Been incident free and tubeless happy since i got my new bike but last week i cased a double badly (don’t spliff and ride kids!) and flat spotted my rear wheel. A few spokes pierced the rim tape and white gunk sprayed everywhere. Left it in to get fixed and although the lbs did a great job fixing the rim/spokes they didn’t do a great job with the tape (patching up the affected area only – it leaks still). While faffing with the rear i noticed the front was soft too so pumped it up only to hear hissing. Seems a 3-4mm slice in the centre of the tyre is to blame.

So being relatively new to this tubeless thing what do i need to get back up and running? New tape? (recommendations please) New valves maybe? (gunk was coming out of the rear valve too) And something to patch the slice in the front (would a puncture patch do?). What do i use to clean the old gunk off? Almost tempted to pop a couple of tubes in and be done with but will give it another chance with your help STW

New tape on the back (I quite like the stans tape, but many people are using gorilla tape or even electrical tape) and if I’m putting new tape on, I’ll tend to put a new valve in as well now, but have re-used them in the past to no detriment.

You can try a puncture patch, and you can get specific tubeless tyre repair kits, but if the tyre is damaged like that personally I’d probably replace it.

Stick with it though, Tubeless (for off road at least) is a definite winner.

What do i use to clean the old gunk off?

Tissues and sandpaper?! You might get away with poking a tyre fixer thing through the hole, but I’d use a tubeless patch on that. Had an old MAxxis Larsen that lasted years with a patch inside.

Depending on rim width, 25mm Gorilla tape has been great for me. £3 @ Homebase.
Valves might just need tightening into the rim if it’s leaking there too – just try tightening the locking ring whilst pushing on the valve inside the rim.

Gorilla tape is fine.

Electrical tape can be a bit variable.

No need to replace the valves. If it’s leaking out of the valve it’s sometimes because the air is leaking through a hole in the tape and into the rim cavity, and then out of the first place it can find with a nice big hole, which is around the valve.

I’ve found that putting a small O-ring between the valve lockring and the rim seems to make it much easier to seal.

As an alternative to patches or anchovies, you can also sew up a hole with a needle and some dental floss if you’re careful. Then put a patch on the inside and go ride!

I would worry about the flat spot on the rim, that might make it hard to ever seal. But try it and see. You might be able to bend it back enough to work (though I’ve never actually succeeded, but I haven’t tried much).

Yup, re-tape and tighten the valve. That’s the rim sorted. Up to you what you do with the tyre. Personally I’d swap it out for a non damaged one.

If you’re going to buy Stans tape I’d get this instead…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162273493378?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It’s exactly the same and there’s that much of it you’ll never need to buy tape again.

We have these

and

for on the trail if Stans dosent seal it, also carry a tube.

Repair with these when we get home

Our daughter had two punctures on stage one and one on stage three at the EWS in Madeira at the weekend. She lost some time but managed to repair the tyre with the plugs and complete the race.

Repaired the tyre with the mushrooms when she got home, I was amaized at how many holes the Stans had sealed.

Tracey: Isn’t the second one there just a jolly nice looking version of the first one? Or does it actually work better?

Works alot quicker as its set up already just to punch and plug. Abigale has practiced with both and can get the tyre up to pressure with a C02 cartrage in about half the time with the Dynaplug.
Obviously thats practicing in the garage, on the trail when you are against the clock you have to factor in the panic, faffing factor and the trail conditions.

Damn. Now I need to buy one 🙂

Damn. Now I need to buy one

Me too. Thanks for the advice boys and girls 😀

I also cut the Weldtite strip of 5 plugs in two to give me double the amount of plugs and not wasting to much inside or outside the tyre.

That DynaPlug Air is very cool

Although I also like the Sahmurai Sword

I must say (no, I really shouldn’t, but what the hell) the last puncture I had to fix in a tubeless MTB tyre was that Larsen, must be… 6 years ago…

Never tempt fate, I hope Abigale has had here fair share for a long time.
I had a look at the Sahmurai Sword and to me its just a neater version of the Weldtite kit, I couldnt see where it would save any time

Never tempt fate
Don’t believe in it! (Much) 😆

If we were buying a Dynaplug again it would be the Racer that has the ability to put a big plug in if needed.

+1 for the eBay tape seems to work well.