Wheel set up q...

[davetrave]

So the plan is to have a Dirty Disco built up in time for this year's event. Planning on a set of Hope Hoops 29er Crests for the wheels.

Anybody know if (or have experience) Land Cruisers will work OK set up tubeless on Crests...? Alternatively, if not LCs, any suggestions for tubeless tyres that'll be up to the job?

Or am I better sticking with tubes and Land Cruisers (tried and trusted set-up) for 3 Peaks and then putting tubeless tyres on for normal 'cross racing...?

[wullrich]

I'd stay away from using LCs tubeless- the main reasons tubeless tyres either fail/burp is due to sidewalls not being flexible enough to cope with bumps, thus causing the bead to pop off- and one of the reasons people use LCs (as far as I know) is that they are really tough casing tyres, (and hence have a stiff casing)
Another issue you'd likely encounter is the bead itself making it hard to seal- its pretty much unheard of (as far as I know) to use steel beaded tyres tubeless, since the bead itself is less conforming to the rim, thus harder to seal. Its also more likely to be deformed/bent slightly, and this hard to seal, and also easier to pop off.

CX Magazine has a good listing of CX tyres that work well tubeless- though none of this was written with the epic 3P course in mind!
http://www.cxmagazine.com/going-tubeles ... mendations


You'd probably get a very slightly better ride with tubes in LCs on Crests since the inner width of the rim is much wider than most road/cross rims anyway, and may (emphasis on may) be able to run slightly lower pressures.

That being said, there's little reason not to try the setup for a few weeks on some rough ground and see how it gets on. I'd be interested to hear the results.

Disclaimer- its my first time riding the 3P, so my knowledge about what would be best for the 3P specifically is obviously dependent on what I've been told!

[Lowly Swale]

For what it's worth,
I'd heard the many references to bombproof Landcruisers and so decided to try some. They are a tough old tyre but I was just dismayed by the energy they wasted. In the 3 peaks I'd rather tippy toe over rough stuff on lighter tyres and save energy for when I can go full gas. I ended up wearing them out over mixed terrain on a touring bike and ran them for ages tubeless. In the end they wore so thin that the 70-80 psi caused a great egg in the carcase but I still managed to ride 3 days home fully loaded with a tyre boot and tube in place.

[wullrich]

Swale: Thats interesting to hear about the LCs running tubeless.

The other popular tyre (according to the 3pxc blog) is the Maxxis Locust. Like the LC, it has a tougher 60tpi casing, but uses a folding bead rather than steel, so its over 200g lighter per tyre. I set these up tubeless last night on Ultegra wheels and will ride them tomorrow (after running them through their paces today) at the Thetford 3 Hour Cross Enduro. I'll post how they get on. They set up quite easily with a scoop of Stans and a compressor, and sealed within a few minutes.
If they hold up well over the next few weeks I'll likely ride this for 3PXS, since I'm a 'middlewieght' 73kg rider. Pressures to be determined.

[davetrave]

Wullrich, were'd you get the Locusts from? A brief Google search reveals most places have no stock left and they're not in the current Maxxis line up on their website... Ta!