Originally Posted by
Sy Reene
ahh.. got it. So to original question, if buying a complete wheelset that's already put together (with no addt'l cost), any reason to not go with the No-Holes option?
And if anyone owns these, can it be confirmed no issue running tubeless without tape?
Issue. 1) I think the bead retention ridge is WAY too strong if you don’t use tape. It literally takes like 60-80 lbs of force to get the tire off - harder than you think. WAY easier with a wall-wall layer of tape. I had to use a space heater to get the tire off without tape.
2) You might/will be able to get the tire to seat and hold air with no tape, but it probably won’t pass the “pinch test”. I pinch my tire at a somewhat low psi to make sure the seal is with the bead seat and not the rim sidewall. If the tire hisses (with no sealant) when you pinch it, you have a decent chance of burping air when cornering. Not good. Best case, your sealant will be working way harder than it should.
I’m not entirely certain why the TL tape is so unpleasant. IME, it is the least problematic part of the whole TL dumpster fire as long as you get something good like DT Swiss. Also it should be wide - 27mm for my 23mm internal rims.
That being said, no holes does allow you to use non-TL tape, like gorilla tape. That can be cheaper and thicker.