Tubeless Cyclocross - Part 4

Quick summary of my Stan's Notubes for Cyclocross experience:

-I built a wheelset using Stan's ZTR 29er rims. I don't believe a standard clincher rim/rim strip solution is reliable for people who weigh more than Mary McConneloug.

-I tried to go "by the book," using a tire Stan's recommended on their support forum. Continental Twister Pros. Nice tires, but they failed miserably with notubes. The rear tire came off in a race, probably after stretching out for the week I'd been testing them.

That brings us to part 4.

I've decided Stan's Notubes doesn't have any useful information on going tubeless for cyclocross. For general notubes instructions, such as sealing a wheel, adding sealant, etc, their site is wonderful. They definitely know what they are doing with MTB tires, but skinny tire cyclocross is a much different application. I was very disappointed in the lack of guidance and information available on their site. This is to be expected, though, because as of right now, Stan's does not officially support cyclocross usage. So if you're looking for guidance, I suggest you look elsewhere. It just so happens I found a place.

Bill Larson at Cyclepath has set up several riders here in Portland, and he's done a lot of testing. All of them are using the ZTR rims with Michelin Mud2 tires. Bill's riders have had nothing but success, with not so much as a flat tire this season. That's pretty good, because I guess they're using the same wheels to train and race on. So I would have to say Bill Larson is amoung the world's leading authorities on notubes and cyclocross.

Bill recommends the Michelin Muds, suggesting Stan's has not yet tested the 29er rim with cyclocross width tires. After a lot of experimentation, I now believe him.

Stans' does not recommend the Mud2s. However, going by Stan's recommendations hasn't gotten me very far, so I gave the Mud2's a try. I rode them for about 90 minutes today, and they are fantastic. They work very well at the lower pressures you can use with tubeless tires.

At the end of my test ride today, I tried to pop the tire off the rim by slowly riding and then quickly turning front wheel 90 degrees. This stops you quickly and violently with enough force to roll a tubular off (I rolled one accidentally doing this in a race this year). I tried it with the Conti Twisters, and they burped. The Michelins, however, stayed on tight. I was very pleased.

I'll be trying them out tomorrow again, maybe on some rocky terrain this time. If that goes well, I'm racing them on Sunday.