Winter time projects/Tinkering

[Drew Fitchette]

Hey y’all,

Reading through Leah’s thread about winter being long and missing our bikes, I was curious to hear what y’all have in your queues for builds/projects/part swaps?

I think I’m going to try my hand at building some wheels for the first time. I ordered some Bitex Hubs and some Simworks standalone rims and have a friend at my local bike shop who’s agreed to help me with this foolish venture. 

Would love to hear what the rest of you are getting up to in your shops/basements/garages while we wait out the bad weather!

- Drew in Atlanta

[Kesler Roberts]

Go for it! Learning to build wheels is a great thing to do. You'll either love it and get hooked or (like me) realize that some jobs should be left to the pros.

My brother just built a wheelset with those simworks rims and they seem great.

My project for the day once I clear off the sidewalks is to re-wrap my bars.

[Dorothy C]

Bitex hubs are a bit easier to start with because they don’t have any labelling to line up with the valve hole, if you are particular about that. For my first wheel build I took them to the LBS to check over when I had finished them, and prior to riding   
My current task is to sew a top tube protector for my periwinkle Platy I built up last fall. All my other bikes have them already.  I also have a 36h Kasai and a 26” Atlas rim I am going to put together for my 46cm Appa. It will be about my fifteenth wheel build, all for myself or family members. I taught myself from the Jobst Brandt book during lockdown, and it has come in very useful 

[Kesler Roberts]

I plan to build a new rear wheel before long and would like to use a Bitex touring hub in silver but don't see them anywhere except one ebay seller in Israel.  Does anyone know of a US source?  Plan B is to wait until RBW has the 32hole Silver hub back in stock.  Actually that's plan C.  Plan A is to find the money for a White Ind. M15.

As my bike shows, I am not particular about silver vs. black vs. whatever but for whatever reason want my hubs to kinda match and i just got a new front wheel with a polished SON hub.  When I build wheels I also don't even try to line up the logo with the valve hole, but I think it's awesome when others do.

[Drew Fitchette]

Hey Kesler,

I ordered my set from the U.S. distributor directly: https://www.bikehubstore.com/

Looks like they sell them for the same MSRP as others do. Hope that's helpful for you/anyone wanting Bitex stuff! 

- Drew

[Isaak Oliansky]

Bike hub store is great. They had a 135mm end cap/axle conversion kit for the Bitex touring hub that no one else had, just needed to call them to get it. 

[Kesler Roberts]

Thank you -good to learn about bikehubstore!

[Eric Marth]

I really need to solder my SON coaxial adapter onto my Edelux so I can get the dynamo running on my Hillborne! I have a fresh Willybuilt (Will Keating) Atlas/SON wheel and a lamp leftover from my MB-2 build. I have everything I need on hand. 

[James McGregor]

February's project is switching my Motobecane road bike from downtube shifters to Campy Ergo shifters.  I'm keeping the 6-speed freewheel on there - the Ergos are 8-speed - hoping to make it all work through the magic of shimergo!  Here's the before photo (pardon the garbage and recycling cans):

[Jay]

That is a great looking bike.  Love it with the DT shifters but whatever floats your boat ;-)  Sounds like a fun project though.

[James McGregor]

Ha, well, I can't really leave well enough alone.  I don't ride the bike enough and maybe a little tweak will spark some excitement heading into spring.  I usually ride my Hunqapillar everywhere, but this bike is much, much lighter.

[Kesler Roberts]

My big project this week were wrapping my bars in colors that some may not love but I'm pretty pleased.  I also wasted about an hour picking out some reflective mudflaps on this site: https://rawmudflap.uk/. Next week I'll rebuild my rear wheel with the Bitex hub that I have coming from bikehubstore  - thank you for pointing me that direction.  In the end I went with the lighter weight road hub, which they were willing to spec with the 135mm end cap for me.

[Dave Johnston]

I'm still waiting on a couple parts and for the inches of ice outside to melt, but she's ridable as is!
Note: Saddle height is about 3cm higher than owner will ride it at.

[Bill Lindsay]

My winter project was to convert my 1x10 Legolas into a 1x12, mainly enabled by the magic of Ratio Technologies. They sell a replacement 12sp ratchet for my SRAM brifter, converting it from 10 clicks to 12, -AND- they make a replacement cage that converts my SRAM Force road rear derailleur into a unit that will accept a 50 tooth big cog, -AND- had a great sale on chainrings.  I had a pair of 28 hole white industries hubs, and a stack of 28 hole Open pro rims, and a White Industries SRAM XD driver all in stock so I built up some wheels to replace my tubular wheelset, and bought a Garbaruk cassette in 10-48.  I finally managed to take it on its first long ride today, and posted photos in the February Photos thread.  The new drivetrain worked great.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Drew Fitchette]

Eric, love to hear that WIll built you a wheel. Let's see the Sam when you've got it all wired/set up! 

That Motobecane looks really nice James. Hope the Brifter project makes stoked to get out on it more. Though, a Hunq is a worthy everyday rider. 

Kesler, I like the wrap! Those purple tires are far out though! 

Dave the Appa looks great. Hope the weather lets up some so it can get out for some mileage. 

Bill, that sounds like quite the project to get the Legolas some new shoes and some extra gears. Looks great from the photos! 

I just finished building a rear wheel yesterday for my next project to realize that my front hub has thru axle end caps. A call to Bike Hub Store and they've got the right parts headed my way, but now I'm shifting focus to a big overhaul of my Atlantis set up. Wanting to lose my Moth bars and Motolites for something less burly and a neo retro/touring canti set up. The Saluki just got a NOS Nexave RR derailleur and some Suntour bar end ratcheting shifters and has been begging to get out for a ride since. Hoping the balmy 50 degree afternoon will give me a chance to put some miles on it today.

[Ben R]

After a little talk with James I swapped off my XTR m-951 rapid rise and my silver friction shifters.

I changed out the whole drive for a more modern "clutch" RD and then some index trigger XTR shifters.

I gotta say im into it.  since I mostly ride dirt I wanted a more precise shifting.  so far on the one ride it's been great.  I feel like I don't have to take my hands off and like "play the leavers" as much as I did with friction.  its nice since I pretty much only ride dirt and it gets bumpy this time of the year.

while I was at it I picked up a matching XT front mech. *I know it's a little close to the chain guard so don't come at me.

Also went from a 2X9 to a 2x10 (11-36) I know its not a crazy jump but having that one extra bail out has been nice.

[Kesler Roberts]

Ha!  The tires are "cranberry" gravel kings.  I just call them pink.  The fact that they are largely covered by fenders makes them almost work, but that bike is pushing the limit of how many colors can be in one place.  I also have the "matcha" gravel kings on another bike, but on that one everything is black.

[Mackenzy Albright]

I've been slowly working on a bike friday pocket rocket. I just switched from drops and bar end shifters to soma oxford bars and thumbie(s). We will see how it goes. 

[Drew Fitchette]

Ben, The Susie drive train looks awesome! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to snap up your old XTR RR derailleur but I'm trying not to buy things just to hoard them! 

Kesler, excuse my mistaking the tires for purple! I'm a little color blind... love the gravel king limited colors. super fun!

Mackenzy, the Bike Friday looks great! I've always been BF/Brompton curious and love seeing all the builds. That things looks terribly convenient! Hope the swept back cockpit is all you were hoping for! 

- Drew

[Ben R]

Thanks drew!  Did a quick rip the other week and it feels so great. Drive is all recommended per James as he has just about the same set up on his platty and he ain’t lying. It feels great. Feels good to not give up too much grip on the bars shifting while going down the bumpy stuff. Plus having  more accurate shifting is kinda nice vs playing th3 leavers a bit!  Also I think having a clutch > rapid rise feels better. 

Forgot to list the specs incase anyone is curious 

RD - XT-M786

FD - XT-M786

Shifters right and left - XTR SL-M980

Ben R

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[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

I stand in admiration of all of the mechanical prowess on this thread. 

I can do precious little, but on Sunday I DID bring two of my Platys into the mud room and do their sealant refresh. I’m kind of proud of myself because I’ve got this process down to an absolute science so that I don’t make a mess or unseat the tire. I love tubeless; I know lots of people say it’s too much trouble, but it hasn’t been for me. I use Orange Seal Endurance; James at Analog told me this is the way, and he has been right. Every 5 months I add 4oz per tire and it has kept me on the road. Naysayers will say 2 oz per tire and every couple of months, but James’ formula works. 

This week it was announced that the new Garmin Varia has arrived. Available tomorrow. I am so mad because I bought a Varia late last season and had I known, I’d have waited for the current one. It is an improvement in every way. USB-C port instead of that other dumb kind, way better battery, range and much brighter light. I have mounts on 3 of my bikes for that old Varia; if I want to get the new one it will be $$$ to swap all that out. But I just might do it; the battery life and not having to bring an extra cable would be so worth it on camping/touring trips.

Also, I’m thinking about my second son’s college bike. My older son has his Clem at college and absolutely loves it. He has ridden every day, even through this heinous winter. We have a Clem H in the basement for my son, but he dislikes it. I’m going to start planning for his bike as he will be a senior next year. I might give him my dyno wheelset from my raspberry Platy and get a wild ano wheelset for my Platy from Velocity. That bike deserves more bling. You’ll think I’m crazy for giving him an expensive dyno wheelset but I tried sending the other one with battery lights and he lost some of them and charged NONE of them. “Mom, it’s fine, I can see perfectly.” Why should he worry that others cannot see HIM? 🙄 

[Ryan Fleming]

Can't you just sell the Varia you have to recover some of the costs of the new one if it's a significant improvement?

Don't love the planned obsolescence of tech's business model :( But in your case upgrading does make a lot of sense. 

[Leah Peterson]

Yes, Ryan, I’ll sell it for sure. But it’s still a loss. It’s also a worthy upgrade for the amount of road miles I get. But $300! Ugh.

The next terrible thing they will do to me is make a way nicer Garmin that I will insist I need. 😒

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 5, 2026, at 8:20 AM, Ryan Fleming <ryte...@mts.net> wrote:

Can't you just sell the Varia you have to recover some of the costs of the new one if it's a significant improvement?

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c2a78b6c-0664-4883-8ee4-21e465ce2a7an%40googlegroups.com.

[Ryan Fleming]

Hear you...and I totally get your reason for upgrading

[Drew Fitchette]

Leah, I've not dipped into the tubeless realm but have emailed with James from Analog about other things and trust him implicitly. In fact their endorsement of Bitex touring hubs is why I bought a set of them for my new wheel project! 

Does your younger son have an eye for any bike from the Riv catalog in particular? Or do you have a inkling which he might dig? As a younger brother myself I never wanted the same thing my older brother had.  If he had been riding a Clem I'd probably say I wanted a drop bar Sam or Roadini just to be different. Maybe it can be a fun project for you two, figuring out what style of bike he's drawn toward. 

And on the Garmin note, My wife and I have a whole drawer of charge cables for various things and I resent it deeply. I'm really glad that proprietary plugs are becoming a thing of the past as we're migrating over to a universal system, but definitely feel like companies should offer a rebate or a trade-in within a certain amount of time when they know they're launching a "new and improved" version of something. But then again, I suppose the fact that I feel this way is precisely why I'm attracted to Riv in the first place. Fully endorse grabbing a new one when it's something you use so much though!

[Roberta]

Drew,

At the same time as Leah, I also changed all my bikes except for my non Riv commuter to tubeless. I also love it and haven’t had a flat in the last 5 1/2 years. Well, except for one flat on my non tubeless commuter. 😝

Be sure to use the green tape he recommends and his taping method. 

Roberta

[Leah Peterson]

Hi Drew!

Yes, James has helped me a lot. And I owe him and Candice (that is the correct spelling of her name) a LOT of credit for opening up my eyes to what one can do with color on a bike build. Analog Cycles has a certain artistry; you can see it on their product pages.

Huh. I had not considered asking my 2nd son what HE might actually like for a bike. I figure he doesn’t know. He has only given me one opinion, and it was last summer. I had taken both sons to the wild Wed Night Ride in Grand Rapids (home of Velocity Wheels!) and let him borrow my Platy because it has dyno lighting. A few days later my family rode Chicago’s Lakefront trail and he had his usual Clem H. He complained about it. “That other bike I rode was better.” 

“What was better about it?” I inquired.

“I don’t know, but just about everything on the bike was better than this one.” 

And it was. That bike had much nicer parts and wheels and he could tell, novice though he was. Plus, the 1st gen Clem H was way bulky and overbuilt. I know they lightened the tubes in subsequent runs. 

I think there are only 2 logical choices for him. The Clem L or the Platypus. I think he really needs a dropped tube for ease of riding around a crowded city and jumping on/off with loads. We already know he likes a Platypus; I just don’t know if I want to spend that much on him. I know he will be religious about locking it up; I just don’t know if he will really enjoy riding it outside of utilitarian college riding. The Clem is better to be knocked around and abused. It’s sturdy and less expensive if stolen. But if I knew that boy was going to fall in love with biking and want to have adventures with it, I’d get him that Platy he already likes. And no, he is absolutely NOT getting any of my Platys. Because I need alllll of them.

Also, we don’t know his final height. My boys are late bloomers; my older boy came home another 2 inches taller his freshman year of college…

RE: Garmin and cables and junk….I am about to go through every room and every drawer in my house and purge it all. I cannot stand being encumbered with stuff. Winter has been long and I believe in WINTER CLEANING not spring cleaning - come springtime, I’m going to be outside in it. 

I hope you try tubeless! If you follow James’ advice, I think you’ll find a winning formula!

L

On Feb 5, 2026, at 11:11 AM, Drew Fitchette <drewfi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Leah, I've not dipped into the tubeless realm but have emailed with James from Analog about other things and trust him implicitly. In fact their endorsement of Bitex touring hubs is why I bought a set of them for my new wheel project! 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6138f26e-95c1-4e6e-a8d3-828cec60f567n%40googlegroups.com.

[Kesler Roberts]

I was a pretty early adopter of tubeless but have gone back to tubes on my more roadish bikes.  I think there's more advantage to it with fat tires.  I've been messing with using the cheaper TPU tubes mostly with success.

I really like my Varia too.  It's about the only reason that I keep using a computer on my bikes.  Back when I first heard about them, I was skeptical but after riding with someone who had one and seeing how it works, I was sold.  The new one has a lot going for it but it's not in my budget right now.

[Patrick Moore]

Kesler: After a bout of bad luck with the valve/tube connection with 3 expensive Rene Herse TPU tubes (in particular, the 30 to 50 mm wide, 559 and 584 bsd model), I’ve been wondering about alternatives.

Can you say which makes and models you’ve found successful? And where you bought them?

Thanks, Patrick

On Thu, Feb 5, 2026 at 5:16 PM Kesler Roberts <kesro...@gmail.com> wrote:

…  I’ve been messing with using the cheaper TPU tubes mostly with success.

[Bernard Duhon]

Yours sincerely,

 

RH has been very good about replacing "defective" Tpu tubes.

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From: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 5, 2026 10:42 PM
To: rbw-owners-bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [RBW] Cheaper TPU tubes [Winter time projects/Tinkering]

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[Kesler Roberts]

I guess I need to put a pretty big asterisk beside that claim about TPU tubes.  I had some grit or something inside my rear tire that caused a couple of flats.  I have the feeling that butyl tubes would not be quite so "sensitive."  I have also had no luck with patching the TPU tubes.  They all come with patches, which is nice, but they have all failed even when I've been careful with installation.  Also, because of the material not being stretchy, installation is a little harder.

All that said, the brands I've gotten are "Ride Now" and more recently "cyclami."

I say all this as if I actually ride a bike.  There's so much snow right now that I can't even get my bikes up and out of the basement.  Heading out to do some XC skiing now with a stop afterwards at Sadie's Bikes in Turner's Falls, MA to do penance for having bought my tubes off of AlieExpress.

[Jonathan Carmack]

I had mixed success with RH tpu.  And I probably ran a little experiment unintentionally in the process.  I recently built up a Joe Appaloosa and used a new tire on the front and a quite worn tire that I’ve ran tubeless for about 3k miles at least, on the back.  The front has stayed strong for 500 miles of some pretty gnarly riding in the blue ridge, but the back didn’t make it very long.

I’ve since changed out the back and I think TPU requires not only supple tires, but tires that are free of any debris on the inside of the tire.  My rear tire has stayed good now for about 200 miles since.  I abandoned butyl a long time ago for tubeless, for the ride quality, and have now done the same for TPU.  Maybe it’s placebo effect but I feel like the ride quality is so good with them (and quieter).  My two cents.  And for patching I only had success, with some WTB tpu tubes, after adding sealant too.

Jon from DC/VA

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[Garth]

I've done nothing much in regards to winter projects. Funny how that goes, in Fall I think of all that I'll be able to do over ther winter. Then Winter sets in, Life Happens in unexpected ways that fills my "free" time. I don't think of the bike much except for riding on rollers every other day for 20-30 minutes. Yesterday I rode outside for the first time this year. It was sunny and 15F, little wind. I too a 5 minite ride over to a friends house to clear some snow around her yurt. After that, and all warmed up, I rode some around our hilly and thus invigorating neighborhood, which was wonderful. My favorite stop was a home with a large lot with three doggies, two of which are Hunskies and one in particular and I seem to enoy each others company, merrily wagging his-her tail when he/she sees me and jaunts up the yard to greet me. Despite said doggie keeping a certain distance halfway in the yard, he/she rests in the snow, gazing in curoisity, playfulness and delgiht. I'm not sure if that distance is because electronic collars or what, but it doesn't matter. It's a lovely time, and the communication can't be put into words of course, it's un-spoken-speak, so to speak. Genuine heartwarming quality as Being Itself. 

There is a distinct loveliness that Winter offers, in the slowing down and appreciating all the things overlooked in the midst of "just passing by" in the warm seasons seeming intention of "getting somewhere" and "accomplishing something". I see now that there is no place like where I'm at, no time but NOW, no place like HERE ! No Gift Like The Present, the Gift that keeps Giving Unconditionally, For-Ever and Ever and Ever. Inexhaustable. Time-less. 

So, you know, what will be will take care of Itself as It always does. Que Sera Sera. And what-so-ever that may be, it be guaranteed to be Good. So like the Songbird that sings by virtue of being the Songbird, such is Life Itself. 

[Richard Rose]

I have a long history with tubeless & it’s been largely successful especially for MTB. Orange Seal for the win for sure. That said I’ve been intrigued with TPU and decided to give them a try while installing new tires (Simworks Super Yummy) on my Gus. Having read about as much as I could stand I ordered up “MTB” tubes from BikeTube brand. These tubes are a bit more stout than most other TPU offerings @ around 75 grams. Install was super easy and they aired up with a satisfying series of “pop’s” as the beads seated. Unfortunately no rides yet as it has been a brutal winter since installing. These tubes were on sale @ just $12.50 each. I bought 4 tubes for $50.00 including shipping. I am cautiously optimistic & will update when possible.:)

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 6, 2026, at 8:22 AM, Jonathan Carmack <jonca...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Patrick Moore]

They did replace the first to fail at the valve. However, for the record, I am less interested in warranties than in knowing what causes this very frustrating problem. If it is a matter of technique required by the nature of TPU valve-to-tube connections, or if it is due to Velox rubbing the tube the wrong way (as someone suggested), or if it is due to some other arcane problem, I’d like to know the reason.

If in fact my batch of RH TPU tubes are defective at the valve/tube interface then yes, I’d like replacements.

Believe me: I’ve said this over and over again, but I used to fix ~150 flats a year, here in goathead ABQ, NM, and I know how to remove, replace, and pump tubes, at least lightweight butyl tubes. This is what makes me so frustrated with the RH valve breaks.

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks, Jonathan. Noted the question of debris in the tire casing; I suppose that this might cause abrasion and punctures? This fits with someone else’s suggestion that Velox, rough fabric tape, might abrade holes in TPU tubes.

But, for the record, my RH TPU tubes work just fine with Velox and OS regular; it’s breaks at the valve stems that frustrate me.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAEQur2VaMKrD%2BnViTePFGgCusbKVhFUmOTRpGcueTDiLvdst4Q%40mail.gmail.com.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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[Patrick Moore]

I learned absolutely nothing about TPU tubes from Garth’s post, but I did enjoy his description of the winter scenery; in particular, riding over to clear snow from around a friend’s yurt. Man, in my world we have exactly ZERO yurts.

Garth: where on earth do you live, with yurts and huskies?

Patrick Moore, hoping to do an extended (for me) group dirt ride tomorrow in the Village of Corrales, NM bosque, just North of ABQ, NM, where highs are forecast in the low 60s after lows about 30.

[Laing Conley]

I have used 700C RH and 20” Tubolito TPU tubes with no failures, admittedly not a lot of miles yet. I use Velocity VeloPlugs instead of rim tape. I also bevel the valve stem hole inside the rim slightly with an abrasive cone from a Dremel, not the Dremel, just the cone turned by hand. I inflate slowly with a floor pump and deflate every 15-20 psi as per the RH suggested procedure.

 I have some more RH tires and RH TPU tubes due to arrive next week. I would have bought more Tubolitos, but they do not have one-piece 

extra long valve stems. I am putting all-black 700 x 35 RH Bon Jon Pass Extralights on my Trek District with the orange Velocity Deep-V rims. I tried on some old 33.333 Rivendell Jack Brown Blues and they fit with some room to spare, so I am going to max out the tire size to get a softer ride. The tan sidewalls of the Jack Browns look hideous against the orange rims, or I would have used the Jack Browns. Oh, the cost of vanity…

Laing Conley 

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[Andrew Scherer]

Here in the Northeast I don't like riding in cold weather so I spend a lot of time tinkering in the off season. Winter projects started early with a set of Paul Racers replacing Tektro 559s on my Homer. Then, a rear derailleur swap on my 1972 Paramount, where I also took a bit of wobble out of it's rear wheel. An unplanned adventure happened when I came into a free 650B Velocity/Shimano rear wheel, which I matched with a similar front and then had to decide which bike they would go on. They ended up working best on my PDG OS Series Paramount (big surprise, as it's a racy frame) which led to putting the 559s on that frame, and while I was at it I put a New Albion XDD crankset on it to lower the gearing. Any minute now, a front wheel with a Shimano dynamo hub from Kesler is due to arrive, and I think that's going on the AHH. None of this was planned. What I had planned was general maintenance, cleaning, and polishing my two chrome frames. That hasn't happened yet. 

With regard to TPU tubes, I jumped in late last season. I never went tubeless, I don't live in thorn country and I have no problem patching tubes,. Tubeless seems like way more fuss and bother, plus I rotate riding between a lot of bikes so I had the idea that the sealant would settle and dry. In the Fall I bought a set of Ride Now tubes with metal valves for one of my Mercians, which rides on Rene Herse tires. To be honest I don't feel any difference between those and butyl tubes when riding. They've held air for months while they wait for the snows to melt. Maybe tomorrow I'll polish those frames!

Andy Scherer

Manhattan and Woodstock NY

[Garth]

Patrick, ((( Laughing in warm spirited humor ))) I live in Ohio, near the Ohio River. I'm friends with a lady who has Yurt from Washington State, A Rainier brand I think, built by some Amish fellows. They do a lot of house/garage/roof type work around here. No they don't show up in a buggy ! They have drivers for the crew.  She's a retired massage therapist who used it mostly for that, now mostly storage after a small garage fire and partial rebuild. 

The two Huskies are from a home down the street from the above person. They moved in the large brown log cabin style home that's on a huge plot. One day I see these two wonderful Huskies along with another unknown type of dog. Huskies in Ohio ? I did a double take as well. But hey, it's a log cabin home, with Yurt down the street. Eclectic neighborhood for sure ! 

[Chris Fly]

Re: TPU Tubes

I think I posted this on the other thread, but pretty good luck with the green Cyclami tubes that have the threaded, metal valve.. I have patched them and, from my experience, the "alcohol" swap that comes with them to clean the tube sucks.. I say this as someone who worked in medical for a couple decades and knows how long it should take alcohol to evaporate.. these swaps do NOT evaporate as quickly as they should.. when I used a good alcohol swap we had in the house, it was MUCH better.. BUT, I don't think my tubes have removable valve cores.. I have a friend on another forum that rides in Phoenix and he wouldn't ride without tubeless due to all of the goatheads there.. makes sense to me.. but I don't want to futz with tubeless on this point.. esp for anything smaller than about 38mm.. 

it does look like Cyclami has some tubes with a removable core.. 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256810252965916.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.2.20912649kZeAfH&algo_pvid=299f1cf8-d253-42fa-a291-c8e777695a06&algo_exp_id=299f1cf8-d253-42fa-a291-c8e777695a06-1&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%221267%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22orig_sl_item_id%22%3A%221005010439280668%22%2C%22orig_item_id%22%3A%221005010745949940%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22search%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21USD%2113.91%216.95%21%21%2196.02%2148.01%21%40210328db17704808668637247ea820%2112000052413882402%21sea%21US%216461760953%21X%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29919%3Bd%3A81587fd0%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895&curPageLogUid=hlYA2jz5ZWs1&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005010439280668%7C_p_origin_prod%3A1005010745949940

[Jamie D.]

I made a pump peg for my Clem using a King Cage universal support bolt and this m5 acorn nut. The acorn nut fits perfectly into the pump peg hole on the Zefal HPX and the concave supports on the pump fit nice and snug in the seat tube/seat stay junction.

[Patrick Moore]

Chris: Thanks. I can get sealant into valves with “non-removable” cores; have done so very often — by removing them.

Must look to see if Cyclami makes tubes in narrowish 26”/559/650B sizes.

Also, thanks for heads-up with their “alcohol” pads. I was talking to someone today who said that he found it much easier to repair punctures in TPU tubes than butyl tubes — I think he may have used the RH TPU patch kit — since it was just a matter of wipe and apply. I must buy a few TPU patch kits for the very rare occasions when OS regular does not seal a larger hole. I guess that the technique, with sealant in the tube, is to carefully isolate the area to be patched from the sealant, and wipe it very clean indeed before applying the patch.

[Patrick Moore]

I agree; if you aren’t plagued with thorns, and you experience punctures with only normal frequency, sealant would not be worth the bother. I’d happily patch 1 hole per week for 3K miles per year instead of messing with sealant — that’s 1/3 the rate I used to patch tubes. But OS does work, and work very well, in tubes and in tubeless tires.

On Fri, Feb 6, 2026 at 4:45 PM Andrew Scherer <andy.s...@gmail.com> wrote:

… With regard to TPU tubes, I jumped in late last season. I never went tubeless, I don’t live in thorn country and I have no problem patching tubes,. Tubeless seems like way more fuss and bother, plus I rotate riding between a lot of bikes so I had the idea that the sealant would settle and dry. In the Fall I bought a set of Ride Now tubes with metal valves for one of my Mercians, which rides on Rene Herse tires. To be honest I don't feel any difference between those and butyl tubes when riding. They've held air for months while they wait for the snows to melt. Maybe tomorrow I'll polish those frames!

[Chris Fly]

Yes, isolate the hole, wipe the area, and put the patch on.. done! :) 

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Be the Reason Others Succeed!

[David Hong]

My RockCombo has been taking most of my butt time since I put it together last year. 

I have some M950 XTR bits that I've been hoarding for the right build. Specifically v-brakes and a RD. Also picked up some drop V levers off the list a couple of months ago in prep of the change.

Drew, the Swift bag might look familiar to you too!