davei1980

RubeRad

My first try was with gorilla tape. I wasn't able to get a good seal.

I am now 100% ghetto (split-tube) FTW.

HerrKaLeun

Use proper tubeless tape. Gorilla tape is to thick and the adhesive will deteriorate from sealant.

Darth Lefty 

How'd it go?

My gorilla tape is working just lovely

davei1980

My wheelset is mismatched - Gorilla tape worked swell on the front where I have a double walled rim, the rear is a cheap Arraya rim and is single wall construction. It went flat in the 1st mile. Lots more to tape over and lots more to go wrong inside a single wall rim.

I am now actively looking for a double walled rear rim as replacement. I really want a hand built set of Velocity Cliffhanger hoops lacked to inexpensive, reliable Shimano 105 hubs, thinking 36 rear/32 front. Would go great with my 43mm tubeless commuter/gravel tires but need some thing to actually ride on in the meantime.

davei1980

How does that work? I envision a utility knife and a tube of 3M yellow weatherstrip adhesive********** is that about right?

RubeRad

No need for weatherstrip adhesive. Use a regular rimstrip, cloth, or even *mart-type rubber or plastic, just to protect the tube from the spoke holes (as you do). Get a tube with a removable core valve, 1 or 2 sizes smaller than the rim. Stretch the tube onto the bare rim, snip a little hole with scissors (or a utility knife), then slice all the way around and splay the tube out over both sides. Get your tire on there, recenter the splayed tube as necessary, do a little pulling on the sidewalls to get the bead up toward the bead seat, and then go at it with a floor pump like you just discovered oil. (Or a compressor if you have it). Should seal up pretty easy, because that tube is flexibly filling space between the tire and rim, and then pump to high enough pressure to seat the bead. Then deflate, open the core, add the sealant, close and air it all up, shake it every which way to get sealant in every nook and cranny. Pump it up to like 40-50 to cure overnight, then lower the pressure to enjoy that nice superkush tubeless ride. Trim the flaps unless you are ok with looking like a hobo.

davei1980

1. So to clarify - when you get done, you have LOTS of extra "tube" material hanging off the edge that you later must trim? That is, the rubber tube comes between the bead of the tubeless tire and the beadset part of the rim?

2. By "a size or two smaller" do you mean narrower or actually a tube made for a smaller wheel? (eg, using a 26" tube for a 700C rim)?

3. Awesomeness.

4. I have a 5 HP compressor I can pump up to 120 PSI with the regulator disabled - It's got both pressure AND volume - I have seated many stubborn car tires in my past lives - have you heard of the butane/match trick?

grolby

For goodness' sake, ditch the Gorilla Tape and the split tubes and get some Scotch 8896 strapping tape. Essentially the same thing as real tubeless tape, and $11 for a 55m roll on Amazon.

Darth Lefty 

I don't know how Dave's doing so far, but I suspect that single wall rim will thwart his efforts much more than the tape or valve

RubeRad

1. Yes. But you don't 'must' trim it unless it is interfering with the frame or something. I left my flaps alone, and I've been able to reuse the same split tube when changing and tubelessing new tires. The old tire & tube actually come off the rim as a sealed unit, you have to peel the tube off the bead where the sealant has dried it on. I'd actually recommend not going with a narrow tube (i.e. rated for 1" or whatever), if the pre-trim flaps are small it makes it more difficult.

2. Yes. The recommendation I've seen is 24" for a 700, but 24" removable-core presta tubes are not as easy/cheap to find as 26. I've had success with 26.

3. Indeedy

4. Yes, I've seen butane/match thing, made me wish I lived back when that was a thing! Sounds like your compressor will make your tubelessing even easier. Just make sure you regulate the pressure to like 40-50, in the neighborhood of what your sidewall says max pressure is. I've made the mistake before of using a compressor (at work) and blowing a tire off the rim. My wife was there too. Incredibly sudden, incredibly loud, sealant everywhere, and since we were using glitter as 'chunkulant', that made it even harder to clean up. Years later, we still find isolated flakes of red glitter all around the house in the strangest places. I count us very fortunate that we were not injured, just ringing ears for an hour or so.

RubeRad

Yes, I've wandered down a very long thread on mtbr.com trying to figure out cheap alternatives for stan's tape, and I recall assertions that Stan's tape is just rebranded (and repriced!!!) Scotch 8896. For all I know that's correct, and it will probably work. I never got that far though, I"ve had problems with Gorilla duct tape, gorilla clear tape, and Kapton.

davei1980

omg too funny glad all involved survived!