Setting up tubeless for the first time. Having an issue with an air leak at the rim-join(?), opposite to the valve. Bead appears to sit in fine.
I’ve had two goes at taping the rim, it looked neat and tidy – my thumbs are sore 🙃.
Any recommendations on next troubleshooting steps?
I’m thinking:
(1) Remove sealant, install tube, pump up and leave overnight.
(2) Re-tape for the third time?!
by shnookumsfpv
15 Comments
Tape the rim again.
Been there, you can retape or you can just let the sealant seal the rim joint, I’ve been riding that way months, no issues.
Is the rim tubeless ready? Have you ridden it yet? Most leaks like this will seal themselves on the first ride, assuming the tape job is adequate.
My DT Swiss E1900s did that, sealant took care of it.
How wide is the tape compared to the rim? The tape should go up the sides of the rim a little bit so that the tire seals on the tape not the rim.
Did you use tire levels to install ?
The only time such leak has happened to me was when I first got into tubeless and didn’t know what I was doing, there is a difference between rim strip/tape that protect the inner tube and specific tape for tubeless, once I got the correct tape installed (that is slightly wider than the rim, so it’ll follow the curvature of the rim inside and reaches the edges of the rim under hooks) I had a perfect seal on first try, with or without sealant.
You can always drop in a tube as a last resort, but I would first try and ride it a few times — my tires did the same until they sealed over a few rides. It takes the sealant some time to spread out, it’s normal.
Happened with my DT Swiss rims as well… Top up, pump up, go for a ride.
After a good long ride – everything sealed up just fine and now they hold air for a month.
Dont worry, it’ll most likely be fine. You can’t get bike rims air tight. Thats the whole point of the sealant 🙂
Don’t forget to check the valve!! I had a similar issue, albeit air not sealant, and realised the weak spot was the valve (I had initially thought it was the tape)
Are you 100% sure the rim is tubeless compatible?
The tape and the tire bead should be making a seal so the joint isn’t the issue here. It may seal up fine on its own but it’s probably worth re-taping the rim.
If it takes more than an hour for your tyre to go flat then for sure the sealant will cope with this kinda leak
Perfectly normal for alloy rims. You didnt get the tape quite close enough to the bead of the rim. Its ok as long as it doesn’t get worse. The way alloy rims are constructed, the area along the seam is very prone to this. They are essentially just pinned together with a very small tack weld (and sometimes no weld).
Now that your mind is at ease concerning the air leak you can turn to the urgent matter of removing that reflector 😆