Bluffer’s Guide to brakes plus how to bleed Hope four-pots and your technical queries answered, from easier tubeless set-up to bar roll and height
Your questions answered
TUBELESS TROUBLES
Q I’m sure it’s been covered many times before, but I’m still struggling with seating my tubeless tyres. I just can’t get them to seal and make that popping sound. Give me some tips please!
Tom, York
A We feel your pain, Tom! Here are a few things that can make life a little bit easier. Start with the basics – is the rim tape wide enough, and properly sealed? Is the valve seated correctly in the rim bed? If you can hear or feel air coming out of the spoke or valve holes, these should be your first ports of call. A good tip is to leave an inflated inner tube in the tyre overnight to help seal the rim tape.
Using one of those pressurised air tank pumps is a good place to start if you can’t get the tyre to ‘lock’ into place on the rim with a regular track pump – these deliver a high-pressure blast of air that’ll often do the job. Whatever pump you’re using, it’s a good idea to remove the valve core from the tubeless valve, to help you get more air in quickly.
If you’ve done all this and notice air escaping around the tyre bead (especially if the tyre was a doddle to fit), it could be that it’s too baggy on the rim. An extra wrap of rim tape may help you get a tighter fit, so air doesn’t escape faster than you can get it in. If all of this fails, an old-school trick is to tie a strap around the outside of the tyre, as tightly as you can, to push the bead into the rim bed. Just make sure that when it does inflate, you’ll still be able to remove the strap, because it’ll be really tight!
Finally, if you can get air in but the tyre won’t pop out of the centre of the rim, the classic trick of spraying a soapy water mix over the rim bed really can help the tyre slip into place. Also, if you’ve got multiple wraps of rim tape, you can always try removing the top layer (as long as the lower ones are still airtight). Good luck!
ALL BAR NONE
Q What’s the deal with bar roll and bar height? How do I know if my handlebar is in the right place and at the right angle?
Rach, Midlothian
A Getting your cockpit set up just right is really important for comfort, but also handling. What works best will depend on your riding style and personal preference, to some extent.
Bar height is key. We’d start with the grips level or slightly below the saddle when it’s at pedalling height. For most riders, this seems to give a good balance of comfort and control on both descents and climbs. You can experiment from there. Raising the bar a little bit will help you get your weight back on steep descents while allowing you to push the front wheel into holes and downslopes more effectively. Too high, though, and you’ll struggle to get enough weight over the front wheel on flat turns or steep climbs.
Rolling the bar forwards in the stem, so that the tips have more upsweep and less backsweep, can bring your elbows out and encourage you to move your weight forward into a more aggressive position, which is handy for weighting the front wheel in flat corners or on rough tracks. Rotating it back so that the tips are nearer to horizontal can help get your weight back on steep descents. If you’re unsure, start with the bar tips pointing a few degrees up from horizontal and adjust from there.
The good thing about bar height and roll is that they can be adjusted fairly easily on the trail – try a few different set-ups next time you’re doing laps of your favourite descent to see which works best for you.