Let's start this story with turning back to the year 2000 for a while. The Olympic Games are on, imagine Miguel Martinez racing for gold in men’s MTB cross country race. Look at his bike - your eye will catch a few extraordinary components. These are already the times when racers use V-brakes or even disc brakes, so ... why does the Frenchman use cantilevers? They are already retro at the moment!
Mini Mig bet on a few fancy parts more, like rare version of RS SIDney fork, 22-inches handlebar and a pair of prototype Michelin tubeless tires.
What is common today, was in the realm of dreams then and it took many years for the inner tubes to be pushed to the margin of the bike industry. Years of proving that better is the enemy of good and refining prototype products. Currently, none of the XC riders use inner tubes; tubeless technology is present also in the road bikes, as well as in the ones with tires above 2.3 ".
Still, many people are afraid of using the benefits of sealant, most often repeating still alive stereotypes about this solution. Indeed, poorly selected or incorrectly assembled components can, after all, be the cause of malfunction and a return to the old, well-known solution. So what should a properly assembled tubeless system look like?
If our rims are adapted to Tubeless Ready tires (owners of the other ones can use special conversion tapes), start with preparing them to stick the tape on. What’s important, even new rims require degreasing. Bike on Wax lace and brake cleaner is the right choice to make rims ready. Spray the inside of the rim and wipe dry with a clean, cotton cloth. The product evaporates quickly and leaves the surface ready to stick the tape on.
If the rim is used and dirty, all dirt should be thoroughly removed beforehand. Haste is not recommended, because the correct operation of the whole system depends on your actions in this step. For heavy soiling you can use the Bike on Wax bicycle cleaner and degreaser, which can deal with e.g. dried glue or sealant. Then choose the appropriate tape - for the carbon fiber rims it should be more fleshy with stronger adhesive, for aluminum in turn slippery. The right width is very important - too narrow tape will not ensure proper tightness. In turn, too wide can cause problems with proper seating of the tire bead.
Perfectly located tape should cover the rim from the wall to the wall, but it may gently overlap on the wall. Start to apply an evenly cut tape about 6-8 inches from the valve and move in its direction, remembering that it must adhere well to any cavities and there must be no place for air bubbles underneath. Particularly important is the beginning; take care that the tape does not begin to peel off there, e.g. under the influence of touching with fingers, and lose glue.
When assembling, gently stretch the tape and attach it on the entire rim evenly around the perimeter. In the area of the valve stick the tape on the overlap, finishing 6-8 inches behind the valve. This will ensure proper tightness of this sensitive place. The end is as important as the beginning: if the tape begins to peel off at this point, the sealant will flow under it and the system may lose its tightness. Then go to choosing the right valve. In most cases a tapered bead will be desirable, but if the rim manufacturer recommends a different one, you should follow its guidelines.
A nice accent will be an o-ring placed under the cap. Contrary to popular belief, it does not provide additional tightness, but protects the rim from scratches and gives proper stabilization. Lightweight, aluminum valves are popular and easy to reach in various colors, so you can match them to the bike. Remember about the right length of the valve, it should be correlated with the height of the rim. Pierce the tape with the closed valve, without incising it earlier –the tape incised with the valve perfectly adapts to its size. The fastening cap should be tightened firmly, but with a great deal of feeling, especially if the thread is aluminum.
The next step is the assembly of the tire. A good practice is to moisten the tire bead with a suitable preparation, or on both sides of the tape apply a thin lubricating film, e.g. using Bike on Wax chain oil. This will ensure adequate tire slip when later firing it onto the rim. Mount the tire in the direction as recommended by the manufacturer, remembering that the inscription placed on the side has its place symmetrically over the valve. Thanks to this, you will get neat assembly and compliance with art.
After installing the first side, do the same with the second one and you can pour the sealant inside. Do it with a syringe, after unscrewing the valve with the key provided for this purpose. The optimal amount of "milk" depends on the size of the tire and is usually in the range of 40 - 140 ml, excluding extreme cases. Interesting fact - many competitors at the Cape Epic African stage race for 29x 2.2” tires pour 200 ml of sealant onto the wheel.
Screw the valve and put the tire in the rim edges with the compressor or pump with the air tank. If this is impossible, you can help yourself by unscrewing the valve (more air will get inside immediately) or using a tire bucket, gently seat the tire in the edges of the rim in the valve area. If the operation was successful, shake the wheel vigorously to distribute the sealant inside the tire, not forgetting its sides. You can help by submerging the wheel under water and observing whether the air is not escaping.
To start with, you should inflate the tire to a higher than normal pressure to ensure that the system is properly sealed. The final step is to clean the rim and tire from any leakage of sealant. For this purpose, it is worth using the agent for light tires or active foam for washing the bicycle from Bike on Wax. Thanks to this, you will avoid unsightly looking (and difficult to remove) dried "milk". Release the air to the optimum pressure and you can enjoy the first ride with your Tubeless Ready wheels.