Tubeless tyre choice/advice and tips

sandy771

I have just brought a stans no tubes kit and tried to fit my existing nobby nics. Before adding the sealant but after applying the rim tape I tried to inflate the tyre with both a track pump and a compressor (the car powered variety) I got nowhere near to gettting any pressure as the tyre beading is a few millimetres from the rim in most areas. This tyre has ust been taken off the bike and sio has been shaped by a tube for the last month or so.

I have a new 2.5 inch nevegal sticke lying around (not the foldy type) which looks like it will probably go on but I dont really want a tyre this big.

So questions are:

Would I get any more joy with a pair of foldy 2.25" nevegals or am I going to have the same problem?

Are there any tips for getting the tyre sidewall close enough to the rim so that enough of the air from the compressor stays in the tyre to get the ball rolling?

Do I really need UST tyres?

The rim is the Giant S-XC2

Thanks

rickyrider

This link might help

viewtopic.php?f=10002&t=12845399

sandy771

Thanks I had already read that thread and I am none the wiser.

rickyrider

Fair enough - it doesn't really talk about inflation issues I guess. But you should be bit wiser as to tyre choice which is the title of your thread In my experience a small gap between tyre and rim is a) impossible to avoid and b) not an issue with inflation. What you need to ensure is that the tyre wall is seated well across the valve - try to get the tyre as near to the rim as possible in this section only and you should be fine. I've managed happily with a track pump without any probs.

I guess the other issue you might have is a leak somewhere on the rim given you've used a conversion kit. Can't advise there I'm afraid - my wheels are UST ready.

Shackster

One thing I've found is that it worked better (for me at least) to have the wheel on the floor, valve uppermost, and hold the tyre in place firmly whilst pumping with the other hand - seems to get past that initial problem of not holding air a bit better, without needing compressors etc. Stan's video and instructions recommend hanging the wheel while you do the initial seating/inflation; I had no joy with this method at all.

I've used nobby nics no problem for this (in fact only NN's).

If the tyre bead is quite tight on the rim, and you've taped it all up properly, then it should work...some tyre/rim combos don't seem to work very well, for whatever reason, and I'm sure it's extremely annoying.

I don't think car-powered compressors shove the air out quick enough - you'll probably do better with the track pump.

Shackster

Persevere though, it is worth it. Just had a weekend in rocky Scotland with three mates, all tubeless, no puncture issues at all for four days. And I knackered both my rims, but the tyres stayed inflated - I would have had a pair of pinch flats with tubes.

mrmonkfinger

oodles of soapy water around tyre/rim strip/rim joint
wrap an old 26" inner tube around the tyre (squeezes the tyre onto the rim, can help to push sidewall & bead outward)
build up the centre of the rim with thin foam tape

sandy771

Tried the inner tube idea and tried sealing around the valve - no joy. I'll try again a bit later. someone suggested duck tape but that obviously wont work (possibly at all) with the soap suds.

I will persevere but any other suggestions welcome.

Northwind

2.5 Nevegal is gash, incidentally.

12V compressors without a reservoir are useless for this, they move hardly any air.

jummer

Have you removed the valve core as this let's a lot more air in the tyre I found this helped a lot but I also used a ghetto compressor made from a coke bottle
Hope this helps
Jer

sandy771

Yes valve core is out. Will try and get a better compressor.

Shackster

You could always take it to a garage and carefully (while nobody is looking) use the airline.

I didn't tell you to do that though.

sanchez89

you could try using a tyre lever to pull the beads to the outer edges of the rim. this will take up a bit of slack in the tyre.

like this: http://tinyurl.com/cxb3lnk

doing this will also help inflation. with the tyres i have set up tubless, i have done the first few pumps with them on the floor, the valve at the top and if air is leaking out when i begin to pump, just put hand on top of tyre and push down onto the valve, this has always worked for me.

once a bit of air is in there the tyre pushes itself out against the rim so you can it hang of something for the rest of inflation.

sandy771

Thanks for that link - the heading says for tubeless rims - but I'll give it a go and report back.....

sandy771

No joy with the tyre lever trick.

I just had a very quick attempt with my .5 inch nevegal and got nowhere either, however, i was running out of time nd never had any soapy water. Which leads to my next question- what exactly is the soapy water for?

andyg1966

You need a compressor that'll deliver a lot of air, i.e. one with a reservoir. Most garage forecourt ones these days limit the speed of airflow for safety reasons.

My solution which works for me is to take my car spare tyre (which is biggish) and inflate it to 35psi (as hard as I dare) with a car compressor.

The next stage needs help ... Remove the core from the bike valve and attach a length of 6mm (I think) hose. Remove the core from the car tyre and quickly place the end of the hose over the escaping air. Presto, bike tyre inflated. Now fingers over both valve holes and insert cores and fully inflate ...

AndyG

sanchez89

the soapy water will lubricate the tyre and rim to help slide over each other better when trying to ping the tyre into place.

Shackster

Don't flood it with water though - you just want the bubbles. Stan's instructions say to mix a quarter cup of washing up liquid with 2 cups of water to make a bucket load of bubbles.

Frosticles

Shackster wrote:

You could always take it to a garage and carefully (while nobody is looking) use the airline.

I didn't tell you to do that though.

+1 8)

Rossp92

I use ghetto tubeless, just with duct/electrical tape and find that if the tyre is not hard to put on then putting a couple more wraps of tape on helps it to seal easier, with enough tape and a bit of washing up liquid should go up easilly enough

sandy771

Finally got one inflated with a track pump but the other resolutely refused and I then got it inflated, still with a struggle, using a friends compressor.

Sat in the garage now waiting to see if they go down overnight - hopefully will get to go out and play tomorrow.