Tubeless rims problem

[Potroman]

bought all my things to make my ride tubeless including new tires, only to find out my crappy new Rockhopper’s rims are “pinned” and not able to be turned tubeless, according to Specialized. Is there a way around this?

 

If not, any budget friendly rims worth changing them out for or is that too much to spend on an entry level MTB I’ll probably swap out soon?

[rmap01 ✓ supporter]

Even wheels that are not “tubeless ready” can be converted.  Stans sells a conversion kit for doing so.  There are also “ghetto” options using Gorilla (or other) tape.  Plenty of videos out there that walk you through the steps.

[Potroman]

Yeah I’ve watched about 100 videos now just wasn’t sure if the “pinned” rims would become an issue. Specialized said they can’t be converted but I’m thinking that’s BS?

[rmap01 ✓ supporter]

You should be able to tape it.  I would definitely try that before purchasing a new set of rims/tires.  Worst case, if it doesn’t work you’re only out a few bucks for tape and a couple of ounces of sealant.

[rmap01 ✓ supporter]

^^ Meant to say “..rims/wheels..” ^^

[Bike Nerd]

I went tubeless for a couple of years and then went back to using tubes.   Going tubeless was so much hassle and mess that I decided it wasn’t worth it.  In my experience, the best reason to go to tubeless is if you ride where you have a lot of goathead or cactus thorns and you get frequent flats.   If you don’t get frequent flats, stay with tubes and save yourself a lot of headaches.  The benefits of going tubeless, besides flat prevention, are highly overrated.

[rmap01 ✓ supporter]

I went tubeless for a couple of years and then went back to using tubes.   Going tubeless was so much hassle and mess that I decided it wasn’t worth it.  In my experience, the best reason to go to tubeless is if you ride where you have a lot of goathead or cactus thorns and you get frequent flats.   If you don’t get frequent flats, stay with tubes and save yourself a lot of headaches.  The benefits of going tubeless, besides flat prevention, are highly overrated.

Like most things, there are pros/cons to almost any set of options and tubes/tubeless is no different.  My experiences are entirely different and I don’t ride where there are goathead or cactus thorns.  For me, the biggest difference is that I can ride more aggressively while running lower pressures.  The lower pressures allow a greater contact patch and traction.  Some people may feel that they can do that with tubes by running wider tires but IMO that adds unnecessary rotational weight which I can feel when pedaling.  FWIW, I also feel less “bounce” when landing drops.  On the flip side I ride with a guy that uses tubes that got his first flat this week after over 1k miles of riding.  He’s perfectly content to put another tube in.  My advice to anyone would be to try both options and decide for yourself which one is more preferable to you especially when the investment is minimal.

[TK34]

My two cents that Plusbike and Rmap bring up a worthwhile point that everyone shouldn’t just rush to tubeless because that’s the cool thing. I’ve got two full squish bikes, one tubeless and one tubes. My typical riding is not thorny or sharp rocks, so tubeless doesn’t have much benefit and frankly more upkeep than with tubes, including upgrading the tire because it kept burping at my local bike park.  Periodically refreshing the juice is not a big deal, but still a small hassle 2 or 3 times per season. On the tubed bike, I still ride about the same 28psi, and I’ve pinched one tube in the last two years.

I’m not hating on tubeless – it has benefit for some, but not everyone.

[Sean Gordon]

I don’t know about the pinned rims thing – very few tubeless setups depend on a seal between the actual rim and the tire bead, they depend on a seal between the rim liner or tape and the bead.  Think about it: Stan’s or Orange seal tape will seal a spoke hole, that’s much bigger than the seam at the rim.  If a tubeless ready tire installs on the rim so that its tight and does not shift around, then you may be able to convert to tubeless.

I do not recommend simply building up the rim bed with many layers of tape because this adds weight, absorbs sealant, and forms a squishy, non-durable surface that the tire will not seal against well.

Now just to clarify, tubeless ready rims often have a bead socket, or a raised ‘shelf’ near the rim sidewall which forms a tight fit for the tire.  When you fill the tire with a compressor, the bead is forced outward into the socket or onto the shelf (making a distinctive popping sound).  This prevents the bead from moving toward the center of the rim bed and burping air.  You can sometimes get a tire to seal at the shop but will burp air when turning.

Anyway, pretty crappy on the point of Specialized not speccing a MTB, even an entry level one, with non-tubeless rims.  We’re not talking about hybrids  or commuters. Nearly everything in Trek’s product line is tubeless compatible, even their sub $1000 entry level road and mountain bikes.  Same deal with Raleigh, which is not nearly as premium as Specialized.  Also, it looks like most of the Rockhoppers have 135mm quick releaseand not thru-axle / boost, so its going to be difficult to find affordable pre-built wheels unless you know what to look for used.  In addition the head tube on this bike looks to be 1/8 non-tapered.

Not to give you buyers remorse, but the combination of outdated features and standards on this bike makes me recommend firmly against upgrading anything.  I’m not saying its a bad bike though, definitely ride it and enjoy it for what it is. So what if you bought some tubeless tires?  They are probably good quality tires and when you wear down the OEM tires you’ll have quality spares ready to go.  Just don’t go shopping for new wheels, or a better fork.  Thats money that should be saved for the next bike or for travel costs.

For anyone shopping for a bike, create a features checklist. Here’s mine:
Thru axles (15×110/12×142 because that’s what I already have)
Hydraulic discs (mineral oil because i have spare pads, the bleed kit, and fluid)
Tapered headtube and fox fork in X travel (again, already have the tools and fluid)
1x drivetrain (brand doesn’t matter but I avoid XD drivers because again, trying to maintain compatibility)
Tubeless ready wheels and clearance for my desired tire size

Once I have that features list, I just shop until I find the bike that meets every requirement within my budget and not worry about color , brand, or other emotional considerations.

 

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