Going Tubeless

[Mikerb]

Each part of the overall process, AFTER the tyre is seated and with sealant added, has a purpose and can prevent the problems some have with subsequent partial or complete air loss.
1. Inflate the tyre above your normal running pressure...e.g 30 psi.
2. bounce the tyre on the floor whilst rotating it..............ensures the bead of the tyre is fully pushed into the rim
3. Holding the wheel horizontal use the type of motion that would send the sealant reservoir around the rim.....turn the wheel over and rotate......this ensures the inner walls of the tyres and the rim bead are coated with sealant.
4. Lay the wheel down flat ( on a bucket or similar) and leave for 10 to 15 mins per side.......this will ensure any small seapages in the bead or tyre walls are sealed.
5. Fit wheels to the bike and go for a short ride riding up and down some kerbs.
6. Preferably then leave the bike to the following day. Then still with pressures at c 30 psi go for a reasonable distance ride.

you can then reduce pressures closer to those you normally use ( or less given it is now running tubeless) but best in my opinion to do ane further ride at moderate pressures before experimenting with much lower pressures.........this works best for me in terms of avoiding any burping

 

[Mikerb]

Each part of the overall process, AFTER the tyre is seated and with sealant added, has a purpose and can prevent the problems some have with subsequent partial or complete air loss.
1. Inflate the tyre above your normal running pressure...e.g 30 psi.
2. bounce the tyre on the floor whilst rotating it..............ensures the bead of the tyre is fully pushed into the rim
3. Holding the wheel horizontal use the type of motion that would send the sealant reservoir around the rim.....turn the wheel over and rotate......this ensures the inner walls of the tyres and the rim bead are coated with sealant.
4. Lay the wheel down flat ( on a bucket or similar) and leave for 10 to 15 mins per side.......this will ensure any small seapages in the bead or tyre walls are sealed.
5. Fit wheels to the bike and go for a short ride riding up and down some kerbs.
6. Preferably then leave the bike to the following day. Then still with pressures at c 30 psi go for a reasonable distance ride.

you can then reduce pressures closer to those you normally use ( or less given it is now running tubeless) but best in my opinion to do ane further ride at moderate pressures before experimenting with much lower pressures.........this works best for me in terms of avoiding any burping

...just written at the same time as your post Rick!!

 

[Frankieboy]

For what it’s worth, I can’t recommend Slime pro enough. First used it Feb 2019 as it was included in a kit and had used Slime in inner tubes on other bikes and was impressed with performance. After 18 months / 1300 miles, no punctures and only topping up pressure every few rides, I decided to change it as I felt I’d got my money’s worth. Still a liquid inside, no latex balls, easy to clean, did both wheels in an hour including replacing rim tape, cleaning etc.

 

[steve_sordy]

Slime is great stuff, really great. But if your tyres are new then it takes a while to seal the carcass. If your tyres are not tubeless ready, they may never seal the sidewalls. Easy to clean, just washes off, no stringy bits that stick like glue. I find it difficult to install through the valve as it seals it instead! So I tip it in before the final section of tyre bead is popped into place.

 

[Frankieboy]

Slime is great stuff, really great. But if your tyres are new then it takes a while to seal the carcass. If your tyres are not tubeless ready, they may never seal the sidewalls. Easy to clean, just washes off, no stringy bits that stick like glue. I find it difficult to install through the valve as it seals it instead! So I tip it in before the final section of tyre bead is popped into place.

Interesting what you say about installing it. I’ve only done it twice, both occasions using the tube that came with the bottle via the valve stem after removing the valve. Horses for courses I suppose.
was it Slime Pro? It seems to be a bit thinner than the standard stuff, also appears to have fewer, or at least less conspicuous, particulates.

 

[steve_sordy]

@Frankieboy It must have been the other stuff. I'm not using it right now, got lots of Continental Revo Sealant to use up first.

 

[RustyMTB]

I went tubeless last week with a pair of Michelin E-Wilds. FWIW, I struggled a bit, asked for advice here & was told to fit a bit of old inner tube around the inside of the valve as a gasket to stem air leaks & it worked. I used Stans sealant, poured it through the gap of the tyre a little off the rim rather than through the valves & seated the tyres successfully with a dirt cheap Aldi track pump.

I found pushing down on the tyre by the valve in order to seat the bead at the valve was enough to get things going & then a bit of vigorous pumping (ooerr) & I had the whole bead seated within about 10 psi. Obvs, different tyre & rims will behave differently but that worked for me. A week on, I'm still in business. Good luck, it can be frustrating.

 

[steve_sordy]

I went tubeless last week with a pair of Michelin E-Wilds. FWIW, I struggled a bit, asked for advice here & was told to fit a bit of old inner tube around the inside of the valve as a gasket to stem air leaks & it worked. ..............................................

I wrap some ptfe plumber's tape around the rubber bung, insert into the valve hole and tap gently with a soft hammer.

 

[carlbiker]

Should do. It is often more successful if you remove the valve core which allows a greater volume of air into the tyre. You are only getting the beads of the tyre seated. After that is done a normal pump will inflate the tyre.

Oh I wondered about this as mine were done when the bike I bought the bike but the tyres feel rock hard and I was wondering if there was anything in there to even pump up if the valves were removed kind of thing

 

[Blakey]

I've ordered the sealant, valves and a syringe today. Going to try with soapy water and a track pump and see if I can get away with it. The tyres and rims are both pretty new and when I came to try and take the tyre off the first time after my puncture this week it was hard work getting it separated from the rim. So I am hopeful it will pop in nicely. We shall see! If not I'll splash out on a compressor of some description.

Thanks heaps for the help and advice on this. I'll let you know when I try it and how successful it was. I might even take some snaps and post them...

Cheers
Blakey

 

[iXi]

In the past I've had success as long I did the rim tape right. The other day I couldn't get the bloody valve to seal and shit just kept leaking out around the valve stem base so I pulled it all apart and used a rubber mallet to knock the valve in. Upon inflation it leaked a little then once the sealant started to come out it seal up nicely. My take is the valve has to be in there nice and snug.

 

[KeithR]

I'll let you know when I try it and how successful it was.

Just make sure that your tears don't dilute the sealant too much..!

 

[nickfrog]

Okay so to try and get this done in the cheapest way possible I'm thinking:

Sealant (Stans, 1L) at £24. Valves (Muc Off 44mm) at £18.

Ouch. I thought the Lifeline ones were expensive at £9 a pair. Presta Tubeless Valves Pair

Caffelatex is great too, paid £16 a few weeks back.

Edit : Probably too late now I see...

 

[Frankieboy]

@Frankieboy It must have been the other stuff. I'm not using it right now, got lots of Continental Revo Sealant to use up first.

Perhaps that‘s why it clogged up then Steve. I also gave it the wrong name, it’s not ‘Pro’ but ‘Premium’. its about tenner for 8oz which does 2 wheels. Not sure how the price compares with other products, but given the ease of cleaning & replacing I’d happily pay £20.

What’s the Revo like?

 

[Blakey]

Here's a dumb question: can you fit your tyres (using soapy water, removeable valve cores and a track pump - and get lucky), but not put any sealant in? At least for a few days?

Reason for asking: my new valves arrive today but the sealant doesn't come till Monday or Tuesday. So can I get the tubes out of the tyres and try getting the tubeless tyres refitted to the rims over the weekend? I'd leave the tyre pumped up and then when the sealant arrives, put that in via the valve, do all the shaky, twisty, leave-on-its-side for 15 minutes tricks and I'm all done?

Or is the sealant going into the tyre part of what makes it air tight?

 

[salko]

No, without sealant it will quickly loose pressure.

 

[Blakey]

No, without sealant it will quickly loose pressure.

Thanks. Does that mean that the fit (where it pops audibly) will be lost too? And I'd have to redo that part?

 

[apac]

How many ml/floz of stans is best to use on a new 29 tyre? 2,3,4oz?

 

[salko]

Thanks. Does that mean that the fit (where it pops audibly) will be lost too? And I'd have to redo that part?

IMHO that depends on the tire, how long you will have it under pressure and how sticky is the sealant. Yesterday I have replaced my Eddy Current tire which I had on the wheel tubeless for about 6 months and when I released the pressure the tire fell off the beads by itself. I also saw some tires which beads were holding to the rim so strong you can hardly remove them by hand ...

How many ml/floz of stans is best to use on a new 29 tyre? 2,3,4oz?

This is from Stans site:

How much sealant should I use?

For a XC 29er tire (2.0-2.2”) we recommend 3-4 ounces (89-118ml) of sealant as a starting point. The amount of sealant can be adjusted based on the volume of the tire. More sealant can also be added if a tire is particularly porous and difficult to seal. For road and cyclocross tires, we recommend 2 ounces (60ml).

I'm using 140ml per 29x2.6 tire, but I'm using Muc-Off sealant.

 

[RustyMTB]

OTOH, a test fit without sealant is a decent idea. It should work albeit briefly & will show you any major problems before you almost literally pour money into the tyres.

 

[steve_sordy]

Thanks. Does that mean that the fit (where it pops audibly) will be lost too? And I'd have to redo that part?

Nope, once the beads are engaged they will stay that way.

 

[steve_sordy]

How many ml/floz of stans is best to use on a new 29 tyre? 2,3,4oz?

I use 120ml in one 29x2.5" tyre. (120ml is a fraction over 4fl oz)

 

[salko]

Nope, once the beads are engaged they will stay that way.

Not necessarily.

 

[Blakey]

So all my bits have arrived. I have a question/quandry before I start:

The Stans Syringe does not appear to fit on the Muc Off valve. It easily goes over the top. But it doesn't appear to be able to screw on. Both the inside of the syringe and the outside of the valve have screw threads but they are not the same size. So I think if I squirt sealant out of the syringe it will just flow down the outside of the valve?

Pictures to show sizes:

 

[MitchF]

I've resisted going tubeless until recently, tried on my road bike initially without any problems, have now done two more sets of mtb tyres, again without any problems.

Got them seated before putting the sealant in with track pump and soapy water, then added sealant afterwards.

As I said in another thread, I'm either ace or lucky

What he did ??

 

[salko]

So all my bits have arrived. I have a question/quandry before I start:

The Stans Syringe does not appear to fit on the Muc Off valve. It easily goes over the top. But it doesn't appear to be able to screw on. Both the inside of the syringe and the outside of the valve have screw threads but they are not the same size. So I think if I squirt sealant out of the syringe it will just flow down the outside of the valve?

Pictures to show sizes:

View attachment 41356 View attachment 41357

Yes I can also confirm that thread in the plastic bit does not fit on standard presta valve. I don't know what they were thinking at Stans. I ended up puting it on by a little force so it has threaded it self a bit and it works for me, no sealant spill outside the valve. You can also try to remove the plastic bit and put a tube directly onto a valve.

 

[mak]

After fitting my 1st tubeless tire last week I can confirm I made 2 errors, those errors were soul destroying and messy. The 1st was to fill the tire with fluid without a trial fit and the second was not having a discharge canister. The second tire I fitted to the front was a doddle and a clean pleasurable process with my new found wisdom

 

[Coplowe64]

So all my bits have arrived. I have a question/quandry before I start:

The Stans Syringe does not appear to fit on the Muc Off valve. It easily goes over the top. But it doesn't appear to be able to screw on. Both the inside of the syringe and the outside of the valve have screw threads but they are not the same size. So I think if I squirt sealant out of the syringe it will just flow down the outside of the valve?

Pictures to show sizes:

View attachment 41356 View attachment 41357

Hi Blakey. If you get a 2oz Stans bottle and use that to put the sealant in through the valve it works great ? the syringe is not really needed. Hope it all goes smoothly for you.

 

[Giff]

Does anyone know if it’s true that CO2 wrecks tubeless sealant. If so is it permanent or can you just replace with air when possible.

 

[salko]

Depends on the sealant, some are CO2 compatible.