Tubeless for Dummies

[AlexEaling]

Try this first - works most of the time for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rkbkjNvPdk&t=0s

[Cudzoziemiec]

Thought I'd check the pressure before letting it down. Answer, about 20 or so. So I decide to pump it up to a decent pressure. Get to about 40 – max for these tyres run tubeless is 60 – and pfffft! Oh shit, I think, it's unseated. But no. It was just yet another tiny hole in the casing being opened up and, sure enough, after a few seconds it sealed. I am happy with this. So I've pumped it up to 60, will leave it a couple of hours then let it down carefully and add more sealant.

[rafletcher]

Try this first - works most of the time for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rkbkjNvPdk&t=0s

Looks interesting for MTB tyres where you’ve a degree of flexibility. I’ll try and see if it works with a narrow road rim.

[ElyDave]

could always try the Viking offroad method - fill the tyre with butane and set light to it, should be enough of a burst

[valkyrie]

Last year I tried to set up my gravel bike tubeless. Hope 20Five wheels with Conti GP5000TL were a dismal failure, tyres were bastard hard to get on the rims but I couldn’t get them to seat, even with a garage air compressor. Last week I tried again, this time with my road bike. Zipp 303s wheels with Conti GP5000TR wheels and the experience couldn’t be more different. Tyres went on the rims without tools and seated easily with a track pump. Only had a single 100km ride so far but I really enjoyed the smoother ride that comes with lower tyre pressures and the tyres are holding pressure well.

[ElyDave]

My brain is melting from the range of tyes available.  I'm looking for something in the 650b x 47 benchmark, usage being a summer tour on King Alfred's Way or similar conditions elsewhere, followed by droves and byways round here.

Droves and byways being hard, gravelly, dusty in summer and slimy clay in winter. I tend to avoid the droves in winter as nothing maintains traction , but there are a few hard packed gravel sections that remain rideable, linked by tarmac.

I'm leaning towards Vittoria Terreno TNT's, any other suggestions?  Also considered WTB Byways

[sojournermike]

I had some fun with Terreno Dry’s last year. The terrain I was on was far beyond me or the bikes suitability and I got spat off into a giggling heap 3 or 4 times, but the tyres were fine. They’re great on road and hard pack, but I’d be a bit careful on mud or wet grass. I liked them so much I added a second hand pair of Terreno Zeros from here. Mine are 700c

In 650b you could also consider WTB Horizons - slick - or one of the Rene Herse (Compass) offerings.

[perpetual dan]

My brain is melting from the range of tyes available.  I'm looking for something in the 650b x 47 benchmark, usage being a summer tour on King Alfred's Way or similar conditions elsewhere, followed by droves and byways round here.

Droves and byways being hard, gravelly, dusty in summer and slimy clay in winter. I tend to avoid the droves in winter as nothing maintains traction , but there are a few hard packed gravel sections that remain rideable, linked by tarmac.

I'm leaning towards Vittoria Terreno TNT's, any other suggestions?  Also considered WTB Byways

I’ve got WTB byways, which have been fine for me on South Downs byways and lanes. But I’ve put them on and not tried anything different, so I hesitate to claim that they’re better than anything else.

[jiberjaber]

I had GK (mud version) and found them very prone to visitations and they blew off the rim overnight once.

I have had a lot of sets of G-Ones and they are OK, worked well for LEL & PBP and a long tour in France, but I would think they are not quite OK for KAW in anything but the very dry.  All-Round version rather than Speed version might be better though.

I have had a couple of sets of IRC Boken and have ridden the Ridgeway on a worn pair. Very good but they were pricey at the time. They do a wide 650b version.  I especially liked the fact it had big grips on the shoulders bur smaller on teh running surface, so good on road and off-road and coped with mud well due to the shoulder grips digging in when the going got sticky. Visitation resistance was on par if not better than the G-Ones (less prone to slices I found too) but as with all tyres, when they get a bit worn, it's more likely.

Looks like they only do the Boken+ in 650b now which is a shame, £10 more than the Byway too.

[chrisbainbridge]

I have gone off schwalbe G-0ne tubeless. Twice going on trips I have reduced the pressure in them and found that when I opened the BikeBox, the tyre had Twisted and pulled itself of the rim.  It was as if the tyre had a sort of spiral structure.  This left me having to put in a tube as the little pump I had with me was not sufficient to reseat the deformed tyre.

I have noticed with a set of continental GP5000TL that when unfolded they immediately relax into a circular tyre shape whereas all the others need a bit of encouragement and time in a warm place.

my tuppence.

[ElyDave]

I've had lots of folding bead tyres take quite a lot of manipulation to get them round

[fd3]

Went for a ride with #2 son and while stopped at a play park for no reason I could tell my tyre developed a puncture (could hear it as I was next to it). I was forced to ROTATE THE WHEEL so that the puncture was at the bottom and the gunk would stick it closed.  Instead of faffing with a rear wheel puncture we played tag and watched rollerbladers do tricks.

[Karla]

I have gone off schwalbe G-0ne tubeless. Twice going on trips I have reduced the pressure in them and found that when I opened the BikeBox, the tyre had Twisted and pulled itself of the rim.  It was as if the tyre had a sort of spiral structure.  This left me having to put in a tube as the little pump I had with me was not sufficient to reseat the deformed tyre.

I have noticed with a set of continental GP5000TL that when unfolded they immediately relax into a circular tyre shape whereas all the others need a bit of encouragement and time in a warm place.

my tuppence.

Have you tried Panaracer Gravelking as a replacement?  I can't vouch for their tubeless performance as I'm still on tubes but I've toured on a knobbly 'gravel' version of the tyre, am currently running the slick version on my commuter and they're all-round good tyres.

[chrisbainbridge]

yes my son has those and really likes them.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I successfully converted my rear wheel to tubeless a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't easy as the tyre was old, it took a lot of sealant to fill up all the microscopic perforations, but eventually it worked. I started with the rear because the impetus to switch was a series of back-wheel punctures a few weeks ago.

But the front was not so easy. Eventually I gave up and took it to the LBS. And it exploded on him.

The tyre – Panaracer Gravel King(!) – had always been very floppy. It just burst off the rim. Remember that (in)famous Jan Heine photo of sealant all over bike and rider with a tyre blown off the rim? It was like that. Even on the ceiling of the shop. I have seen it. In fact, the force of the tyre blowing off the rim even broke the valve (probably the bead hit it).

So I've put the tube back in that tyre. Having tubed front and tubeless rear feels a bit weird and is in some ways worst of all worlds; I now need to carry spare tube and worms! When these tyres wear out, I might try again with something brand new.

[Kim]

So I've put the tube back in that tyre. Having tubed front and tubeless rear feels a bit weird and is in some ways worst of all worlds; I now need to carry spare tube and worms! When these tyres wear out, I might try again with something brand new.

Goes well with my front wheel tubeless and rear wheel tubed...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Let's swap wheels!

Your way actually makes slightly more sense as you'll tend to have higher pressure in tubed wheels anyway.

[Hot Flatus]

Very tempted to de-tube the rear wheel on my fixie, given that it is the most likely to puncture and re-setting the wheel is a pain.

[fd3]

I have had two punctures on the fixie since going tubeless.  It's a revelation.
I do run 38mm tyres though, which is non standard for a fixie I guess.

[Hot Flatus]

Mine is an ENO eccentric hub, which needs to be reset when putting the wheel back and needs a bit of care. If I have to do it at the roadside I tend to ride home a little gingerly, and recheck it once home and rested. It never ceases to amaze me how much easier it is to make a mistake when fixing something at the roadside compared with at home.

Another plus for tubeless then, given that most of the fixing/maintenence is done at home.

[sojournermike]

I successfully converted my rear wheel to tubeless a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't easy as the tyre was old, it took a lot of sealant to fill up all the microscopic perforations, but eventually it worked. I started with the rear because the impetus to switch was a series of back-wheel punctures a few weeks ago.

But the front was not so easy. Eventually I gave up and took it to the LBS. And it exploded on him.

The tyre – Panaracer Gravel King(!) – had always been very floppy. It just burst off the rim. Remember that (in)famous Jan Heine photo of sealant all over bike and rider with a tyre blown off the rim? It was like that. Even on the ceiling of the shop. I have seen it. In fact, the force of the tyre blowing off the rim even broke the valve (probably the bead hit it).

So I've put the tube back in that tyre. Having tubed front and tubeless rear feels a bit weird and is in some ways worst of all worlds; I now need to carry spare tube and worms! When these tyres wear out, I might try again with something brand new.

It’s probably worth reminding ourselves that ‘that Jan Heine’ photo was (at best) illustrative and actually real. Much as he has done much for the cause of comfort as an aid to speed.

The only tyre I have ever seen leave the rim under pressure (I.e. excluding alarming dismount when puncturing) was a Voyager Hyper that I was setting up ghetto tubeless - it dismounted with a heck of a bang at well over running pressure, before adding sealant and whilst the beads were still lubricated with soapy water. I ride a pair of them in more reasonable circumstances for quite a lot of miles afterwards, though it’s hard to recommend that sort of thing now. I wonder what was up with your Gravelking?

[jiberjaber]

Gravelking, blew off rim whilst sat in kitchen.

[BFC]

Gravelking, blew off rim whilst sat in kitchen.

Check the rim isn't distorted after any blowout/bead failure.

[sojournermike]

Gravelking, blew off rim whilst sat in kitchen.

Common threads to be Gravelking - not that I’ve heard this before.

[jiberjaber]

Gravelking, blew off rim whilst sat in kitchen.

Check the rim isn't distorted after any blowout/bead failure.

Nothing wrong with the rim, the tyre just got baggier and popped off, glad I wasn't riding it at the time!