Road tubeless, still suck?

trener1

Well-Known Member
Timely post as I had tried tubless twice on my roadie previously and both times it was a failure, but was just considering giving it a 3rd try so glad to see that everyone here seems really satisfied with them.
 

Dusty the Whale

Mr.Chainsaw
1st flat in 5k miles yesterday on road tubeless set up. I think it was (definitely) my fault... had too much pressure in 28c and the side wall was compromised.
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
My experience is that the larger the tire/ lower psi, the better tubeless road works. I am riding the pro ones in 32c and i really like em. They just sent me the 34c version to try too.
 

rlb

Well-Known Member
Another ride today at 40F/45R and it felt great! I was thinking of this thread while I was on my ride. I'll try bumping up to 50 or 55 to see if I can feel any difference, but I remember settling on this pressure pretty quickly when I set up these tires.
 

trener1

Well-Known Member
So... quick question here, I decided to take the plunge, put on the tape and the tire mounted super easy (much to my surprise) and pumped up with just a regular floor pump, that's the good news, the bad news is that it loses the air pretty fast.
My guess is that perhaps I didn't install the tape properly, but just wanted to see if anyone has any insight? is there anything simple that I may have overlooked?.
 

ebarker9

Well-Known Member
So... quick question here, I decided to take the plunge, put on the tape and the tire mounted super easy (much to my surprise) and pumped up with just a regular floor pump, that's the good news, the bad news is that it loses the air pretty fast.
My guess is that perhaps I didn't install the tape properly, but just wanted to see if anyone has any insight? is there anything simple that I may have overlooked?.

Definitely check for any damage/creases/folds in the tape. The most common spot for a leak is probably around the valve stem...how did you cut the tape for that? It's pretty easy to split the tape there and cause a leak that will never really seal. Also depends on "pretty fast". For the most part, the tire isn't going to hold pressure for long without sealant.
 

trener1

Well-Known Member
Definitely check for any damage/creases/folds in the tape. The most common spot for a leak is probably around the valve stem...how did you cut the tape for that? It's pretty easy to split the tape there and cause a leak that will never really seal. Also depends on "pretty fast". For the most part, the tire isn't going to hold pressure for long without sealant.
I poked the hole with a scissors for the valve stem.
It pumps up really well, but starts getting soft in like maybe 15-30 minutes.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
I poked the hole with a scissors for the valve stem.
It pumps up really well, but starts getting soft in like maybe 15-30 minutes.
Did you add sealant? What I do is get rim tape that is 2mm wider than rim id. I start about 8-10" past the valve hole, do two complete rotations(one one mtb), overlap past the valve hole by 8-10" and cut the tape on a slight angle. I use a small Phillips screwdriver to poke the hole. Typically I have found road tubeless rarely holds full pressure. Mine usually leaks down to around 60psi if I pump it upper 75psi(this is over a couple of days). I really only run about 62-75 psi depending on tire width.
 

trener1

Well-Known Member
I did not put any sealant in yet because I wanted to see if I got it right before I add the sealant. I went ahead and put a tube in and pumped it up and left it in for a few hours, figuring that might help lock the tape in place, just took the tube out and pumped the ride back up, then ran it in the sink filled with water, and bingo there is one spot that is leaking air, it's right where the tire meets the rim in one precise spot, so I have identified the problem (or I should say where the problem is) but I don't really know what the solution is.
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I did not put any sealant in yet because I wanted to see if I got it right before I add the sealant. I went ahead and put a tube in and pumped it up and left it in for a few hours, figuring that might help lock the tape in place, just took the tube out and pumped the ride back up, then ran it in the sink filled with water, and bingo there is one spot that is leaking air, it's right where the tire meets the rim in one precise spot, so I have identified the problem (or I should say where the problem is) but I don't really know what the solution is.


two options if its leaking at the bead,

1)take the tire off and rotate it, see if the leak goes away/moves
2) put sealant in and do everything you can to get it to soak at that spot so it does the sealing, this will likely need to be repeated every time the tire is remounted.
 

rlb

Well-Known Member
two options if its leaking at the bead,

1)take the tire off and rotate it, see if the leak goes away/moves
2) put sealant in and do everything you can to get it to soak at that spot so it does the sealing, this will likely need to be repeated every time the tire is remounted.

Agree. If going with option 1, also take a look at the tire bead, rim bead, and tape at that location to make sure nothing is looking funky.
 

MadisonDan

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
So... quick question here, I decided to take the plunge, put on the tape and the tire mounted super easy (much to my surprise) and pumped up with just a regular floor pump, that's the good news, the bad news is that it loses the air pretty fast.
My guess is that perhaps I didn't install the tape properly, but just wanted to see if anyone has any insight? is there anything simple that I may have overlooked?.
I didn't read any of the above... inflate it again, then spray soapy water on it an see where the bubbles are coming from. Report back.
 
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