Thursday, April 19, 2007

Shimano Tubeless Wheelset – ROAD!


I saw the writing on the wall last year when I was building up the Aegis Victory and spec’d Shimano’s Dura Ace tubeless wheelset. At the time, there still weren’t tires designed for use with the rims, but they were in development. This winter Hutchinson was the first to make such a tire so I ordered them up.
I installed the tires last night without incident. They were no more difficult than putting on a tight clincher. The key was getting the bead in the rim channel, seat the bead as far as you can, breathe for a couple minutes and let the tire know who’s boss, then pinch and roll and squeeze as best you can and she rolls on. I thought this was only the first battle as I had difficulty with Mavic’s MTB tubeless wheels catching air when first pumping. The bead didn’t want to seal right off. However, these Hutchinson’s were smooth and the bead sealed instantly and without assistance. They didn’t even pop which made me think they weren’t on. They got up to 100psi quickly and I spun them in the air and there were no wobbles. I checked the wheels this morning and they held the air overnight so I’m good to go! I plan to train with them tomorrow and if all goes well, race them Saturday.

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