For about a time you took a role of "convert to tubeless" prophet. Reading your magazine, there is one and only one conclusion TUBELESS = STAN'S NOTUBES. Great idea, but the price.... $50-60 for two pieces of rubber with valves that keep on failing + a bottle of sealant... I was one of the non-believers, mainly because of the price and the hassle of installing.
But, in the modern age, there is an internet. One quick search, and guess what I found - a homemade "notube conversion" for less than 1/3 the price! Just in case of an ignorance of you and your crew (come on, I pay you much more respect, but still) the kit includes two 24" tubes with Schreader valves that never fail and the bottle of Stan sealant - all together ~$20. Since I pay you too much respect, I'll spare you the installation procedure, but in case you are interested, just whistle!
Have I mentioned that an installation was a piece of cake? No soapy bubbles, no preparation, just me, a tire and a compressor, all together takes 10 minutes per wheel. What about the convenience of a trouble-free Schreader valve?
The ONLY cons of the homemade, poor people tubeless kit that I have found so far is that the "rim strips" that come out of 24" tubes are impossible to reuse. In case you need to take the tire off for any reason, a new tube ($3) has to be used.
I would like to see what big chief has to say about that? Why should we pay for Stan's liner? Why the big Guru of tubeless had never mentioned a poor people solution and let us riders decide to go with a real thing of do-it-yourself!
Regards, and happy trails
Shimon
MBA ANSWERS
Stan's XC strip comes with a presta valve because the valve doesn't leave a large rubber bump on the inside of the strip where the valve is extruded in. This bump will interfere with--more likely eliminate--the possibility for the tire sidewall to seal.
The do-it-yourself conversion you found off the internet shows the procedure being done to a downhill wheel. Freeride and downhill rims are wide enough to where the large diameter Schreader bump does not interfere with the tire beads. Like Stan offers on his freeride and downhill strips, in this situation it's preferable to use a Schreader valve.
You can even make your own XC rim strip if you use a presta 24" tube. But earlier in your letter you mention that "I was one of the non-believers, mainly because of the price and the HASSLE OF INSTALLATION." Taking a tube, stretching it over the rim, splitting it down the center, mounting the tire USING SOAP like it shows on the site, airing the tire up (maybe), and then trimming the excess tube hanging out from between the tire and rim interface on both sides is a hassle. Then if the tire is removed, or if the beads break away from the side of the rim, the homemade rim strip will shift and become unusable.
Shimon, in our area we cannot buy a 24" tube for less than $4.99. Then you still have to buy a pint of liquid latex for $10 like the site shows. You are now $20 into a homemade kit that just might air up, is unlikely to hold air for any period of time, and costs an additional $5 every time the tire bead breaks away from the rim.
Stan's NoTube rim strip can be used over and over again. We know because we are still using his original strips from four years ago. The valve clogging is a non-issue because on Stan's new strips the presta core is removable. Even if the core isn't removable like on the original strips, they are still extremely easy to disassemble and clean. Like with any racing tube, Stan's valve will not rip out of the rubber as long as don't wiggle it like crazy while using a mini-pump.
While we still use Stan's original strip, we prefer not to. Why? Because they don't seal tires as easily or retain air while running low tire pressure as well as the new contoured NoTubes strip. The NoTubes strip is 0.030" thick in the center like a tube and 0.075" thick on the sides. When the tire bead seats it sinks into the thick rim strip edge for a superior, anti-leak seal.
Stan's tire sealant is a lot more than water and liquid latex. The sealant includes numerous components that keep it from freezing and drying up. Other ingredients keep the sealant clinging inside the tire casing for full coverage and better puncture resistance. Additional sealing crystals help set the sealant up to close large punctures. While on the subject of liquid latex, don't mix it with warm water like the do-it-yourself website suggests. Heat is what makes liquid latex dry. As soon as the sealant dries you lose the puncture resistance.
Why complain about a $57 kit that will effectively convert two rims and numerous Kevlar bead tires into an air tight, flat free tubeless wheelset? How would you like to spend $900 on a top of the line UST wheelset only to have to purchase Stan's tire sealant and two rim strips so the tire seals easier and holds air?
The homemade kit you refer to would never exist if it weren't for Stan. We recommend Stan's NoTubes system because we've successfully tested it for over four years. Our testing shows that it works. We use it, we race with it, and totally believe in it. We tell readers about what works, whether the maker of the product advertises or not. NoTubes is a real business that you can call with questions on converting any tire and rim made to tubeless. Every elite cross-country racer and a good many elite downhill rider uses Stan's system, regardless of what they say or their stickers show. Lastly, we ran reviews and how-to's on Stan's product two years before NoTubes advertised in MBA.
The measurable performance gains is why tubeless tires should be on every mountain bike. Mountain Bike Action's step-by-step story on converting tires and rims to tubeless is in the November '04 issue. Check out the December '04 issue for even more tubeless conversion tips.
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