For TL:DR; skip to the end.
Advice needed, I've just bought my first set of tubeless & knobbly tyres and I could use some tips. I know a lot of these have probably been answered and I done a fair bit of reading but it seems that the conventional wisdom is evolving all the time so some up to date information would be ideal.
My winter bike is a Planet X London Road (I've got my eye on a Pickenflick frame but that's another story). It's always been used on the road but I've just ordered some tubeless 40c WTB nanos and I'm in the process of getting a 2nd wheel set to have a go at some off-roading and light trails.
The wheels I own now are 28 spoke Pacenti SL25s on Novatec hubs, which I was planning to mount the Nanos onto, I'll use the other wheels for the road.
Seems like I need valves, sealant, tape and some luck... what's best? what works? what doesn't?
The only thing I'm leaning towards at the minute is that Tesa tape that appears to be the Stans stuff at a fraction of the cost, they sell it in 19mm or 25mm, what shouldI be buying for SL25's which are 20mm internal?
TL:DR; What's the best valves/tape/sealant? Any tips for 40c nano's on Pacenti SL25s?
parcel tape and the cheap valves work, but i sense that approach may offend your sensibilities?
Lots of soapy water to get the bead seated worked here. Otherwise be careful of overthinking it (says I who hummed and hawed for ages).
Gut feeling is the 19mm is the correct size.
I've always used Stans on my MTBs, but I just got a gravel bike and used Orange Endurance sealant. Tyres are inflated and have stayed inflated so full marks for the past fortnight
Tesa does indeed seem to be Stans'... 😉 WTB sell the same stuff at a price in between but in a wider range of widths. CRC usually stock it. If using something wider than desired for some reason, the standard practice is to measure the desired width and cut round the outside of the roll with a very sharp blade (stanley, scalpel etc).
Opinion is divided on how wide the tape needs to be. This is partly because circumstances differ - different bead and rim designs, more/less suitable tyres etc. Definitely the area of the spoke holes needs sealing. WTB recommend a little wider than the ID so that it just starts up the wall a little. Caution is advised: if you find yourself needing to remove the tyre in the wild, if the tape is easily caught by tyre levers you may find yourself with an instant problem as once the tape is damaged, air will find a way under the wrinkle and eventually find a spoke hole to exit through and you don't have a pressurised tyre anymore. Take a close look at what you have and make your own mind up is the best advice I think. Gorilla (branded gaffer tape) is popular with some, and does have upsides (cheap, easy, thick) but has downsides (relatively heavy, thick, eventually absorbs sealant, relative PITA to remove). Thickness is on both lists because thick tape is the last thing you want with a tight tyre. With a baggy fit it can be a life saver.
Stans sealant is dependable, Orangeseal seems to cope with bigger holes better. Joes Eco is good in my experience but may be a little more faf to set up. Uberbikes' new stuff (not the same as Peaty's) is getting love. There's a thing about ammonia in sealant (Uber and Joes don't have it) which is added to latex to keep it runny. In theory it attacks rims and tyre casings over time but no-one has ever done the research to get this past folk myth stage so far as I know.
Washing up liquid diluted to about 1:5 or so smeared liberally all over the rim and tyre bead when mounting tyre is a must even if you don't think you need it to get the tyre on. It helps the seating/sealing stage.
Remove valve core, add large amount of air quickly and hope for tyre to make a loud pop as bead seats. A high volume track pump may be all you need for this. A good road pump (high pressure) probably won't stand a chance. If the track pump doesn't cut it, you're looking at a new pump with a reservoir, an Airshot or a modified coke bottle to get the air in fast enough to pop the bead. CO2 may work but isn't good for the sealant and may work out expensive.
Once bead pops, remove pump being careful of bead, add the appropriate amount of sealant (bottle instructions for guide amount) through the valve. Plastic screen wash hose and a little funnel help. Then replace core, inflate as desired and once complete give the wheel a good shake to distribute the sealant. Mount to bike and spin.
Ideally test ride a short distance as soon as both tyres done, if you don't you will probably find the tyres flat the next day. If this happens, don't worry, just reinflate and ride. Most tyres only truly seal on the first ride.
Lots of typing, easy task. Good luck! This is an easy thing that many make out to be super difficult.
Thanks for the tips, lots to think about!
Think I'll get the wider tesa tape and trim it if needs be.
Any thoughts on valves? Or are they all pretty much the same? Cheers!
One other thing I hadn't considered... tyre pressures? Seems like most people go 35-40psi for 40c nanos, does that sound like a sensible start point? It's not something I've ever had to think about! Usually I just pump tyres to 100psi and away I go!
Tyre pressures vary with volume and intended use.
I'd run 28's like GP4's for road around 60f 80r, maybe a bit more depending. I'd probably come down to around 40/60 off road. You're wanting the tyre to do different things, on tarmac or even gravel you have a hard surface so you just want efficient rolling. Off road, you have mixed and broken surfaces and the tyre needs to be able to conform to the surface more. These are my CX bike tubed starting points. Tubeless could well be lower.
Valves, much of a muchness until you get to fat bikes and single wall rims where the shape of the base becomes important. You want removable cores. The Stans are dependable, the Superstar, Lifeline, Airwave etc will work as well but you may want to consider one that is brass rather than alu. Don't make too big a hole in the tape to get the valve through. A small x with a sharp scalpel and push the valve through usually works. Too big a hole and you get leaking round the valve. Also worth bearing in mind that you can run the narrower tape round more than once to get the width you need, but that obviously means there's more tape in the wheel. Wider is better, but it's not the end of the world if you have a narrower tape than you ideally wanted.
Same tyres and rims as you. Pop on by hand and sealed with track pump. They are a bit porous but not much. Tesa tape as its cheap. Noticeably slower rolling below 50 psi which is fine for gravel. No idea what sealant I used.
Make sure the rims are 'clean' before applying the tape - lightly scour with abrasive and clean-off with solvent. Tape the rims in a warm environment - put the roll of tape on the radiator as it sticks better when warm. My preference is to use a tape wider than the tyre bead seat - prevents seepage of the sealant under the edge. Worth fitting the tyres with tubes and leaving them indoors for a bit to warm-up and smooth out any kinks in the bead. One of the benefits of tubeless is lower rolling resistance - pumping them up to 50psi and riding offroad is pointless, you'll just be bouncing all over the place.
No you don't . Well I don't but then I lightly skim over the surface anyway. 😆
Less on mud is great but gravel is like bumpy tarmac, low pressures are a hindrance with those particular tyres on hard surfaces. May change my mind admittedly when the miles build up but with about 2k miles of experimenting so far 50 seems to be the sweet spot. 50 isn't low. 25 is. 25 is great for CX, something else may be fine for other going but I was on about gravel. Experiment a bit to suit your own going.
Forgot to say that I find Tesa tape less easy to seal around the valve hole than Gorilla though.
Lots to think about - thank you all for your advice, I'll be sure to read it all a few times before I make a go of it! I'll try and remember to update with my success/failure! Cheers all!
Gorilla tape is good for sealing the rims.