Peaty's

Tubeless Conversion Kit

“Going tubeless has never been so easy.”

Having planned to go tubeless for well over a year (and having tried and failed once already), Peaty’s tubeless conversion kit seemed like a good shout for giving it a second attempt. Initially I was worried that I’d encounter the same issues that I’d had before, such as: tape not sticking to the rim properly, issues with the valves that I’d bought and problems beading the tyre. But Peaty’s conversion kit made the process an absolute breeze.

Set up:

As I’ve said above, I have previously tried to setup tubeless with no success; but in all honesty, I was winging it. I’d bought the various bits and bobs from different companies I thought I’d need and essentially just tried to throw them together without any sort of a plan. Needless to say, it was a complete waste of both time and money.

This time was different though because with Peaty’s Tubeless Conversion Kit, you get almost everything you need, all in one box. Tape, sealant, valves (including valve-cores) and most important of all, instructions! The only thing that is missing is a means of beading the tyre (which I’ll get into later).

Following the instructions step by step means you don’t ever have to second guess yourself if you’re unsure. Of course, you could always google it, or watch a video on youtube… but if you’re anything like me and rather inept when it comes to any form of bike mechanics, then having instructions right there in front of you whilst you’re sat working on the bike is a major bonus. The instructions are incredibly easy to follow and break down the process into a clear and concise routine so you’re certain you’re doing it correctly. They even break down the width of tape you’ll require based on what rim width you’re running!

 

Components:

There is always an argument for shopping around and mixing brands to find the best components; but having everything in one handy box gives you peace of mind that you know the products will work well together. I know that the Peaty’s sealant will work well with the Peaty’s tape and the Peaty’s valves because they’ve all been tested together.

The tape stuck to my rim perfectly and most importantly, didn’t shift when I was trying to get my tyres back on (an issue I ran into on my previous tubeless attempt). It features the Peaty’s logo which I suppose is needless but it does add a certain je ne sais quoi. Why have boring see-through tape when you can have something branded?!

The valves have a perfectly snug fit into the rim (having had leakage issues with the valves I’d previously tried this was extremely pleasing to me) and very smartly make use of the dust cap as a valve-core remover; saving you that little bit of extra space for your packless riding. They also feature the Peaty’s logo which makes them look pretty swish against my black Rims.

The sealant is also somewhat of a marvel in itself. Generally speaking it looks like your traditional white viscous sealant but it also contains tiny bits of biodegradable glitter. It doesn’t sound like much, but the science behind it is what’s key here. This glitter essentially works like the platelets in your blood, getting stuck on each other where the “wound” is. This allows the sealant to be trapped and solidify more quickly; speeding up the process of healing that pesky puncture. The sealant is also CO2 compatible; a must for me as I don’t own a compressor (and I’m not too keen on forking out for one just so I can go tubeless) and a floor pump didn’t cut it last time. The kit comes with two re-fillable trail pouches which you can use on initial setup but since I had the big bottle, I used that. I’ll save the pouches for when I’m out riding and need a top-up.

Riding:

In brutal honesty, I couldn’t sit here and explain to you how Peaty’s tubeless set up is better than another companies, because I have nothing to compare against (unlike the setup process). But I can talk briefly about how going tubeless itself was beneficial; I’ll start with the most obvious and important feature: NO TUBES.

I am always getting punctures… to the point where it has become a running joke with the people who ride with me regularly. Front or back its pretty indiscriminate. Yes, I have checked my tyres and my rims and no, they aren’t the problem. Quite frankly I’m tired of changing inner tubes (and I’m sure Total MTB’s Lew is fed up of me stealing his). Going tubeless means I don’t have to worry about it. Lo and behold during my first two days of testing not a single tyre was removed from my rim… an instant plus for any days biking.

I will admit to getting a couple of burps but it was my first time running this fancy new tubeless setup and I was adjusting to getting my tyre pressures right. Funnily enough, once I’d sorted this issue and found my PSI sweet spot, the burping stopped and the real fun began. I felt free to push it as hard as I wanted without worrying about when my next flat was coming and therefore the inevitable half an hour sat by the trail trying to get my tyres off (trust me, it takes this long with my tyres). Even if nothing else was different I’d have simply been happy with this, but the bike felt more responsive and I felt like I could feel the terrain more consistently through the wheels giving me more confidence to ride faster. I’m sure there are even more benefits to tubeless riding but to be honest, I was enjoying myself that much at this point I kind of forgot to think about it!

 

Other perks:

With regards to the purely biking side of things; using Peaty’s Tubeless Conversion Kit seems like a bit of a no-brainer, and alongside my glowing review of the product itself I’m pleased to say that from an environmental standpoint the kit is second to none. Everything comes in one easily recyclable box with the instructions printed on the interior (no additional wasted tree foldout) and the sealant (glitter included) is fully biodegradable and non-toxic to the environment if you get a little spillage. You can also re-use the sealant pouches over and over again by filling them up from the big bottle; perfect for a trail top-up.

 

Conclusion:

All in all, I’m incredibly happy to have used Peaty’s Tubeless Conversion Kit. It made the whole process of setting my bike up tubeless incredibly quick and simple and having followed the instructions to the letter, I would now feel confident in setting up another bike in a jiffy. As for the benefits of going tubeless? It’s well worth it; even if it’s just so you don’t have to take off your tyres every time you shred. I feel perfectly happy in giving it my seal (pun intended) of approval.

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