Converting To Tubeless Mountain Bike Tyres

Remove Tyre And Tube

If you haven’t already, you need to completely remove the tyre and tube from your wheel. Deflate the tyre completely. Squeeze the tyre so that the bead of the tyre (a railing of the tyre that fits snug into the rim) unseats from the rim. Starting at the opposite side to the valve, fit a tyre lever between the tyre and the rim, being careful to avoid the tube. The lever will catch onto the bead of the tyre. Place another lever about 10cm away. Push against one of the levers, then the other, and a section of the tyre should pop out exposing the bead. Keep one lever in place and slowly leverage more of the tyre out from the rim. Soon, you should be able to take it out by hand. Do the same with the other side of the tyre.

Remove Rim Tape

You should see a strip of plastic or material running along the rim. they will remove this. An easy way is to use the hook on the opposite side of the tire lever. Find the hole in the valve and use the hook to reach under the tape to hold it in place. Please remove it completely. 

Clean The Rim

Apply tape to make sure the inside of the rim is clean. This will ensure that the adhesive on the tape fully adheres and seals tightly. Thoroughly rub the rim on which the tire will be mounted with a clean cloth and soapy water. Then let it dry completely. 

Tape The Rim

Start taping the rim opposite the valve hole. Tape the edge in place so that the edge is straight and flush with the rim. Hold the tip of the ribbon and pull the ribbon tight to prevent slack.

Partially tape and run your finger over the tape to blow out any air bubbles, making sure there are no air bubbles. Also, make sure the tape is fully applied. Move along the edge and repeat in 15 cm increments. Overlap the tape about 10 cm until the end. If your rim is not tubeless compatible, you may need a second layer of tape for a good seal. It’s worth doing this first to avoid repeating later. 

Smooth out the tape by running along the rim with a clean cloth, putting pressure on the tape. Run along the same direction that you taped.

Create The Valve Hole

Locate the rim valve hole. At this point, use a small screwdriver (or similar) to pierce the tape. Be careful not to cut the holes radially (or along the rim line) to create a circle. You can widen this hole slightly to make room for the valve. 

Install Valve

Remove the locknut from the valve. Insert the valve into the rim and hand-tighten with the nut only to lock. Do not use tools to tighten the nuts. 

Install One Side Of the Tyre

Then you need to install one side of the new tire on the rim. Do this by hand first to make sure the tire bead is on the inside rim. You may have to use tire levers in the last section as the tires may be too tight. Insert the tire lever between the tire and the rim and use the principle of leverage to pull the tire back onto the rim. y

Pouring The Sealant

Shake the sealant bottle well. Measure at least 90ml of sealant into a measuring cup for 29er 2.2″ tires (add more for larger tires). Pour this into the opening you left in the hoop. Then rotate the wheel so that the sealant reaches the closed areas attached to the rim on both sides of the tire. Now you can install the rest of the tire onto the rim. Using an injector to inject the sealant into the tire allows the tire to be fully attached to the rim. If necessary, use a tire lever to press the rest of the tire bead into the rim. Then use the valve core remover to remove the valve core. Install the injector onto the valve before filling the injector with sealant. Shake the sealant bottle well. Then add at least 90ml of sealant to the injectors of your 29er 2.2″ tires (add more for larger tires). Pour the sealant into the tire and make sure it penetrates completely. Remove the injector and replace the valve core. 

Rotate And Wet

Rotate the wheel to spread the sealant across the inside tire. Wet the tire beads with warm soapy water. This does not affect sealants. This will ensure that the tire sits correctly on the rim. 

Inflating

Some tire/rim combinations can be easily inflated with a regular air pump. Others will need a compressor or a tubeless boost inflator such as the Airshot tubeless tire inflator or the Specialized Air Tool Blast tubeless tire setter. To use these, inflate your Airshot/Specialized Tire Setter to 140psi with a floor pump. Attach the canister to the wheel valve and open it. This will inflate the tire immediately and seat the bead on the rim. As you do this, you may hear some “crane” or “ping” sounds. This is the sound of the bead inserting into the rim and is a good sign. Make sure your tire pressure does not exceed 45 psi. 

Settle The Sealant

After inflating the tire and fixing it, let it bounce up and down on the ground a few times while rotating. This will distribute the sealant evenly inside the tire. Tire sidewalls can be porous (some sidewalls more than others) and sealants plug these holes. Tires with more pores may require more sealant. Put the wheels back on and go fast! Check pressure again. You may find that the pressure is less. This is normal as some air may escape while the sealant completely seals the tire.