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Tubeless tires...... wow


Zephyr

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For the first time since I got my new bike last summer I took off the back tire, a first time for me dealing with tubeless tires.   I had a small leak that the liquid latex wouldn't seal so I patched it from the inside.  I have over a thousand miles on these tires which is good for me, as the roads here are a mess and I (used to) get a lot of flats.

Took it off, cleaned the inside and patched it.  Then took over two hours to get the beads to set for it to take air.  There may have been some cussing involved.


Any Pro Tips (other than get tubes again) out there that may make setting tires easier?

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3 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

For the first time since I got my new bike last summer I took off the back tire, a first time for me dealing with tubeless tires.   I had a small leak that the liquid latex wouldn't seal so I patched it from the inside.  I have over a thousand miles on these tires which is good for me, as the roads here are a mess and I (used to) get a lot of flats.

Took it off, cleaned the inside and patched it.  Then took over two hours to get the beads to set for it to take air.  There may have been some cussing involved.


Any Pro Tips (other than get tubes again) out there that may make setting tires easier?

I haven’t solved this issue yet.  A compressor works wonders and I don’t have one.  I struggled with them myself and gave up.  

 I have my LBS set the bead with their compressor and then I pull the valve core out & put in the sealant myself.  They charge me $10 to do them both.

I have come off the trail many times to find a little wet spot on the tire so all things considered an still glad I went tubeless.

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I ended up bringing it into work.  I have a $100,000 compressor with a bank of 7000psi air.  That did the trick but even with that it took a little frigging around.  

I actually said to my wife next time I'll take it into the LBS and get them to do it

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I used a standard floor pump for years. Every now and then I'd run across a tire that wouldn't seat properly. Usually Kenda small block 8s.

I bought one of theses Bontrager Charger pumps last year. It works wonders.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-pumps-accessories/bike-pumps/bontrager-tlr-flash-charger-floor-pump/p/11881/?colorCode=black

11881_A_1_Bontrager_TLR_Flash_Charger?$responsive-pjpg$&wid=1920&hei=1440

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21 minutes ago, dennis said:

I used a standard floor pump for years. Every now and then I'd run across a tire that wouldn't seat properly. Usually Kenda small block 8s.

I bought one of theses Bontrager Charger pumps last year. It works wonders.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-pumps-accessories/bike-pumps/bontrager-tlr-flash-charger-floor-pump/p/11881/?colorCode=black

11881_A_1_Bontrager_TLR_Flash_Charger?$responsive-pjpg$&wid=1920&hei=1440

I have heard mixed reviews on those types of pumps and since I have a bulletproof pump figured to get the refillable bottle.  

Good to know yours has been working for you.

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Easiest way to get tubless tires to seat, throw tubes in them and call it a day.  I went backwards because got tired of the frustration.  Great when the work, but had enough flats that ended up with trail side repair of throwing a tube in them, I just gave up and went back to tubes.

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2 hours ago, Zephyr said:

For the first time since I got my new bike last summer I took off the back tire, a first time for me dealing with tubeless tires.   I had a small leak that the liquid latex wouldn't seal so I patched it from the inside.  I have over a thousand miles on these tires which is good for me, as the roads here are a mess and I (used to) get a lot of flats.

Took it off, cleaned the inside and patched it.  Then took over two hours to get the beads to set for it to take air.  There may have been some cussing involved.


Any Pro Tips (other than get tubes again) out there that may make setting tires easier?

I like to apply rum liberally in situations like this.  Or Scotch.  

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45 minutes ago, az_cyclist said:

my new Domane SL6 has tubeless ready wheels, but, I have heard enough stories about how much a pain they are to fix a flat out on the road that I am sticking with tubes

I was skeptical, but on the road, I carry a tube and if I get a flat I throw a tube in it to get home.  I have to say I have had success with tubeless so far.  Only 1 flat in over 1000 miles that I had to stop and put a tube in, and that is good for me

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1 hour ago, ChrisL said:

I have heard mixed reviews on those types of pumps and since I have a bulletproof pump figured to get the refillable bottle.  

Good to know yours has been working for you.

Mixed reviews? It's a pump. You pump it up, pull the lever, it releases the air. It's pretty easy to use.

 

I've been running tubeless for a decade. I haven't had any issues. I do my own set-up. Tire, sealant, air. Some tires are easier to set-up than others, but that's the same for using tubes or not. With so many tire and wheel combinations on the market, some tires and wheels work well together and others don't. It doesn't matter if you are using tubes or not.

1 hour ago, az_cyclist said:

my new Domane SL6 has tubeless ready wheels, but, I have heard enough stories about how much a pain they are to fix a flat out on the road that I am sticking with tubes

I guess I don't see the difference. A flat is a flat. If you flat now, you put a new tube in. If you are running tubeless and you have a flat, you put a tube in.

 

The toughest issue might be trying to run a tubeless set up with non-tubeless equipment. Using old wheels that are not tubeless compatible can be tricky, but they are not designed to be used tubeless.

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Just now, dennis said:

Mixed reviews? It's a pump. You pump it up, pull the lever, it releases the air. It's pretty easy to use.

 

I've been running tubeless for a decade. I haven't had any issues. I do my own set-up. Tire, sealant, air. Some tires are easier to set-up than others, but that's the same for using tubes or not. With so many tire and wheel combinations on the market, some tires and wheels work well together and others don't. It doesn't matter if you are using tubes or not.

I guess I don't see the difference. A flat is a flat. If you flat now, you put a new tube in. If you are running tubeless and you have a flat, you put a tube in.

 

The toughest issue might be trying to run a tubeless set up with non-tubeless equipment. Using old wheels that are not tubeless compatible can be tricky, but they are not designed to be used tubeless.

I didn’t elaborate... I spoke to a guy at a LBS who said they didn’t charge as well as a compressor and didn’t always dispense enough air to seat the bead. Granted he was referring to one specific model and not the type of pump in general.

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1 minute ago, ChrisL said:

I didn’t elaborate... I spoke to a guy at a LBS who said they didn’t charge as well as a compressor and didn’t always dispense enough air to seat the bead. Granted he was referring to one specific model and not the type of pump in general.

I would agree a compressor is more powerful, but it's not an apples to apples comparison. A compressor is powered by electricity and a pump is powered by you. I've never had a problem getting enough air out of it. It's pretty damn powerful.

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Best bet is to use a compressor to seat tubeless.  The blast of air and spinning them is what makes it seat.  Also, make sure you are using the proper stuff. Tubeless ready rims, and a real tubeless valve stem.  As soon as you get that seated, spin spin spin that wheel.  Same goes for a puncture.   See any goop, spin spin spin.

They make a manual pump that has a switch that blasts the air in.  

Other tips:  When you pump up a tubeless tire, make sure the valve stem is at the top.  If you open that presta, and it is in a bottom position, it will push that disgusting goop into the stem.  This stuff is icky and dries up and can be troublesome.  

btw, There is a new tubeless company that was promoting at Sea Otter.  Their sealant stuff looks pretty good.  It seems to be longer lasting.  The vid of them shoving a nail into the tire and it sealing up was pretty exciting.

Tubeless is the way.  Better ride, less flats. Lower pressure on the bumps.  It's witchcraft and I love it.

!!!

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5 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Best bet is to use a compressor to seat tubeless.  The blast of air and spinning them is what makes it seat.  Also, make sure you are using the proper stuff. Tubeless ready rims, and a real tubeless valve stem.  As soon as you get that seated, spin spin spin that wheel.  Same goes for a puncture.   See any goop, spin spin spin.

They make a manual pump that has a switch that blasts the air in.   

Other tips:  When you pump up a tubeless tire, make sure the valve stem is at the top.  If you open that presta, and it is in a bottom position, it will push that disgusting goop into the stem.  This stuff is icky and dries up and can be troublesome.   

btw, There is a new tubeless company that was promoting at Sea Otter.  Their sealant stuff looks pretty good.  It seems to be longer lasting.  The vid of them shoving a nail into the tire and it sealing up was pretty exciting.

Tubeless is the way.  Better ride, less flats. Lower pressure on the bumps.  It's witchcraft and I love it.

!!! 

The hippy is very smart.  I have found good tubeless ready tires easy to mount on my Stans rims.  When bikepacking I carry a 25 gram CO2 to set the bead if I need to do a repair on a tubeless.  One small bottle of stans fluid. then top off the air with the small pump. That will do one repair on a trip.  I do carry a tube if I would have a second flat but it has never happened yet. Low pressure, low weight, better ride  and less flats.  I'm not going back. 

I used tubeless on Petite's Great Adventure with no flats.

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I can remember two flats in the last decade on my tubeless wheels. One was on pavement caused by a sharp rock or glass. It sealed and I added more air and kept riding that tire until it wore out.

The other was from a bad crash. I put three holes in the tire. The tire was destroyed so I replaced it. That would have happened with or without a tube. 

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The 2 flats I have had came while bikejoring with the dogs.  They put a lot more side stress on the tires.  Both were on the fat bike.  Only one lost enough air for the bead to come off.  25 gram CO2 reseated it and I adjusted the air with the pump.   I have been lucky enough to not have a tubeless flat when not running the dogs.  This included trips of 300 to 1000 miles on tubeless tires.

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7 minutes ago, Digital_photog said:

The hippy is very smart.  I have found good tubeless ready tires easy to mount on my Stans rims.  When bikepacking I carry a 25 gram CO2 to set the bead if I need to do a repair on a tubeless.  One small bottle of stans fluid. then top off the air with the small pump. That will do one repair on a trip.  I do carry a tube if I would have a second flat but it has never happened yet. Low pressure, low weight, better ride  and less flats.  I'm not going back. 

I used tubeless on Petite's Great Adventure with no flats.

The new tubeless sealant that I saw at Sea Otter can be used with C02.  As you know, the previous formulas didn't always love C02.

Currently, our go to is Stans, but this new stuff looks hopeful. 

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