So, got some gorilla tape, valves, Stans Sealant and tubeless tyres.

The rims are not tubeless ready so is there anything else I need to do in order set up?

Thanks

Nope. If it was me I’d put a couple of rounds of electrical tape before the gorilla tape. I’ve done several rims which are not tubeless and have turned out fine, even shitty cheap ebay ones.

Google ghetto tubeless for advice. I’ve always used a split BMX tube for all my rims apart from the GF’s E13 rims which worked perfectly with a few wraps of 1″ electrical tape.

Tom kp

thanks, will use some electrical tape. I guess this builds it up for a tighter fit.

I would put the gorilla tape down first. Stickier innit 😉

Make sure the rims are clean – isopropyl alcohol or similar.

The split BMX tube method is the most reliable in my experience and has worked for me on all sorts of random rims.

>The split BMX tube method is the most reliable in my experience and has worked for me on all sorts of random rims.

This also solves the ‘immovable valve’ problem, if you ever need to put a tube in at the trailside!

Tubeless ready rims is just about hooking the bead better for tubeless, but more sealant I used to find solves that problem. Might be a bit more faff trying to seat the tyre.

To be fair my new Mavic tubeless rims have no hook at all for the bead it’s a flat surface. I was as surprised as you probably are now but it works. The seal is done with a higher base so the bead stretches to pop on. Still had to tape them as with most tubeless rims.

The important thing to remember is the goop is literally designed to fill and seal holes. All you need to do is get the gaps small enough so any waterproof sticky tape will work on any rim.

You can convert any rim with enough tape and perseverance, but way more likely to burp as the bead shelf tends to be narrow and tapered, rather than broad and flat (and often with a bead retaining ridge). I had enough burping issues with a supposedly tubeless ready Velocity rim that required about 150g of tape to make it seal at all in the first place, that I’d not bother trying to make a standard rim work. You can get good reliable tubeless ready rims pretty cheap these days.

I just did some non tubeless Alex rims.

2 layers of gorilla tape

Stans is the way to go, the Uberbike sealant was useless.

Air compressor