in Beginners, Newbies, Noobz, etc (Moderators: imwjl, TheMayor1)

I am hiding here in the newbs section because then you can't pick on me I am finally trying to drag Big Mama out of storage. I have been riding phat because, well, it's fun That and the trails are still soft and wet so I have been doing a lot of scouting rides to check trail conditions.

My virginal year of attempting to run tubeless. So what do I need to know? Do I need to add sealant to tires stored over the winter? Do I need to do a tubeless god dance to be blessed with flat-free riding? Defalate and reinfalte the tires eight times, whilst wearing a funny hat, and genuflecting to each point on the compass? Please bless me with your wisdom, oh kings of the tubless :-*

Ha! Chuck posted in the Newb section! 

Are your wheels tubeless ready?

I ran tubeless for about a week several years ago and after two back to back blowouts became twice shy. I'll be lurking in this thread because I'm also interested in going back at some point, probably not until next bike though.

I was a very early adopter of tubeless.  Sean and Todd had not run tubeless prior to heading out to AZ last fall.  I don't think either of them will ever run a tube in a mountain bike again.

Chuck - which wheels?  Which tires?  If it's the Dampfs on the Black Flags it's stupid easy.  Pop a bead and add two scoops of sealant per tire.  Put the bead back on and pump it up.  Might have to use some soap suds on the bead to get a temporary seal.  I mounted both of those with nothing more than a hand pump.

Yes Bear they are the wheelset I bought, in a roundabout way, from you.

So you just keep adding sealant once a year? Do they get full at some point, or am I supposed to wear them out before that happens : I assume you have to add sealant because it dries out? How often? How do you know when you need to add more? And can't the sealant be added through a removable valve stem instead of breaking the bead on the tire?

I like being a newb and asking all sorts of newb questions

Adding sealant - Around here I do once a year.  Yes, yours have removable valve cores.  Good idea to pop a bead once in a while and remove the big old stans booger.

Good idea to pop a bead once in a while and remove the big old stans booger.

Good thought. I suppose it could thrown off my balance at high speed during Pitch Black this year

Good idea to pop the bed also as the fluid can coagulate in the valve making it difficult to use.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

Good idea to pop the bed also as the fluid can coagulate in the valve making it difficult to use.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

  that would certainly make an uncomfortable night of sleep :P

My limited knowledge of tubeless:

I am running ghetto tubeless on my Jabber using gorilla tape.  My front tire is tubeless ready on a stans rim, back is a normal WTB on a non-tubeless rim.  No problems so far for 1.3 seasons. 

Mounting is the biggest hassle--much more so if you are not using tubeless ready tires and rims. With a tubeless or tubeless ready system, the sealant is basically just acting as a filler when you get a flat.  With a conversion set up, the sealant also needs to actually "seal" the membrane of the tire so it can inflate.  Using soap suds on the beads to help them into place works well.  Be sure to use a air compressor or high capacity pump.  I have successfully used a pump with the tubeless ready tires and stands rims.  If you are having problems with getting the beads to set in, I found that inflating to a  low pressure and then pushing on top of the tire with the wheel on the ground and can help the bead "pop" into place.  Its also important that both the rim and tire bead are clean before you mount.  Using rubbing alcohol to clean has worked for me.

 Re: sealant, I use the basic "home-brewed" recipe from MTBR and it seems to last 6 months or so before hardening up into a booger.  I am not a fan of the stans, as I had 2 punctures it did not fix last year. If you go the home-brewed route, a little extra latex mold builder in the formula seems to help seal up conversion tires.

If you want to save money on an injector, go to your local walgreens and ask for a couple of baby syringes ..they work just as well.

Now, of course, I am destined to get a blowout on the next group ride.......

With a tubeless or tubeless ready system, the sealant is basically just acting as a filler when you get a flat.

I have done motor-vehicle tire repairs in the past and dealing with tires that had been 'fixed' with Fix-a-Flat is a terrible fate. After those experiences I have been very hesitant to go tubeless due to the mess and the chemical/greasy solvent effect on the tire, but based on my own intuition and what Tim is saying here, I get the feeling that one can run tubeless without sealer so long as they are good at sealing the bead while mounting the tire and patching the tire inner casing if there is a puncture. Am I crazy, or could someone run tubeless without sealant if they accept that a puncture will strand them? In my case that would mean a short walk at most since I am a beginner with local trails and I am confident in my ability to mount and repair tires at home.

P.S. An old trick to mount tubeless tires with a large air gap to the bead is to tie a rope or tie-down strap around the centerline of the tire and compress it by ratcheting the strap or twisting a stick on the rope after making it as snug as possible. This contracts the tire a bit and works well if combined with standing the tire up and using the ground and hands as suggested by another user above. I have used this method on wide tires on farm equipment before. It might not work well with really narrow or 'flexy', thin-sidewall trail tires but it might be worth a shot.

With a tubeless or tubeless ready system, the sealant is basically just acting as a filler when you get a flat.

I have done motor-vehicle tire repairs in the past and dealing with tires that had been 'fixed' with Fix-a-Flat is a terrible fate. After those experiences I have been very hesitant to go tubeless due to the mess and the chemical/greasy solvent effect on the tire, but based on my own intuition and what Tim is saying here, I get the feeling that one can run tubeless without sealer so long as they are good at sealing the bead while mounting the tire and patching the tire inner casing if there is a puncture. Am I crazy, or could someone run tubeless without sealant if they accept that a puncture will strand them? In my case that would mean a short walk at most since I am a beginner with local trails and I am confident in my ability to mount and repair tires at home.

P.S. An old trick to mount tubeless tires with a large air gap to the bead is to tie a rope or tie-down strap around the centerline of the tire and compress it by ratcheting the strap or twisting a stick on the rope after making it as snug as possible. This contracts the tire a bit (don't crank it until it folds, just enough) and works well if combined with standing the tire up and using the ground and hands as suggested by another user above. I have used this method on wide tires on farm equipment before. It might not work well with really narrow or 'flexy', thin-sidewall trail tires but it might be worth a shot.