29er tube in Nightrider at high pressure?

[brycer1968]

@Pseudonym

I was also thinking of trying to stretch a good quality, high volume 26er tube.

I destroyed my first 29er tube trying to fit it. I was snake biting it when I tried to seat the bead and it ending up being a patchwork of repair patches.

With the second tube I powdered the tyre and took my time. Baby steps and checking that I wasn’t catching the tube between the rim and the lever meant I could seat it first time.

I think I’m running at 55psi and the weight difference is easily noticable, and well worth the trouble.

I’ve been running Schwalbe AV19 29er tubes in my Airfoil KH36 single speed for 4 years now, several centuries and thousands of miles now and I have found a couple of things that make the 29er tube work well for me. I’ve installed several of these for friends too using this technique:

• I've never had much luck with other manufacturers 29er tubes. I just stay with the Schwalbe. It works for me.
• I never try to patch a 29er tube. Once they get a hole, I ditch the tube and install a new one.
• Its the install technique that makes it work or not. The tube pressure while you are trying to install the tire bead and get the bead to seat is really important.
• Use lots of talc powder in the tube and a little soapy water lightly applied with a sponge to the tire beads to aid in seating.
• Use a hand floor pump to inflate and take regular breaks to view both sides of the bead seating and wrestle it into place at lower presures. If the bead does not look like it is seating evenly by 30 lbs or so, retreat back down to 5-10 and do some more hand pushing and pulling to try to get it back on the rim in the right position and then try again. I've done this up down bit two or three times to get a stubborn tire to seat evenly around the rim. Ususally one side is more difficult than the other. The whole wrestling match might take 15 minutes or so.
• Once you go to full pressure, warn the family that you have an armed bomb that might explode and watch it for 24 hours. After 24 hours, it seems like most (but not all) 29er conversions are not likely to blow.
• I also have a hunch that you will avoid blowout problems by always using a fresh tire with a 29er tube conversion . . . . . I think that: swapping tires between different types fo rims is a problem as the tire takes a set from other rims and may be more likely to blow on a different rim with the added pressure/complications from a 29er tube conversion.
• I'm experimenting with running with 4 oz of slime to combat the desert cactus thorns in Tucson, AZ - but otherwise, I run without slime.

Cheers,
Brycer