DarKris

So in the past year I have made the switch to Tubeless. One of my wheelsets that came with my bike was already taped for Tubeless from the manufacturer, and the other two I had to tape myself. What I will say is that setting up my tires Tubeless has to be one of the more stressful things that I have done with my bike whether it be me not knowing if I had done something wrong in my setup or due to the inflatable compressor that I bought not being able to inflate my tires and having to inflate it again to try and see if it’ll work a second time.

With all that I struggled with setting up “Tubeless Compatible” rims, my 26” Fatboy rims and my 27.5” Weinmann XM280 rims are not Tubeless Compatible, and I really, REALLY, don’t want to stress myself out trying to make them work Tubeless. I’ve been trying to find alternatives that make sense in order to get the benefits from Tubeless with inner tubes that set up fine with my current rims (I.E. lower rolling resistance and the ability to seal punctures with sealant). The options that I’ve found we’re Latex tubes, which I can only find for 700c tires, and thermoplastic tubes (Tubolito, FOSS) which I can find for MTB tires but not so much for a fat bike tire. What I will say is that I haven’t seen much in terms of reviews for the thermoplastic tubes so I’m not really sure where people stand with those.

trailangel

Put some Flat Attack in your tubes.
https://www.flatattack.com/#tubes
https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=22752

DarKris

I already know I can put sealant in tubes. What I want are tubes with lower rolling resistance compared to standard tubes for my fat bike and gravel bike wheels. I want to get as close as possible to the feeling of riding Tubeless, but you know, with a tube.

Homebrew01

Do tubes really make a difference in rolling resistance on a fat tired bike ?

Leebo

My tubes in the fat bike weighed ONE POUND each. Plus I'm running between 3-12 psi depending on conditions. So yes.

AnkleWork

Seems all your alternatives are very stressful. Maybe find the true source of the stress. Good luck.

Darth Lefty 

Why be rude?

Marcus_Ti

So...call your LBS and have them do the wheel prep, if not the tire mount. I think for tape and sealant my LBS charges $8/wheel.

AnkleWork

Why perceive rudeness where there is none? Isn't it clear that the OP's problem can't be solved by tires, tubes, tape, compressors, etc., that the solution lies elsewhere? Can't you help others find relief and happiness?

DarKris

The “true” source of stress I guess in this case is going from a system that sets up 100% of the time but with drawbacks in ride quality, to a system with improvements in ride quality but with a setup success rate of about 60-75%. That is without expensive equipment (I.e. air compressor).

I did that once only to get my tire inflated with an air compressor because my compressor didn’t have enough airflow to push the tire onto the bead. My issue with that is that now I’m dependent on my bike shop to do what I’ve been self reliant on for the past 3+ years of learning how to maintain my own bikes.

dedhed

https://buffalo.craigslist.org/searc...air+compressor

DarKris

Circling back to my main question: I have rims that are not Tubeless Compatible (see the first post for the rims) and I don’t want to struggle to attempt Tubeless on those because it’s even less likely to work. Would trying to find latex tubes and running sealant in them to seal small punctures or say finding a thermoplastic tube and doing the same be a good alternative?

ThermionicScott 

Tubed wheels don't set up 100% of the time, either. Just do a search for "blowout" threads.

A tank would be a good investment, then. I hear you on wanting to stay self-reliant.

Trevtassie

OK. Those Weinmanns look they'll work OK tubeless. But... you need to check how tight the tubeless tire you want to use on them are. Put some tubeless rim tape on, fit the tire with a tube, inflate it, deflate it, then see if the bead wants to stay relatively seated. If not, you probably want to use something like Joes No Flats rubber rim strips with the built in valve to fill the gap under the bead. Really loose tires won't be much fun fitting tubeless and the extra thickness of the rubber strip helps fill the gap. Make sure you get the widest strip that fits, you want the rubber to go from bead to bead, or even slightly up the sidewall.
My other tips for Ghetto fitments:
Don't try and tubeless a brand new tire ghetto, especially folding bead, unless it's a really tight fit.. Run it with a tube for a week or so to get the kinks ironed out and the casing the right shape.Even more important with high volume MTB tires that are like wrestling with a deflated anaconda.
Hair conditioner is great lube for helping beads seat, cheap, doesn't dry out fast like soapy water and slippery- ask any teen age boy. That being said, the real deal is even better, I bought the smallest bucket of Rema Tip Top lube for $10, lifetime supply, but that stuff is awesome, just clean it off brake tracks. Lube is important to help the bead seat properly in the hook of the rim.
Presta valves: get yourself a schrader adapter, if it all gets too hard take it to a gas station or tire shop.
Baggy MTB tires can be held in position with a packing strip around the circumference, but if you've gotta do this to hold the air in, you may as well drive to a gas station and get more air.

The first few times I did tubeless it was like being a teenager again, fumbling around not really knowing what to do, but experience counts and soon you'll be tubelessing like a pro.

Rick

I looked at tubeless setups and watched videos on YouTube. On my touring bicycle that I purchased in March of 2014 I have worn out two sets of Schwalbe Marathon Supremes and have a new set of Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires on it. I run 26"X2" tires and the only flat was from sabotage. I like my odds of getting flats with tubes and do not believe that I would get enough benefit from going tubeless in my usage. The thought of going tubeless stresses me out. I commonly explain to my friends that I may be crazy but in my defense I am not stupid. If I were to purchase a fatt bike with 4" and up width tires I would make a go of it.