Tubeless tires are much better than other tires, but this is not to say that they are perfect. Sometimes, just keeping a tubeless tire with air can be a challenge, and diagnosing the problem (not to mention fixing the problem) can be frustrating. If you find yourself staring at the flat tires in the garage and muttering “why” over and over again, here are some tips to help you roll again.
This article will not cover the installation of tubeless tires; we assume that the tires have been successfully installed, but will not maintain air for more than a day or so.
No, we have not celebrated yet, but by allowing us to zero out the leaked part, this will bring us closer to our goal.
Fill the spray bottle with water and some dish soap, or any soap that actually forms bubbles. Next, inflate the tire to about 30 psi. One spray or just pour soapy water around the tires and rims. Pay attention to any places where bubbles appear.
If the tire itself leaks, it is usually easy to solve. Make sure there is enough sealant in the tire and move around until the sealant punctures. A puncture may benefit a larger puncture.
If there is a sidewall leak, it is usually best to replace the tire. It may be patched, or if you are really lucky, you can plug it in, but in my experience, sidewall repair rarely lasts a long time.
Although rare, certain tires are known to absorb or even wet sealant. When initially added, the tiny holes in the tire rubber will be filled with sealant, so you may need to add more liquid to make up for the lost liquid. If the tire still leaks from the tread or sidewall in multiple locations despite having good sealant coverage and no puncture, you may need to contact your local bicycle store or tire manufacturer to see if the tire should be replaced.
Check to make sure there are no depressions in the rim wall. If so, your tires will not be sealed. If you find that the rim is slightly bent or sunken, it is possible to straighten it to contain the air. According to Gerow, “A few small boards, a vise and a hammer will get you started.”
Even if the rim wall is not significantly dented or deformed, there may be a small gap between the tire bead and the rim, which can leak air. Make sure there is enough sealant in the tire, then place it horizontally and tilt it so that the liquid collects around the part of the rim where the bubbles are seen. Gently shake the wheel for about a minute to allow the sealant to complete its work.
In some cases, the tire-rim connection may be weak due to the accumulation of old sealant. Gro said: “Older tires will accumulate dry and hardened sealant on the bead, which will create a space between the rim and the rubber, causing air leakage.” “When installing a tire that has been installed before, please make sure Remove as much dry sealant as possible from the bead.”
Sometimes, the bead may not be fully secured in the rim. Try to pump the tires to maximum pressure. The loud noise you will hear is that the beads are in place. If you don’t hear this sound when you first install the tire, it’s probably the problem.
After completing the above check, try to soap the tire again and check the same point to see if the repair is successful.
In my experience, over time, valve leakage is usually the cause of air pressure loss. If the soapy water finds bubbles at the valve, it is time for further investigation.
First, check the simple things: is the core tightened? Are the inlet screws loose or bent? A dedicated spool tool helps to tighten properly, if your fingers are not tight enough for the inlet plunger, needle nose pliers can do the job. Just make sure you don’t over-tighten and damage the valve, or tighten it so that you cannot add air later. If any part of the valve is bent or cracked, do not attempt to repair it; it is time to replace it.
If soap bubbles are formed around the bottom of the valve, it may not be properly attached to the rim. Most valves have nuts at the bottom to screw the valve onto the rim. Tighten it as tight as possible with your fingers, and if necessary, turn it slightly with a wrench. Just make sure to avoid over-tightening, as this may damage the rim, especially the carbon fiber rim, and in the case of a puncture, it may be necessary to be able to remove the nut on the track.
Next, check the valve from the other end, which means removing the tire from the rim. Most valves have a soft rubber gasket that forms a seal around the valve hole on the rim, so check to make sure the valve is properly seated in the rim channel. You can also add a little Teflon tape around the bottom of the valve to seal things.
Sometimes, the sealant fills up the small gaps around the valve. If you find an air leak on the road, try rotating and shaking the tire so that the liquid sealant can reach the valve.
If bubbles form around the spoke nipple, the good news is that you have found a leak! The bad news is that there is no quick solution. Usually, this means re-tightening the rim, or at least repairing tape. If the tape is wrinkled, torn or punctured, it may be the cause of the leak. When installing the bead, the tire lever often pierces the tape, causing the tape to leak air from the rim.
There are many online tutorials on tubeless rims, but in general, the purpose of this is to make the rim as clean and dry as possible, and then perform another winding. Be aware of any gaps where air may leak, and keep the tape flat and taut to avoid blisters or pockets.
Sometimes, the tire may be a sneaky leak. Pump them up and they will stay rock solid in the garage for weeks, but once you drive into the parking lot or turn, they will soften. You scrub with soap and you can’t see any bubbles. In fact, this has happened several times in the past few months.
This is usually because the small incision will only open when there is a heavy object on the tire or the tire is pumped to a higher pressure. In your garage, you can try to simulate the effect of riding by increasing the pressure above the normal driving pressure or by deforming the tire by hand and looking for air bubbles as the tire creeps.
Gerow pointed out: “Some tires need to be ridden immediately after installation to maintain air circulation. After a short climb on the trail, a new tire that will not empty in the garage may be a good choice.”
Once a sneaky leak is discovered, bringing the sealant to the correct location can solve the problem, although it may be better to use a plug.
In the final analysis, the tubeless mountain bike tire system is very simple and can only be scattered in many places in the air. Imagine you are the air in the tire and you are looking for a way out. what will you do? This is the mentality you need to solve this puzzle.
I recently changed the WTB tire. Although the tire is not particularly worn, the tire is leaking sealant through the sidewall and tread. When the tires were brand new, I even noticed some common crying. The technician at my local bike shop said that WTB tires are famous for this, but I don’t know if this is true.
That’s really creepy. In the garage (the gym when locked), check my news feed and read your comments when I look up at the WTB Trail Boss I installed two days ago. A spin test was conducted yesterday morning, only to find that the new tires were still covered by water droplets, while the old rear tires were dry! The tire leaked the sealant from the side wall like a sieve! priceless! Although it seems to keep the pressure.
good article. Gorilla Tape has been used in the past. Great, until you need to remove the tires. The tape is quite thick and textured. In addition, I have an example where the tape adhesive seemed to react with the sealant and “welded” the tape to the tire bead. The tire must be cut from the rim. Toolstation 50mm electrical tape and Effetto Mariposa Caffelatex just used. It seems to work.
I set up a fat tubeless tire. When I had to reinstall the tires, the first time I used Gorilla Tape, the results were moderate but messy. The second time I used FATTIE STRIPPERS latex strips and got amazing results. If you use soap to seal the tires as recommended, they seal so well that initially I didn’t use sealant and kept it inflated for a week. Then I added only 3 ounces to the 26×4.8 tires and rode for a month. No air is added.
interesting. I was lucky to use Gorilla Tape instead of the dedicated tubeless rim tape that was loose over time. Eventually all the tape will need to be replaced. Fortunately, I have a roll of Gorilla tape next to me.
Hello Jeff, I purchased Giant Trance e-mtb + 1pro in March 2019. It is equipped with tubeless Maxiss tires, but with inner tubes. During that time, 6000 kilometers were completed in one puncture. Approximately 60% of New Zealand mountain trails. I thought about not using electron tubes 100%, but now I have two ideas. What are the advantages/disadvantages of these two options? In my opinion, the non-intubation method has more problems than other methods. Cheers
Jeff, I can’t feel enough pressure on the quality of the latex lining, it stretches on the rim to form a perfect, lightweight, clean seal-free absorbing fit.
Post time: Apr-21-2021
