Around this time of year the question we get asked most often is probably “how do I convert my cyclocross wheels to tubeless?” and until now it’s been hard to give a simple answer as it normally involves guesswork and a bit of fettling to find the right rimstrips.

This year however, NoTubes have released their road tubeless conversion rimstrips to save us all a load of trouble. They are basically the same as their mountain bike rimstrips only longer and thinner, with a longer valve stem to fit deeper section rims. This is how they work:

Fit the rimstrip starting at the valve. Squeeze the thick bit at the base of the valve to get it inside the rim and stretch the rimstrip on. Some Velox tape underneath the rimstrip helps create a tighter, safer fit and makes inflating easier.

Even up the tension all the way round so there are no narrow spots. When the rimstrip is correctly fitted, it should fit below the bead hook all the way round, like this.

Fit the tyre. If you’re converting a cyclocross tyre, you can use a normal (non-tubeless) tyre with sealant, but if you’re converting the rim for road use you must only use Hutchinson Road Tubeless tyres as the high pressures make using normal tyres dangerous.

Add some wheel milk sealant (about 40-50ml per tyre). You should be able to inflate with a good track pump or more easily with an airline. And there you go, self-sealing tubeless road or cross tyres.

Jo B broke his arm a few weeks ago and as part of his rehabilitation therapy was advised to fix hundreds of inner-tubes, a small selection are shown here. It’s a bit futile as he’s an avid convert to tubeless tyres but if it gets him back on the trails quicker I guess it’s worth it….

He also shared the valuable information that latex is hard to get out of a cat’s fur so be careful out there people.