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Tubeless: How to latex a MTB / e-bike tire – TUTORIAL

The advantages of removing the inner tube and inserting the latex (Tubeless system) are various. Here's how to do it.

stans no tube tubeless

The first question to answer, however, is: why should I latex my wheels? I need it? The reason is clear: to drastically reduce punctures, especially in the case of small thorns.

But you also need to be real with yourself in understanding 2 things:
Will I go cycling often? Am I able to keep the latex inside the wheel under control?
If I haven't answered YES decisively to these two questions, the risk that the Tubeless system will bring more headaches than anything else is real.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TUBELESS SYSTEM

top up latex tubeless mtb
Top up the latex without removing the tyre

CAN I MAKE ANY MTB WHEEL TUBELESS?

No, the rim must be Tubeless Ready. But it must be said that now all modern rims, not considering the very low-end "supermarket" ones, are Tubeless compatible. The question of compatibility is related to connection between the tubeless tire bead and the bead seat located in the inner rim channel. 

In non-tubeless models (Hookless) there is no tooth to keep the tire well sealed and not let the air escape. There are conversion kits to take normal wheels to tubeless wheels

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO LATTICIZE THE WHEEL?

  • Tubeless or tubeless ready tyre
  • Sealing liquid
  • Valve
  • Sealing tape

There are kits on the market that contain all these things in a practical box.

Tubeless kit from the Stans No Tubes brand

HOW TO MAKE A WHEEL BECOME TUBELESS?

Having read and understood the necessary premises at the beginning of the article, here are the steps to make our wheel Tubeless:

  • Remove the tire
  • Remove any inner tube
  • Remove the inner tube protection flap
Inner tube protection flap
Inner tube protection flap
  • Clean the rim channel well (because then you will have to apply the sealing tape which must stick well to the rim)
  • apply the sealing tape (to be purchased based on the width of your rim)
For tubeless tape you need to be a little careful and tension it well while applying it, in order to avoid bubbles/imperfections
  • make a small hole (with a simple screwdriver) in correspondence with the hole for the valve
  • install the valve making sure it adheres well to the rim
santacruz-fillmore-valve (2)
  • I install the tire almost completely leaving a small part open, so I can put the latex

HOW MUCH LATEX GOES INSIDE THE TIRE?

tubeless mtb mariposa
  • Close the tire and inflate it until it becomes beaded (ATTENTION: do not overinflate the tyre, above 3 bar, to avoid breakages!). If the tire does not buckle at 3 bar, deflate it and use a product to make the sides less "sticky" (soap, detergent or other)
  • Spin the tire well, so as to "spread" the latex inside well and check if there are any leaks
  • In the event of air leaks, the wheel has most likely been taped poorly or the valve does not adhere well to the rim. We have explored, TO THIS ARTICLE, the argument
  • If you don't lose air, go for a nice MTB ride!

FURTHER LINKS



Written by

[email protected] I am a fan of everything that has 2 wheels: at a young age I practiced road and track cycling (Italian Allievi champion). At the age of 18 I passed into the cross country competing at national/international level as an Under23. Past Elite, I made the choice to take things more lightly from a training point of view, and my love for gravity disciplines was born, training me as an FCI MTB instructor and guide. Now I have made passion my profession by managing 2 MTB centers on the island of Elba (Bike Center Elba and Elba MTB), creating the FANTAmtb and telling in an ironic but professional way everything that revolves around MTB thanks to 365mountainbike and 365TV (YouTube'PULITI dentro BIKER fuori').

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