Cyclocross - CX and SSCX races and training

Here's an outline

Out line of a tubeless video

• Going to show you how to set up tubeless CX tyres on Stans Rims.
  
  

Needed:

Stans Rim - Iron Cross / Grail / Crest
Stans yellow tape or Gorilla tape
Tubeless valve stems with removable cores or valve cores cut from inner tubes
CX Tyre - can’t be gumwall or wire bead
Tubeless Sealant

Clean rag
Acetone or other strong cleaner
Stanley knife
Pliers
Tyre leavers if your rubber is tight. ‘fnar
Floor pump
High capacity medical syringe
Beer

1) Remove existing tape if any then clean your rim ‘fnar with acetone and a rag. Let any residue dry then wipe with another clean rag

2) apply tape. You can buy yellow tape, but I use Gorilla tape as it’s cheaper and thicker. Cut it to size with a stanley knife whilst it’s on the roll

3) Start before the valve hole and Go round once with the tape. I use a bike stand with a tool poked through the axle to make life easy, but you can do it with the wheel on the bike upside down if that’s your thing.

Make sure the tape is flat, pushed into the centre channel and covers both the channel and the bead socket floor, but doesn’t ride up the bead socket wall.

4) Go all the way round + little beyond the valve hole then cut the tape and push flat.

5) poke the valve stem through the inside of the rim to show you where to make a knick with a stanley knife for the valve core

5) insert the valve stem and bolt it down with the lockring. tighten with the pliers. CONTROVERSY! Many suggest not to do this but I think it creates a better seal when you need it. BACK OFF THE LOCKRING when you’ve mounted the tire so that when out and about you are able to remove the stem with your fingers.

6) Put the tyre on the rim. Do the valve stem area last as that’s where you need a tight seal. Make sure the tyre bead is over, and not sitting on, the valve core seal.

7) Open the valve core, attach floor pump / compressor / whatever and pump like a bastard. You shouldn’t hear lots of escaping air

If things are good the pressure will rise and with a pop and ping the tyre should mount into the beadsocket. Don’t go more than 40psi or bang, splat.

If things are bad you’ll hear lots of escaping air and you’ll not get any pressure into the tyre

Main reasons for this:

• valve stem seal is bad, tighten lock-ring further with pliers
  
• tyre is sitting on top of, not over, valve stem. Work tyre bead to get it over the valve core
  
• tyre is not tight enough and air is escaping around the bead. Inspect gap between bead and channel and apply more tape to rim as required
  
  

8) remove valve core, shake sealant bottle and insert a dose of sealant into syringe. Pro-tip: enlarge the exit of the syringe with a drill bit / similar

9) inject sealant into tyre through valve stem with syringe. Pro-tip: depress part of the tyre and release as you push the plunger. This sucks the sealant in and stops it from being blown out again when you remove the syringe.

10) rotate rim so valve stem is at 90deg then remove syringe. Repeat as required if you think you need more sealant. Stan reckon a few scoops.

11) Attach valve core and re-inflate to 40psi

12) Seal the sidewalls. Put rim horizontal and shake. Flip rim, repeat

13) Wait 40 mins or so

14) if pressure is good, job done, open and drink beer, ride biek

If pressure is bad, mix a pint of water and a drop of washing up liquid. inflate tyre to 40psi, scoop some bubbles / mixture from the liquid and smear all over the tyre. Look for where the bubbles grow - that’s where you have issues. Shake tyre encouraging sealant into problem areas until tyre is sealed. Open then drink beer, ride biek.