Yesterday my new Hope Hoops/Crest rims wheels arrived, already set up with yellow tape and valves by Roger Musson of Wheelpro.
The wheels came with instructions for setting up tubeless, though having read a few reports I wasn't sure if it would be even possible without a compressor. And the Crests do look to have alarmingly shallow walls... But anyway - I was looking forward to trying.
I was transferring lightly used Racing Ralph and Nobby Nic non-UST (I'd heard it was worth using them tubed first to get their shape, rather than wrestling with them in their folded state). On with the first tyre, soapy water round the tyre/rim interface, and pump reasonably vigorously with a Joe Blow.
Wow. It just works. No need for compressor! With a reassuring few clicks as the pressure upped, I could see right away that the rim had seated and was holding well even without sealant. Here and there the soapy water showed small leaks, but nothing major.
Up to 2.8 bar to lock in place as well as I could (the instructions give this as a 'do not exceed' pressure), and then deflate... Gently open up the valve and in goes the small bottle of Stans sealant. Back up to full pressure, and much shaking and spinning of the wheel, which gradually hisses less and less (suprised how many small holes there were in even a lightly used tyre) as the sealant works its magic.
The second tyres goes on just as well, and both have now been trialled - a short blast through local woods. HUGE difference in comfort and effort (I was upgrading from a fairly basic/heavy wheelset).
All that remains now is to see how they perform in the longer term. Any experience reports?
