MTB Tubeless - what I am doing wrong!

[Maximus_Meridius101]

Simes205 said:

Mtb here, stans sealant.
Never had an issue, 1 puncture in over 2.5 k riding and that’s due to the sealant not being topped up.
Put loads in and pump up, use co2, check valve isn’t loose.
Spin the wheel many times when reinstalling tyres so that it plugs any potential leaks.

Edited by Simes205 on Friday 18th June 06:44

As has been said, Stans ‘race’ sealant ( it’s more expensive than the other version and the bottle has a red cap, rather than a black cap) is really very good, but you do have to shake the bottle to mix up the crystals with the solution. The race version has twice the concentration of crystals than the standard version, which is why it’s so much better.

[hyphen]

Timely thread

I am currently in the middle of a tubeless conversion. 700c Wheels were ready as were tyres, so bought stans sealant and stans valve and pumped up.... nothing.

So google and it tells me I need a super duper pump to seat the tyres, so get a £130 joe booster.

And nothing.

So Google and it tells me to put a tube in, and leave overnight. Then slather the tyre with warm soapy water and then use the Joe booster again.

So I left it overnight with a tube.

wish me luck

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Those booster pumps arent as good as a compressor. They just can't delivery the sustained airflow. If you have the room in your garage, a similarly priced compressor is a lot better + plus you can use it for other tools.

Another trivk to try is a ratchet strap around the circumference of the tyre - it holds the bead against the rim thus making a better seal.

[JEA1K]

MTB = Yes
Road = Probably no

I have Muc off sealant and I have to say its been simple. DT swiss and Bontrager carbon wheels on the MTB with Maxxis ardents ... tyre on, fluid in, inflate with pump or gas. You don't need a compressor for MTB wheels/tyres in my experience. I can usually see small amounts of sealant leaking from the pores in the sidewall ... thats normal. Get the wheel spinning fast multiple times so the sealant really covers all of the inside of the tyre and then leave overnight.

You will lose pressure over time in any tyre, just inflate before use.

I am running tubeless on the road and am not convinced still. My schalwbe one's were so difficult to mount on my Bontrager 6xxx's I almost gave up. Put it this way, unless I can plug it at the roadside, I'll not get a tube in it, that I am sure of. They were so tight to fit I inflated without any sealant and they lost no pressure over 2 days!

[hyphen]

Any recommendations for a compressor to buy? As can return the pump.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

hyphen said:

Any recommendations for a compressor to buy? As can return the pump.

I bought an earlier version of this. It's been reliable... It is noisy though.

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/sc50h-50-litre-hig...

[Maximus_Meridius101]

hyphen said:

Timely thread

I am currently in the middle of a tubeless conversion. 700c Wheels were ready as were tyres, so bought stans sealant and stans valve and pumped up.... nothing.

So google and it tells me I need a super duper pump to seat the tyres, so get a £130 joe booster.

And nothing.

So Google and it tells me to put a tube in, and leave overnight. Then slather the tyre with warm soapy water and then use the Joe booster again.

So I left it overnight with a tube.

wish me luck

The tyre will want to sit with at least one ( possibly both ) of the beads sat in the tube gully. The trick is to work the bead(s)that is / are in the gully out towards the rim with a tyre lever. At a point ( probably just over 3/4 of the way round he circumference) it will get extremely hard to continue, don’t worry, by then enough will have been shifted. Then lift the wheel clear of the ground ( that’s important, I put the wheel in my lap personally). Then blast CO2 into the tyre from a 20-25 gramme cartridge and inflator. It should then ping into place as if by magic. It might take a couple of blasts, but that’s the way I’ve always done it, and I’ve never had it fail to work. Then deflate the tyre, whip out the core of the valve and use a syringe to inject the sealant through the valve body. Clean the body out with a wet wipe wrapped around a cotton bud, or one of those little interdental brushes you can get from Boots or similar, screw the core back in, and inflate using a floor / track pump. You may be able to get the seating bit done with your charge pump, if you heat up the tyre with a hair dryer, and put some chamois creme around the bead. Remember to inject the sealant with the valve at the 9 / 3 o’clock position too, or you’ll end up with sealant every where when you remove the syringe.

Edited by Maximus_Meridius101 on Friday 18th June 11:17

[BOR]

Just take it to a petrol station and use the air-line there.

(Don't put the sealant in until you get back home )

[Maximus_Meridius101]

BOR said:

Just take it to a petrol station and use the air-line there.

(Don't put the sealant in until you get back home )

You’ll need an adaptor for a presta valve.

[BOR]

Should still work with just the valve core removed.

There is still enough air going in if I remember correctly, even if the airline doesn't seal perfectly.

(Although I actually leave a presta adapter permanently attached to one of the valves on my road bike just in case I need to limp to a petrol station)

[Maximus_Meridius101]

BOR said:

(Although I actually leave a presta adapter permanently attached to one of the valves on my road bike just in case I need to limp to a petrol station)

Likewise.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

breamster said:

Bacon Is Proof said:

Exige46 said:

Just seems more hassle than its worth

Congratulations on achieving this conclusion so quickly!

Honestly, tubeless remind me of things like Apple products; a third of the time users will speak evangelically of their benefits, the rest of the time they're desperately trying to get them to just work.

ETA: this will offend some people who will be along soon to tell you that thanks to tubeless they can run their tyre pressures so low that I would smash my rims to pieces or burp them off the rims. Mmmm, lovely squirmy tyres...

Edited by Bacon Is Proof on Thursday 17th June 01:43

I could have written this. I tried tubeless for a few years and got sick of it. Like has been said they were more hassle than it was worth. I went old school and back to slime tubes. Apart from switching tyres over I've not had to touch them. No punctures, very rarely have to top them up etc. They weigh a bit more but with my athletic physique that isn't a concern.

Your experiences are very similar to mine - tried tubeless for a few months and way too much hassle. Like having a percent slow puncture and only protects against pinches and tiny holes - absolutely useless agains sharpies (flints) and whenever I got one that didn't seal the hassle of trying to do the following drove me mad:

1: Get the tyre off (often glued to the rim)
2: Clean the much out, in the rain on a gravel track
3: Put a tube in which would often puncture due to left over sealent mixed with grit from the trail


I also found tubeless to be very expensive - a new tube is pennies when a puncture happens, but with tubeless the choice is give up or buy a new tyre...

[Maximus_Meridius101]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

Your experiences are very similar to mine - tried tubeless for a few months and way too much hassle. Like having a percent slow puncture and only protects against pinches and tiny holes - absolutely useless agains sharpies (flints) and whenever I got one that didn't seal the hassle of trying to do the following drove me mad:

1: Get the tyre off (often glued to the rim)
2: Clean the much out, in the rain on a gravel track
3: Put a tube in which would often puncture due to left over sealent mixed with grit from the trail


I also found tubeless to be very expensive - a new tube is pennies when a puncture happens, but with tubeless the choice is give up or buy a new tyre...

I’ve been in both camps on this. When I found the ‘Goldilocks solution’ ( decent tyre / rim combo, decent sealant, decent plug kit ) I’ve been as happy as a pig in st.

[Simes205]

For seating tyres without a compressor

I can use a track pump for old tyres,
For brand new I have to use CO2.

They just need a lot of volume quickly to allow the bead to ‘bang’ into place.

[EddyBee]

BOR said:

Should still work with just the valve core removed.

^^ This

I did my MTB with just a track pump.
Remove the valve cores and seat the bead that way.

I did a dry run to seat the bead then just pulled a little bit away so I could pour sealant in or you can go through the valve core.

For people saying use CO2 I’ve heard that some sealant reacts with it (no sure how it reacts, maybe it needs oxygen for it to set?) so maybe just use it to seat the bead then put the sealant in?

[Brainpox]

I went tubeless using Muc-Off sealant over a year ago and still have not had to top up or replace it. I even let the bike sit for a few months without moving an inch and it still held over 20psi. So try a different sealant first.

When applying the rim tape make sure you stretch it as you apply it. One of my wheels was not holding the pressure when I first tried and I simply did not stretch the tape enough for it to create an air tight seal. Clean the rim surface with isopropyl alcohol as well.

I was able to get it to hold with a basic bh track pump, no need for anything more significant.

It's a bit of a faff to set up but once done it's a lot more convenient, and worth the effort.

[Simes205]

EddyBee said:

BOR said:

Should still work with just the valve core removed.

^^ This

I did my MTB with just a track pump.
Remove the valve cores and seat the bead that way.

I did a dry run to seat the bead then just pulled a little bit away so I could pour sealant in or you can go through the valve core.

For people saying use CO2 I’ve heard that some sealant reacts with it (no sure how it reacts, maybe it needs oxygen for it to set?) so maybe just use it to seat the bead then put the sealant in?

It reacts in that it coagulates and turns into a spongy lump!

[Ynox]

I recently went tubeless on my mountain bike. Used the Muc Off kit for enduro rim widths. 2 wraps of rim tape and then seated the tyres (Schwalbe) by chucking a tube in initially.

Was a bit of a pain as I didn’t have an airshot at the time. Washing up liquid on the bead and pumping hard on my standard track pump with the valve out and I was able to seat the tyre with a bit of bouncing it up and down.

Zero leaks doing it this way so far (I saw some air escaping with one layer of tape before I put the sealant in).

Anyone got a recommendation of a good tubeless repair kit?

[Maximus_Meridius101]

Ynox said:

I recently went tubeless on my mountain bike. Used the Muc Off kit for enduro rim widths. 2 wraps of rim tape and then seated the tyres (Schwalbe) by chucking a tube in initially.

Was a bit of a pain as I didn’t have an airshot at the time. Washing up liquid on the bead and pumping hard on my standard track pump with the valve out and I was able to seat the tyre with a bit of bouncing it up and down.

Zero leaks doing it this way so far (I saw some air escaping with one layer of tape before I put the sealant in).

Anyone got a recommendation of a good tubeless repair kit?

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-tubeless-repair-...

It’s fantastic, about the best I’ve used.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Ynox said:

I recently went tubeless on my mountain bike. Used the Muc Off kit for enduro rim widths. 2 wraps of rim tape and then seated the tyres (Schwalbe) by chucking a tube in initially.

Was a bit of a pain as I didn’t have an airshot at the time. Washing up liquid on the bead and pumping hard on my standard track pump with the valve out and I was able to seat the tyre with a bit of bouncing it up and down.

Zero leaks doing it this way so far (I saw some air escaping with one layer of tape before I put the sealant in).

Anyone got a recommendation of a good tubeless repair kit?

The one up stuff - steerer tube kit is the danglies (or pump based if you don't want to ta the steerer).

Amazing customer service too.