Hello, my first post. I've ridden bikes for 34 years, 8 years tubeless on my mountain bikes. Just got a Rambler All Terrain, with the 24" wheels and Schwalbe Smart Sam wire bead tires. I live in Southern New Mexico, where we have the dreaded "Goat Heads"!! Have Mr. Tuffy installed (not using slime in the tubes), but still been getting flats, got two today. Never had this much trouble when I ran tubeless. Wanting to do it, just looking for input from members of this forum who have experience going tubeless, please? What method did you use, sealant and tires, please? ANYONE use wire bead tires tubeless? The Smart Sams wire bead attaches very well to the TT 24" rims. Thanks in advance!!
Comments
Seen plenty of them thorns sticking to the sides but they haven't gotten through yet!
I checked out Mr. Tuffy and discovered that it is really just a thin strip (2mm) of polyurethane which installs between the inside of the tire and the tube. The idea is for the two millimeter thick layer to prevent foreign objects that pierce the tire from puncturing the tube; the manufacturer claims Mr. Tufty will stop 95 percent of puncture flats. You have much more experience than I do, but I think I would buy the most flat resistant tire out there (Schwalbe Marathon Plus?), probably some Schwalbe Off Road tire (with the 5mm rubber rim liner), then place a thin layer of Kevlar, and then the most puncture resistant tube I could buy. I suppose you have tried this or something very close.
Seems IdahoTrailLizard has the perfect solution (if MTB HS 468's were available in 24" size):
Why not suggest to TerraTrike that they have Schwalbe make their Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB HS 468's, or some Schwalbe tire of your choosing, in a 24" tire - since TerraTrike is now a Schwalbe tire dealer and they are moving a lot of 24" trike tires including the EVO? Alternately, you might give FAT ALBERT HS 401's a try.
Installing a tubeless tire often required a lot of finesse, a strap, some soap, and skill from what I hear.
Once installed, slime it!
not hardly. tubeless results in one very thick innertube, not the wimpy 5mm schwalbe flatless business. you need a tubeless rim. no finesse - tire on, spray some ether inside, expose a flame and poof! its on.
read up on the subject: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/tubeless-tire-compatibility
• Makes bikes run lighter and faster with reduced rolling resistance
• Allows lower tire pressures and subsequently removing the threats of pinch flat
• Makes tire punctures less frequent when coupled with a certain liquid sealant
Another using Gorilla tape
That's NEVER happened to me in the 26 years that I've biked with tubes. Ran 9 years tubeless on my mtn bikes NEVER had a problem. The BAD news is my AT has 24 inch wheels and there are very few thicker off road tires in that size. The Schwalbes I've seen (other than the Smart Sams that come on my AT); are very expen$ve and not having seen a Fat Albert I don't know how thin or thick they are. I ended up ordering Kenda Small Block 8's, and plan to install them tubeless.
My rims however do have a pinned NOT welded joint that does leak air. I took one rim and tried to press Permatex gasket compound into the joint it worked kinda ok the leak was less, and I think that whatever sealant I use will seal that leak up. Plus i only used the OEM rim tape no Stans tape or Gorilla tape to seal the rim, and used a Kenda Small Block 8 tire. I did pop onto the rim bead but was losing too much air out of the bead. (I had NOT installed any sealant).
Rode MTB most my years and never used the stuff. Didn't have many flats either as ran thorn protection liners. Don't remember if there was slime back in the early 90's ... perhaps the American River Bike Trail didn't have goatheads.
Actually never heard of rim tape till I joined the forum.
To ME "rim tape" means the rubber tape or cotton tape, or plastic tape from factory, or Velox tape that goes inside a rim to cover the nipple heads from cutting the tube. To some people "rim tape" also means the Stans brand tape or duct tape one can put inside a rim to convert the rim to tubeless.
I'll post pics of how I did it later.
The Smart Sams tires were very thin walled, and thin tread. I used "Stan's" tubeless fluid sealer inside the tires. Here is one way to do it: