Mavic Deetrak Tubelss Conversion?

Has anyone had success running tubeless with these rims? I'm about to give it a go, but won't bother if its a total bust.

I was thinking of using a BMX tube as a rimstrip, I've also been looking at Stan's conversion kits.

I've seen the thread before, but can't find it so here goes. Will ghetto tubeless + sealant actually save me some weight over running Welterweight tubes?

It will save weight over dh tubes and tires for sure, but ride quality and fewer (to zero) pinch flats are the best reasons to run tubeless. I would have thought that Mavic would make a strip for that rim. They do or did for other rims. Stan's systems are better than a ghetto. Much easier to change tires and if you use UST tires you have the option of going with no sealant. All the Michelin DH tires are UST certified. UST tires from other brands are often referred to as DH light because they are heavier than a standard single wall and thus more durable, yet weigh a fair bit less than a DH double casing tire.

They do come with rim strips. I've never converted a non-tubeless rim before. I thought I needed to add something else, along with a tubeless valve, and sealant? Am I ready to hit the compressor?

Is there no valve for those strips? If not you'll need to buy or make one. I assume that since Mavic make a specific strip that it will work best but I would also expect that the strip either has a valve atached to it like Stan's strip or they have a special valve like their UST rims do. I make my own from dead tubes with long enough presta valves that are threaded. I use a bench grinder to carefully make a rounded button end at the base of the valve. You don't want the valve base too big as it interferes with the bead and makes filling the tire difficult to impossible with a foot pump. Ypou want the valve base just large enough to plug the hole and not get drawn through the hole when you thread the valve nut on. Dip the valve in sealant and install. If you are using a UST tire, sealant is not required. But using sealant is a good idea to avoid punctures and I think it helps seal a tire from burping and daily air loss.

Perfect. Thanks for the help.

You will have no problems with the conversion using this rim and virtually any tire casing that you want to use (whether brand new or older rubber). You absolutely will save rotational weight and you will have a noticebly improved ride quality. I have used both Stan's and the Ghetto set up (you likely have seen my old article http://www.nsmb.com/gear/tubeless_12_04.php) and both work well. Stan's is a no brainer and works really well but has its attendant costs. Ghetto will take a little time for you to get up to speed. Once you are through the learning curve on Ghetto, you will have no trouble at all with it. The only thing that I have changed since the old days is that I now more consistently use the Stan's sealant though I do still use Mold Builder (Stan's does seal better on big punctures and when you dent a rim particularly on big bikes running really big rubber). I am still tinkering with addition of a matrix to the mold builder to improve this (Stan's uses a Silica based matrix to improve the sealants solidifying properties and I have tried this with some success but still don't have it quite right).

Go for the conversion. You won't be sorry you did.

Do most shops sell valve stem core removers?

yes, its usually a valve cap with the remover part on top

Bryce is correct for shraeder valves. Some prestas have a removable core as well and you need a small wrench or crescent wrench to do the job. I would guess it's a 4mm wrench?? Small in any case.

I was hoping Maxxis would make a UST Ardent. Will I be able to run a non-UST tire with the ghetto setup, or do I need UST tires?

Non UST is fine - I'm running standard minions on 823s and as long as you add sealant they work great once you get them aired up and the sealant plugs any leaks along the bead.