Tubeless Tyre Kits - Recommendations please

[MartinW148]

So I'm looking to go tubeless (650b rims with 2.8 tyres)

Anyone have any recommendations on good tubeless kits.....


Thanks
M

 

[Kernow]

Your probably better off buying the stuff you need seperatly , valves and sealant , and the right width tape if your rims are not already taped .
Cafe latex sealant is one of the best and the best value especially if you buy a litre about £20 , valves for around a tenner a pair . And tape about £8. Use about 150 ml of sealant per tyre , directions often say 60 - 90 ml but it’s not enough in a 2.8 tyre
There lots of good videos on utube etc that really help .
Without seeing your rims it’s hard to advise what they actually need , but most need taping

 

[Al Boneta]

As @Kernow said, it’s hard to know what you need without knowing what you have. Some tyre and rim combinations never get a good seal.
Some tyres don’t work well with specific brands of sealant.
And what you have accesss to can vary depending on what part of the world you hang your googles in.

But I do have a couple suggestions that can apply to just about any scenario that we have refined in the shop.
1. Tape the rims and make sure the tape lays as flat as possible. Since I have a workshop with a truing stand, I start the tape on the rim and slowly spin the wheel away from me while pulling down on the tape keeping it tight and flat. Try to keep it as straight as possible and use a tape width that’s within 1-3mm of the inner width of the rim.
I use DT-Swiss rim tape because it’s super sticky, pliable and comes in wider widths. The stuff is incredibly strong as well.

We do so many Levos in our store that we always have Specialized tubeless rim strips in stock. On some rims just this will seal up the rim, but for extra piece of mind we put these on top of the rim tape. These are so snug that they will flatten out tape creases that can act as airways for leaks.

2. Once the rim is taped, the valve stems are next. I prefer valves that have a tapered grommet at the base like these shown below. The tapered grommets work like a cork and adjust to all drilling tolerances

I push just the tip of the valve in from the top so when I push it through from the bottom I have the hole lined perfectly and as small as possible so there is a good seal.
The above valves also have a grommet that goes under the Jam nut to keep air leaks to a minimum.

3. Once you get the tire mounted, air it up without sealant to seat it on the rim before you make a mess with sealant. It also helps troubleshoot potential leak spots.
I use a Stan’s sealant injector to push the sealant into the tire. Always use more sealant than recommended and it should seal up the first time.

4. Immediately ride the bike around so the sealant coats the inside of the tire and the rim properly.

5. Never get a flat tire again

 

[MattyB]

If you want a cheaper but highly effective rim tape, try Gorilla tape. I got a tip to use it online, seems to work great and a bit easier to put on than the Stans tape I tried first time round. Massively cheaper too!

 

[MartinW148]

Thanks guys for the recommendations, a little more information if it helps.
The rims are RaceFace Arc40's and the tyres are Maxxis Rekon 2.8+

I have a really slow leak at the back which I have yet to cure, hence I thought once I took the tyre off to fix, mighf as well kill two birds.

Thanks


M

 

[MattyB]

@Al Boneta ’s tips are pretty comprehensive, follow them and you will be fine. Only additions from me would be:

1. Clean the whole wheel thoroughly before you start, and the rim bed with isopropyl alcohol.
2. Make sure the tape is wide enough too cover the whole base of the rim - slightly too wide is better than not wide enough, though if it goes right up the sides of the rim bed it can make it harder to seat some tyres.
3. Tape from one side of the valve hole over the hole, all the way round and back over the hole again - this gives you stronger taping where you need it to seal best (at the base of the valve stem).
4. Get some warm water with a spot of washing up liquid in and rub it on the tyre sidewalls and bead just before inflating the tyre - this will help it to seat accurately.
5. Get an Airshot or similar. Yes they are expensive and yes they aren’t always necessary, but for those tricky to seat combinations of rim and tyre they are a godsend. They will also help save on wasted sealant from unsuccessful attempts.

Good luck!

 

[Kernow]

Gorilla tape is great , but it’s only 25 mm wide , works well on a 25 mm rim , but I have found if you overlap it to tape a wider rim the sealant can get under the overlap edge and the tape shrinks back and starts to leak into the rim , this is the problem with all tape in the end and I use another tape to tape the overlap on joins which helps for a while .
I currently have this system on my bike although it’s not the same make Effetto Caffelatex Strip Pair | Tredz Bikes
It’s working very well so far , sealant makes it adhere to the bead of the tyre a little which in time I can see distorting the rim strip after a few more tyre changes , but in many ways easier than tape and a good deal if you need valves as it comes as a kit .

I’ve got some rims using the brown colour Effetto rim tape , and that seems to stick and last better than the yellow tape that seems to be most popular .
If you tape the rim warm it with a hair dryer, unless it’s a sunny day , to help the tape conform better , it doesn’t seem to like the cold .

 

[EddieJ]

Ref the truing stand, another option is to suspend the bike and spin the wheel as below.

When applying tape, I start approx 100mm past the valve hole, and overlap by approx 100mm past in the opposite direct, so given roughly 200mm of overlap with the valve hole being central to the overlap. No idea if it is really necessary, but it works for me.

Depending on the tyre, I also sometime inflate the tyre first with no sealant added, then deflate it, break the seal/bead in one location and then add the sealant.

 

[Highflyer]

Schwalbe Pro-Core kit together with Stans “ standard “ milk !! Yesterday I sliced the rear side wall of my 2.8 Magic Mary at 55kph during a slate riddled gully in Scotland. The tyre never broke its seal on my rim. Amazing.