Ive got 26″ Stan’s ztr arch rims and a pair of schwalbe rapid robs. What do I need to do/check in order to run tubeless? I need valves and sealant at a minimum.

Thanks.

Rim tape. The cloth type stuff that is/was the default in tubed times wont cut it.

There’s a long running argument as to whether Gorilla tape is excelent or useless as a substitute.

Removing the valve cores and pumping up using the car tyre valve attachment on a track pump will 90% of the time get a tyre to seat*, without need for compressor/resevoir bottles.

*I’m at 100% success on stans rims + maxxis tyres combination, with just track pump.

Safety glasses.
Just trust me on the safety glasses.

Thanks for the replies.

They’re appears to be some sort of tape already inside the rim. They are 19mm internal width, but I can’t see any kits that come with that – they start at around 21mm. Are there any kits that you’d recommend? I have an air compressor, but I’ll need an adaptor for the presta valve.

Is tyre sealant all pretty much the same? How long will half a litre last me? Does it go off in the bottle?

I’ve used Gorilla Tape and Orange Seal sealant on all my bikes for the last few years, with no problems whatsoever, although I do believe others have had issues.

After years of doubting it I took the jump to tubeless a couple of months ago, wish I did it years back as my doubts were very unfounded.

I used gorilla tape, stand fluid and valves. Some wheels took lotst of attempts and fiddling with but using a standard track pump they all worked in the end. Be patient and it’s easier than it first appears.

Puncture free since, with the hedgerows round my way that’s a real change.

Schwalbe tyres are very hit or miss as to whether they’ll stay inflated, so don’t be too worried if you find them going flat initially. Also, be very careful not to exceed the recommended pressures for your rims, it won’t take too much extra to blow the tyre clean off the rim.As for tape width, 2 or 3mm wider than the inner rim width seems to be the optimum.

Another for Gorilla tape here. I put a layer of standard leccy tape underneath it first though as apparently its a bit of a devil to get back off if needed. My set up is maxxis tyres and muc-off valves and sealant and so far so good. Done with a track pump relatively easily too

Schwalbe tyres are very hit or miss as to whether they’ll stay inflated

Really? 😮 I’ve not run tubeless before and I’ve just spent £120 on some Schwalbe tubeless tyres. I haven’t tried them yet as my wheels aren’t built but I’m hoping it’s not an expensive mistake…..

Schwalbe were fine for me. Seated very easily and held pressure well.

As for tape. Normal tubeless tape (stans, tessa etc.) work fine as long as everything is warm. The first few inches are tricky and might peel up, but once on it stays on. I find rocking it from side to side while applying helps get it into the middle of the rim. Gorilla tape is easier but doesn’t last and is hard to clean off the rim.

Clean the rim bead with isopropyl alcohol, use a hair dryer to heat the rim and tape. Makes it more flexible and stick better. I use stans tape and have never had a problem. Gorilla tape was a pain in the arse to put on and get off.

Get the beads seated, using soapy water if necessary as rim lube, without the valve cores in or sealant in the tyre. Once seated add sealant with a syringe. Replace valve core, pump to 35psi, jiggle lots and leave overnight. If it goes down pump it up and sit it on its side on a bucket for a few hours, flip, rest, jiggle. Repeat until sealed. Adjust pressure as desired.

Key thing to understand is the rim tape has 2 jobs….

1st is to seal the spoke holes, though the sealant will also plug any gaps eventually if not perfect. You only need 1 layer of tape for this.

2nd and most important is to pack out the channel in the centre of the rim to get a semi airtight seal on the tyre for the first 5-10seconds of pumping to allow you to get enough air in to pop the bead up onto the outside of the rim. Depending on the tyre and the rim the one layer you put down to cover the spoke holes might be enough, or in my case on giant pxc rims and schwalbe racing ralphs, I generally need 3-4 layers of tape to get the initial seal. Again on my rims I use narrow electrical tape for the 2-3 “packing” layers, then a final layer of wider gorilla to seal everything up.

…in other words if it won’t seal, try another layer of tape

While there are tales of success with a variety of homebrew solutions, I strongly recommend taking the stress out of tubeless by buying an Airshot canister or similar (you can also make something similar using online instructions).

I have also just gone to tubless for the first time and needed to inflate 29er tyres. My otherwise very good track pump didn’t even scratch the surface but the Airshot is the boss and inflates first time all the time. It is such a massive step forward in terms of ease that the price is soon forgotten (Tredz are doing them for £44 with their £5 discount).

Trust me, it will keep you feeling zen about the whole process and you can then delight in the ride that tubeless gives! Good luck.

How do you reseal a tyre when out in the sticks, say if you burp the tyre or get a big puncture ? Can you reseat with a tiny pump ?

Usually for small burps and punctures the tyre bead stays attached to the rim so it’s just a case of adding a repair stick into the tyres of the sealant is not patching up the hole and refilling with air.

If tyre has come off the rim then it’s unlikely you’ll get it back on so I usually stick a tube in those situations.

In my experience you’ll rarely see that situation with trail riding. More common of you’re riding very rough technical trails on enduro or DH bike.

Regarding gorilla tape versus tubeless tape.

Gorilla tape was used because tubeless tape cost a fortune in the early days. Now there are many different manufacturers and the price is a lot lower than before.

So I find tubeless tape better to use. It goes on easy enough and comes off easy enough without making a big sticky mess that gorilla tape does.

Also if you have a high volume pump then most times you can get away without buying a separate reservoir inflator device thing. If you only have a high pressure pump then it’s going to be harder but not impossible to the tyres up. So might be worth investing in a reservoir.

Another thing to consider is what state the tyres are – are they brand new or have they already had punctures? Getting tubeless seated with tyres that already have holes just makes your life more difficult

this worked for me…

plus Joe’s kit from crc. Not had any trouble getting tyres to seat with my old track pump, technique being quick wipe with soapy water and pump faster than a bastard for as long as it takes whilst just believing that you’re going to hear a click. Not a bad workout.

I prefer one thickness of tape as i don’t want to fill the central channel in the wheel that makes it a lot easier to get tyres on and off.

Many thanks for all the replies. I bought a muc off tubeless kit in the end. The last thing that remains is to pump up the tyres. Any recommendations on a pump? Ideally something I won’t need to replace in a hurry, yet doesn’t break the bank. Is that achievable for £30?

Oh and one other thing… Wet or dry lube? I’m not riding in the rain or going through rivers, but there may be the occasional splash.

Anyone?

chain lube? If it’s only the occasional splash, stick with dry chain lube.

Thanks. Go for the cheapest or is there any advantage in spending more?

Pump for setting up tubeless = Ghetto inflator.

2l drinks bottle, couple of valves, pair of grips. Done. I chuck a old towel on mine just in case it explodes, but as I’m doing less than a tyre a year, why splash out £50 on another pump when £2 (for the fizzy drink) and a couple of old tubes will do the same job.

Stans sealant, 60ml a tyre does the job for me. No issues with either Schwalbe Hans Dampf or Bontrager XR4 tyres holding air. Schwalbe one got a repair a couple of years back but is still going strong.

As for lube, sounds like you want dry lube.

Ha. For the sake of £20 I’d rather just buy one. This one seems to be ok:

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/accessories/pumps/giant-control-tower-3-track-pump__320405

So which dry lube?

Important to make the distinction between a track pump and something designed or bodged to inflate a tubeless tyre.

What I mean by that is a track pump has inflated most tyres for me, but not all. That’s when I did the bodge mentioned above and made an inflator out of a coke bottle. You can buy purpose made for around £40 or £50 when I lasted looked. I don’t setup tubeless enough justify that. An inflator basically gives a huge “gush” of air that even a poor rim/tyre combo can’t leak fast enough before it seats the bead basically. A track pump just can’t do that. Like I said though, a lot of the time a track pump will do the job with a bit of prep, effort and luck.

You can also get track pumps with inflator built in but the price goes up of course.

No harm in getting a track pump first (cheopo one from asda here!) as they are just generally handy but if you have a sod of a tyre you might need to go “industrial”.😁

“Squirt” chain lube is pretty popular but in all honestly mate you’ll get a load of recommendations as everyone has a favourite. I’d go with something cheapish if dry weather riding, that’s me though. Some inflating use GT85 on their chains**.😐

** Secretly I think it’s probably ok but I wouldn’t say it out load on here as I’ll get hung drawn and quartered.😉

Ha thanks. I’ve seated car tyres with fire before, I don’t see why a bicycle would be any different.

I’ve never seen it done with bikes. I think the potential pitfall is that the pressure required to seat a tyre fully is relatively close to the pressure required to blow the bead off the rim (35 and 50 psi respectively?). So you’ll want to precisely measure the propellent.

If you do it, make a video.

Not used this, but it seems reasonable value:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOJOTUBE2TP/jobsworth-tubeless-2-pump-it-up-track-pump

May be a slightly cheaper alternative to the airshot.

Schwalbe tyres are very hit or miss as to whether they’ll stay inflated

I’ve given all mine a coat of Copydex on the inside to seal the sidewalls and stop the air seeping thru.

That pump does seem quite reasonable. You have to wonder where they’re skimping…

Still looking for more feedback on dry lube if some others want to chime in?

I have the one malv linked to. Quality wise I think it’s absolutely spot on and great quality.

The skimping is on the size of the air reservoir, it’s not massive IMO.

Having said that it’s inflated all my 27.5″ tyres, albeit I’ve had to remove the valve core on occasions.

Dry lube is great in the dry as dirt doesn’t stick to the chain as much as with wet lube. But it washes off a lot easier than wet lube. So if you are riding in muddy conditions you may find the chain starts to miss behave.

Regarding pump, for tubeless you want a high volume low pressure pump. These have wider diameter air tubes and each pump shifts a larger amount of air just not to to a very high pressure. But for mountain bike tyres you’re usually around, 25-35psi so that’s not an issue. The thin tubed pumps used on road bikes and capable of 120psi will not shift enough air to easily seat the beads, it’s not impossible but can be a lot of hard work. Get a high volume pump and it should make the job a lot easier. If you can get one of pressurised chamber gadgets or a pump with that integrated then it pretty much works every time and is recommended from me.