[Lex]

So I bought some of the Maxxis ts rim strips a while back, and I thought some people might be intested in my experience. The install went pretty easily, although you have to be carefull not to damage the strip when using tires levers. Once they were on, it took a little extra work, but I was able to air them up with a floor pump. The ridge that sits along the inside of the rim acts as a beadlock which the Michelins popped right into. Yes, the strip does hang over the outside edge of the rim, but I have yet to see how this can be a bad thing outside of needing to be careful when installing the tires.

After I aired them up I decided to let them sit for a couple of days to see how well they held air without sealant. After a about a week the front had lost almost nothing but the rear was a little soft. I tried everything to get that rear tire to burp some air out the side, but I'm pretty sure the leak was just a slow pin hole one. I ordered some Stan's sealant to take care of it, but just never got around to putting it in.

This weekend's race came around and, being a little lazy, I decided to take a chance and not put any sealant in at all. I'm running 321s with a Michelin Comp 32/Comp 16 2.5 combo. I was running the Comp 32 at about 22 psi and the Comp 16 at about 24 psi. The course was pretty rocky, and I fully expected to end up with a flat at some point, but after 2 days of riding I had zero problems. I'm very impressed with the outcome so far. Not bad for only $10.

For the weight conscious:
The rim strips only weigh 129 grams (according to Maxxis), so based on the weight of a Maxxis DH tube (472 according to Jenson), the total savings was about 1.5 pounds total. Basically if I switched to my 521s (I haven't tried the strips in these yet), and switch to a Comp 16 2.5 front/2.2 rear, I'd shave about 2.75 pounds of rotating weight off of my BB7. I can't wait to see how that feels.

 

[Incubus]

I thought that maxxis weren't making these anymore?

 

[HTFR]

what are these rim stips exactly? could you give a link to where they are found on the maxxis website?

Glad to hear it worked out for ya!

 

[Lex]

Originally posted by Incubus
I thought that maxxis weren't making these anymore?

I got them off of the Maxxis website for $5 each. As far as I know they are discontinued, but I figured I'd give them a try. I can't say how they would work with tires other than Michelin since that's all I've tried.

You can find them at maxxis.com and then look under the tubeless section for ts rim strips. The DH2 is what I used with my 321s and the DH1 is what I got for the 521s.

 

[Abe]

I've been using the maxxis rim strips with sealant as well for about a year now... and haven't had problems.

I cut them down so that they don't hang over the edge of the rim, because this makes installing tires MUCH easier... just a tip.

enjoy!
-=Abe

 

[BrayDownhill]

were the tyre's you used with the strips brand new?

I'm thinking of trying it but my tyres have been on and off the rims a couple of times and I doubt if the bead is as straight as an arrow.

 

[Lex]

Originally posted by BrayDownhill
were the tyre's you used with the strips brand new?

I'm thinking of trying it but my tyres have been on and off the rims a couple of times and I doubt if the bead is as straight as an arrow.

The Michelins that I installed with the rim strips were not new. They had about 6 or 8 hard DH days on them, but they still mounted up OK. However, in the time I was using them, I didn't remove and remount them at all, so the bead hadn't been stressed at all.

 

[in the trees]

I ordered a set of these last week and I can't wait to try them out. I'll be putting them on 321s with High Roller 2.7s. I'm also curious to see how tubeless ride and feel especially since I'm coming off a Gazzi/Trail Pimp/Dh tube combo (HEAVY!!!).

 

[zedro]

so why is it Maxxis offered this system for dirt cheap and no one buys them and they get discontinued, yet people will shell out 120$cnd for a Stans system that essentially does the same thing

oh wait, i use BMX tubes...

 

[Threepointtwo]

Maxxis has never advertised that they work for "normal" tires and the word is just now getting out that they work without a Maxxis TS tire. I have been running this setup for a while now and they inflate easier and seal better than the Stan's strips. I was initially concerned that they would get torn up when changing tires because of the way they extend up and over the bead but several tire changes later and this is not an issue. I would prefer a Schraeder valve but hey, for $5 I'm not complaining.

 

[MMcG]

so these basically let you run tubeless without the use of a sealant like Stans? Is that the bare bones simple explanation?

 

[Lex]

Originally posted by MMcG
so these basically let you run tubeless without the use of a sealant like Stans? Is that the bare bones simple explanation?

I'm not running sealant at the moment, and I might not, but there is still the possibility of pin hole leaks in the tire itself. That's why I might run some Stan's. My Michelins seated up really well, and as a test I dropped the pressure to about 10 or 15 psi and tried my best to get the bead to burp air out the side. No dice. The bead sits in a little channel in the rim strip and gets locked in there. I'm sure if you let the pressure down low enough it would burp air, but at that point you have a flat anyway.

 

[1000-Oaks]

I have been running this setup for a while now and they inflate easier and seal better than the Stan's strips. I would prefer a Schraeder valve but hey, for $5 I'm not complaining.

Gotta hand it to Maxxis on these, I've done several sets of tubeless now:
- A few sets of Stans with sealant, I like the product but it's a bitch to initially install on 321's.

- One set of Maxxis with the "ears" scissored off (to make like Stans strips) with sealant, had a hard time getting 'em to hold air, finally gave up.

- One set of Maxxis DH2 strips on old Mavic 321's, used with sealant and the way Maxxis intended (no trimming). Works GREAT, easier to inflate than Stans and is even more burb-proof. It's crazy, you can let almost all the air out of the tire and push in the sidewall WAY in and it still stays sealed. The widest Maxxis strip fits the old 321 perfectly, just wish is was a schrader stem but oh well.

 

[in the trees]

I couldn't get them to work on 321s with Comp 16 2.5s, nor with High Rollers 2.7s. Then tried the High Roller on a Trail Pimp and still couldn't get it to work. (All were brand new tires.) The problem was trying to get the bead up onto the "hooked" section of the rim strip. I'm glad people have have success but I gave up. At least they weren't expensive.

Toby

 

[ChrisKring]

I have been running tubeless all year. I have 2 wheelsets that are set up with tubeless. The first is a Mag30 with Stan's and the second is a Singletrack with Maxxis rimstrips.

Inflation:
The Stans would not air up without using my large air compressor with the valve core removed. The maxxis rimstrip wheel set airs up with a floor pump.

Burping
Neither has burped very much air. The Stans burped air once. It was on the Mount Snow pro course at the top. I nailed a rock in the deep mud in the first right hand corner. The Maxxis have never burped air.

Cost: The Maxxis are way cheaper. You still need some sealant for non tubeless tires though.

One more item, I was riding last weekend with the tire engineer from Maxxis. He said they were going to continue to make a few of the rim strips. Yeah

 

[nickaziz]

125 grams is easily the same weight as an xc tube...

 

[1000-Oaks]

I couldn't get them to work on 321s with Comp 16 2.5s, nor with High Rollers 2.7s. Then tried the High Roller on a Trail Pimp and still couldn't get it to work. (All were brand new tires.) The problem was trying to get the bead up onto the "hooked" section of the rim strip. I'm glad people have have success but I gave up. At least they weren't expensive.

Toby

I used Stan's sealant inside and soapy water at the bead to lube everything up. I did have to "pull" the beads onto the "hooked" section first, I pushed down in the middle of the tire and pulled the sidewalls sideways to get them over the "hook".

 

[Colin]

What's funny is I'm just about to set my pair up on 521s and caught this thread. We'll see how things go. I plan on using some of the Stans goo and Maxxis Hansventures for tech. trail riding.

 

[joelsman]

I have been using the maxxis rim strips since late june with no problems, the tires (2.7mobsters) had been on and off the rim a couple times.
I have to pump the tires up everynow and then, I used stan's sealant in them. mavic 729 rims. went to gether pretty easy.

I had been getting pinch flats at whistler, and now that I switched I've had no problems and I can feel the weight difference.

i will be using this system for a while.

 

[DHCorky]

I used the Maxxis strips with Stan's sealant all season. I had no problems with Rhyno Lites, and Singletracks with Minions and Highrollers mounted to them. For next year I am going to go back to just XC tubes, unless I go with a full UST system.

There were really no advantages that I noticed that made the extra hassle worth it. The tires were slightly more difficult to get on and off with the extra space the strips took up on the rim. The sealant only lasted for about 2 months before more was needed. For the first week after adding new sealant the tires had moisture leaking from them so I had to be careful were I kept my bike. I could get the tires inflated with a floor pump but it definately took some work.

 

[ioscope]

So all in all, it is really best to run xc tubes, right?
Is it easier to flat with xc tubes? I have run cheap stock tubes for 2 years and only get flats about once a month.

 

[lovebunny]

i use size 2.2 tubes on my 2.7s and hardly ever flat

 

[Bikerpunk241]

I ran the Maxxis Strips with Maxxxis Tires all year without a problem. Not to mention that they're a lot cheaper than stans rimstrips.

 

[1000-Oaks]

I've cracked open some Michelin tires / Stan's after a whole year and they still had sealant in them, haven't had any trouble with it leaking out or drying up. Gotta have an air compressor to air them up that first time though, no way in hell would I try to do it with a hand pump.