Thanks -- very instructive. Short answers, then, "No" and "No."
I'll read the ghetto methods with more care later, but for now, with the BAs so loose on the rim, fergit it. I had been under the impression that there were kits that you could apply to just about any tire/rim combination, whence my question. On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 8:39 PM, David Yu Greenblatt <[email protected]> wrote: > Patrick, > > No, you cannot convert any tire and rim combo to tubeless. > > The gold standard for tubeless is UST which stands for Universal Standard > for Tubeless: > http://www.mavic.com/en/technology/rims/UST > > A UST rim and tire combo is guaranteed to work without a tube, and sealant > is optional. I used them for MTB riding and racing for years and they are > great for all the reasons that Jim M and Patrick in VT and others have said. > Being able to run low pressures for increased comfort, traction, and speed > while avoiding pinch flats is awesome for mountain biking. The disadvantages > of UST include a limited selection of tires and heavier tire weight. > > Around 10 years ago Stan Koziatek of Stan's NoTubes started selling products > including rims, rim strips, valve stems, and latex-based sealant that > allowed use of normal tires without tubes. This approach quickly gained > popularity among mountain bikers and racers up to the Olympic/World Cup > level. Not every tire works well with Stan's rims, however. More info on > Stan's: > http://www.notubes.com/helpcenter.aspx > > Besides using official UST and Stan's products, people have successfully > converted standard rims and tires to tubeless. This method is referred by > some as "ghetto tubeless" and the main advantage is low cost. Here is an > example involving home-made sealant and strapping tape for the rim strip: > http://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/ghetto-tubeless-works-good-380262.html > > Nowadays several companies sell "tubeless-ready" MTB tires that are lighter > than UST tires but have features designed to increase the likelihood of > success when run tubeless with sealant: > http://bontrager.com/technology/why_tubeless_ready > > Road Tubeless is a relatively new development and the selection of > tubeless-compatible road tires is pretty limited. These tires typically have > beads that are reinforced with carbon fiber so they don't blow off the rim > when run at higher road pressures. Trying a ghetto tubeless conversion with > a standard road tire is an extremely risky proposition. > > For 650B tubeless conversions, 42mm Hetres are relatively easy because at 40 > PSI or so they are similar to MTB tires. 38mm Pari-Motos at higher pressures > like 55 PSI would fall into a grey zone because few have attempted tubeless > setups in that pressure range -- there is no good reason to run pressures > that high on a mountain bike, and skinnier road bike tires typically require > higher pressures. > > Getting to your questions: > > 1. Tubeless with 23mm road tires: If your wheels are 700C, the answer is > yes, but you will have to buy a Road Tubeless tire, and use a Road Tubeless > rim or a conversion kit from Stan's. If your wheels are 26" then you are > probably out of luck. > > 2. Tubeless with wide SnoCat rims and 60mm+ Big Apple tires: Patrick, surely > you recognize that you are the only person on the RBW email list who is > using this rare combo, but let me Google that for you: > http://letterfromaustralia.blogspot.com/2009/10/wicked-wheels.html > This indicates that it is indeed possible to do a ghetto tubeless conversion > of a SnoCat rim. Whether you can get Big Apples to work sans tubes probably > only some trial and error on your part will resolve (tip: wear ear plugs > when inflating the tire in case of blow-out). > > Good luck, > > David G, Madison WI > > > > On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 7:22 PM, PATRICK MOORE <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> I like the sound of the stuff. So, to repeat my earlier question: tell >> me (y'all): can you convert any standard for-tube rim and tire combo >> to tubeless with off the shelf kit? I'd be particularly interested in >> converting 23 mm tires on narrow 19 mm outside width rims, and >> aforementioned 60mm+ Big Apples on 44 mm SnoCat SLs. >> >> If "yes" to either, please point me to the appropriate product website. >> >> Thanks. >> >> On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 6:16 PM, Jim M. <[email protected]> wrote: >> > On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 4:57:28 PM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote: >> >> >> >> How low can you go with tubeless in 2" tires? I regularly go down to >> >> 12 with my Big Apples -- have gone lower inadvertently -- with no >> >> pinches or creep. >> >> >> > I go 10 to 15 psi lower with tubeless than tubed, so that should take >> > you >> > down to negative 3 psi. >> > >> > But seriously folks, ride quality, flat resistance, and traction are all >> > better in my experience. 4 years of off-road riding with no flats makes >> > me >> > wish that road tubeless would advance faster than it has. I've never run >> > over a nail, but I've run over plenty of goatheads. The hole seals up >> > around >> > the goathead and you can remove them at your leisure. No pinch flats. >> > There >> > is much less sealant than with slime tubes. I've heard stories of riders >> > hitting big bumps and having the tire burp out sealant, but that's never >> > happened to me. With Stan's, most of the sealant stays liquid, so, in >> > answer >> > to one question, you do not get a lump of congealed goo in the tire. It >> > evaporates eventually, and then you add more sealant. With off-road use, >> > I >> > wear out the tire long before dried sealant adds significant weight. If >> > you >> > bash your way through rock gardens and put a big tear in the sidewall, >> > Stan's won't seal, but if I'm going through terrain like that, I carry a >> > spare tube and a boot. >> > >> > jim m >> > wc ca >> > >> > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- ------------------------- Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW http://resumespecialties.com/index.html ------------------------- A billion stars go spinning through the night Blazing high above your head; But in you is the Presence that will be When all the stars are dead. Rainer Maria Rilke, Buddha in Glory -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
