Having trouble keeping tubeless tires inflated

that VW guy

Member
This is my first time trying to run tubeless, and so far it's been nothing but a pain in the ass. I can't manage to keep anything sealed.

I'm using the following:
Mavic Crossroc wheelset (can be run tubless) 19mm wide
Tubeless rim tape (ddon't know the brand)
Conti Revo sealant
Conti 2.2 MKII (maybe 40 miles on it, ran with a tube I intially)
Conti 2.4 X King (brand new)

No matter what I do, the tire always goes flat in a matter of hours. Beads are popped. I put about 120mL of sealant in each tire, sloshed it all about, wiggled wheel/ttire side to side, rotated a couple inches, more wiggling, etc.

I've been debating going for a ride tomorrow but i sure as shit don't want to risk going out with my tires losing air. And I'm too lazy/too determined to run tubeless.

Any pointers, tips, etc?
 

Magic

Formerly 1sh0t1b33r
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Probably one of those things we'd need to see in person, at the very least, pics. The brand and width of rim tape is in question for me. Does it go flat just sitting there or with rider weight? I'd try it again with 35-40ish psi and spray some soapy water from a spray bottleall over to see where it's coming from.
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
Yep. Had the same experience here. Found it to be a messy pain in the butt. So I chose the whats seems to be unpopular route and said screw tubeless, I'll stick with my tubes.
 

Frank

Sasquatch
If the tires are not tubeless ready, you may need a lot more sealant. The first time i tried tubeless I failed miserably due to the tires not being tubeless ready or UST. I have a set of 29er hoops with tubeless ready tires and gorilla tape on non-tubeless rims and they hold air perfectly. You can also try filling one of those storage totes with water and dip the wheel in sections and look for bubbles. You may be better able to pinpoint your problem after that. Good luck!
 

that VW guy

Member
OK I've been dicking around with them a little while changing brakes and retuning my road bike.

I've been able to seal the X King. It hasn't lost pressure for a couple hours. Good enough for me.

The rear is, to my knowledge, not tubeless ready. From my very quick research, a MKII that isn't Protection is not tubeless ready. Looks like I need to swap the rear tire or buy more sealant.

Thanks fellas! This was driving me crazy!
 

woody

Well-Known Member
make sure the valve stem nut is tight - that's a likely place for a mystery leak
 

ChrisRU

Well-Known Member
Its been a couple years, but when I last ran a set of conti tires they were very porous. It took some extra sealant and a few rides to get them fully sealed up. Riding on them will help them seal up.
 

greeek32

Active Member
along with tightening the valve stem, make sure you shake the sealant bottle really well before you use it. the stans starts to settle a bit.
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Its been a couple years, but when I last ran a set of conti tires they were very porous. It took some extra sealant and a few rides to get them fully sealed up. Riding on them will help them seal up.
Exactly same for me and it was a long time ago.
 

wonderturtle

Well-Known Member
I also had a problem with conti tires. Sealant was literally leaking through the side wall. Went bank to kenda with no issues.
 

that VW guy

Member
I will go down later to check on them. I'm fairly certain the MKII will be flat. It's a shame because the MKII is, in my extremely limited experience, a great tire. I can fit a much larger tire in the back too, so maybe this is my calling to get something big back there.

Both valve stems are tight, that was the first thing I checked when I found they were losing air. I have not ridden on the bike yet since I have switched to tubeless (I didn't want to risk having a flat and not being able to reinflate).

I definitely shook the bottle vigorously. I am not using stans though. I'm using Conti Revo sealant. Should I switch to stans? I have heard they can delaminate and eat tires, as well as clump.
 

I Ride Bikes

Well-Known Member
IMO the MK2 is a awesome tire. I use it everywhere now 2.4 fr/rr. I think you will be happy if you go buy the proper protection version (also black chilli compound). I started out with Stans then revo. I couldn't really tell the difference. You should be able to get them to seal with either. If you didn't already know, conti recommends cleaning the inside of the tire of the manufacturing release agent that is remaining on a new tire. Basically just dump some sealant in a unmounted tire and scrub the inside with a scrub brush like you were washing it. I guess otherwise its like trying to get the sealant to coat a waxed car. There are videos on YouTube I can try to find.
 

axcxnj

Hipster Keys
i had big issues trying to get my conti tires to seal last season and ended up running tubes. I had the same problems with bleeding through the sidewalls. this season i put contis on again because i like the tires and they were on stupid clearance...I read a tip, to use a sponge and some stans and rub down the inside of the tire with stans. give it a good coating, then let it sit for a few days. come back and mount normally. Worked like a charm for me. sealed on the first try and no sidewall leaks.
 

that VW guy

Member
i had big issues trying to get my conti tires to seal last season and ended up running tubes. I had the same problems with bleeding through the sidewalls. this season i put contis on again because i like the tires and they were on stupid clearance...I read a tip, to use a sponge and some stans and rub down the inside of the tire with stans. give it a good coating, then let it sit for a few days. come back and mount normally. Worked like a charm for me. sealed on the first try and no sidewall leaks.

Awesome tip. I'll give this a shot since sealant is cheaper than a new tire
 

Tonggi

Active Member
I have conti trail kings from Steep and cheap at $19. Couldnt resist but man the sidewalls are so porous. The tire will inflat and NOT lose pressure all night/week. But the second I go on it It starts to slowly lose air but not burp it. not sure why? I am using gorilla tape method. Was thinking of going ghetto tubeless and see if it was an issue with the sidewall.

The tires are going on a Revolution 28 rim. (transition brand)
 

ChrisRU

Well-Known Member
The sponging tip above sounds like it would work pretty well, but you can accomplish a similar thing by just jumping extra stans in to the tire and letting it work. With the conti's I had, once inflated pores would open up in the side walls and Stan's would literally just start pissing out of pin holes all around the tires.

At 25 psi they would be fine, pump them up to 40 and these holes would open up everywhere. You have to pump them up to high pressure, open those pores up, then work the stan's around the tire and it will eventually plug the holes and seal everything up. It takes some time and patience but you have to do it if you want to run them tubeless.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
originally skipped this thread due to repeatedly bad experiences with tubeless
started with Nevegals paired with Blunts, tried about 3-4 times with no luck
ran out of Stans, so gave up the project
moved the Nevegals to Azonic Outlaws, but stayed with tubes

Recently got a pair of 2nd hand Stans Olympics and a set of S-works The Captain
going to give another shot in a week or two, which setup would be the best chances for success?
I'm considering the Stan's setup since I don't have tubes in it at the moment

Have used stans tape, gorilla tape but not the ghetto method
Also tried a compressor to set the beads, another fail
 
Top Bottom