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    Tubeless tyres not staying inflated?!


    I've bought these tyres from TREDZ. I have brand x trail wheels. On the website it says these are tubeless. I pumped both up with an air compression and they "popped" as if they had seated where they need to be. Since returning to the bike half an hour later, both tyres have fully deflated. I have repeated this cycle 3-4 times but with no joy. I re installed tubeless tape on one of the wheels and the other wheel has factory tape still in use. Any ideas on where I am going wrong here?

    by SJBSJB02

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    14 Comments

    2. MrRichardH on

      Put sealant in both. Go for a short ride to throughly distribute it all over the inside of the tyre and rim.

      If that doesn’t sort it, there are two possibilities: the rims are tubeless compatible or the tyres need some love. I had a pair of Conti tyres (this was done years ago) that just would not seal. I checked their web site and they had a video about proper preparation of the tyres. They suggested scrubbing the inside of the tyre with a stiff brush and some sealant to work the latter into the sidewalls. It worked. You could try that.

    3. CanDockerz on

      Are you sure they’re definitely tubeless? They should have a TR marking on them.

      Otherwise you need to redo the rim tape.

      If you’ve inflated one fully and it’s gone down, sounds suspiciously like it’s a non-tubeless variant or your rim tape has a hole in and needs redoing.

    4. jrey96 on

      I just set up some tubeless tires and thought my front was all set because it held air for a few hours without sealant. Went on a ride with sealant and found it deflated the next day. Spray bottle with soap showed tiny bubbles at the base of the stem and one spoke. This means the tape failed. My guess is at the hole I made for the stem. Sealant can help with bubbles in the sidewall or the bead, but if it’s stem or spokes you’ve got to retape.

    5. Potential_Aardvark59 on

      Take the wheels off, and make sure you have 2oz or so of sealant in tires. Pump up to 45-50, and hold wheel horizontally at 9 and 3 o’clock. Flip the wheel up and down as you rotate it. That will insure sealant gets to all areas inside wheel. That will work if tape is done right and stem is airtight.

    6. boopiejones on

      What tape are you using and how are you installing it? Prepping the wheel is key, as it needs to be surgically clean. I start with a lint free rag soaked in acetone and remove all old tape debris, adhesive, dried sealant, etc. then follow up with a lint free rag soaked in isopropyl alcohol. I make sure my fingers are super clean as well, by rubbing them down with the alcohol.

      Then I use 3M strapping tape, approximately 3-5mm wider than the inner rim width. Start 3 spoke holes before the valve hole. Stretch the tape tight so it conforms to all contours of the rim. Do two full laps and end 3 spoke holes after the valve hole.

    7. GarryUngroomed on

      What sealant you use? I can only recommend Stans sealant. That thing seals anything.

    8. Novanomad77 on

      I had the same tires on my bike, took a lot of sealant because they had tons of it leaking through the sidewall. Mine would also deflate fairly quickly. Definitely anecdotal, but you just may need more sealant and better coverage inside the tire.

    10. pycvalade on

      Mine stayed inflated for a couple weeks when I didn’t use the bike.

      You might need to use a compressor to seat them properly the first time though.

    12. JRZ1967 on

      I had an issue where the valve core wasn’t completely tight and air slowly leaked out. Took me a while to figure that out. Just another thing to check off the list.

    13. Katmeasles on

      Tape or sealant. If the tires are tr then it can’t be anything else. Sounds like tape to me… must be tubeless tape.

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