I’m trying to get a continental rubber queen protection set up tubeless on stans arch ex. I’ve used the tyres previously with tubes. I’ve got them inflated but there’s latex bubbling out by the rim. The tyre has already gone completely flat once and I’ve just re-inflated it. Is it likely to seal with perseverance? Or a lost cause!?

latex should seal it in the end, just keep topping it up with air, and sloshing the latex around, both rotationally around the wheel, but also around the entire profile of the tyre.
I guess if your rim/tyre combo is a bit leaky rather than a proper tubeless tyre it may well take a while, and some topping up of the latex too, but should settle down eventually.

If you don’t have time to do what Olly says (which should work), you might be better off building up the rim bed with some insulating tape. This will make the tyre a bit harder to get off/on but will reduce any air gaps in between the bead and the rim.

Continental Tyres have a mould release agent in them, which makes the latex hard to stick to the tyre.

Washing up liquid and a stiff brush on the inside of the tyre will get rid of it.

Conto Tyres that arent made this year are a PITA to tubeless in general. Some work, some are a pain.

rickon – Member

Continental Tyres have a mould release agent in them, which makes the latex hard to stick to the tyre.

Washing up liquid and a stiff brush on the inside of the tyre will get rid of it.

Conto Tyres that arent made this year are a PITA to tubeless in general. Some work, some are a pain.

Never knew that, thanks. 🙂

Chek for cracks in the rim… I’ve had air leak from there before

And remove any release nipples of rubber from the bead area 😉

If its a used tyre, check that it’s not the seam on the tyre next to the bead/rim. I’ve just discovered my trail king tyre is leaking at this seam. I stopped using Contis a while back because I’ve had a couple split at this seam whilst using tubes and the result was pretty spectacular blowouts both times. Friends have had the same thing. Its very frustrating that tyres with plenty of tread left disintegrate in this way.

Currently using the Contis that came with the bike and yet another set are leaking at this seam! New tyres (not Conti) now ordered!

I had trouble with a Conti. I bought a Mountain King protection 2.4 and 2.2. The 2.4 went up easily and held air pretty well without sealant. The 2.2 took a few days of faffing before it eventually held air properly. I ended up painting the inside of the tyre with liquid latex to make it airtight as I was wasting sealant by trying to do it the normal way (fill with sealant and shake/leave/ride).

I’ve always found that the best way to seal a difficult tyre is to go for a proper ride on it. The constant agitation and deformation that the tyre sees over rocks, roots etc. always does the trick for me.

I persevered with the tyre, kept topping up the pressure over a couple of days and it eventually seemed to seal. Been for a couple of rides on it and it’s held pressure.

Keep an eye on the sealant level by sloshing it around , say weekly to begin .

I used to run Conti X Kings ( protection )they would seal & set themslves on the bead nicely.But ,I got through a ton of Stan’s as it was for ever leaching through the tyres them selves

Now using Geax Tyres & the sealant literally lasts for ever , or at least can’t remember topping any of my bikes up in a long , long time ! 🙂

I had trouble at first on Hope rims but got there in the end. All the usual stuff of twice round the rim with tape, checked the valve and used washing up liquid on the bead when mounting it. Had to use more sealant than I thought I’d need and 5 minutes bombing round the street after fitting and they’ve been fine since.

I’ve had a couple of issues with Conti on Arch rims, but alas – all’s not lost.

Fully clean the rim. Fully pull off any old latex from around the bead of the tyre.

If the tyre’s been sitting around for a while, check it has no kinks from being folded etc. If it has, I often find that popping it in a bucket of warm water for 20 mins helps soften it up a bit.

If this still doesn’t work, I use one of two options

1 – 1 extra lap of rim tape to create a tighter fit between tyre and rim

2 – Put the tyre in with a tube – pump to 40 psi, and leave for an hour. Then remove just one side of the bead, and the tube. refit the tubeless valve and have another go. With one side seated already it should make it a fairly easy process.

If you are looking for fit and forget tubeless then avoid Continental.

Even when they eventually seal they still continue to lose sealant through the tyre (lot of damp patches on tyre)

Compared to my experience of Geax TNT they could be more different. Tyre goes straight up and stays up
Sealant seems to just stay there and rarely needs topping up.

I was finding my Baron 27.5 were deflating a bit at first – they eventually settled. The air was leaking through the sidewall – if I left my bike unused for a week I could see after that time that the sidewall would look damp.

I have a beaver that forever appears to be leaking (mounds of bubbles) but it never actually seems to go flat!

@joshvegas you should go see a doctor about that.