A few weeks ago RL and I hit one of the secret DH trails in LA. RL’s bike, the KHS Lucky 7, was equipped with his Do It Yourself (DIY) tubeless tires, aka ghetto tubeless.
Having a set of UST on one of my bikes, I am a true fan of the tubeless system. In our last two trips to Mammoth Mountain, several of the guys pinch flatted as we hit the rocky sections of the mountain.
Always willing to try something new, I decided to give RL’s DIY tubeless a shot. His “How To†video, located at the right of this page, walks you step by step on what to do and what you need. Already having some tubeless sealant leftovers from my UST tires, all I needed was a pair of smaller tubes to use as rim strips / liners. So one day after work I stopped by my LBS and picked up a pair of 20†tubes.
Installation was a breeze. It took me literally less than 15 minutes for each tire. On one I had difficulties getting the bead to sit on the rim but with patience and the air compressor 🙂 all worked out well.
First ride on the DIY Tubeless Tires was a pretty mellow ride. My son and I rode around the Back Bay in Orange County. Relatively flat as this place is more of an extension for roadies from the river beds and also utilized by hikers. First true ride was this past Wednesday at the Fullerton Loop.
Night ride at the Loop. Kenda Small Block 8 on the rear.
How did it work – perfect! I have them mounted on Easton Havoc wheelset. Front tire is a Panaracer Fire 2.4†and the rear is a Kenda Small Block 8 2.35â€. They are currently mounted on my Intense 6.6 but I’m planning to use them on a more aggressive bike such as my Intense Uzzi. Yesterday I rode at Whiting Ranch which hosts a more rugged terrain than the Fullerton Loop. I mounted a camera on my downtube to see the front tire in action. In the video you’ll see the excess of 20†tube I used as a rim strip/liner sticking out between the tire and rim. It’s ugly, but I didn’t want to trim it down yet until I knew for a fact that the tire was holding air.
Panacers FR 2.4s + Easton Havoc… DIY Tubeless System
That’s great Joe, glad that it worked out for you!
cool, I also have some easton HAvocs and was wondering if the ghetto tubeless would take. I’m running a small block on the rear as well, but Nevegal on the front.
HOw do you feel the small blocks handle loose over loose/hardpack? Would you or have you used it on Sullivan Canyon?
that’s brilliant – the guy in the vid (RL?) reckon they ‘just feel better’, how have you found them?
I might give this a go this week.
I might also write this up on my blog and use the vid, is that alright Joe?
A Swan – go ahead & use the vid.