After 3 years of tubes with plenty of flats and leaks I decided to do the conversion today. SunRingle Mulefut 80 with Terrance Cake Eater 26 x 4.6 tires. A few things I saw online said go Schrader and of course tubeless. Found these VeloTubes valves on Amazon. Tire and rim says "tubeless ready" and the rims are factory taped. One tape job had a rip, so I patched over it with rim tape (see pics).
After stripping both rims and patching one rim tape, I drilled out the Presta hole to Schrader using a 5/16 drill bit. You really want a slightly bigger 21/64 bit, so I worked it with the drill bit to enlarge the opening.
Next, I put the directional tire back on the rim and tube back in to set the bead. Pumping to 20 PSI. Then, I broke the bead on one side and removed the tube. On one wheel, one rim side was damaged so I kept that bead in place.
Now it's time to install the Schrader stud without the core from the inside. Rubber washer and locknut goes on the outside and tighten down. Then I try to set the open bead with tire priers, so it just barely goes on and it's tight. I tried loose and it would not hold air with a compressor.
I'm now setting bead dry, no valve core with a small LI compressor. After working the tire a bit I got them both to hold air enough to set the bead, again to about 20 PSI. Took a few tries to hold air, but not bad. Then it deflates quickly without the core.
Time to add the sealant and go on a ride, so I'm ready with helmet on. Mine takes 6-8 oz, but I only had 6 for each. I squirted it through the Schrader and reinstalled the valve core.
Finally, it's time to add air up and ride. I pumped them up to 15 PSI and I could hear leaks from the old tires. Reinstalled the wheels and rode around the street to seal. They did loose air but seemed to stabilize after bouncing around. I think the job is done with another 2 oz of sealant and another ride. Will be nice to ride again without patching tubes!
by Tasty-Day-581
2 Comments
Looks great! I’ve had really good luck in the cold with Orange cold weather version.
Only downside is that I’m used to easily deflating Presta valves. The Schrader valve caps do have a nipple to deflate with, so just gotta hold on to the original cap.