Question regarding Stan's NoTubes

Underscore

I've got a bit tired of fixing punctures on my Kenda Nevegals, so I'm thinking about trying converting to tubeless (and possibly changing the front to a Blue Groove at the same time). The thing that is putting me off slightly is the need to top up the sealant every few weeks. So, I was wondering, if you use the latex sealant to seal the tyre, could you then put slime in to handle the sealing of any punctures? Has anyone tried this?

Also, any other comments on going tubeless? (other than what a nightmare they are to fit!)

TIA,

_

rob cole

in a temperate climate (ie. the UK) the Stan's Sealent will last for months without needing any top-up

its only in hotter climates or if you gash open your tire, or change your tire, that you will need more sealent

you don't need to use Slime with Stans,. the Stans liquid is totally superior to Slime in terms of sealing small gashes and puncture holes (thorns, bits of glass,etc.) and is much lighter so has less effect on the rotating weight of your wheel than Slime

its not actually hard to fit Stans with the right preparation of your setup, I just re-fitted Stans to my freeride bike and the tire went up first time (Syncros BHT-2 tires on Sun Singletrack rims)

paulf2007

Underscore wrote:

I've got a bit tired of fixing punctures on my Kenda Nevegals, so I'm thinking about trying converting to tubeless (and possibly changing the front to a Blue Groove at the same time). The thing that is putting me off slightly is the need to top up the sealant every few weeks. So, I was wondering, if you use the latex sealant to seal the tyre, could you then put slime in to handle the sealing of any punctures? Has anyone tried this?

Also, any other comments on going tubeless? (other than what a nightmare they are to fit!)

TIA,

_

my nevagal leaked through the wall which was ok until it was left still overnight and then it would be flat. I changed to high rollers and they have been perfect. May put some more latex in before going to morzine in July

chilledsandwich

As a bit of an experiment in work and an excuse to kill the boredom of a quiet day, we decided to put the picture on the Stans packaging to the test. We got a standard rim and tyre and used of their kits to emulate what we saw on the packaging. Was very easy to do, the only minor problem we had was seating the tyre, but furious pumping with the track pump soon cured that!! Then we stuck approx 8 large nails and screws into the tyre and left it there. It has been there about 3 weeks now and we have only had to add a bit of air once, probably due to customers grabbing the screws and wiggling them about, just to make sure that they are actually through the carcass.

Overall very impressed, but we haven't seen what happens when you take the nails/screws out yet. Hopefully should be up to the job.

Underscore

paulf2007 wrote:

my nevagal leaked through the wall which was ok until it was left still overnight and then it would be flat. I changed to high rollers and they have been perfect. May put some more latex in before going to morzine in July

Hmm, I don't think that I would view that as progress! Was this from the outset or did something put a leak in your side-wall? Have you tried resealing the tyre? Although I appreciate the additional benefits of tubeless, the main reason that I'm considering going that way is to be lower maintenance than fixing punctures every 20 or 30 miles; having to pump the tyres up every time before I can go for a ride doesn't sound like it will fulfill the brief...

Another question: How do you know when you need to top up the latex? Do you have to keep popping the tyre off the rim to check?

Thanks all for you responses,

_

paulf2007

Underscore wrote:

paulf2007 wrote:

my nevagal leaked through the wall which was ok until it was left still overnight and then it would be flat. I changed to high rollers and they have been perfect. May put some more latex in before going to morzine in July

Hmm, I don't think that I would view that as progress! Was this from the outset or did something put a leak in your side-wall? Have you tried resealing the tyre? Although I appreciate the additional benefits of tubeless, the main reason that I'm considering going that way is to be lower maintenance than fixing punctures every 20 or 30 miles; having to pump the tyres up every time before I can go for a ride doesn't sound like it will fulfill the brief...

Another question: How do you know when you need to top up the latex? Do you have to keep popping the tyre off the rim to check?

Thanks all for you responses,

_

the nevegal leaked through the wall because they are poorly made and also not tubeless ready. It leaked through the " wall " not from the bead. Since fitting a high roller on the front and a michelin on the back I haven't had to pump them up for about 9 months.
I also have tubeless nobby nics on my xc bike and rarely have to inflate them. punctures seal instantly the only evidence is a white dot where the leak occured. I'm not trying to convince you to go tubeless, please yourself buddy, it works for me.

S_J_P

If you follow the instructions and shake the tyre back and forth whilst rotating it and then leave it on its side for five minutes then the sidewall will seal. As Stan says, if you can seat the bead then the tyre will work.

Check out the video on Stan's site to see the importance of sidewall sealing.

As for topping up sealant, you just shake the wheel. If you can hear liquid sloshing about then you're okay, if not then it's time for a top up.

I was very cynical, but now i'm a complete tubeless convert. On punctures in four months, and a plusher ride are well worth the effort!

jeffers696

do you have to use's new tyres on the convert, or can i use my old tyres that are a few moneths old (still in good condition)??

toasty

My Joes liquid has stayed in mine for months now, literally about 4 months I think and it's still slopping around. I only used half a bottle as well.

One thing I would say, you get tons more traction, less weight but the tyre will deform a lot more freely, meaning tons more rolling resistance on any road. I've got tubeless set up on my full sus and tubes on my hardtail, it also means I can change tyres very easily on the HT.

Saying that, if you're using Nevegals anyway, rolling resistance on the road obviously isn't an issue anyway Go for it.

Another question: How do you know when you need to top up the latex? Do you have to keep popping the tyre off the rim to check?

I just spin mine around, you can hear the liquid slopping around. You don't notice it when riding though.

Underscore

Guys,

Thanks for your posts.

Paul, sorry if I came across as having a go - it was not my intent - I was merely trying to understand what I'm letting myself into and I don't really want to splash on a new pair of tyres as well as the kit.

S_J_P, I checked out the video on Stan's website and I think that I will give it a go. £36 isn't a huge amount to gamble and I assume that it is simple enough to revert to tubes if I really don't get on with it.

Cheers,

_

Underscore

Toasty wrote:

Saying that, if you're using Nevegals anyway, rolling resistance on the road obviously isn't an issue anyway Go for it.

He, he. You're right there. I do have a commute which is about 5 miles off-road and 2.5 miles on-road but, apart from that, it rarely sees tarmac - I've got a flat bar road bike for that!

Toasty wrote:

Another question: How do you know when you need to top up the latex? Do you have to keep popping the tyre off the rim to check?

I just spin mine around, you can hear the liquid slopping around. You don't notice it when riding though.

Cool, so no need to even drop the wheels out. Sounds simple enough.

_

paulf2007

S_J_P wrote:

If you follow the instructions and shake the tyre back and forth whilst rotating it and then leave it on its side for five minutes then the sidewall will seal. As Stan says, if you can seat the bead then the tyre will work.

Check out the video on Stan's site to see the importance of sidewall sealing.

As for topping up sealant, you just shake the wheel. If you can hear liquid sloshing about then you're okay, if not then it's time for a top up.

I was very cynical, but now i'm a complete tubeless convert. On punctures in four months, and a plusher ride are well worth the effort!

tried sloshing the stans about to coat the sidewall and it sealed until it was left still for a bit, then leaked through the porous sidewall.

rob cole

one big mistake people make with Stans is to install it and then not ride

ideally you want to go ride a couple miles as soon as it is installed, so that the spinning of the wheels evenly coats the entire inner surfaces of the tire with the solution

otherwise, it won't seal properly and you will get some leakage, usually through the sidewalls

just sloshing it about is not enough....

S_J_P

Once the sidewalls are sealed, they're sealed. Also, contrary to popular belief, riding won't coat the bead and sidewall of the tyres.

Sloshing followed by laying the tyre on one side, followed by more sloshing and laying on the other side will permanently real the side walls, riding will not. Riding after application is important too though.

The key to success with tubeless is to read all the instructions, watch all the videos, and only then do the job.

As well as Stans, try Just Riding Along website for a wealth of tubeless info.

S_J_P

Here's my list of tubeless tips to make the conversion as easy as possible...

Enlarge the inner valve hole and make sure you file the holes rim smooth (prevents bulging of the rimstrip around the valve)

Wet the rimstrips with soapy water before installing them (helps them seat evenly).

Make sure the rimstrips tension is even and that there are no narrow areas where it’s pulled tight.

Make sure the rimstrips edges are even on both sides of the rim and fully seated below the bead lock (use a plastic tyre lever).

After mounting the tyre, use more soapy water on the bead and rimstrip again to lubricate it and aid sealing.

Banging around the tread of the mounted (but deflated tyre) splays the bead opening aiding sealing.

Pressing down on the tyre tread above the valve seats that bit of the bead and starts the inflation process going in the right direction.

A helper, banging the tyre tread to splay the bead whilst inflating can help.

A ratchet-strap or luggage strap around the tyre circumference when pulled tight helps seat the bead.

If you haven’t got a compressor, you can initially check the seating of the tyre bead using a CO2 cartridge before the sealant is added (but deflate and get as much CO2 out as you can before adding the sealant)

Don’t use valve-applicator bottles for sealant for the initial filling, pour the sealant into the partially mounted tyre at the bottom, then rotate the tyre 180º before remounting the bead at the top (prevents sealant loss when remounting).

Pump like mad using the biggest Track Pump you can lay your hands on!

Spin the wheel, and then start the shaking process.

After each full rotation, lay the wheel horizontally on top of a bucket or box for five minutes to help the bead and sidewalls seal.

Repeat at least twice for each side of the wheel.

Underscore

Thanks all. The order for my kit (and that new front tyre) is now placed with wiggle. Look for my post saying "I can't get the damned tyre to inflate/seal/whatever" this weekend!

_

S_J_P

What tyre have you gone for?

The Just Riding Along website does list the good, and the no-so-good tyres for tubeless conversion.

jeffers696

dose it matter if your tyres are not new?

S_J_P

You can convert old tyres, but it's better to use new (or nearly new) as they will be less likely to already have holes which will use-up some of the sealant, and their beads are likely to be better fitting and less slack making initial seating easier.

One tip I forgot to mention is to inflate the tyres on the wheel to 50psi with a tube for at least 24hrs before going tubeless, this will straighten the bead and give a good fit between the tyre and wheel.

Underscore

S_J_P wrote:

What tyre have you gone for?

The Just Riding Along website does list the good, and the no-so-good tyres for tubeless conversion.

I've gone for the folding Kenda Blue Groove Stick-E in a 2.1. JustRindingAlong do point out that the sidewalls on Kenda are not the most robust but that shouldn't be too much of an issue for the trails that I ride (famous last words...) and I'm very pleased with my Nevegals, which the Blue Groove is supposed to complement very well on the front.

The Spiderman

With all the issues that people have sealing the inside of the sidewalls,its a wonder someone hasn`t yet come up with a solution that you can spray or brush on to the inside of the tyre walls first,prior to installation.

Captain Turok

I should initially add that I've not used the "system" yet, I'll wait for puncture season to come around again. I would probably try it with a supersonic tyre though, hence my querie -

Can you brush / paint on a few coats of the Stans sealant on the inside of the tyre, prior to seating it. To try and get a head start on this porous sidewall issue?