I have been running tubeless tires on my road and gravel bikes for over a year with no (apart from 3 self- sealing) flats. The tires can be very tight to mount but I discovered an inexpensive tool- Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack that made it possible to mount the tires without a trip to the LBS. It was less than $30 on-line. It pushes rather than pries the tire onto the rim (less than 2 or 3 minutes for a stubborn tire). http://www.koolstop.com/images/Accessor ... 0IMAGE.jpg
The only catch is that although the tires can be easily removed with standard tires levers you would still need the Tire Bead Jack tool for remounting. It is a little too large to fit in your jersey pocket but not too heavy for a larger bag.
I have a Specialized Air Tool Blast cylinder that can easily inflate 25 mm road tires but struggles a bit with the 33 or 38 mm gravel tires.
The 3 rear punctures healed very quickly on the road and I was able to continue riding without having to add any air - was using Stan's sealant.
I had some Mavic Yksion Pro UST tires that were very smooth rolling and fast but the rear tire is worn out after less than a full season (around 4000 km). Will see how the new Continental GP 5000s last.
Gerry
Tubeless tire tools
Moderator: mfarnham
Re: Tubeless tire tools
Hey Gerry - I like the post and thanks for the info. I'll likely be getting one of these on short order as I too have struggled with mounting or remounting a tire from time to time. Here's a nice video to go along with the tool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oD-mr3dAEw
That being said, unlike in this video, I was always told to "finish" mounting the tire at the valve, with the reason being that at that point, the valve actually limits the amount of depth we can gain by making sure the tire bead is - as much as possible - in the innermost well of the wheel ... which allows us a maximum stretch over the second wheel rim. If I do this, I find I maximize my chances of getting it on without any tools at all. With some tires though, it helps to use a "grippy" set of gloves to finish the last 6 or 7 inches of bead-mounting! Cheers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oD-mr3dAEw
That being said, unlike in this video, I was always told to "finish" mounting the tire at the valve, with the reason being that at that point, the valve actually limits the amount of depth we can gain by making sure the tire bead is - as much as possible - in the innermost well of the wheel ... which allows us a maximum stretch over the second wheel rim. If I do this, I find I maximize my chances of getting it on without any tools at all. With some tires though, it helps to use a "grippy" set of gloves to finish the last 6 or 7 inches of bead-mounting! Cheers.