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I've done my fair share of tubeless tyres, including this particular set, so I know that some can be a bugger to get inflated - this is why I now have a booster cylinder - but I've never experienced anything like the front wheel I did last night. It was nothing clever - Whyte OEM rim and Maxxis tyre - so no problems were anticipated.
In this case, it was brought to me because it wouldn't inflate. In fact, it wouldn't deflate either even with the valve core removed. After a bit of poking around with a screwdriver, it became obvious that the valve was properly blocked, so we decided to replace it with a new one. Nothing hard - just pop one bead off, pop the valve out, pop the new one back in and reinflate - 10 minutes maximum...
Well, we couldn't even get the tyre bead to unseat from the rim. Even with two of us applying as much force as we possibly could. Even with one of us standing on the deflated tyre and the other applying all of their weight to lift up the rim from the floor. There wasn't even enough space to get a tyre lever in between the bead and the rim wall. In the end, it took 20 minutes, half a pound of sweat and destroyed the rim tape before we finally managed to get the bead off far enough to squeeze a tyre lever down the back and pop it off the rim. And once the seal was broken, the tyre almost fell off the wheel.
Once off, the valve was removed (it had become totally deformed, probably through overtightening), the tape removed, rim cleaned, new tape applied, new valve fitted and the tyre back on and inflated within 10 minutes. It seated with a "pop", but nothing that would indicate the evil that lies within for the next person to try to get it off...
Anyway, first for me - I've had plenty of tyres that were an arse to inflate, but never one that was so hard just to get off the bead!
Now's the time for you to all tell me the simple trick that would have solved this for me. Alternatively, you can moan about your own experiences....
I'd rather it be hard to get off than falls off at low pressure
Oh yes, I've had a tyre that was impossible to get off the bead. Even though I eventually managed to get one side off, as it was a road/gravel tyre there just wasn't even space to push it to get off the other side. I ended up taking a pair of plaster scissors to the tyre, which was quite satisfying. "Ha! Now you're off ya bastad!"
I dun a [url= https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/anyone-know-how-to-get-roadcx-tubeless-tyres-off/ ]thread[/url] ... "hurt my throat growling at them" 😆 good job I'm not mad anymore
Bit late now but one option would have been to use the anchovy fork to puncture the tyre and let the air out that way.
^^I think he was able to to deflate it ok, just not unseat it?
Bit late now but one option would have been to use the anchovy fork to puncture the tyre and let the air out that way.
I probably wasn't clear, but we got the tyre deflated (slowly) by poking a sharp screwdriver into the valve stem. Even with the tyre dead flat it was nearly impossible to get the bead off the rim!
Op, was it sealant gluing the bead in? Or a really "good" bead/rim fit?
was it sealant gluing the bead in? Or a really “good” bead/rim fit?
Mine was a combination. I remember now, I couldn't push the initial side of the tyre off the bead because it contacted the other side of the tyre before there was any movement off the bead. Damn frustrating
I've got a WTB vigilante on the front wheel of my Whyte that is similar to that, I'm dreading taking it off when it comes time to replace it
I've seen the stuck bead before on an oem fitment. Once the bead has been broken the first time it seems to be ok which is strange. Struggling trailside to break the bead but once broken the tyre comes off easily
Op, was it sealant gluing the bead in? Or a really “good” bead/rim fit?
A bit of both, but I think 90% of it was just a really good tyre fit. The sort that you dream about when you are trying to inflate a stubborn tyre / rim combination, but last night I'd have happily swapped them for some less stubborn ones!
I had the same with some i40 rims on my Unit. Took me bloody ages to break the bead, I had sore thumbs for ages afterwards but they did blow up really easily once I had the tube out n latex in.
Weirdly, i swapped my Vigilante over yesterday, it took 40 mins to break the bead off ! i also bent 3 fingernails back when doing it and they're still painful today.. i was a sweaty sweary dripping mess by the end of it ! I wasn't sure if it was the Stans fluid or something to do with the Gorilla tape used... but JEEZ it was impossible... almost !
Use a spade.
Similar experience with wtb scraper rims. Hour or so to get a Nobby Nic bead off. Pretty sure I’d have no chance out on the trail. Must buy anchovy tubeless repair things so a tube’s not my only plan.
Quick question here as some tubeless experts are gathering and I have to replace my tires.
I only ride gravel tracks in a dead flat area and have only had one puncture in 2 years so....Is it worth me going tubeless ?
All these stories make me think its just not worth the hassle.
Probably not if you're rarely getting punctures and only riding gravel roads, but then as soon as you decide not to you're guaranteed to get a puncture every ride for the next few!
I went tubeless despite rarely getting punctures and I've had very little hassle over that 7 years since. Only twice have I had to put a tube in mid-ride due to sidewall slashes (both in the last 2 months!) and have only had one stubborn tyre when mounting it at home. Maybe I've been lucky but tubeless has been good for me. Probably helps that I've always been a diligent prepper before doing anything mechanical so having the correct tools, tape etc is a great help. My first conversion was a full UST setup and I had both wheels done in 30 mins, even the tape conversions have only ever taken me an hour with plenty of mugs of tea. Wouldn't go back to tubes now.
I had similar with a Magic Mary on a Light Bike carbon rim. The rim had cracked so I was stripping the wheel down, but could I get the tyre off? Could I hell.
I ended up hammering the rim to fold it in to get the tyre off. Good job I never got a flat with it.
So, I checked the bike and I got the tyre wrong...it is indeed a WTB Vigilante, so this would echo what others have said.
I only ride gravel tracks in a dead flat area and have only had one puncture in 2 years so….Is it worth me going tubeless ?
I can understand why this is a difficult call to make. All I know is that while I've repaired countless punctures for others, I've only had two problems with my own tubeless-converted bikes in probably 7+ years of running tubeless - one was a "burp" in tough conditions above Pateley Bridge - quick blast of CO2 and we were riding again in < 60s. The other was where I'd forgotten to refresh the fluid inside and the tyre dried out. It wouldn't reseal and I had to install a tube.
Personally, it's a no brainer and with the ride I did yesterday (rocky terrain on the gravel bike) I was please to be able run lower pressures without the risk of a pinchflat. It's not without its faffing, but I find that most of it is in the workshop, not on the trail/road, which is (IMHO) how it should be.
Was the OP's wheel using rim strips or tape?
Was the OP’s wheel using rim strips or tape?
Tesa 4289 - one turn + 6" overlap round the valve. Tape did not overlap onto the shoulders - i.e. the tyre beads weren't sat on the tape, but directly onto the rim.