Fed up with tubeless.

[Major Stare]

I cannot for the life of me get tubeless tyres to stay inflated.

3x punctures on a ride, so decided to go tubeless.
Bike is 2021 Cube Hybrid Stereo 60 HPC Race.
Rims: Cube EX30, 32H, Disc, Tubeless Ready
Rear Tire: Maxxis Minion DHR II, MaxxTerra/EXO, Tubeless Ready, 2.4 WT
Front Tire: Maxxis Minion DHF, MaxxTerra/EXO, Tubeless Ready, 2.5 WT

Watched endless YouTube vids.

So far....
Removed inner tube added Stans sealant, Nuke valves and inflated - flat within 6 hours.
Cleaned everything up, removed existing rim tape and purchased Muc-Off tape. Utter rubbish, wont adhere and creases when trying to apply.
Taped rim in Gorrilla tape, fitted Nuke valves. Tyre flat within 2hrs.
Cleaned everything up, redid Gorrilla tape, fitted Muc-Off valves. Air coming out of spokes.

Fed up to say the least and damn those tyres are a tough refit.

Im £75 into this so far and the LBS want a further £100 to do both wheels.


What am i doing wrong?
Beer for anyone who wants to do it for me.

 

[BrentD]

I find it is best to take the bike for a short ride (15-20 minutes round the neighbourhood will do) after first setting wheels up tubeless as that helps the sealant find all the little gaps in the tyre to seal. After a couple of good off road rides with the tyre flexing more they will usually hold air pretty well though you will need to inflate them more often than with tubes.

 

[NULevo]

Where in Notts are you @Major Stare?

 

[Major Stare]

Where in Notts are you @Major Stare?

Kirkby - NG17 7HB.

 

[NULevo]

Kirkby - NG17 7HB.

The reason I asked is that I ride past these guys in Radcliffe and have popped in a couple of times for a chat and advice. They know what they are doing, on my first visit I was mesmerised by the owner building a wheel while he chatted. I've not used them yet, but I'll be using them soon for a fork and shock service.

It might be worth giving them a call or visit, they quote £40 for tubeless set up.

iPage

Forgot to say the £40 includes tubeless kit.

 

[Mikerb]

I reckon the 3 most common problems of air loss in a tubeless set up are
1. Rim tape not sealing ..........unlikely if you have now used gorilla provided you did not disturb it when putting the tyres on.
2. Leak at the valve stem because the valve stem seal is the wrong shape for the rim, or you have not tightened the stem nut enough to compress the seal.
3. Tyre beads not fully seated.........you have probably seen videos of the process of bouncing the tyre and laying it on both sides flat for 10 minutes each. As a bove, going for a short ride also help to ensure the beads are fully seated.

I suspect your problem in No 2 ( note a poor seal there will also allow air under the rim tape via the hole made for the valve stem, hence air coming out the spokes)

 

[Tubby G]

I cannot for the life of me get tubeless tyres to stay inflated.

3x punctures on a ride, so decided to go tubeless.
Bike is 2021 Cube Hybrid Stereo 60 HPC Race.
Rims: Cube EX30, 32H, Disc, Tubeless Ready
Rear Tire: Maxxis Minion DHR II, MaxxTerra/EXO, Tubeless Ready, 2.4 WT
Front Tire: Maxxis Minion DHF, MaxxTerra/EXO, Tubeless Ready, 2.5 WT

Watched endless YouTube vids.

So far....
Removed inner tube added Stans sealant, Nuke valves and inflated - flat within 6 hours.
Cleaned everything up, removed existing rim tape and purchased Muc-Off tape. Utter rubbish, wont adhere and creases when trying to apply.
Taped rim in Gorrilla tape, fitted Nuke valves. Tyre flat within 2hrs.
Cleaned everything up, redid Gorrilla tape, fitted Muc-Off valves. Air coming out of spokes.

Fed up to say the least and damn those tyres are a tough refit.

Im £75 into this so far and the LBS want a further £100 to do both wheels.


What am i doing wrong?
Beer for anyone who wants to do it for me.

£100 for fitting tubeless tyres which you’re supplying is extortionate. It’s around £20 per tyre here, often less

 

[JP-NZ]

100 pounds to setup 2 wheels tubeless?! Incredible.

As someone mentioned above, after the sealant is in the tube and the tyre is pumped up go for a 15 mins ride around the road. As the sealant rotates throughout the wheel it should cover and seal any small areas. Air coming out the spokes (I assume with sealant as well) is a tape issue. Ive sealed rims with a $5 roll of electrical tape so I'd definitely look at the rims/tape as the issue.

If I lived closer than 11,000 miles I'd come give you a hand for some beers, best of luck hopefully someone local can help

 

[Major Stare]

Cheers all. The beers are still chilled.

Any one else used Muc-Off tape, or is it not the best to use?

Will clean down the wheel again tomorrow and have another go.

 

[Mikerb]

I use Stans tape, valves and sealant.
How-to Videos - PRODUCT SUPPORT | Stan's NoTubes

 

[luna87824]

Cheers all. The beers are still chilled.

Any one else used Muc-Off tape, or is it not the best to use?

Will clean down the wheel again tomorrow and have another go.

Maybe, if you would stopped drinking so much beer, you would be a little more clear headed and you could figure out what you’re doing wrong!!

 

[RickBullotta]

It works fine for 99.7% of the world, so it's gotta be an install problem. Most likely air leaking around the tape or the stem.

- Remove tires
- Wash and wipe the rims clean of all sealant
- Remove the valve stems completely
- Remove the old tape
- Clean the sh*t out of the rims with isopropyl alcohol
- Let it dry
- Apply the tape carefully and make sure you have a double layer at the hole for the valve stem. The important place for the tape to adhere is on the rim "shoulders", not the rim channel/bottom. Common mistake.
- Use a drill or an Xacto knife to make a small hole smaller than the valve stem diameter
- Insert and tighten valve stem
- Remove valve core
- Mount tire
- Inflate tire until it seats on the rim
- Add 3-4 oz of Stan's sealant
- Reinstall valve core
- Inflate to 30 psi
- Do the "Stan's Shake" to distribute the sealant around both sides of the rim
- Mount the wheel and spin it for 2 minutes
- Check it in the morning and you should be good to go

 

[SiDobsFig]

Hi, great advice above. Only thing to add is I had trouble when first getting into tubeless (then I had normal rims due to not being able to afford tubeless rims on my MTB) but Sept in Wales and Blackthorn hedge trimming was doing my head in.

always got leaks, some slow, some quick until I used this from Giant (only bought Giant as I had a Giant track pump).Pumped it up to about 100 psi. Let it go and the seals went bang, bang as they the high pressure forced the tire on the rim and the sealant did the rest. Also using gaffer tape now

as the trim tape is marketing testicles.

Haven’t had a puncture for years. Only use the kit now when I need a new tire.

Remember in the early days getting some BMX inner tubes and trimming them off with a Stanley blade after stretching it-round the rim.

may be worth trying. Good luck.

 

[Another One]

I cannot for the life of me get tubeless tyres to stay inflated.

3x punctures on a ride, so decided to go tubeless.
Bike is 2021 Cube Hybrid Stereo 60 HPC Race.
Rims: Cube EX30, 32H, Disc, Tubeless Ready
Rear Tire: Maxxis Minion DHR II, MaxxTerra/EXO, Tubeless Ready, 2.4 WT
Front Tire: Maxxis Minion DHF, MaxxTerra/EXO, Tubeless Ready, 2.5 WT

Watched endless YouTube vids.

So far....
Removed inner tube added Stans sealant, Nuke valves and inflated - flat within 6 hours.
Cleaned everything up, removed existing rim tape and purchased Muc-Off tape. Utter rubbish, wont adhere and creases when trying to apply.
Taped rim in Gorrilla tape, fitted Nuke valves. Tyre flat within 2hrs.
Cleaned everything up, redid Gorrilla tape, fitted Muc-Off valves. Air coming out of spokes.

Fed up to say the least and damn those tyres are a tough refit.

Im £75 into this so far and the LBS want a further £100 to do both wheels.


What am i doing wrong?
Beer for anyone who wants to do it for me.

I have been in exact same position as you with the spend as well so just use LBS now, but your quote is a rip off I normally pay £25 per tyre in Wakefield.

 

[MountainBoy]

Maybe, if you would stopped drinking so much beer, you would be a little more clear headed and you could figure out what you’re doing wrong!!

You think?

I get my bet ideas after a few pints of IPA!

 

[kbass24emtp]

Cheers all. The beers are still chilled.

Any one else used Muc-Off tape, or is it not the best to use?

Will clean down the wheel again tomorrow and have another go.

I am currently using it. I usually use WTB, Stans, and now Muc-Off only because they have the right width for what my rims need. I would say the Muc-Off was easier to install. Meaning I was really able to stretch it and get a really good fit on the rim.

 

[Another rider]

I am currently using it. I usually use WTB, Stans, and now Muc-Off only because they have the right width for what my rims need. I would say the Muc-Off was easier to install. Meaning I was really able to stretch it and get a really good fit on the rim.

I've used Muc-Off tape on both my bikes and it's been absolutely fine. As with all rim tapes it pays to make sure the rim is spotlessly clean and don't rush it when putting the tape on the rim. I'm a great fan of the Muc-Off valves too because they come with a choice of rubber seals and you can use the one that best suits your rim.
I will say that it's not unusual for it to take a while for the sealant to penetrate everywhere. I've found on a couple of occasions that the tyre has pretty much gone flat by the following day but if I pump it up and ride it it settles down fine. The one time I had a real problem it was because I'd disturbed the rim tape fitting the tyre and I had air leaking out everywhere.

 

[CrunchBytes]

When fitting the tubeless valve, use a little rubber solution from a puncture repair kit to help ensure a tight seal. Stupid question, but you are removing the rubber-band rim tape before applying gorilla tape/tubeless rim tape? Gorilla tape is great, until you come to remove it from the rim!
my technique after Stans is to hold the whee horizontally, and then shake a few times. Rotate the wheel about 1/8th, shake again. Repeat until whole wheel is rotated, flip wheel over and repeat, then leave horizontal on each side for about 5 mins. Never had an issue with this.
Although, riding the wheel for 15mins will do the same job!

 

[CrunchBytes]

And if you’re ever in Warwick, I’d be more than happy to have a go!

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Is the tape punctured when you take the tyre off to redo it? If the tyre lever is in line with the spoke when fitting stubborn tyres it can penetrate the rim tape.
This of course has never happened with me...

 

[Richridesmtb]

Is the tape punctured when you take the tyre off to redo it? If the tyre lever is in line with the spoke when fitting stubborn tyres it can penetrate the rim tape.
This of course has never happened with me...

Indeed, make sure your fitting process isn't causing the issue. Try to do it without levers if you can. Also check that your rim doesn't have a big air gap where the two ends of the rim are joined (assuming alloy).

Make sure you shake the crap out of the wheel at the start to get sealant to the rim/tape/valve. Bounce the wheel, shake it, tip it, pop it on the bike and do slow rolling bunnyhops. A big thing I find, leave it inflated to about 35 psi at the start, usually overnight. The pressure seems to help everything bed in to the right spot.

 

[Major Stare]

Update.
Sorted and ridden today. If they are inflated tomorrow morning, its a success.

Took my time to thoroughly clean the rims and apply the tape. Muc-Off valves were great and used different tyre levels.

 

[geehaw]

Suggest checking where leak is coming from in a water bath, just like checking an inner tube. If it's coming from spoke holes it's the tape. Edge of rim it's the seating. Around the valve body incorrectly seated valve. A proper set up will actualky hold air with minimal leakage for over 24hrs even without sealant.

 

[Richridesmtb]

Valve core is another winner. I had a tyre going down and it was only when washing that I noticed it was the valve core causing the leak. New valve core after a couple of weeks scratching my head had it solved.

 

[KnollyBro]

I have also had issues taking the same tire on and off the rim several times as the sealant (at least with Stans) tends to build up on the bead of the tire as the tire settles into position when the bead is first popped. I have noticed little balls/layers of sealant around the bead which make for an inconsistant surface. The tire beads always pop into position when inflated but I have noticed the sealant does leak out a little until those voids get filled.

 

[Jamze]

Valve core is another winner. I had a tyre going down and it was only when washing that I noticed it was the valve core causing the leak. New valve core after a couple of weeks scratching my head had it solved.

Valve cores can get bunged up with sealant, you think they're fully closed but slowly leak. You can pop them out and brush off all the dry sealant. Or buy new ones.

 

[MountainBoy]

Valve cores can get bunged up with sealant, you think they're fully closed but slowly leak. You can pop them out and brush off all the dry sealant. Or buy new ones.

Could this whole tubeless craze be one big conspiracy comprised of valve core manufacturers who didn''t think they were selling enough replacement valve cores?

 

[CrunchBytes]

Has anyone tried the Filmore valves? Have to say, I am tempted, even at their price! Presta is a pita when they clog. I yes. To replace a valve core a skit once/year after I struggle to get air in, and take pressure readings.

 

[KnollyBro]

Has anyone tried the Filmore valves? Have to say, I am tempted, even at their price! Presta is a pita when they clog. I yes. To replace a valve core a skit once/year after I struggle to get air in, and take pressure readings.

I like them but they don't work well with Cushcore if you are trying to get a tire pressure reading as the poppet valve has a difficult time pushing against the Cushcore so tire pressure don't read accurately on a floor pump.
I also pick up a set of these but have not tried them yet as I would have to take off my tires and Cushcore and then drill out the rims.

 

[VWsurfbum]

Update.
Sorted and ridden today. If they are inflated tomorrow morning, its a success.

Took my time to thoroughly clean the rims and apply the tape. Muc-Off valves were great and used different tyre levels.

I take it they stayed up?