A shiny new bike means that I’m getting to grips with the fact that almost none of my trail side spares that I carry are of any use any more. New multi-tool is sorted. New pads are in the bag. I’m carrying a spare tube as before but this bike came set up tubeless. So a few points arise.
1 I’m carrying a CO2 inflator now. Will one CO2 canister be enough to inflate a 29 x 2.4″ tyre?
2 Ditto but with a similar 27.5″ tyre?
3 Mrs A’s bike is ‘tubeless ready’. I’m assuming that this means that it has a rim strip in a tubeless compatible rim (Giant Embolden E1+, size XS fwiw) fitted with tubeless tyres but also with an inner tube. I’ve measured the valve on the front innertube, it is 50mm from tube to tip of the lock nut spindle.
4 If converting to tubeless what length valves are required? Mrs A’s valves (fnarr fnarr) are 50mm- I can find 40mm and 60mm for sale.
5 Stans fluid seems to be the way to go- am I right here?
6 How the heck am I supposed to inflate the things?

Sorry for being a pain.

Yes, it’ll have rim tape ready to go. Valve lengths are irrelevant AFAIK. Go with whatever suits you (and your wife). Remember length isn’t everything!

I don’t use CO2 – a decent pump doesn’t take long anyway.

Stan’s fluid is as good as any in my experience.

Track pump should inflate it ok. A compressor is handy but not essential.

Watch some decent quality YouTubes on tubeless should do it.

… or don’t bother with it if you won’t be riding all that gnarly or hard. A spare tube is easy to carry, which i do with tubeless anyway.

That’s all positive. Many thanks 🙂

There is a knack to tubeless which can be a bit of a faff in the beginning. But once you have the tyres seated, sealed and with some Stand fuid in there they should be good for a long time.

I’ve been running tubeless for years and still prefer the lower maintenance and fewer punctures.

This guide should help selecting the correct valve length.

https://www.lightbicycle.com/bicycle-tubeless-rim-valve-stem.html

Stans sealant is good but Joe’s can be bought for less and is just as good in my experience.

Plenty of guides on YouTube to help you set up your tyres tubeless.

Just buy the appropriate width of tubeless rim tape and install it as per instructions.

I first set up my tyres the good old ghetto way and were fine, much easier now with specific rims and tyres.

As for pumping them up initially, a track pump has always worked for me. You can remove core of the valves to help get more air in, then deflate the tyre and pop the core back in and pump up to the desired pressure.
C02 canisters aren’t great for mountain bike tyres in my opinion, there is just not enough C02 to fully inflate the tyre. A decent small pump is what I use and is generally fine when out on the trails.

One last recommendation is only put the sealant into the tyre once you have managed to seat and seal them properly. Might even want to leave the tyre inflated over night with no sealant just to help tyre take form (it’s been folded in storage).
You don’t want to have to clean up tyre sealant from yourself, walls and ceiling after the tyre blows off the rim when first inflated and not being seated properly.

Take your time and I’m sure you’ll be fine.

🙂

Agree with small pump. The only issues I have had (maybe I am lucky) is where the tyre lost too much air before sealing so a mini pump was enough to top it back up.
I don’t take spare tubes, just take a mini pump as that is the only thing required over last 10 years.

Have you added a tubeless anchovy/string plug kit to your spares? If you get a slice that’s too big for the Stans to seal then sticking in an anchovy will usually do the trick and save the faff and mess of trying to refit a tube (that’s the absolute last resort)

Yes. As above, get a tin of anchovies and a putter-inner thing.
I ride with an anchovy loaded up ready so hopefully I can get a bad hole before I’ve lost all the air.

Have you added a tubeless anchovy/string plug kit to your spares?

I’d agree with this, I’d say they’re more important than a tube. It makes sorting a tubeless puncture so much faster than sorting a puncture with a new tube.

Puncture happens, plug goes in, pump it up, carry on your ride. I’ve tried a few kits and the Lezyne one with a T shaped tool is the best.

https://www.runandride.co.uk/10380/products/lezyne-classic-tubeless-repair-kit.aspx

Setting tyres up for the first time it’s easier to remove the valve core to get more air in.

This is a great little tool.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293742619526?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=WDtUA6owSKW&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=XQz0tf3FQJC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Combined with one of these

https://www.merlincycles.com/beto-cja-001s-tubeless-air-tank-inflator-98943.html?utm_source=PHG&utm_medium=AffiliateMarketing&utm_campaign=phg-GB&ucpo=38248&source=PHG&utm_medium=Affiliates&utm_campaign=genieshopping

I’d check the rim strip first, companies say tubeless ready sometimes and ship with a standard tube rim tape. I know hope do. Giant may be different so worth checking to say a lot of swearing. If you pop the tyre it’s easy to check.

Stan’s is awful stuff, the best Ive used is squirt seal with bead block or orange seal. Even muc-off is better than Stan’s.

Get valves that colour match the bike they’re all pretty much the same. Muc-off come with a variety of rubber washers to fit the rim profile, something you don’t get with other brands, again, makes life easier.

Stan’s is awful stuff, the best Ive used is squirt seal with bead block or orange seal.

Awful in that it doesn’t seal particularly well, or something else?

1 I’m carrying a CO2 inflator now. Will one CO2 canister be enough to inflate a 29 x 2.4″ tyre?
2 Ditto but with a similar 27.5″ tyre?
3 Mrs A’s bike is ‘tubeless ready’. I’m assuming that this means that it has a rim strip in a tubeless compatible rim (Giant Embolden E1+, size XS fwiw) fitted with tubeless tyres but also with an inner tube. I’ve measured the valve on the front innertube, it is 50mm from tube to tip of the lock nut spindle.
4 If converting to tubeless what length valves are required? Mrs A’s valves (fnarr fnarr) are 50mm- I can find 40mm and 60mm for sale.
5 Stans fluid seems to be the way to go- am I right here?
6 How the heck am I supposed to inflate the things?

1. A standard 16g CO2 canister – IME not for a 29″ wheel. A 25g canister will do it though. However some of the sealant manufacturers recommend against using CO2.
2. Dunno
3,4. The tubeless valve goes in really snug to the inside of the wheel, so I would think if the current valve lengths are 50mm and you’re happy with it stick with that.
5. Worked for me. Everyone has their favourites through.
6. Trackpump with the valve core still in place worked fine for me but YMMV.

The other thing I’d say is once you’ve got the tyre holding enough pressure to stay up go for a short ride, it helps get the sealant into all the little gaps that will still be there.

Oh and if your tyre goes back on the rim fairly easily I’d use the ‘seat 90% of the tyre, pour sealant through the gap, seat remainder of tyre on rim’ method. If not, use the ‘seat whole tyre, remove valve core, squirt it in through the valve with a syringe, replace core’ method.

This article is worth a read, the chap from Stan’s says that co2 may affect their sealant.
I use Stans Race (which I have found to be very good) and co2 when out on the trail (track pump or blaster when at  home) as it’s usually when its raining, windy, your mates are standing around getting cold and wondering when will you get that xxxx’ing tyre sorted so we can get going again! 🙂

Tubeless Tire Sealant Tech, Part 1 – How Often Should It Be Checked & Replaced? – Bikerumor

For trailside repairs, factor in the type of riding that you do. For example, I’ve never once needed to put in a spare tube / use anchovies in 1,000s of miles of XC riding, whereas an enduro shredder riding rocky and flinty trails would need those things on standby.

a) always inflate with the valve core out. Once seated I then let the air out, add Stans through one of their ickle 60ml bottles (decanted from a pint bottle), put the valve core back in and inflate to desired psi (which can now be lower than you’d be used to with tubes – it’s the main benefit of tubeless on mtb’s).

b) ride. Some tubeless set ups need a good ride to seal any minor air loss properly.

c) top up the sealant every few months. Again, I fill through the innerless valve with a mini Stans bottle. I have only ever had non sealing punctures due to lack of/dried up sealant.

This article is worth a read, the chap from Stan’s says that co2 may affect their sealant.

Yes, you are supposed to re-inflate the tyre with air once you get home – but fine to use on the trailside and essential if you need to re-seat the tyre.

c) top up the sealant every few months. Again, I fill through the innerless valve with a mini Stans bottle. I have only ever had non sealing punctures due to lack of/dried up sealant.

The other day I took my road tubeless tyres off to see how much sealant had dried out this year – the answer was virtually zero! Took the opportunity to swap to Milkit valves so I can syringe it all out and back in without breaking the bead seal now.

I’ve found the only time I need co2 (26g)is when seating a new tyre, and it’s cheaper than a hi vol inflator)
Once a tyre has been seated once, a track pump is enough to reseat, tho you do need quite hi pressure to get yhe tyres to seat. You will hear a couple of snappy bangs as it reseats.
The other way to get sealant in is to deflate the tyre, take out the valve core and use syringe to squirt in your Stans….(never had a prob w stans)
Then spin the wheel a few times and go for a spin round the block

You will hear a couple of snappy bangs as it reseats.

I always find that very satisfying when it goes pop!

I have used Stan’s since I first started tubeless which was something like 2008, I can’t remember. I always used CO2 to inflate at first, and never had an issue. Obviously I inflated with the valve at the top of the tyre and the sealant at the bottom, because why would you do anything else?

However I got fed up of buying cartridges all the time for changing tyres or renewing sealant, so I bought an Airshot which paid for itself.

I don’t use CO2 on the trail because if I have a puncture requiring anchovies the tyre stays seated (happened once), whereas if I have a puncture that can’t be sealed (happened twice) I put in a tube for which a pump does fine.

Some tyre/rim combos will inflate from flat with a track pump only, but don’t count on it.

I’m in the same position as the OP, soon to be going tubeless on a mountain bike I’m slowly putting together. I’ve accumulated (nearly) all the kit I need and am happy about the techniques. I recently thought I’d try to get an existing front wheel tubeless as a test, and because the G-One Bite tyre is woefully puncture-prone with a tube in. No way was it ever going to seat with just a track pump, so I’ve abandoned the idea for now but intend getting one of those Beto/Airshot type gizmos at some point. The throwaway CO2 cartridge concept doesn’t really appeal to me.

(NOTE: to get round the puncture issue I’ve just done what I did with the rear, replaced it with a decent puncture resistant tyre, thus eliminating any need to go tubeless…)

Modern tubeless is so much easier than at the start where it could takes litres of stans, hours of swearing and a beefy compressor to get it to seal!