Originally Posted by
VegasJen
One of the reasons I just bought a pair of Rovals for my new Time Machine is I wanted to try another brand with tubeless. Because of the puncture risks where I live, I am a tubeless convert. It absolutely makes sense (and cents) out here. But the only wheels I have had so far that are tubeless capable are Reynolds. I have all but given up on getting the rear wheel of my AR80 set to seal and now I'm having difficulty with the front wheel on this AR41 set.
I find that once they seal, they are good for months. I'm OK with doing routine maintenance 2-3 times a year but I really don't like the rim tape thing. Tubeless wheels come from the factory with some kind of heat formed sealing tape that seems to work really well. I don't know why anyone would remove it, but it happens. I just wish there was a way to apply that by the end user.
Ah, didn't know that, thanks. One would think a factory seal is best... but how does one replace a broken spoke, without exposing the nipple head inside the wheel to hold it in place? I suppose if you have really long nipples with a bit shorter spoke, you could easily unscrew the nipple and hold it while lacing and threading on the new spoke.
A good while back I saw some Shimano road race wheels (I think possibly from the LeMond era, not certain), with spokes that had a Z/S bend that inserted easily into the rim side, then crossed over to the hub flange on the opposite side, which had nipples in a straight-pull configuration. That setup looked brilliant, because it put the rim spoke holes on the neutral axis in bending of the rim, loaded in shear instead of tension normal to the surface like most spokes, so should be more durable. But I mention because it would solve the problem above.