Converting Wheels to Tubeless?
10-25-21, 03:45 PM
#1
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Converting Wheels to Tubeless?
I have a Nature Boy All City 2015. One of my rear wheels has a Weinnman LP 18 rim. The stock wheels (front and rear) have Alex XC23 rims. I don't think that either rim is advertised as tubeless ready. Could the wheels be converted to tubeless. If so, how would converting a clincher wheel to tubeless be different than converting a tubeless ready wheel to tubeless? I use the bike for cyclocross so it has and will continue to have cyclocross tires. If the wheels can't be converted to tubeless, do you know of any fix/free wheels that are tubeless or tubeless ready and would be suitable for cyclocross? Thanks
10-25-21, 05:10 PM
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It is possible to convert non-tubeless-ready wheels to tubeless for cyclocross. I've done it a few times and some rim/tire combinations work better than others. You need a tubeless tire for sure. Make sure to tape the rim bed really well. You may need an additional layer or two of gorilla tape to build up the rim bed. Also, Skinny Strippers really help with the seal, although they don't work with all rim/tire combinations.
10-25-21, 06:05 PM
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I have a Nature Boy All City 2015. One of my rear wheels has a Weinnman LP 18 rim. The stock wheels (front and rear) have Alex XC23 rims. I don't think that either rim is advertised as tubeless ready. Could the wheels be converted to tubeless. If so, how would converting a clincher wheel to tubeless be different than converting a tubeless ready wheel to tubeless? I use the bike for cyclocross so it has and will continue to have cyclocross tires. If the wheels can't be converted to tubeless, do you know of any fix/free wheels that are tubeless or tubeless ready and would be suitable for cyclocross? Thanks
I got some wheels that I spec'ed out and they built and I think it's pretty good value. Their online wheel builder tool is really nice - as you pick your parts it tells you the price and the weight of the wheels you're spec'ing. Keep an eye on the availability of the parts your selecting if you want the wheels in a timely fashion - I didn't pay attention to that and had to wait months for my wheels (not prowheelbuilder.com fault - they had to wait for the parts I spec'ed - Covid bike supply delays).
For CX rim brake tubeless rims I'd go with Velocity Quills or Velocity A23s. There's also some DT Swiss rims that are tubeless and rim brake.
Last edited by tyrion; 10-25-21 at 06:12 PM.
10-25-21, 10:07 PM
#4
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My experience is that in the era of great tubeless compatible rims, for CX in particular it's not worth messing with conversions of non compatible rims. The one time I tried ages ago my tire dismounted mid race causing me to crash and have to run the rest of the lap to finish DFL.
130mm fix/free rim brake is a pretty rare spec, but any decent wheel builder should be able to build you something reasonable. You can either have your existing wheels unlaced and rebuilt with new rims, or there are some good options in 130 fixed/free including All City Hubs and Surly Ultra New hubs. You can also use a cup/cone track hub if you replace the axle with a longer one and add spacers. Any wider tubeless compatible road rim is reasonable for CX. Still, this would cost in the region of $300 at a minimum.
130mm fix/free rim brake is a pretty rare spec, but any decent wheel builder should be able to build you something reasonable. You can either have your existing wheels unlaced and rebuilt with new rims, or there are some good options in 130 fixed/free including All City Hubs and Surly Ultra New hubs. You can also use a cup/cone track hub if you replace the axle with a longer one and add spacers. Any wider tubeless compatible road rim is reasonable for CX. Still, this would cost in the region of $300 at a minimum.
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10-27-21, 03:55 AM
#5
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Tubeless rim brake fixie wheels are rare, I think, but you can get them built by prowheelbuilder.com
I got some wheels that I spec'ed out and they built and I think it's pretty good value. Their online wheel builder tool is really nice - as you pick your parts it tells you the price and the weight of the wheels you're spec'ing. Keep an eye on the availability of the parts your selecting if you want the wheels in a timely fashion - I didn't pay attention to that and had to wait months for my wheels (not prowheelbuilder.com fault - they had to wait for the parts I spec'ed - Covid bike supply delays).
For CX rim brake tubeless rims I'd go with Velocity Quills or Velocity A23s. There's also some DT Swiss rims that are tubeless and rim brake.
I got some wheels that I spec'ed out and they built and I think it's pretty good value. Their online wheel builder tool is really nice - as you pick your parts it tells you the price and the weight of the wheels you're spec'ing. Keep an eye on the availability of the parts your selecting if you want the wheels in a timely fashion - I didn't pay attention to that and had to wait months for my wheels (not prowheelbuilder.com fault - they had to wait for the parts I spec'ed - Covid bike supply delays).
For CX rim brake tubeless rims I'd go with Velocity Quills or Velocity A23s. There's also some DT Swiss rims that are tubeless and rim brake.
10-28-21, 02:01 PM
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Thanks for the info. I bought this wheelset which is tubeless ready, rim brake compatible, and suitable for cyclocross: https://www.velomine.com/index.php?m...oducts_id=4217
10-29-21, 08:07 PM
#7
Senior Member
That looks pretty great, actually, and a pretty reasonable price. My personal wheels on my SS/FG CX bike are on A23s--they've always seated tubeless well and have had great bead retention.
