oldwinger14

I have a set of Ksyrium Elite UST wheels with 700-25C Yksion Pro UST tires. They are my first set of tubeless. I plan on replacing the tires soon and have a few questions:

1) I have been happy with the Yksions but I am also thinking of Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL tires. Are the Continental tires a better alternative than Yksion? Are there other tires that I should consider? Beside comfort, wear and grip, ease of installation is also a factor.

2) According to Mavic, the inner width of my wheels is 19mm. Do I need to replace the rim tape when installing the new tires? If so, what size tubeless rim tape do you recommend?

3) I am thinking of going with 700-28 tires instead of the 700-25 size that I now have to get a smoother, more comfortable ride. I am a recreational rider not concerned with squeezing every sec of time off a ride. Suggestions?

jadocs

I've been using Yksion Pro's on my bike, I haven't found a reason to switch. Also went from 25 to 28. I don't think there is going to be any appreciable difference. Something to keep in mind is the GP5000 run really tight. You may not be able to get it on the rim. Everything I've seen with regards to GP's on UST rim fit have been unsuccessful.

RIm tape should be good, but it's worth inspecting. If needed go ahead and replace. I recommend DTSwiss rim tape, excellent quality. I think the rule of thumb is 4mm wider than internal width....but check that before you buy, I'm just going off the top of my head.

WhyFi

There was a recent thread on the subject of alternatives tires for UST rims - https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...-ust-rims.html Not terribly helpful, but it is what it is.

I was under the impression that many (all?) Mavic UST wheels had solid rim beds without spoke holes. If that's the case, you wouldn't need tape. If that's not the case, tape will usually last at least a few tire changes, but you really have to remove the tires and see how it's holding up.

Buzzkill53120

I tried to fit the Conti GP5000 TL on my Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels. One tire I could get on with maximum effort and swearing, the other was impossible. +1 on jadocs recommendation on the DT Swiss tape. It's good quality, cheaper and easier to get than the Mavic tape. The roll of Mavic I bought did not have enough tape on the roll to do both wheels, and I followed their recommendations.

I'm not happy with my Mavic wheels. It's pretty much proprietary; valve stems, tires, and tape (DT Swiss seems to be the only brand that has that width). Getting replacement parts is troublesome, even on their website.

1Lieutenant

I just went through this with my Ksyrium Pro Carbon UST rear wheel. I thought the Yksion Pro UST tire was OK but it seemed to have multiple flats. It would not seal well leaving goo along the frame seat tube. Fortunately, I was never stranded.

I contacted Continental because I wanted to use the GP5000 TL.. Their customer support was great. Responded quickly but suggested I try other tires. They did not think the tire would be able to be mounted on the rim.

I ended up ordering Schwalbe Pro One TLE. Their customer support replied to my inquiry stating that the tires were fabricated to UST specs. I had my LBS replace the tire. Rim tape was fine. I could not mount the new tire. LBS did it in about 30 seconds. With all the Covid precautions, I could not watch to see how they did it,

The Schwalbe is working well and quite a comfortable ride.

oldwinger14

Thanks for replying. I have read where the GP 5000s are very difficult to mount, so unless someone can convince me otherwise, I will probably go with another set of the same Yksion tires I have, but possibly going up to 700-28.

I read good things about DT Swiss tape also. So, I hope most likely use it to replace the existing tape, if needed.

oldwinger14

I will take a look at the thread that you mentioned and see if there's anything worthwhile there.

Don't know whether or not my Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels have a solid bed or not since I have never had the tires off. I have injected a bit of sealant (Orange Seal) but I did it using an injector through the valve stem. Perhaps someone will add to this thread and tell me what's what.

oldwinger14

Between what I have read on this thread as well as elsewhere, I think I will eliminate the Contis from consideration.

​​​​The DT Swiss tape seems to be something that everyone likes, so that has become a no-brainer for me if I need to replace the tape.

Sorry to hear that you've had problems with your wheels. So far, I have not had any problems...I hope it stays that way.

masi61

As WhyFi stated - Mavic Ksyrium UST wheels should have a rim bed devoid of internal spoke holes thus no rim tape should be required. Can someone verify this?

Also, there are other tubeless tires now that might be compatible with Mavic UST specifications such as current Hutchinson tubeless offerings or Panaracer or Pirelli Cinturato or Schwalbe, or Veloflex, or Tufo, and I'm sure quite a few different brands. I'm trying to run Panaracer Race A EVO3 tubeless tires on a DT Swiss R460 wheelset that I have. I am fussing with rim tape and valves right now and I have a front that is reasonably well sealed while the rear has yet to hold air long enough to complete a typical 42 mile training ride. I would think that the Mavic Ksyrium UST's would seal really well and once set up they would be really great. As far as mounting the tires, are you using the correct tubeless mounting tricks such as making sure you keep as much of the bead as possible down in the rim interior and not yet mounted on the square tubeless shelf? Also for mounting the last part of the bead, flat wide tire levers such as the Schwalbe's work a bit better and using leather work gloves give you some extra purchase on the tire to allow you to roll that last stubborn bit of bead over the rim sidewall once and for all.

sal

I’ve had Ksyrium Elite UST wheels with 700-25C Yksion Pro UST tires on one of my bikes for a couple years. There was no rim tape on my set as received. I’ve had the 25s off and switched to Yksium 28s.
When I was shopping for the USTs I remember reading that Mavic worked with Hutchison as they developed the tight specs called for with UST. So I would think they would fit the Mavic USTs. I think the Yksiums are made by Hutchison tire.

oldwinger14

Good information, thank you. The more that I read, the more it sounds like another set of Yksions are the way to go.

jadocs

I don't remember if my Ksyrium Pro UST Disc Wheels had tape or not. Not sure if they would be the same with the Elite UST. Now that I think about it, I don't think my Ksyrium Pro USTs had tape.

oldwinger14

I like surprises....I will find out if there is tape or not when I take off a tire. Thanks!

oldwinger14

As Sal mentioned in his posting, there is no rim tape on his Ksyrium Elite wheels. Since he has had the wheels for a few years and I have only had mine since Aug '19, no tape may still be the case. If not, I will deal with it and use DT Swiss tape if the existing tape needs replacement.

As for other tires he mentions (e.g. Panaracer, Pirelli Cinturato, Schwalbe, Veloflex or Tufo), rather than muddy the waters and enter it unchartered, I will stick with the Yksions since I had good luck with them, but will go up to 28mm from the 25mm that I currently run.

oldwinger14

When you unsuccessfully tried to mount the Schwalbe Pro One TLEs, were you using only your hands and, possibly, a tire lever or two? Or did attempt mounting using other tools developed to assist mounting “tight” tires?

1Lieutenant

I used two tire levers, my hands, soapy water and kept the beads centered within the deep part of the rim. I started opposite the valve. No luck. LBS literally took seconds!!

oldwinger14

Unfortunately, it is after all your effort and aggravation, but there are a number of plier-like devices available to help install tires.

I've read some very good reports about the Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack. It was relatively inexpensive and I picked one up. I will give it a try when I purchase my new set of tires. If you read any of the reviews or see the videos on YouTube, this tool certainly makes mounting tires pretty easy. Hopefully, It works as well as they make it seem!

1Lieutenant

I did buy this after doing some research. But after I had the tire installed. Hope I don’t need to try it too soon!

BHG6

I've switched to tubeless when I built my G6 a couple of years ago and I've tried a few different tires with varying success.

Wheels are Mavic Comete Pro Carbon UST and my favorite tires so far are the Zipp Tangente Speed RT25's. They're easy to fit, easy to remove if you need to fix a flat or install a tube on a ride, and the grip and feel are both excellent. They usually last me about 2,000 miles.
I recently tried a set of GP5000 TL's but there were near impossible to get on the rim (and I install my my motorcycle tires by hand).

Kotek

Replaced Yksium Pro UST on my Ksyrium UST wheels to Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance TLR 28 and very happy with these tires. Easy to to fit with two tire levers and soapy water only.
There is no big difference between Hutchinson and Yksium Pro with rolling resistance , maybe Hutchinsons are little bit more noisy . But overall very comfortable and grippy tires.