Going tubeless - a ...
 

[Closed] Going tubeless - a couple of quick questions .....

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Feel like giving this tubeless thang a go.

I have a yellow stans tape fitted to the wheels I plan on using already.

LBS has tubeless valves and small bottles of sealant.

(I ask this without having read up so be kind!)

How much sealant is needed per tyre? I will be using 2.0'' tyres.

Any tricks to try?

The tyres I plan on using are not specifically tubeless ready but them seem to be a snug fit on the rim.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 11:53 am
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Look on Stans site and you can get all the instructions you will need.

Have fun....it will be worth it in the end!


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 11:55 am
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Feel like giving this tubeless thang a go.

why? - it's not a weight saver, and there are drawbacks.

How much sealant is needed per tyre? I will be using 2.0'' tyres.

something like 100ml's - maybe a bit less. maybe a bit more if the tyres aren't pre-sealed. (you need some to seal the tyre walls, and then some more sloshing around inside to seal any punctures)

buy some extra, you may end up trying several times as you work towards a solution.

Any tricks to try?

sacrifice some livestock to your favourite gods, send any children away so they can't hear you swearing.

buy some ear-plugs, you'll need them when your home-made compressor explodes...

don't do it on a friday night, it won't work, and you'll be at risk of ruining your ride on saturday.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 12:53 pm
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So besides being able to run lower pressures to get better grip without getting snakebites, what are the advantages of tubeless & are they ever weight saving?


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:02 pm
 MSP
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what are the advantages of tubeless & are they ever weight saving

I haven't had a puncture in 4 years since going tubeless.

They do feel better to ride on, hard to describe exactly why. However with the newer very lightweight carcases like the continental race speed, in order for the tyre to keep its shape you need to pump them up hard, and lose that feeling.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:05 pm
 D0NK
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why? - it's not necessarily a weight saver, and there are pros and cons.
ftfy awhiles

no quibbles with the rest of what you said tho ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:07 pm
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I haven't had a puncture in 4 years since going tubeless

Same can be achieved with those gunk filled inner tubes, no?


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:07 pm
 MSP
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Same can be achieved with those gunk filled inner tubes, no?

they are very heavy and crap.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:09 pm
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So besides being able to run lower pressures to get better grip without getting snakebites

What other properties are you looking for?


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:11 pm
 D0NK
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what are the advantages of tubeless
you've already mentioned grip (hmm) and less snakebites oh and thorn punctures etc are supposed to seal
& are they ever weight saving?
if you can getaway without a rim strip and less sealent you can save a bit of weight yeah depends on your hadrware tho


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:12 pm
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It is a weight saver!

Just over 100 grams on each wheel which along with the 150 grams I saved with Carbon bars gets to around 3/4lb.

My own opinion is that the bike rides better and is more responsive and i have not had a puncture since i converted!


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:17 pm
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...if you can getaway without a rim strip and less sealent...

you'll be needing specific tyres and rims then, and they're heavier...

i like the idea of increased puncture resistance, which is why i'm a dabbler, but i find it a very frustrating 'technology'

(i've only ever got 1 tyre to inflate - i've attempted dozens)

It is a weight saver!

if you [s]say[/s] shout it, then it must be true... a 'normal' tube weighs 200grams, you replace that with a rim strip and sealant, which i weighed at around 200grams...

if you were really stingy with the sealant, maybe you could save 50g per wheel, but then you'd lose much of the puncture resistance...


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:18 pm
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I've just bought some wheels with tubeless rims & been toying with the idea, but bike they are on will only be ridden XC in the chilterns so can't see myself lowering the pressures enough to warrant tubeless & bike is a bit of a weight weenie experiment with approx 500g tyres plus 125g tubes.

Sounds like it'll be worth it thorn puncture wise (I have zillions) if I can find a decent tubeless tyre under 600g


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:20 pm
 Sam
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saves weight, prevents most punctures, lower pressure, lower rolling resistance, more traction, very few drawbacks IMO.

to the OP - read the instructions on the Stan's site for general info. If you are having a specific problem with set-up then it's perhaps to refer back here at that point.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:22 pm
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Why bother? I mean, tubeless rolls faster and grips better for a given pressure, often weighs less, doesn't pinch flat and rarely punctures so badly that it doesn't self-seal. Clearly pointless! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Make yourself a ghetto tubeless inflator and get a syringe with tube to connect to your valves, and removable core valves and it'll be pretty painless.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:26 pm
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Dickyboy- do it if your Chilterns way. Lots of thorns to ruin your day.

I think this thread needs the phrase 'rotational weight'
I feel better now.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:35 pm
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tubeless rolls faster and grips better for a given pressure

why's that then, how does lack of inner tube achieve that? Sorry for being a doubting thomas an all that, just take a bit of convincing about these kind of statements & am a certified stick in the mud

Dickyboy- do it if your Chilterns way. Lots of thorns to ruin your day

I know that reason alone should convince me, just trying to get my head round the rest & keep the weight down too


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 1:35 pm
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Increased grip from the increased carcass compliance, reduced rolling resistance because the frictional losses between tube and carcass are removed.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:01 pm
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Increased grip because you can run them at lower pressures I can buy & reduced rolling resistance for the reason you state at low pressures again I can accept. But surely you would be just as well off with higher pressures (needing less carcass compliance & therefore less weight) for XC riding & then the frictional losses between tube & carcass are going to be minimal are they not?

As I say I can understand tubeless for technical stuff where the low pressures & extra grip are needed, but still not convinced for chilterns XC (apart from puncture reduction so far).


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:23 pm
 D0NK
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you'll be needing specific tyres and rims then, and they're heavier...
crest+yellow strip+TRtyre+sealant is lots lighter than 819+UST tyre. Of course some people already have UST ready wheels, they can drop the tube and add a valve and sealant, bit lighter.

Like I said down to your hardware, there are [i]some[/i] losses to be made in some cases.

But yeah plenty of faffage, fwiw I've found full UST stuff to be pretty much faultless in setup but they are heavy pricey and you can still puncture so use a mixture now.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:25 pm
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No, you get more grip at the same pressure. And better rolling at the same pressure. Everywhere you ride has bumps, better compliance means those bumps slow you down less.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:25 pm
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D0NK - Member
crest+yellow strip+TRtyre+sealant is lots lighter than 819+UST tyre.

a light rim is lighter than a [s]heavy[/s] less light rim? - i agree.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:27 pm
 D0NK
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you said

you'll be needing specific tyres and rims then, and they're heavier...
only ust [b]rims*[/b] i know of are 819 and 823(?) which are heavy. Just pointing out the non UST tubeless alternatives are [b]lots[/b] lighter

*plenty of wheels but not many retrofittable rims.

Oh and I'd reinstate the heavy if I were you >500g for an (admittedly tough) xc rim is heavy ๐Ÿ™‚
Big hole in the market for a ~400g ust rim IMO


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:29 pm
 MSP
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No, you get more grip at the same pressure. And better rolling at the same pressure. Everywhere you ride has bumps, better compliance means those bumps slow you down less.

I have a little problem with this point, you still need the tyre to be able to hold its basic structural shape, so if less support is being provided by rubber, then more pressure will be required. Otherwise the tyre will just roll over when cornering.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:30 pm
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if you say shout it, then it must be true... a 'normal' tube weighs 200grams, you replace that with a rim strip and sealant, which i weighed at around 200grams...

if you were really stingy with the sealant, maybe you could save 50g per wheel, but then you'd lose much of the puncture resistance...

Well sorry to disagree with you but I actually weighed my wheels before and after so I would suggest you do the same!!

One of my goals with my bike is to reduce weight whenever I change a component an people may laugh at small changes but collectively they all add up.

The OP was only asking people advice not for the usual I know more than you c**p that the ill-informed love to type on here!


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 2:41 pm
 GEDA
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Tubeless in no way reduces pinch punctures in my experience. I think I get more. Experimenting running higher pressures at the moment but thick side wall tyres reduce pinch punctures as do running what ever tyres you have at an appropriate pressure for your riding.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 3:00 pm
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My 2 penneth for what it's worth:

You can run lower pressures, that will give you better grip with less chance of snake bite punctures and the sealant protects again thorns, etc.

Even though I use tubeless I am yet to be convinced that it's a weight saving exercise. Taking the Maxxis High Roller 2.35 as an example the UST tyre is 200g heavier than the closest folding equivalent. So that pretty much cancels out removing the inner tube and you still need to add either rim strip/valve/sealant or just valve/sealant if you had UST rims.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 3:03 pm
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Well I can't see any light UST tyres that I like or can afford but I'm gonna give it a go with some stans sealant & mavic valves with the tyres I already have & see how I get on. Fingers crossed i will have a positive experience.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 3:11 pm
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Tubeless in no way reduces pinch punctures in my experience. I think I get more.
Are your tyres made of cheese?!

The only downside, IMO, is the (possible) initial faff.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 3:15 pm
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valves bunging up with jizz.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 3:30 pm
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MSP, if your tyre is on the limit of lateral stability then going tubeless is unlikely to be a good thing - hence it isn't popular for downhill racing. But do you ride that hard and fast all the time?


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 3:51 pm
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I converted 6 months ago, inflating is easy when you get the hang of it. I use non-ust tyres on crests, definate weight saving.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 4:13 pm
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What ^ he said.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 4:30 pm
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if you were really stingy with the sealant, maybe you could save 50g per wheel, but then you'd lose much of the puncture resistance...

To be honest, which is more likely to puncture, 50ml of Stans tubeless, or a 100g tube? Yellow tape + 50ml at each end was fine for sealing 2.4" Nobby Nics on Flows, and keep them sealed for over a year.

I've got some Maxxis Flyweight tubes that have lasted ages too, if I get a puncture it's generally thorns, which callously pop anything from flyweight to DH tubes.


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 4:49 pm
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Do yo get a lot of punctures? do you ride where here are hawthorn hedges? then it is probably worth it. if not I doubt it is


 
Posted : 25/04/2012 5:20 pm