DIY tubeless inserts for less than £10 - cheap gravel bike upgrade

Backer rod is used to fill voids behind windows, doors, when they are installed. Among other uses

Finally, somebody showing what really happens when working with tubeless tires. Sealant gets everywhere! But it's worth it.

I have yet to go tubeless, but if I do I will be referring back to this video. Appreciate the honest presentation including all of the hiccups along the way. I’m all about hacking my way to a low budget alternative no matter how messy it is to get there 😁

A sealant syringe is cheap and makes tubeless setup and maintenance so much easier I don't know why anyone "couldn't be bothered." The right tools go a long way to make a job like that easier and cleaner. I run tubeless on everything down to 30mm, and will never go back to tubes.

❤ this video is worth watching for its British humour, let alone the messy sealant scenes 😂

The fact that Vittoria have the nerve to sell the same thing for 65 pounds is not crazy, it's insulting.

Thanks for the reminder why I'm never switching to tubeless🤣 BTW my bike hack is to use heat-shrink tube at the end of my shifter and (rim) brake cables instead of crimping an end on. Much tidier and 1 gram less 😉

At least we get to see levers being used to remove and install the tyre. When I tried tubeless - and I do like the concept - it's advised that using levers could potentially damage the tyre bead causing it not to be airtight. Well good luck with that! Maybe with big mountain bike tyres it's possible but never on road tyres. I've always had to resort to levers for both removing the tyre and replacing it. Maybe there's a tiny chance to install with just my thumbs - and I've got close - but never to remove the tyre.

Perhaps it would be best to add sealant after the tyre is installed on the wheel, not before?

The manufacturers are gonna love you for exposing their excessively high priced inserts when you can buy the same stuff from a builder’s merchants for £1 a metre! 😂

Another trick I kearned was to drill 4-5 large holes in the insert to let the sealant circulate around the insert.

Wow, I love inserts, and this is brilliant 👏

Brilliant idea ! however unscrewing the valve is the easiest thing ever !

This has been very entertaining :) Thanks!

This is a really good tip. I was put off by the price of the Vittoria inserts.

Add the sealant thru the value stem

Pure comedy!!!! 😅😅😅😅 But also quite informative. 🙌🏼

Great idea! Its literally used everywhere millions on meters is used in every high rise building.

I’m enjoying the bike so far youtube.com/post/UgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfV… My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.

I tried 30mm backing rod with 33mm cross tyres. There was no way the tyres were going back on the rim. I tried again with 20mm, but I'm not sure they're giving me the full benefits of inserts, although I probably could run them flat at a pinch.