Kenda Karma's & Stan's Tubeless Conversion

I currently run Kenda Nevegal tires, which are amazing tires, however at 580 grams, heavy for a race tire.  I used them for a year now and time to move to something lighter, which means less tread and thinner sidewalls.  On top of that, I am going tubeless. 

After much research, I opted for the Kenda Karma tires, which are 450 grams.  After all is said and done, this change should save me about 360 grams, which is huge considering it's only costing me $100.

After two days of trying to convert these tires (mentioned in another post) I finally took the new tires to the trail today.  Overnight, the tires held over 35 psi, however when I arrived at the trail, the rear tire had lost a significant amount of pressure.  Not flat, just very low.  I just injected some sealant, reinflated and it was fine.

A helpful hint:  Goto Walgreens or Rite-Aide and ask them for a syringe you can use to give your child medicine.  They will give you a plastic syringe for free.  Stan's rim strips have presta valves, however, unlike normal valves, you CAN remove the core.  This allows you to inject the sealant WITHOUT having to remove the tire.  Get this syringe BEFORE you start the process.  It would have saved me a lot of time cause I SUCK at mounting tires and it can get messy.  Stan's does sell a syringe but it's $10.  Mine was free and worked perfectly.

So, back to riding.  The tires held up perfectly.  The trail I rode, Yankee Springs, throws a lot obstacles:  Hardpack, loose over hardpack, Sand pits, gravel, steep gravel climbs, tree root climbs, small 1 foot drops.  With all this, not ONE single issue with the tires. I arrived back at my car with the same air pressure I started with.  I did run them at 40 psi since it is recommended you do this until you are 100% sure they are sealed. 

As for the Kenda Karma's, these tires were amazing.  The minimal rolling resistance was immediately noticed.  I could accelerate SO Much faster.  I did do Hill Sprints with 5 minute recoveries.  Even with that, my time was only 90 seconds slower than my TT time.  If I would have used a TT effort, I would have destroyed my race time.  I attribute this to two factors: first, the TT was in April, it's October.  I have 8 races under my belt so I am in much better condition. Second, the tires.  These tires allowed me to be MUCH more efficient with my energy.  Significantly lower resistance allowed me to accelerate faster and hold my momentum better.  Another thing, these tires FLOAT through sand pits. 

With that said, I do still have my Nevegal's mounted to a spare wheelset should the weather turn muddy.

I'll post later this week on how the tires are holding up. I'm told I'll have to inflate them for a couple of days if not a week.