Little tubeless problem.

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
I tried to make my tires tubeless, applied rimtape, tubeless tire(Wich I already had) added 140ml muc off in a 29" x2.3 tire.
I had both a small cut and a small leak in the front tire.

The front tire seemed sealed so I put 3 bar on my tire let it rest for 2 days and checked the pressure again and went down 1 bar.
Is this normal for tubeless? With tubes I never had that and I checked once in a while my pressure.

The back tire had a cut Wich muc off didn't fully seal. When I putted a needle in the cut there was much air leaking, spinned tired a couple time and it stopped leaking much, but still there where small air bubbles coming out. How is this possible as the cut isn't that big?
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Embee

Member
Aug 14, 2020
16
10
Lancashire UK
I’ve just gone tubeless ( what a messy job !!). Took a few days to seal up fully and reinflated a few times. Even topped up 1 tyre to make sure there was enough stuff in it. Now fully sealed and used in anger yesterday, with pressure retained. Still carrying a tube, just in case.
 

KeithR

Well-known member
Jul 1, 2020
679
611
Blyth, Northumberland
A lot depends on the rims, tyres, valves and sealant being used.

I've had occasions where a conversion has taken a long time to settle, but I converted the wheels on my Levo SL a few days ago, and it could not have been easier: the bike comes complete with taped rims, tubeless-ready tires, rim-specific valves, and - trying Caffelatex sealant for the first time (which in terms of set-up at least, I'm very impressed by) - the tire beads seated first time with just a floor pump; the sealant quickly stopped up any small leaks along the beads and the valves, and - three days in - they haven't lost pressure at all, really.

So yes, it can be a chore to get the conversion to a point at which it's stable, and it might not happen - some riders choose to live with having to top up tire pressure every ride - but the important thing is that there is plenty of sealant in the tire, along with a little faith that on the trail it will do its job.

Doing a conversion on a tire that already has a hole in is something I've never tried, but I've read advice elsewhere that it might not be a good idea.
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
I have Rodi trype 35 rims( original) used DT swiss 37 mm rim tape, continental valves and got the tire on the rim popping pretty easy, sealant in the was also not that hard for my first time. So I can take days to get a proper seal?
On the outside of the hole the muc off sealant was still a bit sticky after 2days is that usual? Shouldn't it be hard?

I also tried to put in a tire plug but that was a real nightmare. My tire was flat before the plug was in.
It barely fitted into the cut
 

KeithR

Well-known member
Jul 1, 2020
679
611
Blyth, Northumberland
Did you thoroughly shake the Muc-Off before you added it?

It's really important, in order to get the particles which actually seal the holes up properly mixed into the fluid.
 
Last edited:

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,544
5,035
Weymouth
No experience with Muc off..I use Stans. You have used a lot of Fluid!! I use 100ml in 2.4 tyres. In terms of getting a complete seal I lay the tyres flat on a suitable surface for 15 mins a side and also thoroughly bounce/rotate to get the beads fully seated. Then ride around bumping on and off kerbs etc for 10 mins or so with near max pressure in the tyres. Then leave overnight. First full ride I leave pressure higher than optimum and only reduce to the pressure I want to use on the second full ride.
If you have a hole/split it is best to have the wheel so that the hole is at the bottom of the wheel so it is covered in the sealant reservoir. It should seal within a few seconds. If not, your sealant is not working or the hole is too big in which case you need to plug it. Sealand will not work if it is not properly mixed ( ie has separated) or is beyond its sell by date ( it has separated and will not remix)
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
Yea I shaked it. It's also the second tire I put sealant in that won't heal.
On the muc off bottle suggested that a 29" tire needs 100-140 ml and you could add 30ml on top of that for extra protection.
How do I know it's sell by date?
 

Tidy Darts

New Member
Sep 1, 2020
2
0
Rossland, BC
I've had success in the past with cuts in tires by patching on the inside of the tite. So use the patches/glue that you use to repair an inner tube but patch the hole from the inside of the tire. You have to really clean the tire off first but it does work.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,969
9,362
Lincolnshire, UK
But how do you do it with the sealant? You replace it Everytime u patch it?
I have had tyres fail that could not be fixed; 4"-5" tear next to the bead.
I have had a hole that the sealant would not fix, but an external plug (plus sealant) did fix it
I can imagine having a cut, tear or hole that would require an internal patch before the sealant would fix it.

I have never had one, nobody I know has ever had one, so I'm concluding that requiring an internal patch is very rare. So don't worry about it.

I do carry tyre patches, but they are there to stop the tube from extruding through the hole until I can get home and do a proper fix (or discard the tyre). I have been carrying them for about 11 years and I have never needed them.

If you have a tyre with a fresh charge of sealant and the only way to get you going again is to fit a tube, then you are going to get messy. Fact. It is one of the reasons some people give for never going tubeless, or reverting to tubes after such an experience.
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
I've run always run tubes but was tired of those flat tires.
I had schwalbe nobby nic 2.60 as original tires but that was a real nightmare, had maybe 10+ flats with it. Now I switched to continental cross king Wich I had less issues with untill 2weeks ago when I had a double flat in a weekend. That the moment I switched to tubeless so I'm kinda new to it.

Yesterday I tried to patch the tire with a plug put 2.6 bar(37 psi) but I dropped already with 0.6 bar with 9 psi. Is this normal?

Last thing I want is going out for a ride and end up with a flat again
 

OldBean

E*POWAH Elite
Patreon
Apr 28, 2018
602
528
East anglia
Persevere with this as I almost gave up until Bike Shop re taped the rims , plugged hole in sidewall, (I have subsequently plugged in the main tread area) Tried several brands of sealant until Stans Race seemed to work best .
It is surprising where leaks occur but good sealant and good rim taping will fix most leaks.
I ride a lot of farm tracks which are covered in Blackthorns after hedge cutting .....The inside of my tyres look like a porcupine after a couple of rides ....so far without any major punctures always been able to get back to base even with low pressure .......thank goodness for tubeless (y)
 

Akemtb

Member
Mar 1, 2019
44
38
Anchorage Alaska
I’m sticking with tubes, no real advantage with tubeless on an ebike unless you’re a pro. One of the best things to me switching from High end carbon fiber acoustic bikes to ebikes is that you don’t have to worry about weight all that much.

Of course, some will argue the advantage of going tubeless is well worth the trouble, I challenge them to try tubes; the difference is negligible.

I run heavy-duty grade tubes with Schrader valves, dislike Presta valves. Have a compressor plumbed to a real so adjusting tires quick before a ride is optimal.

Just my opinion, Ride On!
 

RickBullotta

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Jun 5, 2019
1,846
1,578
USA
I’m sticking with tubes, no real advantage with tubeless on an ebike unless you’re a pro. One of the best things to me switching from High end carbon fiber acoustic bikes to ebikes is that you don’t have to worry about weight all that much.

Of course, some will argue the advantage of going tubeless is well worth the trouble, I challenge them to try tubes; the difference is negligible.

I run heavy-duty grade tubes with Schrader valves, dislike Presta valves. Have a compressor plumbed to a real so adjusting tires quick before a ride is optimal.

Just my opinion, Ride On!

Tubeless actually is a significant advantage in some situations - if you ride a lot in roots and slippery rocks, the difference is noticeable in that way the tire(s) can conform to the terrain better. You can (typically) run lower pressures also with no concern about pinching tubes. I've even switched my dirt bike to tubeless (Tubliss is the system) so that I can run 1/2 the pressure with no concern about pinch flats.

Tubeless is a pain in the ass if you have a wheel that breaks spokes frequently though. That requires re-taping, a new batch of sealant, and so on.
 

Akemtb

Member
Mar 1, 2019
44
38
Anchorage Alaska
Tubeless actually is a significant advantage in some situations - if you ride a lot in roots and slippery rocks, the difference is noticeable in that way the tire(s) can conform to the terrain better. You can (typically) run lower pressures also with no concern about pinching tubes. I've even switched my dirt bike to tubeless (Tubliss is the system) so that I can run 1/2 the pressure with no concern about pinch flats.

Tubeless is a pain in the ass if you have a wheel that breaks spokes frequently though. That requires re-taping, a new batch of sealant, and so on.
Your probable right with respect to pinch flats on standard MTB tires running tubes, thing is I ride a 4” Fat Tire bike nearly 100% of the time now and all year round; pinch flats are non-excitant and I ride over a ton of roots; I hate roots! Winter tire PSI is down to 7 or 8, low tire pressure is the norm on these bikes.

35+ years on MTBs, switched to an e Fat tire 2 years ago, love the ride!
 

RickBullotta

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Jun 5, 2019
1,846
1,578
USA
Your probable right with respect to pinch flats on standard MTB tires running tubes, thing is I ride a 4” Fat Tire bike nearly 100% of the time now and all year round; pinch flats are non-excitant and I ride over a ton of roots; I hate roots! Winter tire PSI is down to 7 or 8, low tire pressure is the norm on these bikes.

35+ years on MTBs, switched to an e Fat tire 2 years ago, love the ride!

Totally agree with tubes on the Fats. I run heavy duty tubes now on my fatbike exclusively. I'm running monster 4.8" studded tires and I've had the sealant fail on me when I was tubeless due to cold weather. When that happens the tires peel off the rim in about 10 feet of riding!
 

KeithR

Well-known member
Jul 1, 2020
679
611
Blyth, Northumberland
I’m sticking with tubes, no real advantage with tubeless on an ebike unless you’re a pro.
Tubeless allows you to keep riding, in situations where you'd be off the bike replacing or patching a tube.

It also gives you more than one shot at continuing to ride - tubeless can deal with multiple punctures.

It's a massive advantage in those circumstances.
 

Akemtb

Member
Mar 1, 2019
44
38
Anchorage Alaska
Tubeless allows you to keep riding, in situations where you'd be off the bike replacing or patching a tube.

It also gives you more than one shot at continuing to ride - tubeless can deal with multiple punctures.

It's a massive advantage in those circumstances.

Should have done my homework, taking a beating here!:oops:
 

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