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Fun with tubeless tyres

(6 posts)
  • Started 3 years ago by nobrakes
  • Latest reply from nobrakes

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  1. nobrakes
    Member

    I’ve been refining my technique for putting on tubeless tyres. If you’ve never tried and are thinking about it or have struggled, I feel your pain. The first time I tried I spent a day getting nowhere. The key is gaffer tape. I think I have a repeatable process now.

    Required -

    air shot compressor or equivalent
    Gaffer tape
    Sealant
    Track pump

    First tape all the way round the rim on both sides creating an airtight seal between the tyre and the rim. Very important- put it on with enough space for the tyre to expand, ie seal it down well on both the rim and the tyre but keep it loose in between.

    Take the valve core out and give it a blast with the air shot / compressor. With the tape on, sometimes this is enough to get a not bad seal between the bead and the rim and you’ll hear the bead snap into place. Try and get as much of the bead on as you can with a few blasts. You’ll probably still have air leaks though as you haven’t added sealant yet.

    Deflate again and add sealant. Spin the wheel for a few minutes and slosh it around at different angles.

    Blast again, and it should seal much easier now. Put valve core back in, remove gaffer tape and use track pump to bring up to pressure. If you have slow leaks spin the wheel again and repeat until fully sealed.

    Took me about 20 minutes per wheel this time.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  2. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    What are the advantages of tubeless?

    Posted 3 years ago #
  3. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    What are the advantages of tubeless?

    No idea. I was loaned an MTB with tubeless tyres in Spain. Both were flat but I'd packed a mini-pump. It's just as well I was determined to get them inflated as it was an awful job. There's no photos of me riding the thing but plenty of me trying to pump up the tyres.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  4. stiltskin
    Member

    You can run them at lower pressures off road for better grip, on road for more comfort. Less likely to get a pinch flat, punctures can be sealed immediately with sealant so you may not even notice that you have a puncture. Lighter, in general, than tubed.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  5. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    Stiltskin has covered the advantages. One of the disadvantages is that if you don't ride it for a period of time (eg a winter) and let the tyres get flat, you'll find nobrakes' summary very useful. Speaking from experience of my OH's bike as supplied...

    Posted 3 years ago #
  6. nobrakes
    Member

    Yes Stiltskin summarised it perfectly. For me on road tubeless it’s mostly about the reduced pressure for comfort.

    Posted 3 years ago #

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