mattscq

So I'm thinking of getting a used set of Kysrium SLs probably mid 2000s era. They don't have spoke holes as is typical of a lot of Mavic rims and I was wondering if it's possible to run them tubeless if I got a tubeless tire. Is there generally any reason why a rim can't be made to do tubeless if it's hooked and can be sealed?

I know lawyers will cringe and I can see why you wouldn't want to use a non-tubeless tire and I can see why you wouldn't want to use a hookless rim with a tire that isn't designed for that but I don't see why you shouldn't be able to use a tubeless tire on a rim that wasn't necessarily designed for it.

Weren't early tubeless setups all hacks anyway?

Thoughts and opinions? Or experience?

Thanks

alcjphil

The earliest tubeless setups were for mountain bikes whose tires don't require the high pressures used for road tubeless. The first road tubeless wheels and tires resulted from a collaboration between Hutchinson tires and Shimano who made the rims and wheels.

Andrew R Stewart 

The history of the many changes to tubeless rim and tire designs certainly suggests that previous attempts are not working as well as those who want tubeless would wish for. This history very much includes the "hack jobs" past and present. Were the "hack" methods reliable and consistent in their performance there would be no need to spend the $ to retool the rim extrusions and tire molds.

My suggestion is to not do this. For a couple of reasons. One is the hackness of the tire/rim interface (the rim not being tubeless intended and shaped). The other is the poorer performance of a narrower tire with high air pressure in how well the sealant will plug a cut or poke hole. I would also wonder about the tire bead's fit WRT a tubeless set up if a rather wider tire was used. It seems to me that most all the tubeless intended "systems" use a rim width that is wider then what was common with a tube set up. The narrow width of the Kysrium rim will likely dictate how wide a tire can be before the bead seating and sealing is at risk. Andy

oldbobcat

Been there, tried it, doesn't work. Couldn't get a decent seal between the rim and tire.

cpach

The key to tubeless is the tolerance between the rim and tire, the presence of a bead shelf, and a depressed center channel for mounting. The rim profile won't be right and it will not hold up to road pressures, leading to potential emergency dentistry or worse.