Hi gravel folks, I am new to tubeless and have a hole in my 40mm tire. I tried thin and thick puncture plug but every time the plug comes out. My tire pressure is around 3-3.5bar. Any advice for repair?
by hobbitinhigh
Hi gravel folks, I am new to tubeless and have a hole in my 40mm tire. I tried thin and thick puncture plug but every time the plug comes out. My tire pressure is around 3-3.5bar. Any advice for repair?
by hobbitinhigh
15 Comments
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I think 3.5 bar is quite high. Maybe try reducing the pressure, at least until the sealant has had a chance to seal around the plug fully.
Buy better tires. The bontrager gravel tires are just ok, but have bad puncture Resistance. Much better tires out there
Happened to me twice with schwalbes. Went back to tubes (tpu) as it wasn’t worth the troubles. Just my 2cts.
3.5 is a lot for 40mm tires. How heavy are you?
If it won‘t seal, bite the bullet and repair it from the inside https://www.bike-discount.de/en/rema-tip-top-tubeless-repair-set-tt13
The only time I used tubeless when I go for a long ride in a good road. Besides that pvc tube takes you 10 min no mess and back on the road in no time and no mess or surprises when you want to go out.
Last time I had a hole that wouldn’t seal, it was ground black pepper that fixed it. Just crack the bead, dump a generous serving of pepper, then reseal the tyre.
After the success of the ground pepper I switched to peaty’s sealant, whach has biodegradable glitter, which does the same thing. Works as a kind of clotting agent to clog the hole.
I also agree with other commenters that your pressure is quite high, you could bring that down.
Which plugs? I use Dynaplug because they don’t come out. I’ve stuffed 4 in a hole and it stayed in place for a thousand miles.
The tire can also be repaired with a permanent patch. Lezyne sells a patch/plug combo unit that works really well, even for large holes.
You could get a tire boot and put it on the inside. Bike shops typically have them or you can use the ones meant for cars which can be found easily at auto shops. You have to clean the inside where the boot goes on really well before sticking it on there. This is probably your best bet.
I’m going back to tubes, the lightweight & puncture resistant ones from Pirelli on my gravel bike. I was stuck 12 miles out an hour before nightfall in the woods and bacon strips and darts did not work. My friend had a tube and though there was a little struggle getting the rambler back on the rim, we made it out in time, in spite of wasting 20 minutes on plugs and bacon strips. Going back to tubes.
I had this exact tire and got a puncture so bad it wouldn’t seal. Could have patched the tire from the inside but decided to just go with a more durable tire. I have had much better luck with the pirelli gravel H and orange seal endurance. Also the gravelking + variants of the slick and ss were good as well. Every time I have run tubeless on a supple more delicate tire I have gotten a puncture that the sealant isn’t able to seal. Tubeless isn’t all it’s cracked up to be but is still nice and I prefer it.
How long have you had the tyres? Are you aware of the Unconditional Bontrager Guarantee, you can put your Bontrager equipment and apparel to the test in real riding conditions. If you’re not satisfied for any reason, bring the product back to us within 30 days for an exchange or store credit.
I did this with my GR2 tyres. I had 4 flats on the first ride all within 14 miles.
With quality tyres / sealant tubeless works most of the time. Technology is not perfect though. Ocassionally stuff like this happens. It can takes several tries to get a puncture sealed. In bad cases you just have to thrash / patch the tire. I recommend the Continental Terra line with Orange Seal. Also lower your tire pressure with 1.0 bar. Still…its not for everyone. Personally I have endless numbers of tubeless failures in the book. Its a religion with an unpredictable and sometimes vicious God…
You should try this, worked perfectly with my gravel bike:
https://www.standardsreformers.com
Think someone came on your wheel mate