Hey, I go by Bill, and this is a new little section of the site where I get to talk about
stuff. Most of it’ll be cycling specific, and all of it will basically be my
take on cool new products, happenings, places we’ve been, or sometimes why
Idaho Mountain Touring does things the way they do. That’s today’s
conversation, specifically addressing the question, “Other shops will sell me a
‘ghetto tubeless’ system upgrade for dirt cheap, why don’t you?”
A valid
question, I mean, what? Is IMT the Bergdorf Goodman of Boise’s cycling
retailers? Why can’t we just throw some stuff in the tire and make it happen? Well,
first off, yeah, we are the BG of Boise…or at least that’s we strive to be. In
this case it isn’t because we want to be super-exclusive but rather that we
want to be excellent and deliver quality. And if you’re going to deliver more
than one of something, quality and excellence comes down to consistency. Simple
answer is just that; we don’t do “Ghetto Tubeless” because we can’t do it
consistently. But now I’m getting ahead
of myself. First, we should define all of the tubeless systems so that you can
identify what you’re getting when you see it, as an unscrupulous salesperson
won’t tell you as it is. Ready? Here we go.
1.
UST – This stands for Universal Standard for
Tubeless, and was the industry’s first foray into making not-running-a-tube
legit. It consists of a rim that is airtight and has a specific bead/hook
diameter. The tire that goes with it also has a specific bead diameter and a
liner/beefed-up sidewall/casing that leaks air less than a standard tire. The
wheel/rim/tire will all have some sort of a yellow UST logo on it, and the
system is said not to require sealant. Now, if you don’t care about rotational weight,
and you live in an area other than Boise where goat heads are a massive issue, then
good for you. It’s a nice little bubble of cycling existence you’ve niched out
for yourself and I hope you live forever. The rest of us should frame UST like
grandma’s old portrait and put it on a wall in the attic (for now) in favor of…
2.
…Tubeless Ready! A ton of what you may want to
know about tubeless ready is here: http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tubeless_ready
Of course, that link is very
brand-specific, but omit the plugs for Schwalbe product and it’s pretty
comprehensive and overall correct…save for their “Never exceed 35 PSI during tubeless installation
or use!!” lawyer-speak, which is just plain laughable.
Sometimes you’re on pins and needles waiting for either a store clearing face-explosion,
or a pleasingly-loud bead seat at 80psi. That’s just how tubeless is.
If you don’t want to sit through that
read, here it is distilled: Tubeless Ready is a system consisting of: a: a
fairly standard rim that is either airtight through the nipples on its own, or
designed to work with a very specific rim strip. b: said rim strip and a valve.
c: a sealant designed to create an airtight seal with the tire as well as the
bead. This sealant is also usually great for sealing up thorn-type punctures on
the trail. D: IMPORTANT: a tire that is “tubeless ready.” It will be labeled as
such and is more expensive. It means that the tire has been tested and will not
break down with the introduction of sealant. That it will USUALLY bead fairly
easily, especially with the use of a compressor. That, in a nutshell, it will
limit your headaches. Tubeless Ready is lighter than UST. With a decent
sidewall it is just as durable as UST. It is typically less expensive than a
UST system, and it is resistant to small thorn-type punctures. It is also
consistent, and if it is not we can point to the rim, the strip, the tire, or
the sealant as the culprit and can make it right.
3.
But it all began with Ghetto Tubeless – This is
the first son that the mother and father didn’t get right, so they decided to
have another (ie UST and then Tubeless Ready). What it typically is: a: a
regular rim and wheel. B: Some sort of a tape or even a cut tube used as a rim
strip. III: A valve stem procured from somewhere. Cuatro: Sealant of some sort,
usually Stan’s brand (a great product that throughout all of the systems is the
benchmark, but others are awesome as well). 5. A regular tire that may or may
not hold up to the sealant and the bead and could blow off at low psi’s (remember,
the main reason for running tubeless is to increase ride quality and not pinch
flat when running low PSI’s).
My numbering system is a deliberate sign that “ghetto” is not
something that is consistent. A question I often get as a mechanic is, “Do you
have personal bikes that run [ghetto tubeless systems]?” Yup, in an effort to
go cheap and light, I do. Some are kind of working now, after many rides, but
keep in mind I work on my bike all the time. It’s a headache that I inflict on
myself. Ghetto tubeless is a disease that I would never inflict on customers, and
frankly, I’m shocked other shops do.
The point of all this? Maybe some knowledge was passed as to what is right
and what some current shops deem as enough, but we try not to deliver anything
that just “might” work. If a shop says they can upgrade your bike to tubeless
for free or for around $40, and the tires that are currently on it are not
tubeless ready, they’re suspect. I don’t think you’re going to like the
results, and you might just end up walking your thrifty butt home in the rain
if you buy into it.
One more thing, this all pretty much applies to both mountain and road
tubeless, but there are some key differences with road tire pressures. Road
tubeless offers the benefit of improved ride quality only. Nobody really seems
to clarify that. On the road you don’t actually run lower PSI’s than with tubes, typically (face it, we're all running 90-120), and if
you’re getting into road tubeless for thorn-type puncture protection, you will
be disappointed. The sealant simply cannot clog punctures at those pressures,
as the fibers/particles in there just get shot out of the hole like a
bullet…still worth it for the performance benefit in my opinion, however.
Until next time
BC
