Tubeless Fargo

On the Salsa forum over at mtbr.com I read one post that said the Continental Race Kings that came standard on the 2013 Fargo don't work well set-up tubeless, and another post that said pshaw, no problems.

So I gambled and bought the Stan's valve stems and sealant. Since I don't have a presta fitting thingamajig for my compressor, I went back to the Bike Hub downtown and had them set the bead for me. I was duly warned of a good chance of failure using the tubeless rims with non-tubeless tires, and they'd had disappointed customers.  I assured them I wasn't one of those guys.

The tires seemed to set up good in the shop and were holding air, with a few spots of sealant leaking out.  I took them home and had to air them back up a few times that day.  Left them over night and front tire was flat in the morning, but the rear was holding steady.  Pumped about a 1/2 oz. of sealant in the front and it held throughout the day.

This was all in prep for a 2-3 night trip this week down Belsby/Hole-in-theGround Road to the John Wayne trail then to Escure Ranch, but the heat wave got to me.  Maybe later this week.

Took the bike out to Riverside State Park on Monday for a test of the tubeless setup and to see if I could trust it to hold over a multi-day trip out in the boondocks.  Rode over all the worst Trail 25 has to offer - those rocky sections by the river, those rocky sections up in the hills, canyons, everywhere.  Waited to hear the dreaded burping, but nothing.  I think I felt a smoother ride. Worked fantastic and only lost a little bit of air - probably from checking the pressure.

Now I'm looking at those fatbike tires.