Specialized Rockhopper Upgrades // Budget Tubeless Conversion

[@travisoverly1432]

About to do this conversation on my rockhopper.

[@PatrickFortunatoJr]

I went tubeless a few months ago, and the difference was amazing. I had stock Specialized tires, the Butcher and the Eliminator. When I went tubeless I had so much more grip. That said, it still was not great. A few days ago I converted to Maxxis. I put the Assegai on the front with MaxxGrip and DHR II MaxxTerra on the rear. I don't know why I waited so long for this. I absolutely love this setup!

[@LookitsRiley]

Were you able to place wider tires on the stock wheels?

[@PatrickFortunatoJr]

@@LookitsRiley yes... The stock width was 2.3" and I went with 2.5" on the front and 2.4" on the back

[@LoranBriggs]

Floor pump tip: You can always set the bead with a floor pump. If you're having issues there's two ways to fix it: 1. Second layer of rim tape, creates a tighter seal between rim and tire. 2. Setup tubed and optionally leave overnight to press the tape against the rim. Then break the bead on ONE side of the tire only, remove the tube and reset tire. With one side being completely set you will have much better luck with a floor pump. Expect this to be a pain in the ass, but it's doable and works if your on a budget.

[@Anachkin_Adventures]

Man, such a great video! Very informative, great explanation. No questions left after watching it, except for "Why are there so little views?!"

[@There_N_back_Again]

Newly subscribed. I just purchased the 2021, Rock Hopper Expert, and looking for good upgrade suggestions. This channel seems like a good place to start.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Yes! Will have several upgrade videos in the weeks to come

[@MrMudMaker]

I've been wanting to go tubeless but couldn't bring myself to spend half as much as my bike cost on new rims. Seeing this worked for you gives me motivation to try it out on my hardtail xc converted gravel bike! Thanks for the content.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Right on! Thx for watching. Let us know how it goes.

[@LVang152]

I have been thinking about doing it to my 2022, but I put gravel friendly tires for the pavement ride (occasionally gravel).

[@colemcelfresh2]

Thank you, easiest explanation I’ve found yet

[@adriancabrera3014]

Those tyres look awesome you must upload a review

[@rpower1401]

Great video. You may wish to consider buying a quite compressor. I have one from Canadian Tire, you're speaking louder than the compressor ever would be during use.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Dang. Will look into it

[@There_N_back_Again]

Okay, step 1 done, I went tubeless. 👍 Waiting for the next video

[@TheBikeSauce]

Right on. They’ll all be spaced by a week. New vids always post Sunday morning

[@teopini]

Dude, your videos look great! Love the dark looks and the background.

[@plc_preston2420]

I’m early and new to the channel but thank you for all this helpful info

[@TheBikeSauce]

Yes, thanks!

[@sd5458]

I appreciate the how-to but this is a ginormous pain in the ass - complete with next day steps. I think I'll stick to my innertubes for a little longer.

[@edjr2572]

Awesome video.. I am wondering if this would work on a regular Rockhopper... I am new to this so not sure if I should measure the rim which I did not see you did in this video

[@wildman9364]

I already had tubeless tire and tubeless rims with tape so I just needed valves and sealant

[@TheBikeSauce]

Nice! Easiest conversion. The rockhopper sports don’t come with tubeless ready rims, so we had to convert

[@HEYDJ]

I want to follow this tutorial but my stock tires are stuck to the rims. I've changed tires on other bikes with no problem before. Any tips?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Try really pushing the bead toward the center channel of the rim. Once you get the bead separated in one spot the rest will follow pretty easily

[@dimitrisstylianos8970]

i have the same bike and i want to go tubeless to, do i have to remain on the same rims?

[@bicross87]

Thanks for those info, buddy ! I just converted, and made the taping of the rim with gorilla type tape, as the rim tape i ordered was just pure shit... But i got the width and the way to apply the tape pretty wrong compared to your setup...For the moment, it's holding air, but defleating slowly, I will have to redo that !

[@TheBikeSauce]

Nice! All a learning process

[@keenancooper27]

Watched this series like 8 times over. Ended up actually buying a used Rockhopper sport 29. The guy I bought it from installed tubeless ready tires with tubes. My local bike shop told me that doing what you did here would never seal up right, how has this set up been over the last year?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Still tubeless on the same sealant. Haven’t touched it since and we use the bike daily

[@keenancooper27]

Good to hear, I'll be attempting the conversion soon then. This video series has been my favourite to watch. Helped me pull the trigger on buying the bike. And it really is a great video series. Good narration and camera work. Straight and to the point without being too short. Keep up the great work.

[@emilioxrocha]

How did this hold up over time? My wife has the same exact bike (different color lol) and have been watching your videos over it. Makes me really want to tubeless on it! I do have a spare set of tubeless presta valves and she is rocking Maxxis TR tires on it already (currently with tubes) 😅😂

[@do-ineedtosay723]

3:50 into the video: LOL. "'...Don't aggravate your OCD' standpoint." *

[@LookitsRiley]

Question: Does this base model specialized rock hopper already come with tubeless ready wheels? Ie: spokes countersunk & ready for tape

[@TheBikeSauce]

I can almost guarantee it's not a single wall rim (protruding spoke nipple heads). It's certainly going to be double walled, and ready for tubeless tape.

[@LookitsRiley]

I have the exact same bicycle and whenever i bring up the idea of laying tape and switching tires and nipples my local bike shop people just laugh and say that i need a whole new wheel entirely without even looking. I have a 2023 size M 29" rock hopper@@TheBikeSauce

[@hectorrivera5803]

Can I use the exact same specialized stock tire in order to convert tubeless ? I know that they aren’t Tubeless ready but, maybe will it do the trick ?

[@adamuhlig]

Quick question for you, I have the 2020 specialized rockhopper medium frame with 29ers. Im also looking to go tubeless and upgrade tires to something with better tread. Im thinking I would like to go up to a 2.5 width tire and use something like a Maxxis DHR tire which seems to have a flatter shaped tire and bigger knobs on the outside of the tread pattern. It seems there won’t be an issue running a 2.5 tire on the skinnier stock rockhopper rim, but im concerned the back of the rockhopper frame will not have enough width for the back tire to clear. Do you have any resources you could point me to or knowledge about whether or not running a slightly wider tire would work on the rockhopper? And btw, Thanks for the content and this series specifically… very useful info and well produced.

[@TheBikeSauce]

A bit wider would be ok I think. Especially if you don’t need a lot of mud clearance. The DHR II is the gold standard for mtb tires and the 2.4 would be a great upgrade

[@migs9003]

Dumb one: are those the stock 25mm alloys that come with the Rockhopper? Do all the grades of Rockhoppers come with those rims?

[@TheBikeSauce]

These are stock, but I’m not sure if all the rockhopper get the same wheels

[@Vatese]

@@TheBikeSauce sorry! realised you said everything at the beginning of the video. Seems I skipped that part, my bad! Thank you so much for the great content! Got the lowest end Rockhopper 29 recently and planning to make it tubeless with those non-tubeless "Specialized alloy" schrader rims. Fingers crossed it works with some Vittoria Barzo tyres I found for half price.

[@ricardolucas9507]

Esse aro é próprio pra tubeles

[@estebanmiranda8756]

Hi, is there any chance ms to add a pannier rack at the back of this rockhopper 29?

[@TheBikeSauce]

sure, no problem

[@estebanmiranda8756]

@@TheBikeSauce what panier could be recommendable?

[@TheBikeSauce]

So many to choose from! Depends on what you need

[@NeedChocyMilk]

Air tightness, i get you i see what your saying😂

[@JifferRiffic]

i just ordred this exact setup. im a noob, got the same valve stem as you, not sure what it was called but do i need some specail tool on my air compressor to like fill this type of stem? if you could link me. all i have is a 1gallon air compressor no bike pump. Thanks in advanced. I dont know much about bikes just learning.

[@TheBikeSauce]

You'll need a head that can inflate a Preste valve. If it's not bike-specific, it's likely a Schraeder compressor head. In that case, you can use a presta valve adapter (a couple bucks) that'll screw onto your presta valve and allow you to inflate it with any standard Schraeder pump (like at a gas station). For setting the bead, you'll also want to remove the presta valve core to maximize volumetric flowrate into the tire.

[@fuentescarlos21]

Thank you so much for your detailed information. I’m a beginner rider looking for a bike and at my local shop in temple city I was told they’ll be getting this specialized brand i a couple of weeks. I like the modifications you made on this bike but I don’t know if I’m confident enough to make them my self.

[@TheBikeSauce]

That’s alright. Takes time. Just ride for now and upgrade as you see fit

[@RagingChicken]

What size are the stock Schrader valves?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Schrader valves are all standard

[@RagingChicken]

@@TheBikeSauce what size would the perfect size Presta valves be for this conversion then?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Ahh, depends on the depth of your rims. Measure the rim depth and add about 25mm. I think 44mm is a standard size that should work well unless you have deeper section wheels

[@RagingChicken]

@@TheBikeSauce ill get the 44mm, i have the same bike as in this video. thank you

[@mle_ko]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@Volkmannx]

You sure about "any rim will do"? I'm sceptical. 🤔

[@TheBikeSauce]

I’ve seen some pretty sketchy stuff on the KZbins. Not recommending you try it on all rims, but it’s the tire that defines the ‘tubelessability’ more than the rim

[@Volkmannx]

@@TheBikeSauce I see, thanks!

[@NikToidze]

bro tb fair the bike cost 800 bucks, but these upgrades are like 300$, that's still quite a lot

[@Hubertalcala]

When you go tubeless, can you go back to a tubed setup? Wouldn’t the liquid sealant mess up the wheels? Awesome video! Be safe on you rides!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thanks! Yes, you can revert to tubes very easily if necessary. Just clean out the sealant and throw in a tube

[@LOLL1234567890123456]

It's also common to carry a tube with you on trails in case of a sidewall tear or bead just not wanting to pop back on if the tyre loses pressure

[@TheBikeSauce]

Right. All part of the every ride carry

[@davet003.5]

I suggest a Tubolito as a spare. They are super compact and light.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Have yet to test one out, but it’s on the list