So, today I've made a collosal technological jump forward from my beloved 1993 Trek 970. I picked up a newer bike that is "tubeless ready". So I have the wheels, and I have the tires. This is a giant leap forward for this old dude so this is all uncharted stuff for me.
Whose kit do I go with ? I'm not into ghetto, so duct tape isn't really on my radar. I'm sort of leaning towards the Orange Seal unless someone has any input to sway me differently.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YF3LVQB/ref=ewc_pr_img_2?smid=A36CSOLF9Y1DF1&psc=1
Thank you.
If the wheels and tires are already "tubeless ready" then all you need is a tubeless valve like this and some sealant. Sometimes these valves come with the bike in an accessory bag.
Orange Seal is fine.
Some soapy water can help with getting the tire bead to seat and seal on the rim.
Depending on the rim/tire combo, an air compressor can make the seating easier. You want to hear two "pops" as the tire seats each bead.
Sealant can be poured into the tire prior to final installation (get one bead all the way on the rim, then the other bead maybe half on the rim, then pour sealant into the tire and finish getting the bead inside the rim). Or you can use a valve-core remover and squirt the sealant through the valve stem. Personally, I usually do the latter, but many do the former. Either way works.
Before you try to inflate the tire, make sure the bead of the tire is on each side of the valve. It's surprising how easy that can be to miss.
I tend to install the sealant right before I go for a ride so the sealant can immediately get spread around the tire after installing.
What Ian said, and since I'm walking in the door five minutes after renewing my sealant, I'll add that sometimes it's more than two "pops" as each bead may not seat all at once. Some combination of visual inspection (give it a spin and see whether there are any "whoops" indicating the tire isn't seated evenly) and seeing whether it's holding air will tell you. But I think you can mostly ignore me unless you have issues; Ian really covered it.
I wish I was going for a ride to wash the sealant around right now, but I'll have to settle for keeping an eye on it and refilling and spinning 'til it stops leaking, if it does. (I did the "pop one bead off each tire" version of the refill because I wanted to mop out the old goo out and I don't trust my current valves to stay seated if I berk with them).
I figured I'd bring this back up to close the loop on it.
I wound up getting the Orange kit that came with rim tape, valves and the sealant. Also a little bag of colorful doo dads for those who like fancy anodized valve stem nuts. I also ordered a new pair of Schwalbes at the same time.
It worked very well I think. My rear rim did have a slow leak through the seam where it's manufactured and joined (relatively budget "tubeless ready" rims). I slung it this way and that to distribute the sealant and it sealed it right up. Then I inflated to 60 psi front and rear and went out and ripped around for a while to get it all distributed.
In closing, I think I will never again use a tube in anything if I can help it.
In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :
I went tubeless with my new bike and I also wont be going back to tubes anytime soon. Speaking of that I should top off my sealant since its been about a year since I did the conversion.
