Tubeless Rims or Wheelset Query

[dkoloko]

What are others buying for either tubeless touring rims or tubeless touring wheelset? I've seen few, and expensive, 36 holes, 700c, and accept touring (wide) tires.

[RonK]

Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place. There are plenty of tubeless 29er rims available. Look at Stans, WTB to start. I'm using Stans Flow EX.

[staehpj1]

How wide do you want your tires to be?  I have not toured on tubeless, but have seen tubeless tires and wheels that pretty much run the gamut of sizes.  I think there used to be a dearth if models in between wide MTB tires with off road tread and skinny slick road tires.  Since the advent of gravel grinders and adventure bikes have become popular it seems like there are plenty of in between models.

FWIW, I really like my Stan's No Tube wheels and fat Raven tires on my MTB.  I'd tour on them if there were a lot of dirt and gravel roads or trails involved.  For all pavement I like fairly skinny (23-25mm) slicks for my touring since I travel very light.  If I packed heavier, I'd probably prefer something in the 28-32mm range for pavement touring.

There are tubeless tires available in all those sizes.  Also some folks successfully run tires that are not specifically labeled as tubeless and some run wheels that are not specifically designed as tubeless using one type of conversion or another.

[dkoloko]

Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place. There are plenty of tubeless 29er rims available. Look at Stans, WTB to start. I'm using Stans Flow EX.

The 29er rims/wheelsets I've seen are wider than I need for road touring, are apt to have less than 36 holes, and may be carbon, which I don't want, so I have given only passing consideration to 29er rims/wheelsets. For 700c rims/wheelsets, cost is, as mentioned, also a consideration.

[dkoloko]

How wide do you want your tires to be? 

There are tubeless tires available in all those sizes.  Also some folks successfully run tires that are not specifically labeled as tubeless and some run wheels that are not specifically designed as tubeless using one type of conversion or another.

I'm using 35mm tires for touring.

For availability, see my reply to another post.

For guerrilla setups, my experience and that of others, is that it is chancy at best for road tires. Worst is trying to make tubeless tires work with non-tubeless rims; hence my query.

[staehpj1]

For guerrilla setups, my experience and that of others, is that it is chancy at best for road tires.

Yes, probably true for the 35mm size you want to use or narrower sizes.

I suggest that maybe you might consider a well built 32 spoke wheel unless you pack super heavy.  If 32 spokes can work for you one of the Stans cyclocross rims or wheel sets may work out okay for your preferred tire size.  I think they say 25-40 mm wide tires are good on their Grail rims.

I am just spit balling here though since I have not actually used any tubeless rims in that size range.

[dkoloko]

I suggest that maybe you might consider a well built 32 spoke wheel unless you pack super heavy.  If 32 spokes can work for you one of the Stans cyclocross rims or wheel sets may work out okay for your preferred tire size.  I think they say 25-40 mm wide tires are good on their Grail rims.

I am just spit balling here though since I have not actually used any tubeless rims in that size range.

I thought of that, and agree the 32 spoke wheels probably will work, still looking for 36 hole rims/wheelsets now.

[RonK]

Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place. There are plenty of tubeless 29er rims available. Look at Stans, WTB to start. I'm using Stans Flow EX.

The 29er rims/wheelsets I've seen are wider than I need for road touring, are apt to have less than 36 holes, and may be carbon, which I don't want, so I have given only passing consideration to 29er rims/wheelsets. For 700c rims/wheelsets, cost is, as mentioned, also a consideration.

Well, you did say wide. 35mm tires are a fairly conventional width for road touring. Have you considered the Velocity A23

[RussSeaton]

Not really sure what you are asking for.  I think all clincher rims can be used tubeless.  Not just those who claim they are tubeless.  Remember this fact.  DT and Velocity make several rims that are very suitable for touring use.  36 hole.  Heavy duty.  There are probably other rim makers too.  Shimano makes a variety of road and mountain hubs with 36 holes.  Wheels are fairly easy to build yourself if you are inclined.  And you can hire a local person to build them for not much money.  Or online places offer this service too.  Spokes are $0.50 to $1.00 each for DT and Sapim double butted 14/15.  So its very easy to build exactly the touring wheel you want without much fuss at all.  What is the problem?

What you are asking is reminiscent of the olden days when all cranksets in the mountain/touring world used 110mm bcd and 74mm bcd centers.  Road used 130 and 135mm.  Back then there was no point complaining that your crank did not have the right chainrings that you wanted.  You could very easily buy any chainring size on earth from Campagnolo, Shimano, TA, Stronglight, Sugino, etc.  Put them on your bike and you will have exactly what you want.

Just buy the wheel parts you want and assemble them yourself or hire someone.  Then you will have exactly the wheelset you want.  Its really not that expensive either.

[dkoloko]

Not really sure what you are asking for.  I think all clincher rims can be used tubeless. 

Just buy the wheel parts you want and assemble them yourself or hire someone.  Then you will have exactly the wheelset you want.  Its really not that expensive either.

I went into that. Guerrilla tubeless tire setups do not work for road tires. I  tried it. My local bike shop says they tried it with poor results. As I stated, this from LBS, tubeless rims are more important than tubeless tires for tubeless setups, particularly for road tires.

I've built wheels. As far as not being expensive, Velocity A23 rims recommended by another in this thread sell for $93.99 each. May find discount online, but shipping, in oversize box, still makes them very expensive. To price of rims, must add cost of hubs and spokes. These rims are also narrow for touring. Advertised can use up to 35mm wide tires; I may be okay with that; still on narrow side for touring. Only offered with 36 holes in black; I may be okay with that; some may not. Lastly, these rims are "tubeless  ready"; supposedly okay for tubeless, but not optimally designed according to latest standards for tubeless.

[RonK]

Well, sorry I bothered. Good luck with your search.