Has anyone tried going tubeless on a 36?
Yes lots of us.
If you do a search there are several mounting methods described.
Check for pm.
Joe
Seems Like a Good Idea
I tend to over do things at times and I got carried away with the desire to have a tire that was pretty much bombproof during the STP. I had the Coker button tread, the Coker 36’r inner tube, and at least four ounces of Slime in the Coker inner tube. Probably the reality is I put closer to 6 ounces of Slime in the tube because that’s how I roll. My thought process was I could pretty much skip the whole fix a flat scenario of 10,000 bicycles knifing past me while I deal with a flat tire on the side of a crowded shoulder. I figured no big deal, at least I keep moving. I did’nt think it would slow me down much. Knowing what I know now, it actually embarasses me to admit any of this. Hopefully someone reads this and benefits.
After a 107 mile training ride for the 2010 STP I was planning on switching to a Nimbus Night Rider tire. Several people during training had suggested going tubeless and with aluminum nipples to replace the brass nipples even. At the least, the common piece of advice was stretch a 29’r inner tube and go with the Night Rider tire that runs at 65 PSI for less rolling resistance.
I stretched a Scwalbe 29’r inner tube and put the Night Rider tire on the Coker 36 Big One. It makes a really big difference. It makes free mounting so easy in contrast to my previous set up. Control was more than I would have dared to hope for, I could whip it around on a sidewalk and ride backwards much easier. It makes a big difference just stretching a 29’r tube to replace the stock Coker inner tube. I recommend anyone that doubts this to try it. The reality will be self evident and costs less than $10.
There is no reliability issue that I have seen. When you are trying to do 200+ miles in less than 2 days with 10,000 bicycles you have to stay right… which is where most of the glass, screws, nails and other debris ends up collecting. I did the STP this year with no flats and have another 200 miles on the same set up.
Stretching a 29’r inner tube to replace the 36’r inner tube makes a huge positive change. Going another step and eliminating the inner tube seems like another positive improvement.
Try and post whatever you learn from this
Hi Andy. Nice meeting you in Tucson on Saturday. I’ve been using a stretched 29 on my 36 for like four years now and echo all of the other comments about the benefits of a lighter tube. Ive avoided the tubeless route because I just didn’t want the hassle of the tubeless goo, more stuff to worry about and the 29er tube has been nothing but great for me.
I think you will find a lot of stuff on here about techniques for installing 29er tubes and most are pretty similar. I’ve had the best luck with the Schwalbe AV19 tubes and I’d buy 2-3 incase one blows during install.
Go slow, use lots of powder around the tube and some soap on the tire bead.
Cheers,
Bryce
Looks like the consensus is to go with the 29er tube. My 36 tube sprouted a slow leak after Saturday’s festivities. I’ll give the 29 tube a go. I might get adventurous and try tubeless on my 24 guni.
Joe - Thanks for the detailed directions in the PM
Bryce - good to finally meet you in person
My hand was forced today. I fixed a slow leak in my 36’’ tube this morning. I went for a ride and got about 2 miles before “Blam!” a blow-out. Nothing like a UPD at 12mph. Walked about half a mile to a bike shop and bought a 29 tube (with slime). It was easier to get on then I expected. Definitely a nice decrease in mass to have to get spun up.
I did manage to get the tire on without the benefit of soap or powder. Had a small issue with the valve nut being smaller than the hole in the rim. The shop gave me some washer to use. The bike mechanic also helped me get the last bit of bead on the rim without using a tire iron.