[ArthurDH]

Anyone ever tried racing DH with single ply tires and hand-made tubeless kits (no tubeless specific rims nor tires)?
How did it work? Did you tear the sidewalls? Did the tires come out of the rims?

If it works it should be great, because you don't have to worry about flats anymore and you save a lot of weight

 

[dexter]

i tired/still run it occasionally. you will tear sidewalls riding sketchy stuff or really rocky terrain. they also burp easier but i run pretty high presure so dont notice it that often anymore. i run single plys on the majority of my bikes tubeless

 

[DHDror]

Not for real DH !
They puncture from sharp rock quite easy.

 

[PepperJester]

I ridden DH with my folding bead Kenda's on my Ex823's running Stan's. Worked great for me - that is a UST wheel thou so it's not really what your asking.

I've only ever burped my tires on one ride in the last 6 months. And that was due to landing a gap really sideways and leaned over.

 

[ArthurDH]

maxxis makes single ply tires with wire bead, not foldable... it should help a lot against the burping issue

DHDror: "puncture" means ripping the tires' sidewall really bad or just small holes? because i'm going to put liquid latex (is this the right word?) inside the tires and it should fix them

 

[Cave Dweller]

At diablo, UST 823 with a kenda single wall and maxxis single wall, both got torn in one day. Plus they feel squirmy. I can't recommend single walls for anything other then the smoothest of DH tracks.

 

[1soulrider]

That setup works at Sea Otter....and about no where else.

 

[LaytonDH]

Tried it multiple times with Stan's and Maxxis strips. They burp way too easy at any pressure you would actually want to run.

Agree with 1soulrider, Sea Otter with 45 psi might work, then again so might a cyclocross bike

 

[ZUMBI]

bad idea...any single ply tire I tried just riped on sharp stuff...single ply sucks for dh racing..

 

[Biscuit]

I've run/been very happy with 2.35 Minion SRY single-ply, wire bead on my enduro. The sidewalls are thick enough for good trail riding and smoother racing.

Search for "ghetto tubeless", I think go-ride even has a how-to on their site. Build up the inside with stringy packing tape, try to build the center a little extra to create a notch for the bead to sit in. It should be tough to get your tire on with the tubeless strip. A tight fit = less burping.

For rough stuff you want the stability, durability and low pressures of traditional tires. The light tubeless feels sketchy on a dh bike, but great on a trail bike.

Tried using kevlar beads on another bike and they kept burping and blowing off the rim.
Sidewalls cut too easy on lighter tires too.

 

[Biscuit]

I should note that I haven't used it for "racing" except at sea otter and a local mole-hill. I just use it for trail riding and would not run single plys on my dh bike. Period.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I tried running a 823 / single-ply 2.5 kenda nevegal combo once. It ended horribly in a double flat about 3 minutes into the run (I was only carrying one tube at the time...now I carry at least 2).

I will note that it was at Whistler and I wasn't a very smoove rider (Still not...). However, I have gotten better and decided to try again...bad idea.

The last jump of A-line, blew out on a slight misplacement of the rear wheel. That sealed the deal for me. DH casing all the way.

 

[Discostu]

I tried maxxis single plys with maxxis strips and stans on my giant reign all mountain bike. Within a week I tore the sidewalls so badly that I could stick my fingers through the holes.

If you put them on your dh bike, they will probably fail at the worst possible time.

 

[frznnomad]

ummmm possibly the baddest decision ever. dual ply and racing go hand in hand. single ply and racing should never be utter'd from a dhillers mouth.

 

[DirtyMike]

Sun Ringle Single track SL1 wheels, Stans tubeless hit, Single ply Maxxis tires. Havent had any trouble at all yet, railed lots of rocks, have run them at 20lbs at Fontucky and no pinchs no punctures .

 

[Cant Climb]

I tried maxxis single plys with maxxis strips and stans on my giant reign all mountain bike. Within a week I tore the sidewalls so badly that I could stick my fingers through the holes.

My experience too.......Maxxis DH tires hold up like truck tires but the single wall go bad real quick, even just trail riding.....

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

getting 5 flats in 1 day was enough for me to never run single ply tires for DH ever again.

 

[bullcrew]

stans/syncros/kenda blue groove/nevegal combo tubeless single ply and no problems so far. Raced Beacon, rode Tamarack, and a bunch of nasty sharp stuff including a couple of really nasty runs here in So cal (jagged loose nasty stuff) and i still have no problems. I race them this way and will for quite a while