Setting up Peaty's Tubeless

About two years ago Steve Peat launched his own range of mountain bike products, including a range of items to suit tubeless tyre setup. That includes valves, rim tape and tubeless sealant. Peaty's products have found a new home in Australia with Advance Traders, and with a new Merida eOne-Forty Limited in the work stand being built, it was a perfect time to test out the parts needed for a full tubeless setup.

Do you struggle with tubeless setup? Try these tips!

As the Merida eOne-Forty Limited doesn't come setup for tubeless, it needed rim tape and a valve provided. Peaty's Rim Job tape comes in 21, 25, 30 and 35mm widths, which is super handy given the range of rim widths on the market. The 30mm tape was a perfect match, and while the tape is thin it has a tiny bit of stretch to help apply it nice and tight. It's not unlike the Orange Seal tape when fitting, but a lot more compliant than NoTubes yellow tape, or the Joes yellow tape. The tape is clear, which is novel, and it can let you read a rim serial number. This is useful if you donk rims a lot and want to claim warranty for running into something – but it's a pretty minor feature. You will see if sealant has come through the tape and is sitting against spoke holes though. And that's useful.

The Valves are alloy and our test set are black. They come in a range of colours thanks to a partnership with Chris King, and while we have 42mm, they come in 60mm as well. THose two sizes should fit just about any MTB rim out there. The large rubber base pulls into the valve hole nicely to make a good seal.

The cap is also a valve core remover. Having a removable valve core is essential, as you probably know that's what gets clogged up. Peaty's have a lifetime guarantee on the valves, so we expect you might be replacing a few cores over the years.

The sealant itself is where the magic does, or doesn't happen. Some people have terrible experiences with some sealants and others have excellent experiences. This sealant is ammonia free, and said to be less corrosive to metal as well. Which is good news if some does get through your rim tape and into your rim and against the nipples.

The sealant is thin, latex-based and will wash away with water. What you'll mostly notice is the blue glitter. Rest-assured the gllittery bits are biodegradeable. What they should help with is clogging larger holes, and Peaty's claim they can seal a 6mm hole. It's also a synthetic mix, reducing the need for rubber from plantations, and of course no ammonia is needed to keep it stable. The whole range uses a lot of recycled materials in the packagaing, and the large workshop vats of sealant aim to reduce the use of single use plastics.

Peaty's also claim the sealant will last upto 6 months in a temperate environment. And what's that? Well if you've had a few sweaty days this summer, it's probably not where you live. Sealant doesn't last that well when it's really hot, and I know that in my shed in Queensland sealant has a really short life. There's a very real argument to get a beer fridge for my shed, even if half the capacity is for bottles of sealant.

The 120mL packs are about right for a full-size 29er trail tyre, and I put one in each wheel of the mullet eMTB in question. The tyres inflated and sealed up first time, but with a tubeless ready Maxxis setup that's not surprising. The true test will be how well the sealant works over time. There is a lot of good sealant brands already on the market. This tape was nice, as were the valves – so we'll see how the sealant stacks up. All in it's not a cheap conversion given the cost of the valves – but if they are the last set you'll buy, that should pay off in the long run.

RRP: Valves $54.95 | Tape $34.95 | Sealant $24.95 for 120mL pouch

From: Advance Traders