I've just bought some second hand Mavic cosmic carbons for my road bike. Does anyone know of they will run tubeless with them being normal non specific rims? They are alloy rim with carbon top shell if that makes a difference.
Also why does everyone seem to run conti 4/5000 tyres? They are bloomin expensive so is there any alternatives?
Mavic were very late to the game when it came to roadie tubeless - ironic considering they invented UST for mtbs....so its unlikely that any of their wheels that arent brand new will be tubeless. In fairness, you missing on nothing at all. Roadie tubeless is still an utter mess, Ive tried it, as have some riding mates, and we've all gone back to tubes, as it simply doesnt seem to work. Everyone runs GP4000s because they are simply decent at everything and seem to be almost puncture proof - ive been running them for the last 6 years and havent a single puncture in all that time, even though i live in hedgerow hell country (North Yorkshire).
I've run tubeless tyres on non-tubeless rims. They are harder to inflate and seat but once they do they'll be fine. Having said that, some rims are very narrow though (<=17mm internal), which can be a proble, as there isn't space for the tyre beads either side of the valve.
People use GP4000s because they are good tyres, and they see other people using them.
Wouldn't one of the problems with running tubeless on non tubeless road rims be the fact that the tyre is very likely to roll off the rim when it loses pressure? Could be wrong on that, but just thinking about how easy it is for some tyres to come off the rim with tubes in - with no hooks on the rim would a tyre stay on the rim when there is a flat which doesn't seal immediately?
Think the hooked rim is not a big deal as many tubeless rims are actually hookless nowadays? The strong bead of a tubeless tyre and the design of the rim bed with two raised sections keeps the tyre locked.
Non tubeless tyre on the road tubeless would be a very bad idea for this reason, as the bead is weaker, but some non tubeless rims are fine. There's that much choice out there now that you wouldn't set out to mix and match, but sometimes you need to improvise with existing kit like the OP.
I've run tubeless tyres on non-tubeless rims no problem. They're still a clincher design aren't they, just a stronger and (perhaps) a more consistent bead dimension to suit tubeless rims. It would be a bit pointless though cos they are also often heavier.
I have also run non-tubeless tyres (with tubes) on tubeless rims with no problem.
The only combo I wouldn't chance for the road is trying to run a non-tubeless tyre as a tubeless system.
If GP4000/5000 are too much then there are cheaper Conti tyres that still use black chilli compound. Lots of other tyres get good write ups. Michelin Pro 4's, Clement, Specialized, Vittoria (very nice "open" tubulars) to name but a few. Google is your friend.
I run tubeless tyres on nontubeless Ksyriums and HEDs fine. Do not under any circumstances run nontubeless tyres on nontubeless rims. I tested this in the lab (well dining room) to see when the bead unseat - about 75 PSI for a GP 4 seasons.
4000s are nice tyres and a good price now. Run them with latex tubes and you'll love them. They are hard to mount, however.