First and foremost, my wife is awesome and let me get a set of carbon tubeless ready wheels. They probably count as anniversary, birthday, and Christmas gifts for the next two years but (hopefully) totally worth it.
So … what do I need to actually go tubeless with them? Below are items I think I need. What brands do you recommend (specific links appreciated)? Also, are there good videos on how to setup and maintain tubeless step-by-step?
I might suggest a tire bead jack because tubeless tires are notoriously tight and difficult to get on. You may also need an air compressor to get them to seat unless you have a high-volume pump. some dish soap is sometimes helpful to get them seated.
You will need a shift in mindset when it comes to punctures.
I know that sounds strange but I see it quite a bit with new riders to tubeless setups. They have been told by the local group that tubeless is the answer to all problems and you won’t get another puncture. Then 28 miles later they are standing on the side of the road with a latex streak up their back and no idea how to get home.
Educate yourself on plugs and repairs. Know how your tires fit and get really good and popping beads on and off.
A few duplicates - I have opinions on those - and the pic is missing spare valve cores you will need if/when a core gets clogged.
EDIT:
From left to right:
Spray bottle with soapy water for installation
Your favorite sealant, mine is Orange Seal Regular (not endurance) for extra protection, and the tradeoff is that you have to top off sealant once a month which leads me to
KOM cycling sealant injector syringe
Orange Seal “dipstick” to spot check sealant level… included in a kit I bought years ago and I don’t think they sell it anymore but you can make your own with a coffee stir stick
Kool-Stop tire jack to stop all the swearing while installing the 5000 TL on my Enve 5.6 disc wheels
Cush Core tire pusher to save your thumbs while installing tubeless on gravel or mtb wheels (I was able to install 35mm Pirelli Cinturato tires on Bontrager Pro 3V wheels without this)
Hutchinson RepAir for patching the inside of a tubeless tire that gets a large gash, I’m the Bermuda Triangle of flats and used this more than I care to say
Park Tools presta valve core removal tool along with Enve tool (always available - screws on end of presta valve) and the little U shaped one that came with some other valve stems
Tubeless valve stems
Extra valve cores (not in pic) because yours will likely get clogged over time
Valve extenders for seat bag if you have mid-aero wheels, are unlucky, have a large gash that won’t seal, only have one bacon with you, pinch flat your only tube, and are left begging for a tube and the stem is too short for your mid-aero wheels
KOM Cycling Tubeless tire repair tool and extra bacon (love this one for road)
DynaPlug tubeless repair kit in metal pill shaped container (lower right) this works better with gravel and MTB because I couldn’t repair a sidewall tear a few months ago that the KOM would have (DynaPlug brass tip was too big, so I bought KOM kit for road)
During installation sometimes I need my Porter Cable air compressor, and sometimes I can just hand pump. Always spray with soapy water to make it easier to slide second bead over rim.
You’d be surprised with newer tubeless tire setups. I seated my schwalbe pro ones on my light bicycle rims with just a floor pump on the first try (didn’t even have to soap the bead or anything). They’ve come a long way since the days of “sure, you can try to put a tubeless tire on this rim”.
My experience with 5000TLs, I needed tyre lever to get them over the rim, they are quite tight but they seat incredibly easy; the track pump is good enough. Softer tyres like Schwalbe go on easy but are more awkward to seat and the track/air tank aren’t good enough only a co2 cartridge seats them.
Have you seen schwalbes’s video, its probably to get you to buy another product, they use seating foam then seat the tyre with a hand pump :-o I’ve had to use a CO2 canister the twice I have fitted them
I’ve just fitted one today (a Pro one) I had to use a CO2 cannister (seated first time when I did) but that was after giving up on the track pump. For my rims they were easy to fit by hand my usual tyres are 5000 TL which are harder to fit (a couple of go and tyre levers are needed for me) the 6 of them I have had though have seated 1st time with a track pump. I got a Pro One this time as it for the TT bike which needs 25mm or smaller and the bike shop only had 5000 TL’s in 28.
I’ve got tubeless on my mtb, and I have tubeless ready rims for my road bike, but have stuck with latex tubes.
They are faster, and I’ve good success with them in terms of punctures, a lot better than butyl tubes. Plus the non tubeless tires are cheaper, ride nicer and are lighter.
