I’m in the process of ordering some tyres for the mtb XC. I’m currently running tubeless (Maxxis I think) that came with the bike and were obviously fitted.
I’ve never changed tubeless tyres before, so what do I need? Presumably I can use the existing valves? so that leaves:
Sealant
Core remover
Syringe
Some kind of pressure/chamber charger?
Anything else?
are you on tubeless rims?? if so those things don’t apply, you just need a new compatible tyre.
if you’re running latex (like Stans etc) you’ll need to follow the process that comes with the sealant - frankly it’s a right PITA so you might be better off investing in some UST tubeless rims.
go to the Stans website and see what they suggest
I don’t actually know TBH. They are the rims that came with the bike and are called Giant XCT.
I did see this in one of the reviews for the 2018 model (which is what I have I think)
To Giant’s credit, it is one of the few brands offering truly tubeless-ready wheels out of the box, meaning the wheels come with rim strips and valves installed — two single-serving bottles of sealant are even included in the box.
probably not UST tubeless so you’ll need the latex route I guess
I don’t really understand your answer. I was assuming I would need sealant (which is what you are referring to as latex?). I can’t mount to wheels I don’t have.
Sealant is usually latex based so apologies if I confused you. Your wheels are tubeless ready so use a sealant - mine are UST so use a different profile of wheel and tyre to form a seal without the need for a sealant.
To replace your tyre, you’ll need sealant and a new tyre - if your wheel is only 2 years old you probably won’t need a new valve or rim tape.
there are some good “how to” videos on the Stans website so take a look at those.
Cheers FB. I think my confusion was thinking that the sealant was only needed for the puncture side of things and not to actually seal the tyre. But now I get what you mean.
I’ve ordered some Stan’s Sealant, a syringe, core remover and some spare valves just in case. Phoned an XC riding mate who says that I can seat the bead buy using a tube with the tyre half mounted, then remove tube and pump like crazy to get the other bead seated. What could go wrong? 
yeh - getting the initial pressure into the tyre is the battle and for me is a right PITA which is why I went for the UST wheels. you could try using a large CO2 cylinder to get the initial burst to inflate the tyre but even there it’s not always successful (as I found!). the other approach is to use a large volume pump - the kind you use for tent air tubes or SUPs - if it has the right valve connection.
have fun! 
and yes - the sealant does 2 jobs in forming a seal with the rim as well as making the tyre more puncture proof. curiously UST tyres don’t use a latex at all but also never seem to puncture either - odd.
Cheers. I think if I had more mtbs or multiple sets of wheels for tubeless, I’d invest in a proper charge chamber but at the moment, the plan is to change the worn tyres I have now for the rest of winter/spring, then invest in some nicer hoops.
Mrs FP is questioning why I’m bothering to order nice new tyres to fit them to the heavy OEM wheels that I want to change anyway.
So, another question. My type of riding is mainly XC with the odd bike park. (Swinley etc), no jumping, a) because I can’t and b) because of the risk. I like ‘flow trails’ now and then but mostly long distance XC.
Budget would be sub £1k. Would a good light pair of alloy wheels (Hunt?) be better than carbon? I see that Sigma has the Roval XC for £1050 but a good set of Hunt alloys is approx £500.
I don’t have enough off road experience to know what the benefits would be. I have SRAM 12sp, so I think I need Boost XD?
if you’re not a balls out full time MTBer than I see no advantage in having carbon rims - a good pair of alloys would be just as good. my hoops are Shimano tubeless UST ones so pretty generic and I find them fine - I do have Ti 26" frame however so the whole setup (I have a 2x10 groupset that I’ve not update to a 1x) is only coming in at 11kg. I built it for Xterra races and love it!
you’re best talking to a bike shop about what rear hub you might need - I’m not up to date on this stuff
Cheers. That’s what I figured. There doesn’t seem to be a massive weight difference is some of the carbon vs alloy ones either.
My bike definitely has ‘Boost hubs’, which I think is a width thing? And looking at the SRAM freehub guide, I’m pretty sure I’d need a XD. (I think XD-R is 12sp road).
I got some boost Hope XC wheels as my Mavic hubs were like cheese. I spent £600 on the pair but know that they are UK made and the Hope hubs are fully serviceable and customised green decals to match the bike and anodised purple hubs ala Joker.
ooh, interesting. I will take a look, are they light?
Not bad actually I race XC and xterra with them but opted for a something a bit more robust as the courses were not trail park smooth. The wheel range is now called fortus rather than Hope tech XC
After converting all my bikes to tubeless this pump has been a revelation as the air chamber saves me having to buy a boost which are a PITA
I was looking into those but I already have a good track pump, so may look at a chamber. Not sure yet.
Uggh, just took the time to properly set up my suspension, something I hadn’t really done before.
What a PITA that was, I think the problem was my shock pump. I have a Topeak one and I couldn’t unscrew fast enough before half of the air came out. I was trying to set up sag.
So for the fork I had to put in extra, which was fine but the rear shock was a nightmare because my pump wouldn’t really go past 210psi and I needed 196 as a base but every time I unscrewed the pump I went right back down to 150psi.
Got there in the end with about 25% sag. Did the rebound as per Fox base settings and will take it from there.
I did go to the Hope site and like the build of the wheels but wow, they’re heavy! (I realise the irony of this whilst I’m 10kg overweight 
)
I can post you down my shock pump for a quick fix?
That’s very kind thanks but a mate that lives close is dropping his over in the week, which is better than mine. He thinks what I’m hearing is the air rushing out of the pump valve/tube but that doesn’t explain why when I put the pump back on, it reads very low.
I’m a bit concerned that despite my pump going up to 300psi, I can’t physically get it past 215-220.
Anyway, my suspension is set up way better than it was, so it’s a start.
