[Closed] Tubeless inflation tips?

Its all about the washing up liquid, I have stopped laughing now thanks, what planet were you on? anyway for perfect stress free inflations and puncture proof tires:

Step 1: leave the washing up liquid in the kitchen
step 2: buy a can of STANS Sealant
Step 3: clean all of the 'wasup' liquid off, you might need to use white spirits to do a decent job.
Step 4: refit following STANS instruction and Bobs your flippin uncle.

If you are struggling to get mudX tires on 819 rims, then get some weights and start pumping iron, they are a tight fit but no moreso than a stuck jam jar lid. if you must using a lever make sure its a nice plastic one.

I have mudx 2.0 on 819 with stans which has held 40lbs since July 09, the secret is making sure tires and rims are squeaky clean and using STANS.

I have used dt swiss juice and bonty juice, all rubbish, STANS really is the dogs juice.

Using UST wheels with inner tubes ranks up there with "thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife" and using ust wheels and tires without stans sealant is like riding spd pedals in Nike pumps!

if i don't use washing up liquid, I can't get a seal at all.

I'm using Stans sealant, but none of the tyres (including the previous 3) would inflate until I put washing-up liquid on the shoulder of the tyre, to help the intial seal.

Went as far with the rear trailraker, to clean it up and allow it to warm through before retrying to fit it. Wouldn't have it at all, so gave up and fitted the tube. Might be against the 'ethos' but it inflated, which was more than was happening otherwise..

I'd use a CO2 cartridge or a compressor to blow the beads onto the rims - you'll struggle with a floor pump I suspect.

I have never used co2, try wetting the tire bead and or rim seat in the stans, you need to make sure all nooks and crannies are moist with stans, if you cant get the tire started off inflating with track pump, try spreadin the tire towards the rim beads and if air is gushing out anywhere, hold it flat with one hand while you pump furiously with the other, thats the most trouble I have ever had.

Where abouts do you live? I am in swindon, wilts

Was it a brand new Mud-X, that had been folded?
You have to stretch them "round", by fitting with a tube and leaving overnight. Then you won't need washing up liquid.
This could be the same for other tyres.

btw, Bonty Superjuice is better with Bonty tyres IME. Designed for it innit.

I've just this minute put on a pair (as I do every year when I finally relent to the conditions and take off my high rollers). They will inflate, trust me. It can be a pain. I don't use washing up liquid or anything, just good strong tyre leavers and well experienced thumbs.. My tip to get them to inflate is to hold on to the trye near the valve (where the problem usually is) and apply a little downward pressure. Hey presto the air can 'take hold' and start to seal the tyre up.
Good luck.

midlands based..

the seal looked pretty close, as I was getting small foam bubble forming but no matter what I did, all of what you suggested, it wasn't having it.

bugger, so then what cheap but usable compressor?

You could try wrapping a roofrack strap around the circumference of the tyre, it squishes the bead down a bit, which can help.

mmm sounds interesting scruff.

Its all about temperature IMO. Have done numerous successful tubeless inflations with various tyres (granted, using a compressor) , but when try to do it when air temperature in workshop is low, it never ever works. It helps hugely to keep the tyre in a warm place prior to trying to inflate, and to do it in a heated environment!

Mavic 819 and High Roller LUST were fine, normal tyre levers, washing up liquid solution and a track pump........

Dezb, no was last years winter tyre, but had been in the garage so was well cold.
As per Bullit, t'is why I tried warming the tyre in the sink for 30 minutes but was tired and bored by then, so maybe wasn't that enthusiastic.

Still edging towards a compressor...

First off, fit the tyre with an innertube & get both sides to seal. Deflate the tube & remove it from one side, keeping the other side sealed.

Then (a tip from my LBS), assuming you have the presta valves with the removable core, pump it up with the core removed as that offers a lot less resistance. Refit the valve core once both sides are sealed.

oh Yes removing the valve core helps a lot. You can thread it back in with 60psi escaping, its dead good fun but a lottery if it gets blown out your fingers halfwayacross the garage.

graham, I've heard this before, but as I can never get them to seal/inflate without lube/sealant, I've given up trying.

DIY compressor
Take the hose and head fitting off a track pump. Buy a new spare head fitting and fit to other end of hose. Pump up car tyre a bit and attach to bike tyre valve with double-ended hose. Don't forget to pump up car tyre again.

I had trouble getting a non ust conti onto my 819s could not get them on for love nor money then someone (JRA geezer I think) said stick a draft excluder strip along the deep centre channel and they went up first time (and I pinched and ruined the tyre first ride)

Also use valves with removable cores so you can get them seated first then add latex, lot less mess/waste.

Is the TrailRaker a UST one or normal one? If it's a normal one, it may be because Panaracer tyres have slack beads and hence are hard to run tubeless, at least as far as www.justridingalong.com are concerned.

http://www.justridingalong.com/content.php?pid=529

TR UST, though it was previously used last year with tubes (as I hadn't a tubless wheelset then)

I feel your pain - just been 25 minutes outside trying to get a 29" Fire XC Pro sealed onto a Stans rim - washing up liquid everywhere, sweating as much as if I was on a ride. Gave up.

The tyre has been in the shed for 12 months and was a bit deformed and stiff which I think was 1 factor. Cold didn't help pliability either.

I think once the tyre has sealed once (perhaps with the inner tube method and expand and stretched, it might well seal alot easier...

z1ppy, yep sometimes i've had to put sealant in to get it to finally seal. I'm reluctant to do initially that as sods law says that i've got the tyre orientation wrong & when i swap it round i'll get sealant all over the floor.

Stopping for a cuppa when you're about to give up helps too 🙂

Z1ppy and Nige.

If you drop round I'll give you some tublessing tips while I do it for you.

but you've got a compressor!

The tube tip has just worked - got it sealed up

Pumped up the tyre to 50psi and left it for a few mins to stretch, then took the tube out of 1 side, washed up the bead again and it went up

bonesetter - Member

but you've got a compressor!

That's cause there's a hard way and an easy way to do most things. 😉

My sympathies on that one - when I tried to inflate nobby nics on my first tubeless rims they didn't work and the air was very, very, very blue and I was very, very, very red. To be fair taking the valve core out helps to bead the tyre on the rim - when you fit the core then re-inflate it's LOADS easier. It's also better in a warm environment, and stans sealant is the business. You could get a cheap compressor just in case 🙂

when I converted mine to stans, I had to add extra rim tape so that the beads mad decent contact with the rim - then it all inflated brill - using Maxxis Advantage on Mavic crossride. It took a bit of time to work out what was happening but the 2nd wheel was done in moments. Also, didn't have to use any washup liquid either.

I usually nip over the yard and get the chap there to use his compressor to seal it. I always try first though and 50% of the time they seal. He wasn't there today, so the struggle and then using the tube was a good lesson.

Z1ppy and Nige.

If you drop round I'll give you some tublessing tips while I do it for you.

And if he's busy and you fancy popping down to Worcester, again I'll gladly show you how...

Oh, and Stans solution is definitely the best, but by all means not the only option. I've recently mixed my own home brew which seems to be doing a nice job in my tyres...

ozzo has a point. extra tape on the rim essentially increases the diameter and makes the initial seal easy to get. I have removed the head from my track pump and found the hose to be a perfect fit over the valve stem. This reduces resistance in the pump and increases airflow. It only pops off at around 90psi.

MaverickBoy what did you use for your home made sealant?

try [url= http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-AW10HP-Mini-Air-Compressor-564887.htm ]one of these compressors[/url], with free delivery too.

instead of washing up liquid, use Washine machine liquid far thicker and works a treat on hard to seal tyres (don't apply sparingly...) + don't use indoors it will go everywhere...

1. Warm up the tyres - they'll not be stiff then.
2. Use CO2, it's cheap from e.g. tyreinflators.co.uk.

The usual link: [url] http://www.tubelesswheels.com [/url]

Cheers, al.

Building up the centre of the rim with tape/draft excluder etc to reduce the air gap before the tyre actually seats has always worked for me.

But I still got a compressor off Ebay...

Just makes life so much easier and doesn't put you off changing tyres around.

MaverickBoy what did you use for your home made sealant?

Mixture of the following...

Art Shop Latex
Slime Sealant
Car Radiator Antifreeze
Water
Tiny little bit of washing up liquid.

Found the recipe on MTBR forums a while back... There's pages and pages about homebrew sealant on there... Seems to have done the job so far, in a highly porous non UST Kenda no less! Though next time I shall be adding something to help it clog easier (ie. some little particles like glitter) as it did take a while to seal the bigger holes.

Has been up about 8 weeks now, doesn't lose air any quicker than any other tubeless setup I've ever run, including proper UST with sealant. And like I said, that's a non UST Kenda on a normal rim via the ghetto method!

try one of these compressors, with free delivery too.

£78 on a compressor just for pumping your bike tyres up!!! Even though I've got a compressor (which was about £35 iirc) I've never had a bike tyre I can't get to inflate tubeless with just a normal trackpump! Sometimes it may take a few attempts, or a lot of massaging of the bead. Even an inner tube in it first to straighten the bead. But usually just a few seconds massaging the beads into place and it will pump up...

Just buy a compressor - I did.

Also with previously used tyres you'll be surprised how many holes they have in them - I had to buy new winter tyres this year, as I gave up counting the holes in last years Trailrakers... and no amount of sealant/liquid/air was getting them up.

stu/mboy, cheers for the offers, might be in touch next week.

£78 Compressor just to do my tyres does seem a little excessive 😆

I'm hoping the Aldi compressors are going on sale end of Feb- have done last 2 years. £80 odd quid with lots of accessories. Ive got 4 bikes, 2 push chairs, inflatable rings and paddling pools to inflate so Im investing.

I have just done a [b]ghetto[/b] conversion and yes getting my Kendas to take air with a track pump was a bitch

Until

I wrapped insulation tape 3 times arround the rim and the tyres are now a bitch to fit BUT they inflate immediatly

RESULT

I ghetto'd my bontrager rims on my fuel ex using gaffs tape and fitted mud-x 2.0's. Both inflated first go off a track pump with no sealant. Just let them down and poured some in