Tubeless Tire Conversion on Vintage Non-tubeless rims and tires. Trail Breaker

Tubeless conversion on vintage non-tubeless rims and tires. Can it be done? Yes! Should it be done? Yes!!!
I swapped my really old tube tires on my 1997 Barracuda 'Cuda Comp mountain bike for some non-tubeless WTB Trail Boss wire bead tires. Neither the rims or the tires should be tubeless but I am determined to get the benefits on tubeless, mainly ride quality and flat prevention.
This was a success and you should try it!
#stansnotubes #notsponsored #refusetoactyourage
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Instagram: / trailbreaker01
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[@dan_the_man_flips4587]

“This is a horrible idea, but…” This is why I love bikes and the people that ride them so much.

[@TrailBreaker]

Lol, yeah...Front is holding up but the rear didn't. Rims too narrow

[@wazzup105]

Starting with "This is a horrible idea" .. love it :-) Also: "Refuse to act your age"... Love that motto as well.

[@newttella1043]

I've had good luck doing "ghetto" tubeless on old non-tubeless 26" wheels and tires by just adding an extra layer of Gorilla tape to tighten up the space between the tire and the rim. I just use a regular floor pump too.

[@TrailBreaker]

Great tip! You Da Man! That probably would've helped since the tire went on really easily.

[@promodsteve7882]

Great vid, love your mind set. "this is a horrible idea but i am doing it anyway." Props for saving the turtle.

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks a lot for that! Glad you liked it! I couldn't let that little fella get run over😄

[@hopenavajo1391]

Tubeless ready rim costs too much especially and I can't afford to spend money I don't have.

[@armandojuan64]

That's a nice trail , long and flowy . I completely upgraded my 2012 Ironhorse Warrior 3.1 26" aluminum , the only thing I used was the frame , the rest , brand new ( $ 1200 . 00 upgrade ) I also own a brand new Giant Trance 27.5 but my old and faithful Ironhorse is not going anywhere .

[@eggy77]

I'm currently in the process of trying to convert my 28 year old DB to tubeless. I've bought a new rear wheel, and a Nobby Nic tyre, was gonna convert the rear first, but given the rear rim is only 17" and the new tyre is 2.25 I'm now trying to put the NN on the existing front wheel (not the original), and fit the old non tubeless tyre on the new rear wheel. My first effort hasn't gone to plan as neither tyre popped or kept inflated but I'm not ruling it out yet. I previously successfully changed my newer mtb to tubeless using new Hope wheels and tubeless ready tyres, using a double barrel foot pump but the old bike is definitely more of a challenge, I've just purchased a track pump so hopefully that'll make a positive difference, maybe with an extra layer of rim tape. Failing that I'll replace the old front wheel and rear tyre but it'd be boring to just buy all new wheels and tyres wouldn't it 😄

[@hopenavajo1391]

Great idea

[@johnsiebert7023]

Rebuilding my 95 barracuda Dos Equis! Thinking of exactly this tubeless conversion. Perfect timing!

[@TrailBreaker]

Good luck! It feels so much better on the trail now!

[@marupengod]

This is one of those videos I wasn't looking for but I am glad it popped up 🤣

[@TrailBreaker]

Glad you found it!

[@charliepi]

Spotted a Barracuda in the thumbnail and had to watch. It's rare to see one in the wild. I've got a Barracuda A2M that I've convferted to 1x. Haven't yet tried converting it to tubeless, but maybe with my next tire purchase, I'll give it a shot

[@ASJM91]

You're brave, I give you that. Running a experiment with all those trees kkkkk. Thanks for saving the turtle, and for the video

[@TrailBreaker]

Lol, thanks! That little guy was trying so hard to get off the trail but kept freezing up😊

[@jeffreyardziejewski2547]

Great vid!

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks 👊

[@monkrph]

Nice. Nice trail

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks 👍

[@elvzwoods]

"This is a horrible idea...and I think we should give it a shot!" -theme of my life!

[@kitkat12326]

Kinda been wanting to try this with my Ritchey Vantage Comps on my 88' MB-4 Trail

[@RiverCat999]

Great video. Thanks for completing this experimental project. I'm curious to know how the tires have held up. Perhaps you could do a follow-up video. Thanks again for the effort and time that you put into your channel.

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks so much, Jeff. Great idea for a video. Actually the front tire is going strong but the rear got a cut and I had to go with a tube. Bummer! 😀

[@rollinrat4850]

Ive been using the split tube (ghetto) version of tubeless for decades on non tubeless rims. Even narrow rims. I can get almost any combination of tube and tire to seal up as long as the tire fits the rim just right. Rubber tire seals to rubber 'rim strip' to form a perfect ultra reliable seal, 'glued' all together by latex 'natural rubber' sealant. They seal so well, I can inflate with a hand pump. Some of my set ups are so reliable they will hold air indefinitely without any sealant. Ive tested one up to 10 days with 35mm 'cross tires inflated to 60 psi, NO SEALANT! It works best on large volume set ups, no less than 33mm tires 25- 50 psi. Ive used it on up to 2.4" tires at 18-30 psi as well. Non-tubeless tires can work, but they leak sealant constantly, make a huge dirty mess and lose air faster. The beauty of this set up is the construction of rim strip and tire make a tubular tire like construction, so the tire takes a rounder shape and is more supple and compliant when high quality tires are used. The lighter high thread count tires have an incredible feel, very close to the sew ups I used back in the day. This is the original tubeless invention from 20 years ago popular with downhillers of the day who suffered numerous pinch flats. It is by far, the most reliable set up there is. Ive seen trials riders use these set ups for their incredible abuse! I'm a shop mechanic and have tried many of the systems out there, this is the best! The one drawback is that this system requires a bit of initial experimentation. You must be patient and crafty. Once you dial in your particular set up and technique it becomes simple. I can now set up a tire in about 15 minutes. It is well worth the extra effort for awesome tire set ups, reliability and performance. Trimming off the excess rubber cleanly is usually what takes the most time.

[@TrailBreaker]

Wow, I've never heard of this. Where can I learn more?

[@rollinrat4850]

@@TrailBreaker There's plenty of how tos here on YT. Check out Ali Clarkson'sn channel. He does a unique set up suitable for trials. I haven't gone to this extreme but it looks like the ultimate. I just trim off the excess rubber as is normal for ghetto set ups. He uses rubber cement and glues the excess tube up the sides of his tires. That adds another layer of protection from rocks and such. I like more rocks than dirt sort of trails, but I'm an endurance and trails rider. I don't do the extreme hops and maneuvers like trials guys. Search for ghetto 'split tube' conversion/set up etc.....

[@rollinrat4850]

@@TrailBreaker BTW, Ali Clarkson is or was Aaron Gwin's mechanic.Youve probably heard of him?

[@133r]

Freaking adore turtles. Great 👍🏻 job

[@christiankeim]

Thank you for saving the turtle!

[@TrailBreaker]

He was adorable and clueless!

[@christiankeim]

@@TrailBreaker they usually are in our world!

[@diamondmine67]

Great video. I wonder how to tell preemptively whether I'll need 1 or 2 layers of tape..

[@TrailBreaker]

It might be evident based on how loose the tire is when mounted. You can always add more layers

[@houseofvoigt]

Great video ! Have a few questions. What camera set up are you using, editing software and microphone? Thanks

[@italianrelic]

Subbed yesterday after watching your fork rebuild vid! Can you do a rebuild on the re aktiv shock? I have same bike as you trek fuel ex 🤙🏼

[@TrailBreaker]

Yes I can! That's a great idea for a video. Thanks👊

[@italianrelic]

Trail Breaker looking forward to it!

[@danielvelasquez7708]

This may be the only that what how is this possible and impressed. Did you do this without a conversion kit from Stans or other brands.

[@TrailBreaker]

I bought the fluid and some tubeless stems. I used regular Gorilla tape cut down to fit in the rim. Neither the rims (skinny 23 year old Mavics) nor the tires are advertised as "tubeless ready" but it worked

[@danielvelasquez7708]

@@TrailBreaker would any sealant work been thinking between muc-off or Stans.

[@jeffleake1960]

It seems to me saying tubeless ready tires is just another excuse to charge more for them

[@certifiedlawnpros]

Are you riding in Chicopee??? I just ordered a bunch of new parts for my 26er and wanted to see some videos of people riding their updated bikes, then I noticed you bombing down flying squirrel!

[@TrailBreaker]

Good eye! Yes. It’s my go-to local trail system

[@bryanschraven4780]

does this still work? i heard from my local shop owner this isnt a good idea and you can really hurt yourself if youre not careful. i heard it's possible that your tire can slip right off the rim. 💀

[@jered2177]

What valve stem are you using?

[@tadreid5947]

Gorilla Tape... Brilliant! Do you suppose it will come back off if you have to do a spoke repair or would you just cut a hole to remove the spoke and tape back over it?

[@TrailBreaker]

I'd just take it off and put on new. It's cheap

[@rollinrat4850]

Tad Reid If you need to replace the nipple you'd need to remove the tape. Often you can carefully unscrew the broken spoke out of the nipple and carefully reinstall a new spoke without messing up the tubeless tire. I build and repair wheels as a small business. My personal wheels are a little overbuilt (lots of spokes) and ultra reliable. In 30 years I've broken 3or 4 spokes at most. I rarely even true my wheels and I ride technical rocky terrain on skinny ' cross tires. I'm am more of an marathon endurance rider. I don't jump much or ride ultra fast on descents. I just ride steady.

[@tadreid5947]

@@rollinrat4850 What I'm really wondering is: how hard is it to remove gorilla tape from a rim or anything else for that matter. Does it leave a sticky mess? Does it require a heat gun to soften the adhesive? Am I over thinking this? ;)

[@rollinrat4850]

@@tadreid5947 Nope. Never use cheap duct tape for anything. It sucks. That's the best thing about gorilla brand tape. The adhesive is really sticky but doesn't leave a mess behind. Even after it's been in my rims for a year. I reroll and repurpose it when I pull it off rims. Make sure you don't use anything other than Gorilla brand. . It's in the orange box. Its so good than Enve uses it on their wheels. You can buy it from them and they'll charge you 4or5 times as much!

[@tadreid5947]

@@rollinrat4850 Thanks for being up late to share that. I've been curious about Gorilla tape but have never had an instance to use it... until now. Cheers, from the land of moss and slugs!

[@denbo74]

How did this hold up long term? I Just did this to 15 year old Mavic xm117 rims new Maxxis Holly Rollers. 3 days later holding air and only used 2 oz of Stans

[@TrailBreaker]

Front's holding up well but the rear burped and wouldn't stay sealed. Bummed🙁

[@denbo74]

@@TrailBreaker ok good to know. Thanks for the reply

[@Paul58069]

@@TrailBreaker why did it burp, because the rim was a littke bend ?

[@abhi15malhotra]

I have maxiss Pace Tyres and Double Wall Raleigh Rims. I am not sure, if these can be made tubeless. Please give me some tips.

[@TrailBreaker]

Thick sidewalls are helpful as well as a deep cross section rim profile. If the tire mounts too easily, run a few layers of gorilla tape to help fill the gap between the bead and the wheel. Don’t run the tape up the sides of the rim. Good luck👊🏻👍🏻

[@abhi15malhotra]

@@TrailBreaker Thank you so much for the tip. I will try this trick soon. And if i get successful, i will reply here 😊

[@paulogazola]

No luck here. I have a retro rim, with gorilla tape, and a CST Cheyenne tire, non tubeless. The tire is too loose on the rim, and even with the split-tube method it didn’t work. Tubeless tires are more tight on the rim diameter?

[@TrailBreaker]

Sorry to hear that. I've heard of people having success by adding multiple layers of tape to take up the slack between the rim bottom and the bead

[@paulogazola553]

@@TrailBreaker Yeah, I've seen this advice before. And, I was so close to success! Even I've spent several hours in this project, I think I'm gonna try this last solution.

[@a.l.alexander3668]

Could you please give me the current status on your sealant experiment.

[@TrailBreaker]

Front is still holding up but rear didn't. Probably too much weight and really narrow rims

[@icantgivecredit871]

@@TrailBreaker Have you considered retrying it with narrower tires? I'm curious how it would hold up with, say, 26x2.2 or 26x2.1 (give or take, since width varies from brand to brand)

[@s14tat]

How did you spot that turtle?

[@TrailBreaker]

Ha! He was lucky the light was good and I was actually paying attention😄

[@s14tat]

@@TrailBreaker it must be that time of the year. Other redditors have also had close calls with turtles on the trail. I had to double check to see if one of them was you or not..

[@Kristian-ko3rg]

Hello. I have tubeless rim and kenda kadre 29x2.4 and they are not tubeless ready. Can i convert them to use it as tubeless?

[@TrailBreaker]

It depends…it’s easier to make a non-tubeless rim work than a non-tubeless tire. Tube tires tend to be looser and the bead pops off. Build up a few extra layers of tubeless tape on the rim and give it a try. Good luck!

[@Kristian-ko3rg]

​@@TrailBreaker rims are tubeless and tires are sooo tight that i can barely take them out when i was putting new tube. I think it can work but im not sure

[@619SuperLito]

hi I got a 2021 Marlin 7 and new to MTB and wondering if I could convert the tires to tubeless , Thanks :)

[@jeffleake1960]

Yes

[@hehersongarcia1190]

Hi. I was wondering how it went after converting your new tires. I got a Trek Marlin as well. And I'm planning the same.

[@mountainlessmtb9940]

Comment comment see two more comments um I mean three😂

[@TrailBreaker]

Reply reply reply as well as reply😀