How to Go Tubeless on Your Mountain Bike
Ready to ditch the tubes and roll with tubeless tires on your mountain bike? It's an upgrade for any bike. No more pinch flats or punctures, a lighter ride when climbing, and lower tire pressure for extra cushion and traction.
How Tubeless Tires Work:
Tubeless tires create a seal between your tires and rims, doing away with the need for inner tubes. The tire bead sits snug in the rim, and a gooey sealant makes it all airtight.
What You'll Need:
Tubeless Compatible Tires (Maxxis Tubeless Ready, Schwalbe Tubeless Easy Tires)
Tubeless Rim Strip Tape
Tire Sealant
Tubeless Valve Stem
Steps to make the switch:
Tape: start taping the rim strip, kicking off next to the valve and crossing over about one spoke hole. When you loop back over the spoke and valve holes, leave a couple of inches of overlap and snip off the extra with scissors.
Valve: use scissors, a dental pick, or a knife to create a hole for the valve stem. Insert the valve stem through the pilot hole in the tape and secure it with the locking nut. Tighten the nut for a good, solid seal.
Tire: begin fitting the tire onto the rim, starting with just one bead. Flip the tire and start on the second bead, keeping about 1/3 of the bead unseated.
Seal: pour in the sealant (the amount varies by brand, so check the instructions). Next, finish installing the rest of the bead.
Inflate: a floor pump might do the trick, but an air compressor is even better to inflate the tire. Take out the valve core for better airflow. It helps the tire seat on the rim more easily.
Finishing Touch: once the tire is on, put the valve core back. Remove the compressor or pump nozzle, use your finger to block the hole temporarily, then quickly screw in the valve core and make sure it's snug.
Check the tire pressure: top it up if needed, and you're ready to hit the trails!
