Tubeless Tuesday; Ghetto `Split tube` tubeless with used tyres?

You will have read on my trials and after a few disasters a success with going `Ghetto` Split tube tubeless on all my off road bikes, You can read the huge thread on it Here...

Use new tyres;
One of the things i said is best to do is start with new tyres, they have no thorn holes for a start that will use up more sealant, and the bead will be slacker  and harder to get a snug fitting tyre- i discovered this by inflating a Surly Nate tyre that had been on and off rims many times and it blew clean off the rim at 20 psi  ruining the tyre in the process as the bead was all stretched and distorted and then far too slack to even use with an inner tube...

An idea to maybe be able to use used tyres;
The problem with a slack tyre is that it requires that much foam wrapped around there is hardly any exposed inner wheel rim for the tyre bead to grip.  So instead of wrapping the rim with foam the full width why not wrap it leaving a 5mm gap or so to then get a good face for the tyre bead to grip?


Giving it a go;
Now i have built up a set of winter wheels for the Pugsley i have no need to swap from Surly `Larry` tyres ideal on the coast, to the chunky Surly `Nate` tyres for winter slop, so i ordered some Schwalbe AV10D 24 x 2.10 -3,00 tubes,  i needed a 3" tube for the 80mm wide rims and i cannot find Schwalbe 20" x 3" inner tubes here in the UK, so 24" ones would have to do...

I wrapped the rims with foam cut to 65mm wide,  with two wraps and the tube split the tyre was still too slack so i wrapped the rim twice again-that`s 4 wraps!, but it`s foam and weighs next to nothing...

The tube split is 100mm wide and as you can see in the pic there is a good edge with the wheel rim by using the narrow foam strip...

Tyre on after a tight fit and as needed there was no slack...

A few pumps with the track pump and it started to inflate, i always do this first before adding any tyre sealant as you don`t want to have to remove it once juiced!...

I used `Stan's No Flats` but used a Joe's sealant bottle as its easier and quick to fill through the Schrader valve with the valve core removed...

Inflate to 20 psi and the tyre popped onto the bead perfect, i leave them inflated hard at 20psi like this over night and air them down after another good shake the next day if not riding them straight away...

Give the tyre the `Stan's Shake to get the sealant to work it`s magic, then Copper grease the valve core thread before tightening the knurled valve lock nut...

And again for the other wheel...

Sometimes when the tyre is really tight the tube will get pulled under the bead on the last section as it goes on, the tube can be pulled back out and it is ready to inflate...

I drained the Stan's Juice out the inner tubes removed as these are only a month or so old...

And the two tubes filled the 240ml bottle, These wheels got loads of juice with a full bottle each-yeah i know that`s a lot of juice per tyre!, but there is probably thorn holes in these tyres that will use up some sealant, and they will be doing road miles to the coast, roads littered with thorns as Hawthorn hedgerows get cut over the winter months...

I always fit a valve core remover valve cap to one wheel on each bike, carrying spare sealant, along with a tube just in case covers the worst scenario,  but touch wood i have not been able to burp a tyre off the bead yet since going tubeless and check all wheels regularly for sealant with a shake...
So just the exposed tube to carefully trim,  always use a new Stanley knife blade to make an easy cut...

And all done!,  these tyres will be on these wheels now until they wear out, just check there is sealant splashing around to keep them sweet...

Off cut inner tube if cut into short 4" strips make great fire lighters for the log burner stove!....

Ready to roll, the war against thorns is won!

More soon...