Hi all, I had a tubeless tire installed on my wheel. I put the rim tape down, put the sealant in, seated it, and ran it for a summer season last year. I let a few too many months lapse without keeping it inflated, and one day I found it completely deflated and unseated. I tried to seat with my pump but couldn't. So I got an Airshot and pumped that up to 140 PSI and then tried to seat it. I can't manage to seat it. All of the air seems to escape out of the sides of the tire and it doesn't move. I then tried to seat it by removing the valve and using the Airshot adapter. When I do that it seems to mostly seat, but of course when I remove that adapter all the air rushes out and it unseats. What should I do?
Difficulty seating a tubeless tire with Airshot
byu/gnychis inbikewrench
by gnychis
11 Comments
The valve core is removed right? Make sure you open the valve on the airshot suddenly so all the air rushes into the tire at once. Then once it’s seated you should be able to remove the airshot from the valve. I also always remove my pump from the airshot and close that valve up
Spray soapy water on the beads to help them slide into place. The old dried sealant will be stopping them moving easily
Oh man that looks so much better than having a silly tube to air up
Did you put fresh sealant in the tire?
You can try putting a tube in to basically seat one side. So install tube, pump up, deflate, remove tube by just unhooking one side and try inflating again.
Also make sure the tire is resting in the centre ditch when trying to inflate.
Lay the tire flat, let it sit on the axle and try to inflate, so you’re not making a large hole when it’s sitting on the rubber. I normally place it over a big shop size garbage can when I setup tubeless at work. I find laying it flat works best on the hardest to inflate tubeless. You can also over inflate to set the bead, I normally do this with the valve core removed and pour sealant in through the valve. Then inflate again.
I don’t hear the tire seating into place. After the initial rush of air keep pumping frantically until the tire bead seats in the rim
I have an Airshot. It goes up to 160. Try it. You can wax the rim a bit to help it slide into place. But, yeah you should hear several loud pops as the bead seats. Then it won’t come off. Maybe your rims are not tubeless ready
If it’s an old tire, you absolutely have to remove the old sealant that’s stuck to the bead of the tire.
Also, when I set up tubeless, I always follow the old school Stan’s method:
1. Install tape, valve core, and 1 side of the bead. Remember to follow manufacturer’s recommendations on tubeless tape size.
2. Start working about half of the other side of the bead on
3. Once you get like ½-¾ of the bead on, pour sealant into the unmounted bead
4. Rotate the tire so the sealant flows into the part of the tire where both beads are mounted to the rim. Work the rest of the tire back on.
5. Once the tire is properly mounted, take soapy water and HEAVILY brush the sides of the tire with it, making sure it flows down onto the bead.
6. Smack the tread of the tire as you rotate the wheel to help spread the bead.
7. Inflate. You’ll hear lots of loud noises, that’s good.
8. Once it’s inflated correctly, shake the wheel around to help spread the sealant. I usually hold the wheel vertically so the sealant flows to the bottom. I shake the wheel front to back (towards me/away from me) as I rotate the wheel. This helps slosh the sealant into the bead of the tire.
9. Lay the wheel horizontally on top on a bucket for example, then spread more soapy water on the side of the tire. This’ll help expose any parts where the tire is leaking air. If you find any, pick the wheel up and repeat step 8, but focusing on the one spot where air is coming out.
10. After 5 mins, repeat step 8, but when you brush the soapy water on, it should be the other side of the wheel facing up.
Bonty Paradigms, I have had great success seating tires onto them if I use the special Bontrager rim strip. Can seat a tire with a regular floor pump without any sealant.
Clean the beads with a natural rubber eraser. Try rolling the sealant around with the airshot on to coat the bead with sealant and leave it in place for a while before taking the airshot off and pumping it with the core in place.
Put a tube in it & ride it for a few days then try reseating it.