTR UST wheels) been using bonty mud x and jones tyres in the main, but found them not too good in the wet, i tried super tacky LUST high rollers which were fantastic in terms of grip, but i really struggled with them due to the weight, after 30-40 miles with these i had totally had it. i need more of a compromise.
I’ve got a set of almost new, standard trailrakers in the shed which the mrs had been using on her bike, and when i’ve ridden them in the past i’ve found them to roll pretty well and grippy too. I can’t afford £80 on a set of UST trailrakers right now. So will the std trailrakers seat ok with some stans sealant in them, also will they be too fragile?

I understood that regualr panaracers were a no no for converted tubeless

the wheels have UST rims, so are not converted, will this make no difference?

I think it’s the beads that aren’t much cop (according to the JRA site)

I thought the same re panaracers – haven’t actually tried them though.

But Trailrakers – rolling well??? Are you sure?

Have done it, it is a bit of a pig to get them to seat. Best bet if you go access to an air compressor…oh and lots of patience

I used Eclipse with Panaracer XX pros.. They were a real arse to put on as the side walls of the tyres were sooooo porous, but once sealed & on the were super.

i can just give it a go. I think I am more concerned about them being fragile and splitting etc when out on the trail. if I can’t get them pumped up i can just stick the jones acx back on until i’ve enough spare cash to get something else.

if trailrakers are no good, what is the tyre of choice for slippery roots and mud?

Tioga Blue Dragon

except in REAL mud the Tioga Black Turtle

I ran std trailrakers ghetto tubeless all last winter and put them back on this winter and they have been fine, as someone pointed out above they are swines to seat the first time, i needed a compressor. Also trailrakers ‘roll well’ ?? I don’t think so, but they are very grippy especially run at low pressure which you can get away with when they are tubeless

i’ve used both eclipse and stans kits on mavic xm321 / ex729 and tried a variety of tyres. The lust tyres seated well but were fragile on the sidewalls for pinch flats (a lad I ride with also had pinch flats with one but it repaired OK). The lighter tyres (single ply maxxis) I tried I found very fragile when used tubeless, with the flexing of the sidewalls (running at lower pressure) in rocky muddy conditions causeding the sidewalls to wear heavily and fail to hold air within a few months.

if you are going to run 40+ psi and not be too hard on the tyres then it may work with lightweight tyres. If however you’re running them at 25-35psi and giving them some abuse then you will probably need a dedicated tubeless tyre or a heavy sidewall DH tyre.

And tubeless ready tyres will generally seat a lot more easily than normal tyres.

when i say roll well, this is in comparison to the LUST 2.35 super tacky high rollers.

What do you find wrong with the Bonty Mud X’s? In my opinion, they’re the best UK winter conditions tyre I’ve found full stop! The Panaracer Trailrakers are of course great in the deep mud too, but not as good all round, and they certainly roll slower, and of course are Panaracer hence a total no-no when it comes to running them tubeless.

I run one of my bikes with dedicated ust wheels & tyres.
Another bike with ‘ghetto’ tubeless,(xc717 rims & std high rollers).
The rear high roller had done 4 weeks riding in the Alps over the last 2 years,(with inner tube)& had been relegated to the spares box ’cause it was very worn,but I decided to try it for my first ghetto experiment.
Anyway,its served me well over the last 4 months,& has just been replaced after looking more like a racing slick rather than a knobbly,not good in winter!
I replaced it with a Panaracer xc pro 2.1 dedicated ust tyre,which was a right b@stard to get on the rim,think the extra thickness in using the 20″ tube stretched over the rim edge made it so.