Always plenty to do on winter evenings, like getting the Surly Wednesday ready for this year...
Like fitting tubeless fatbike rims to the Wednesday this week, yeah tubeless the way to go many of your shouting now!, well aye and kinda aye!,
First off a question!
Why still use a split tube instead of pukka tubeless tape on proper tubeless rims?
Quite easy really, as i can replace broken spoke nipples, or indeed spokes, as you can just deflate and roll the tyre and tube which will have over time bonded quite secure to the tyre and not spilling any sealant and get to the rim tape and move it to reveal easy access to the required spoke nipple...
This set up is also easily re inflated out on the trail with your bike pump or tool kit Co2 - no need for a compressor or Zeppelin towed beind to re inflate the tyre!.
Now this is a question i have asked on various Fatbike Forum threads and Facebook pages and it has always been ignored except by one person who agreed proper tubeless is a pain when comes to a busted spoke or i found more common a broken spoke nipple, they seem to usually break around the seat of the nipple in the rim, usually due to salt water erosion over time despite being brass and the spoke threads oiled prior to assembly. Or possibly too tight built wheels?, so far my own built wheels have only suffered this once and i easily replaced it once home, but that`s not to say a stick could take out a spoke on any wheel anywhere, Imagine on a bike packing weekend or longer away on holiday and you wreck 2 spokes?, no problem as can fix it, i have spare spoke nipples and 2 spokes in my tools and frame bags.
Someone did say just cut a square out the tubeless rim tape, replace the broken item then patch the tape with gaffa tape, another friend says gaffa tape etc will eventually detach with the sealant,
Who do you know carries a roll of tubeless tape with them?, a tube maybe?, i carry a tube in case i shred a huge hole in a tyre i cannot plug or stitch to keep air tight,
Anyway use what method you think works for you, i`m happy with my set up...
Time for some tubeless rims for Wednesday!....
I failed to inflate the Halo Tundra rims using my tried and tested layer(s) of underlay foam and a split inner tube - you can read about it
Here..
I am not interested in any tubeless set up that cannot be aired up by a toolkit Co2 bottle or micro pump, so time to use other rims...
I have had a pair of DT Swiss BR710 rims sitting for a while so time to lace them onto the Wednesday`s Halo hubs..
Swapping rims on a complete wheel is quite easy, first cable tie the spokes at their cross over point...
Then loosening all the spokes i swapped one side onto the new rim, the top side first...
Then the lower side, all done and the cable ties were cut and the tension and truing of the wheel could begin...
Front wheel done...
Then the rear...
Red surly rim tape added, the white duct tape is just on to enhance the red colour...
24" Schwalbe SV10 Presta tubes were ordered, 4 pairs as needed some for my Mulefoot 27.5+ wheels with 3" tyres, had to go Presta as the DT Swiss rims are machined for Presta only,
This micro BA spanner fits the removable Presta valve core on the Schwalbe 24" tubes
You can see here the lack of material to drill the valve hole out to my usually preferred Schrader valve size...
So usual tube inflated, stretch on, cut and split down the centre with scissors and folded over the rim...
Stan's sealant, approx 160ml applied using a Joe's Sealant bottle as easy with the supplied tube...
With both wheels set up i stuck a new chain in Paraffin to degrease it before drying off, cutting to length and fitting and re lubing with Squirt Dry lube, ready for the beach!...
Schwalbe `Jumbo Jim` rear and Surly`Nate` front is a nice set up for this bike, secure front end and drift rear for out the saddle fun riding!...
27.5+ 3" split tube tubeless set up...
Another evening and i set up the Mulefoot rims tubeless with split tubes on the Schwalbe `Nobby Nic` and `Rocket Ron` 3" tyres...
As with the Fat wheels one Co2 inflates the tyre easily and seated i pumped it up to 20 psi and leave them a few minutes before removing the valve core and adding sealant...
Then just the exposed split inner tube ends to trim. I always use a new blade per wheel, i have once slashed a tyre side wall from a blunt blade that caught then slipped!, an expensive mistake...
Take your time and rotate the wheel quarter turn at a time and you can get a near invisible tube...
Vola a perfect set up of trail wheels for the Wednesday, Pay day will see another cassette and disc rotors purchased...
More soon...
