thinking about giving ghetto tubeless a go since it seems so easy, but apart from fewer pinch flats what are the other benefits? i maybe only get 1 or 2 pinch flats a year so is it worth it?
also - is it as easy as the web guides say to set it all up?
ta!
probably not as easy as its made to sound
less punctures/pinch flats
still need to carry a tube/pump for when you rip through a sidewall
reduces incessant tyre swapping
makes it harder to swap tyres
split 20" tubes dont like to be reused
some tyres take a lot of sealing
some tyre/rim combos work better than others
better grip through lower pressures.
No flats of any kind!
But if you don't get many flats I can understand your reticence.
And it can turn into a ball-ache.
I'd suggest considering the following:
Old tyres don't seal well, so you may find it difficult to get the tyres to hold pressure until you invest in new tyres.
Some tyres are too loose for ghetto tubless, and will pop off the rim when ridden, in my experience Panaracer fire XC popped off the rim twice on it's first outing with Joe's Tubeless, I'm thankful that it was the rear tyre not the fron, seeing as it was the black run at Llandegla that this happened on. Ended up mid ride converting that rim back to tubed in the middle of the forest, not difficult, just annoyingly messy!
so perhaps good advice there is to give the bike a good thrashing in a known/gentle/suitable environment after converting - just to see if there are any problems.
my HT is currently half and half because the front sealed perfectly, the rear lost air over a few days then refused to seal and i stuck a tube in as a temporary measure (back in the autumn)
i wont change now for a couple of months, when i will be changing tyres anyway
It's a ball ache if you haven't got a good track pump, C02 cartridges or a compressor and sometimes it is even with those. Watch all the vids twice and then you'll start to learn your own tips and tricks that work for you. Mine would be - just when you think you have enough soapy water on triple it! Have the wheel on a stand or in upside down forks when inflating. First inflation should be done with no valve and no sealant. 2nd with valve and no sealant and then after a while deflate and whack the sealant in. If you're using foldable tyres turn them inside out the day before.
Dunno and don't care if there is a weight saving but you get better grip and starngely it feels like less rolling resistance too. Nveer had a ghetto puncture in over 2 years but have killed 2 UST tyres. The fact that they were tubeless was irrelevant, they would have been written off anyways.
The biggest benefit for me is the virtual elimination of thorn punctures (two in about 6 years) and I've not had a pinch flat since going tubeless. Reduced rolling resistance and improved grip are true.
There is a long learning curve and you'll develop your own techniques through experimentation. If you're the sort that doesn't like a bit of trial and error and messing with different setups, its probably not for you - go full UST if you want tubeless without the faff, but you'll have to accept its not as light as it could be.
Totaly ezy dude and affective no more punturs use 24' chub and seelint put dukdown fethers in they make it lite and seelint stiks to sids of tire nevar go flat totaly awsum im raped with mine
it is a faff, ballache and pain in the proverbial.
you end up riding hte same tyres all year as changing is a nightmare.
you cant run proper low pressures as the tyres burp mid corner/jump.
i run tubless - but i ride in a wood full of hawthorn trees. it means i can run lightweight tyres without stopping every 5 mins. and lighter tyres means less weight on the wheels which is a good thing.
'...you cant run proper low pressures as the tyres burp mid corner/jump...'
Stiffer sidewalls required then. This stops the squirming that allows the bead to deform away from the rim edge.
Rather than The split 20" tube method, and dependant on the wheel type, you can fit Bontrager rim strips & valves and this works very well.
I've got Conti Vert and Bonti ACX on a pair of WTB Laserdisc trails(19mm)and trailraker on actual Bonti rims(19mm again) I couldn't get the rim strips I had to fit on the 17mm rims I had.
On both wheel sets the tyre beads made a reasuring bang as they went onto the rims when inflated and even when completely deflated they are held there by the strip's shoulders.
Another tip for any method used is to fit the tyre to a wheel with a tube in for a day or two to give it shape. The inside-out method didn't work for me.
i used the gaffa tape method on you tube on my bonty rims as the rim strips wouldnt fit (seems my bonty rims arent tubeless ready!) the gaffa tape method worked a treat
Totaly ezy dude and affective no more punturs use 24' chub and seelint put dukdown fethers in they make it lite and seelint stiks to sids of tire nevar go flat totaly awsum im raped with mine
What?
im raped with mine
LOL! I really can't work that bit out... rapid perhaps!?
Tubeless weighs less too, let's not forget!
"rapped", aka delighted, but in Datz-dialect.
Get with it njee!
oh i thought he meant his tyres attacked and gave him some prison love 🙂
oh. Rapt.
I get it.
Rapt.
Phew! I was desperately hoping that 'raped' wasn't some new kidz-word for 'extremely happy.' I really don't want to hear people constantly exclaiming 'I am/was raped'.
Stiffer sidewalls required then. This stops the squirming that allows the bead to deform away from the rim edge.
stiffer sidewalls means i have to run heavy tyres - thus defeating the one plus i see in tubeless.