It’s taken a while, but am fast coming to the conclusion that there really isn’t a substitute for Maxxis in most situations (possible exception of Bontrager Mud X for winter XC). On one of my bikes I’ve got Specialized Roval Traverse EL wheels, with 26mm wide rims that have a rim strip inside them, and are to all intents and purposes very similar to a Stan’s Crest in width and intended use. My non UST 2.25″ Maxxis Crossmark went up on one after lots of lubrication and a little swearing, but once it was on it has stayed up no problems.

My other bike has Mavic 819’s on. Even with a Stans Olympic Rimstrip in them to pad it out a bit, I could not get the folding bead 2.25″ Crossmark to get even remotely close to inflating. Proper UST tyres go up with the merest of pumps, but the Crossmark is pretty loose.

Is there a remedy?

Is this the same with all Maxxis tyres? I remember setting up some dual ply High Rollers on some DT5.1’s years ago, but DT5.1’s are the tightest rims known to man, and I also had the Eclipse tubeless kit in there too.

Ideally I’d like to run a 2.35″ Kevlar beaded Minion on the front, and my 2.25″ Kevlar Beaded Crossmark on the back, which I suspect I could probably just about do on my hardtail with the Spesh wheels on, but on my full sus with the 819’s???

I have a Kevlar non UST 2.35 Minion on the front of my Five with 317 rims. Inflated straight away with track pump.

On the back i run a 2.1 Maxxis Medusa and i had to use the garage airline to get it inflated. It was an absolute nightmare.

However when I let it down the other week to add more fluid it went straight back up with my track pump.

Hope that helps?

curvature, what method you used to convert your 317’s? Ghetto, Stans rimstrips, some other way?

I ask mainly about my 819 rims as they are UST, and as such will work straight away with proper UST or Tubeless Ready tyres, but whilst they also work ok with some non UST tyres (such as Schwalbes) if you’re heavy on the track pump, it seems Maxxis are just too slack on them…

Beginning to think the answer is exactly what I don’t want to hear… Buy some UST tyres, or swap the rims out for some Stan’s! 🙁

Never had a problem with Maxxis meself (in fact had very few problems with any tyres) Swampthings Highrollers and Minions and 2.4 Advantages all fine.

Can you put some context into that statement Northwind? Never had a problem in what respect? You mean sealing them on 819’s?

If so, how do you do it? I’ve got a lot of experience of sealing a lot of tyres on 819’s, but the Maxxis I’ve tried just don’t want to go up… Does it perhaps help to buy a wire beard version?

Sorry, not much to add- they’ve all gone on fine and stayed on fine. The swampies were wirebeads, at least one of the Minions was a wire and the others were all foldies.

TBH I don’t find any difference between my Traversees and my 819s when it comes to fitting tyres… Might be worth mentioning that the Mavics are incredibly ancient though so it’s possible the design’s changed a little (then, this is Mavic, when did they ever change a design when it was still selling?)

I had the Stans kit.

Apart from the back tyre it really was an easy thing to do.

Cheers Northwind, I’ll have to investigate further…

My 819’s are circa 04/05 vintage anyway I think, and like you say, when has Mavic ever changed a design! They only redesign their stickers every 3/4 years, a rim redesign… Crikey, it’s not passed its 15th birthday yet! 😉

Pretty much any tyre has gone easily onto my 819’s (with nothing other than latex), but is it because the tyres you are trying are actually old and baggy?

The tyre I tried was a brand spanking new 2.25″ Kevlar beaded Crossmark. It wouldn’t go up for love nor money on the 819, not even with a Stans rimstrip and a load of washing up liquid. I got non UST Michelin Dry2’s to go up no problem at all on them, have had a Schwalbe Fat Albert seal fine, any number of proper tubeless tyres etc. Just couldn’t get the Crossmark to go up, and understand all Maxxis are a similar bead tightness.

Which is annoying as the 2.25″ Crossmark is without doubt my favourite rear tyre.

When you say it wouldn’t go up- is it just not going onto the bead, or is it beading but not inflating?

If it’s the former, you probably already know the trick to inflate with a tube then unbead one side and remove the tube, fit the valve and reinflate?

I managed to inflate a load of tyres (UST and non) with just a track pump (on XM321 with Stan’s strips) until I got some 2.4 EXO Ardents. Just could not get them to go up at all. Trip down the road to a friend with a compressor and plenty of washing up liquid and they finally went up – and has stayed up very happily since. Sometimes a bit of mechanical assistance is great!

tbh Northwind, I didn’t even try fitting it without the Stans Olympic strip in the first place, I figured it wasn’t even worth trying. Now it has been on another wheel for a while, has got some shape to it, might whip it off and re-try on the 819, first of all without a rimstrip and do as you say and use a tube first, then remove the one side only and take the tube out and then re-fit the valve and use some suds and pump like a man possessed.

Or I could try and fix my bloody compressor! 😉

mboy, sorry I’m rushing out riding so don’t have time to post properly but is this any use to you? Tyres I’ve got to work (maxxis non-ust) with step by step and a little video for proof.

Tubless Mavic 819 non-UST Maxxis Tyres

I hope it helps.

doug, many thanks

Will read and give it a go, let you know how I get on.

Very well used Mavic 719`s, rim strip and a brand new Maxis Minion DH tyre, Sealed no probs with 1 co/2 and a track pump. 😛

Hi,
I have a 819 and use proper UST tyres for ease.my other rim is a 3.1 xc which is basically the old name for a 819.At the time not much UST was available so resorted to a stans strip to convert to tubeless which I was told to drill the valve hole for the strip to seat better and hold air.unfortunately this stops u using proper UST tyres but at least they are tubeless with any tyre I chose! I run a folding crossmark 2.1 with this rim with this method in summer.Longterm I guess the stans rims are the way to go.
Thanx Max

Just done a 2.2″ Rubber Queen using the “stick an inner tube in first” method. Definitely seemed to work better that way having one bead already popped into place.

Mind you though, non UST Rubber Queens are bloody porous, must’ve used almost 1/2 a pint of sealant in the end to get the damned thing to stay up!

I’ve had some tires go up fine on 819s, some not.

Jesus u managed to wrestle a dual ply onto a 5.1 with eclipse strip? I doff my cap sir.

819 put a foam draught excluder strip in the central channel, got a few non-ust tyres on that way. Without much drama.

Jesus u managed to wrestle a dual ply onto a 5.1 with eclipse strip? I doff my cap sir.

Broke a couple of tyre lever getting them back off mind! Got used to getting UST Michelin’s on and off a UST rim with just my fingers, after a lot of practice, the Dual Ply’s on the 5.1’s with Eclipse strips was easily the hardest setup I’ve ever done. FWIW, Bontrager Tubeless Ready Tyres would not go on at all!

Liking the idea of the foam draught excluder, makes a lot of sense. Might have to try that one…