Went tubeless a few months ago on my stumpjumper wheels with 420SL rims. That was a lot of pumping but eventually got it to work.

Now I have some new tyres, Specialized Sauserwind and almost lost the will to live trying to get it to seal. Loads of soapy water and in the end neat washing up liquid. Nearly, but no.

Then I realised that the tyres I had converted before had been on the bike for months with tubes in. So this morning I put tubes in the new tyres and pumped them up to 60 psi. Will this make a difference?

Something else to try or do I give in and leave the tubes in?

Yes I think it will. Invariably I have had more problems/given-up with tyres I’ve tried to ghetto tubeless from new. I guess the rubber has to get stretched a bit.

Yes, should do. Sometimes the creases from the tyres being folded cause leaks. Stretching them into shape with tubes helps.

I run Sauserwinds tubeless on my epic and they are a great fast racing tyre. I run a Stans kit in mine, and very very rarely do I get a seal on any tyre with a track pump regardless of however long its been inflated before. Do you know anyone whos has a compressor you can use. For me its the only way. If you are running a stans strip, A good start is at least one full layer of thick velox rim tape underneath to make the tyre tighter initially

If you can’t get the beads to seat then putting a tube in is a good way to get them seated. Break one bead to remove the tube and then go for full tubless. Taking the core out of the valve can help getting the bead to seat first time as well.

Are they the 2Bliss version?
Have you cleaned all the crud off the rim from your previous tyres?

I tubelessed the same rims on my Stumpjumper with the original Purgatory & Captain tyres, using just electrical tape on the rim. The tyres sealed really easily with just a track pump, but had been used with tubes for about 4/5 months prior to this.

I reckon getting the tyre to shape as you’ve done will help. I find when getting the tyre to seal with a track pump, it helps to push the tread towards the valve slightly where the valve sits to flare the bead out and get it to sit against the rim.
It does take a vigorous bout of track pump action, but no more than perhaps 10 strokes before it’s seated well enough to have a breather.

If you can’t get the beads to seat then putting a tube in is a good way to get them seated. Break one bead to remove the tube and then go for full tubless. Taking the core out of the valve can help getting the bead to seat first time as well.

+1

Doing it this means one bead is already seated so much easier to seal the other

Cheers for all the replies. Lots of good tips.
We have a compressor at work, will try that tomorrow.
Removing one bead to get tube out is a good idea.
Cleaning rim is probably another good tip.

Having the tube in for a while makes a huge difference. I couldnt’ get my 2.25in Nobby Nic inflated a few months ago. Gave up after wasting Co2 cartridges and swearing for at the track pump for too many evenings.

Had a slow puncutre recently so gave it another shot, and got it inflated first attempt with the track pump. Having a spare set of hands to apply some gentle pressure to the tyre beside the valve makes a big difference too (or zip tie the tyre bead on near the valve).

try tublees rim and maxxis LUST tyres with no tubes solution. Goes up stays up. Never had a problem.

hughjengin – Specialized say Sauserwinds are good for mud. Do you think they will be OK as a mud tyre for Mayhem at the weekend?

Cant really comment as an out and out mud tyre, (I think they do the storm for that) but I also understand that its what the Specialized team lads turn to when the world cup xc courses get a bit sloppy.

But as a quick tyre that copes with everything pretty well, I have been impressed. Rode the Whinlatter challenge with a mate earlier this year, and whilst it wasnt exactly deep mud being on a trail centre surface, it was damn slippy and wet everywhere, and the Sausers were 100% better than my mates nobby nics run at the same pressure. I am going to be runnign them at this years TransWales (but in a control version not the delicate S-works) becasue I am happy enough that I have found a race tyre that copes with pretty much everything well enough

Cheers hughjengin
Think I will put them on for the weekend but pack a set of Mud X as a precaution!

Try this:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ghetto-tubeless-inflator-total-cost-9p

Experimented for a while, I used a compressor seemed to work ok. But with the luxury of Tubeless ran low pressures, and subsequently dented my rims.
Result impossible to seal next time, i have now gone back to tubes.

Experimented for a while, I used a compressor seemed to work ok. But with the luxury of Tubeless ran low pressures, and subsequently dented my rims.
Result impossible to seal next time, i have now gone back to tubes.

Result!
Left new tyres fully pumped up with tubes to 60 psi for a few hours.
Both inflated straight away!

Bet that felt satisfying!! 😀

Nice one.

EDIT – was that using a track pump or compressor?

track pump in the end worked fine.
Wife had to buy another bottle of washing up liquid as it had suddenly gone very low…
Hopefully next time will be a bit easier.

apart from getting lucky a few times with a floor pump, the only reliable way I’ve found to get a good tubeless seal off the bat is to inflate very fast using a compressor (and luckily I have a compressor for my nail guns 😈 ).

Despite being really pretty narrow Sauserwinds are ok in the mud. I was at Margam on the xc course last friday, it was wet, but they held up surprisingly well.

Not have as good as a bonty mud-x though.

As i’ve run various specialised tyres tubeless, it really is much much easier with a compressor – even a home made one. Works well for me