Originally Posted by
icemilkcoffee
My son has been riding a MTB with 26" wheels and I've had to patch his tubes 3 times already since school started. I am thinking of changing to a tubeless setup. The rims in question are not TLR, but they do have 'shelves' under the beads. The shelves do slope slightly down towards the center of the rim though. If I convert this to tubeless, is there any danger of the tire beads coming unseated if the tire pressure runs down? Can you build up tape to form a 'ridge' so the tire bead doesn't get unseated?
Hi,
Since I have a lot of experience trying to use various 26" and also mainstream tubeless conversions and using tubeless tire systems I think I can offer some good suggestions.
First of all, if the tires are not manufactured to be used as tubeless tires they might not be suitable for a tubeless conversion to begin with. In this case the cheaper heavy casing tires are better because the high end tires which are built to be lighter will not hold air due to the thin casing and typically higher thread-count.
That said, if you want to try anyway, there are methods.
However in the case of getting a kids school commuter bike to not get flats, going tubeless is probably not a good idea because of the installation and maintenance an unorthodox conversion will require. Instead running a Slime innertube and maintaining tire pressure is a good idea. Alternatively a tire liner is often a good tactic against thorns, wire, and fasteners (nails,staples, screws).
In the case of caltrops or goatheads, going tubeless is a good idea.
You didn't describe the type of puncture or flat tire causes. This information could be important. For example pinch flats come from riding low pressures and hitting hard edges like rocks and curbs.
My favorite way to go tubeless on non-tubeless rims is to use UST tires. I use this on mountain bikes that see real heavy duty use on dirt trails. I use sealant and tubeless valves and maintain wet sealant inside the tires and keep the tires aired up. If the tires are ridden with too low a pressure the beads will come unseated. Unfortunately these UST tires are no longer manufactured and remaining NOS stock is pricey with few choices.
Ghetto tubeless and it's drawbacks have already been mentioned.
This brings me to the system that is excellent: fattystripper.com
These are latex ribbons which stretch over the rim. There's a hole for the tubeless presta valve stem. There are also tubeless schrader valve stems on the market if needed. Rather than trying to explain the system in detail I'll refer you to their website and at the bottom I'll paste in a quote. I've been using this system on a couple of 29" non-tubeless rim wheelsets for two years. One of the key features to this is that it facilitates inflating and seating the bead.
From the website:
"
2 pairs SkinnyStripper Latex Bands$10.00
75mm wide version of the FattyStripper bands for use on 24, 26, 27.5 & 29/700c rims up to 50mm wide. SkinnyStripper bands provide a more reliable tubeless solution for CX, Enduro and DH wheels when lower pressures are desired for traction but the off-camber and technical nature of the trail tends to encourage "burps". The latex will bond with the tire's bead after a week or two to create a "tubular-like" solution. This is "burp insurance" for your CX and DH wheels! 22g/band before trimming... or ~10g for a CX rim & ~15g on a 30mm DH rim after trimming."