This question did not generate much response on the iBoblist, and perhaps the RBW-listers will be more forthcoming.
My question put simply is this: Will my "non-tubeless-but-adapted-(with multiple wraps of Stan's tape)-rims* work well enough in the long term for a tubeless (Naches Pass) setup, or is it worth paying a few hundred to buy some 26" Stan's 355 rims and have the wheels rebuilt. Note that in my fretful anxiety I always stock up on at least an extra pair of rims for any given wheelset. (I know that you blithely don't fret like that, but I do, so include this in the cost.) Background: After a couple of false starts, the multiple wraps of Stan's tape on my non-tubeless Sun Ringle EQ 21 rims seem to be keeping the tubeless Naches Pass tires in place well enough, by the crucial test: *do the beads stay in place when you let out the air.* And other experienced riders have said that their similar setups (non-tubeless rims, tubeless tires, lots of rim tape) work just fine on the long term. I've heard from riders experienced with "adapted" tube rims that enough Stan's tape will keep you securely and happily riding tubeless into your declining years. Others opine that you are just waiting for a burp. I've got a lifetime's stash of EQ 21s with which the NP wheelset is built, so the cost of a "yes" answer is probably about $600. I don't build my own wheels, more's the pity, and one day I might, but for now, include the cost of building 2 wheels. (I have built 1 ss speed 36 hole wheel which was trouble free for 1,000s of miles, but I don't have the patience to do it regularly.) So ...? Whatddya think? Moreover: I've read about the apparently currently available tubeless-designed Velocity A23s and the Stan's 355s, both claimed sub 400 grams and 24 mm exterior width. I've also heard that the brake tracks on the A23s are too short -- or something that makes them troublesome. Opinions about either rim? Are there other 26" rim brake tubeless rims on the market besides the Velocity's and the Stans's? Thanks. Patrick Moore, who is gonna real soon test a 1" lighweight tube with lots and lots of OS regular in a 42 mm Naches Pass tire against thorn punctures. (Will report. Think it might work with at least 3, perhaps even 4 fl oz of OS regular. I am tube-tire-width-alignment-skeptical.) PS: For years I asserted that OS does not work in tubed tires at pressures much under 50 psi; let's say 40 psi is the cutoff. But! The reason may have been my stinginess with sealant; I generally have been successful against goatheads with 2 fl oz of OS Endurance in 700X70 mm tubeless tires. But! I had problems adapting non-tubeless Alex rims to tubeless WTB Rangers -- the beads would not stay put -- even when I wearily tried, failed, disassembled, and added serially more layers yet of Stan's tape -- so I gave up and installed a tube in the rear, where a hole would not seal. I glugged in full 4 fl oz of OS regular. Lo and behold, in this annus terribilis year of bountiful goatheads, no rear flat yet after some months. (The front tire remains tubeless and the bead remains docile, for some reason.) I was encouraged by this by a bike shop clerk who told me that Stan's or OS in his sub 15 psi Fat Bike tubes has worked fine for years. There you go. * Someone complained about my header using the standard term, "Ghetto tubeless," on the iBoblist. My reactive feelings were mixed. OTOH, chill. OTOH, I do think it a silly term. I weighed both thoughts in the balance and decided to forego the term. What do you (pl) think? For the record, I am a half breed or mestizo of fully 2 colors who grew up among brown and black folk and married a yellow wife. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfguOxZi9sxUJV_pwrBdVOUNn_pWf3b47EZXQNCo07tN%3D_Q%40mail.gmail.com.
