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First time tubless setup here and could do with some reassurances.
I have tubeless ready rime and tyres and have installed the tubless valve to the rear wheel only for now.
The tyre appears to have been set correctly, at least it looks as though the bead is sat flush to the rim on each side though this all happened with remarkable ease it's making me doubt that it is done correctly.
I've managed to inflate the tyre with a track pump however before I use any sealant, I went to check that the tyre is fitted correctly and I can hear a very subtle release of air coming from the rim, directly opposite the valve. About 30 mins has passed and the tyre is still inflated but is going down very very gradually I assume.
Is this normal at this stage to the point that adding sealant will simply stop this? or should I have no air being released before I seal?
Any help is really appreicated.
Thanks
Completely normal, it'll be escaping from a ruin join, or somewhere in the tape.
Put the sealant in, give the rim a slosh around to get it everywhere and it'll seal up any of these tiny gaps.
I seat mine dry then use the orange seal bottle on the valve to put the sealant in, makes for a mess free procedure.
Oh and you should know for certain if the bead has seated, a loud ping on each side. Warn people nearby if you're doing it indoors! 😁
Sounds about right.
Sealant will help plug any small leaks.
If you popped the tyres on easily enough, then just unbead a bit of the tyre and pour in some sealant. Reseat the tyre and re-inflate. Give the wheel a shake and a bounce (or go for a quick ride) and you should be good.
I tend to fill through the valve with a syringe and the valve core out but it’s horses for courses. What does help for me at least is to put the sealant in, give it a spin or ride and leave it. Then go back and put a bit more in (maybe the following day), enough so you can hear some sealant sloshing around in the tyre still. That way you know you’ve enough in there should you get a hole to fill it.
@ta11pau1 I didn't get any loud noises so am thinking it can't be seated correct. Is it possible to inflate like I have when not seated correctly?
@turboflard i like the idea of the syringe, will try that.
You should see a line on the tyre just above the rim, if this isn't visible so the way around it's not seated fully.
What pressure did you go up to? New tyres should seat at 30-40 psi or so.
You don't always get the ping, but it's unusual not to.
New tyres should seat at 30-40 psi or so.
I only took it up to 25psi, I'll take it higher then in that case
took it higher, still no noises coming from it. I'll give the sealant a go
all happened with remarkable ease it’s making me doubt that it is done correctly.
95% all go with remarkable ease ... lots of people on t'interweb seem to make it sound complex
Done all mine with a track pump and all just slid into place, never had a ping/pop/bang.
took it higher, still no noises coming from it. I’ll give the sealant a go
If it hasn't seated properly (i.e. the line on the sidewall just above the rim wall should be visible and uniform), think about some lube on the rim to let it slip on easily (bit of diluted fairy liquid or similar put on with an old paint brush for me).
(I've never NOT heard a new tyre "crack" into place when going onto a proper UST rim with the little retaining lips on the ledge)
(I also always fit the tyre with a tube first, just overnight to "shape up" the tyre and fully seal the tape - prob don't have to but it works for me and takes little effort)
@stevextc good to hear, I've been putting it off for that exact reason and now feeling really stupid for not having done it sooner
Its sdimple to see if its seated correctly - look at the gap between the line round the tyre and the rim. sometimes you get a crack / pop as they go on, sometimes not so much
If the tyre is pretty loose on the rim you don’t always get the cracking noise. Just put a new set of 3.0 Minions on my singlespeed and no noise at all. Swapping my tyres on the gravel bike though a week or two before and they went off like a gunshot. @tjagain is spot on though, just run your finger round the tyre where it meets the rim and you should feel the line/ridge at the same gap all the way round.
Sounds good to me. With modern tubless specific rims and tyres it's usually a doddle and you still get to "enjoy" the slooshing dance while you gently ensure the sealant is evenly coated inside. I tend to do it once then balance the wheel on a bucket in a horizontal position then do it again and put the wheel back on the bucket the other way up. Not sure if this is still essential or just a hangover from my ghetto tubeless days!
good to hear, I’ve been putting it off for that exact reason and now feeling really stupid for not having done it sooner
Yeah I was the same back in ghetto times... and really it's just clean the rim (or use T-Rex if you have room), stick some tape in, stick a valve in ... stick tyre on... if its stiff lube with some soap or some kind... if not go ahead..
Some combo's poop like a gun, others barely nothing .... some weep others don't.. regardless I find riding them works best. Take a pump and even a 15 min ride round the local.
thanks all! I ordered a syrienge and added 60ml of sealant as that's the amount syrienge holds but should I be adding more amd dpes it make a differnce to add in stages if I need more? I'm 29" 2.4 Minion DHR II.
is ther any other advice on how to ensure that the selaant is applied all the way around the wheel?
It’s always better to have more than less sealant in the tyre; you should be able to hear it sloshing when you shake the wheel as a minimum in my experience. It’s not just there to seal the bead to the rim but also seal holes remember.
To ensure it’s evenly distributed, give it a spin, turn it from side to side as you do so the the wheel is side on. I also bounce it off the floor and give it a quarter turn each time you do so until you’ve been round a few times. Or as I think someone else said, go for a ride.
...added 60ml of sealant as that’s the amount syringe holds but should I be adding more...
I tend to go a bit more than the instructions on the bottle say. I would reckon on 80-100 mls for a wide 29er.
I hope you triple checked that the rim has tubeless tape in it.
My boardman came with tubeless ready rims and tubeless ready tyres, but the tape on the rim, despite looking the business, was not the business.
I went to Halfords to get tubeless rim tape, which they don't sell separately, and ending up buying the only remaining mtb kit for £35 to get the tape (and in theory some sealant and valves which I didn't need), only to find when I got home that halfords had already used that kit and put the used up tape and tyre labels back in the kit and put it back on the shelf. How amusing I thought.
Ended up using gorilla tape, its been fine.
@haloric oh do you know what I never even thought to check the tape was tubeless as just assumed it was already done what with the tubless ready I kept seeing all plastered all over the over the place. The tape that was on the rim looked substantial and seemed to cover the width of the rim. At what stage should it be first apparent that it's not taped correctly? Without sealant I had an approx 6psi drop in pressure over the 2 nights.
@tuboflard thanks. do you know whether adding another 60ml of sealant to the 60ml that's there already would be the same as if I had added 120ml initially?
I know that sounds liek a stupid question but what I mean by it is does the sealant added in the 2nd batch overlap with the initial batch or will it just mould around it? if that makes any sense?
Having used tubes for 40 years suddently not using a tube feels much the same as going outside with no underwear on.
In my case, I heard escaping air before I put sealant in, as you did.
The tyre had snapped on to the rim, I used gas detection foam (but a bowl of water would probably do it) - and determined that the escaping air was coming from the spoke holes, which can only happen if the rim tape is not working.
The tape that was on there was factory fitted (Boardman MMHT 8.9)
Gorilla tape worked for me and others, there is a possibility that it is too flexible and will stretch into the holes over time and become more leaky. Fitting rim tape is actually a pita. It doesn't want to stick, especially if its old or cold, and you can put a tube in and ride it around for a few days to get a beautiful smooth fit, but who has time for that.
My mate brought a kit online with valves and that came with gorilla tape.
Suggest you take a look at your tape or the front one, or do a bit of googling - what were the wheels, what is the bike they were on etc, and check it.
do you know whether adding another 60ml of sealant to the 60ml that’s there already would be the same as if I had added 120ml initially?
It should be fine. The sealant will find the small gaps in the rim tape, round the valve and bead, and start to set. Also put a coating on the inside of the tyre. Adding another 60ml after a period of time just means you’ve got more sealant sloshing around in liquid form still in the tyre, which is a good thing, as if you put a thorn in it that liquid sealant will generally then find the hole and seal it.
Over time sealant will dry out but given it doesn’t set to a jelly like brick in the bottle I tend to not change sealant any time soon as it’ll usually last a summer or winter season by which time it’s ready to swap back to another set.
And losing 6psi over two nights isn’t much to worry about. If you’ve got a problem it’ll be flat overnight (as per my experience last week even after a shake down ride). Just pop a little more sealant in, spin and ride and it’ll invariably be fine thereafter.
@tuboflard I understand so much more know you've said that as I had assumed it was gong to set stright away but of course it remains fluid and does it job as you and it goes. That makes much more sense to me now. I've just done the front too. The tyre was much more difficult to get on for some reason but all good.
@haloric I'm glad you've mentioned about the tape as you spurred me on to do the front which I have just done now and the tape is tubeless thankfully. Seated the tyre and now just need to seal it. I've got another set of non tubeless ready rims on antoher bike so I might look into the gorilla tape