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Tubeless conversion

by MarkiMark
Sun, Jun 05, 2016 09:29
4

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere. I am probably about to buy a pair of Mavic Ksyrium Pro Exalith SL wheels. The 2016 model is wider than older versions. I would like to try running them tubeless, but they are not stated as being tubeless compatible. Does anyone have experience of running such a set up? I see no reason why it won't work if a conversion kit such as Stans is used. Relying on your combined experiences.

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4 comments

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MarkiMark | 8 years ago
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Thanks for the comments. I've decided not to run them tubeless. In reply to medic_ollie, to the best of my knowledge Hunt wheels can't be bought from anywhere that participates in CycleScheme, and that's the only way I can afford these wheels. I do love the Hunt Carbon 38s though.

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medic_ollie | 8 years ago
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Surely if you really want to go tubeless you'd be better off looking at a wheelset from Hunt? http://www.huntbikewheels.com

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fukawitribe | 8 years ago
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Absolutely, definitely, without a shadow of a doubt what paulrattew said - don't risk it. For a nice ride and a smidge more resistance to pinch flats (and penetration flats to a smaller degree), a set of latex inner tubes perhaps ?

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paulrattew | 8 years ago
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Hate to be negative but don't do it. I have run tubeless tyres on road bikes for the past 5 years and love them - to the point where i would now never go back to standard tubed tyres. BUT, this has always been on rims designed to be run tubeless.

The main problem a road tubeless set-up faces is pressure. You can convert almost any old mountain bike wheel to run tubeless at low pressures, but road wheels are a whole different kettle of fish. Rims that are designed to be run tubeless have a different shaped bead hook to most non-tubeless rims. This is designed to maintain a much tighter and more resiliant hold of the tyre, especially under high pressure.

You will probably be able to successfully convert the Mavic's so that they work tubeless, but the risk that the tyre will blow off the rim will be massively higher than on a proper tubeless compatible rim. This isn't a major issue if it happens at home, but imagine it happening when you are flying down a descent. The conversion may seem rideable initially, but will it be able to cope with the changes in pressure caused by going through a pothole, or hitting any sort of bump in the road?

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