Tubeless

[Jody]

Tyres are really getting on my nerves now after 6 punctures in the last 2 rides (40 miles total). It may just be the Panaracer XC Fire Pro is light but punctures easily or it could be the Scwalbe tubes don't like thorns.

Now seems an appropriate time to start looking into going tubeless. But there are a few questions and a bit of info needed.

The main concern is how easy is it to swap tyres once the sealant is added. Does it wash out of the rim or does it need some kind of solvent/cleaner.

Are there any good, sub £30 tubeless tyres

Are there any common issues when swapping to tubeless.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

It's easy to change tyres on tubeless. its really not a problem at all.
The latex liquid turns to rubber when exposed to air, as such if you want to remove it simply let it dry out and peal it off. You do not need a solvent.

Typically you don't need to remove it all from the rim before fitting a new tyre, I just run a dry cloth round it to pick up any debris

 

[Andrew_P]

It's easy to change tyres on tubeless. its really not a problem at all.
The latex liquid turns to rubber when exposed to air, as such if you want to remove it simply let it dry out and peal it off. You do not need a solvent.

Typically you don't need to remove it all from the rim before fitting a new tyre, I just run a dry cloth round it to pick up any debris

Side tracking a bit but have you ever run any of your road bikes tubeless?

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Side tracking a bit but have you ever run any of your road bikes tubeless?

Yes my roubaix is currently tubeless and I intend to make all my bikes tubeless during 2014

 

[Cubist]

Tyres are really getting on my nerves now after 6 punctures in the last 2 rides (40 miles total). It may just be the Panaracer XC Fire Pro is light but punctures easily or it could be the Scwalbe tubes don't like thorns.

Now seems an appropriate time to start looking into going tubeless. But there are a few questions and a bit of info needed.

The main concern is how easy is it to swap tyres once the sealant is added. Does it wash out of the rim or does it need some kind of solvent/cleaner.

Are there any good, sub £30 tubeless tyres

Are there any common issues when swapping to tubeless.

As @Mr Haematocrit says, no solvent needed. You only add 60 ml to a tyre in the first place, so by the time you come to swap tyres there's not much in there to deal with.

Good sub 30 quid tyres? The German Internet sites tend to sell Schwalbe pretty cheap. I have used HiBike.de several times, getting a pair of my favourite Nobby Nic snakeskin TLR for around the £50 mark. Depends on usage I suppose, but I find them great for all round use. If you want faster tyres you could look at Ralph's. I don't have much experience of other types of tyre, as I find the Nics suit what I do and have never tried anything else. On One have some good value tyres in the Chunky Monkey and Smorgasbord apparently.

As for setting them up, a lot depends on your rim. Stans NoTubes have a list of which system suits which rim. Sme are Tubeless ready and just need stans yellow tape, some tubeless valves and jizz, (Superstar components valves are great value, as is their tape) and others will need a tubeless rim strip plus jizz. You can go ghetto with a BMX inner tube to save a bob or two.

 

[Andrew_P]

Yes my roubaix is currently tubeless and I intend to make all my bikes tubeless during 2014

I am 160 miles in to Hutchinson Fusion 3's on Fulcrum Zeros really impressed so far, I had to carefully use flat plastic lever for the last 8 inches, but they both sealed up with CO2 and then put the 30ml in and I lose about 5-10 psi in 24 hours and 30 miles which is not too bad, they feel fantastic but reserving the full plaudits on the anti puncture effectiveness!

 

[Fnaar]

http://blog.wiggle.com/2014/03/06/road-tubeless-two-way-fit-to-make-the-transition/

For most riders, I suspect it's "why would you bother?", given that: (from the wiggle blog)

• Punctures: Riders who use tubeless still normally carry a spare tube, pump and tyre levers with them. ...
• Fitting Tyres: Fitting tyres to a tubeless set up is more difficult than some normal clinchers, as the fit has to be tighter to aid the “seal” onto the rim...