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hi, I have WTB lazer disc rims and even with soap & silly high pressure I can't get about a third of my tyre bead seated properly. the maxis just about went on but the kenda won't have it.
when I took the tyres off one side was so tight I thought it must have been glued on but it wasn't. I also thought it might be the super thick rim tape trapping the tyre but I've replaced that and its made no difference.
last weekend I was part way up Hellvelyn when the sidewall ripped where it hadn't seated properly so does anyone have any suggestions?
My Laser Disc Trails had a shoulder (WTB call it GPS) which makes the tyres more awkward to get on but more secure.
That said, I think you are only supposed to use a rim tape that sits in the middle of the rim and doesn't overlap the shoulder at all, if your rim tape runs the full width of the rim it might be causing you the problems.
I managed to run Maxxis Tyres and Continental tyres ghetto tubeless on mine, so you can definitely get a good seal at the bead.
Had the same on my stock Trance X wheels. They had the tape across thefull width of the rim. Yes they are a pain to use. I have found that they need to be pumped to at least 60 psi and then you need to pull the tyre to encourage them to pop into the grove. Enven then it can take a lot of effort.
these are also stock Trance X wheels.
the old rim tape seemed to be really thick and went the whole way across the width, I've swapped it for some narrower fabric stuff, I might try a bit if electrical insulation tape as its thinner in the hope that it'll not make the shoulder any tighter.
So, you couldn't get a third of your bead seated, but you went for a ride up Hellvelyn anyway?
Have you had a look on the back of a 10 pound note?
😉
yay, 5 posts and someones being a Dick. good to see the STW standards aren't slipping
Over pressure it till it seats, then reduce to the correct pressure, worked on mine
Weird, I've never had a problem with these rims, even managed to ghetto them with maxxus, conti and wtb tyres. As above just pump them up super hard till they pop on.
the gauge has bust on my pump but I took it up so high I did start to cower with every stroke for fear of it exploding. also thought the soap might help it slide into place but no such luck.
Are they lazer disc trails or XC? If they're the xc model maybe the rims are a bit too skinny for the tyre?
I;ve got the trails and even 2.4 rubber queens are not that tight
trails i think and the kendas came as stock so you'd hope they were the correct size
i've got speed disc AM rims and semi-ghetto'd them in that i used UST tyres but built the rim up with some tape off ebay. Worked fine on mine once i'd got enough tape on. Pumped up to 65 psi, pinged into place, left them for a bit then dropped the pressure to 35psi.
I made sure there wasn't too much tape under the bead of the rim though.
The Trails on my Trance X are a pain in the arse too. While it's only mildly irritating if you're at home with a track pump, trying to get them seated at the side of the trail with a mini pump is a nightmare.
Yep, it is a case of keeping pumping until they pop on. Mine generally need about 50psi to get into place. As said before, fine with a track pump at home, a pain on the trail (or on the side of the road as was on Saturday).
OK, here's my sensible answer (as my earlier attempt at humour failed miserably, and I'm now at a keyboard - rather than a smartphone - so I can give a longer reply)
I went tubeless earlier this year and had trouble getting the beads to seat at all - so much so, that I couldn't even get air into the tyre to apply the pressure needed to seat the tyre.
The solution turned out to be quite simple (Thanks Ollie!). Put an inner tune in the tyre, inflate this, thereby seating the tyre. Leave it overnight, allowing the beads and walls of the tyre to recover the shape that they'd lost whilst folded flat for dispatch from the manufacturer.
Next day, deflate the tube, dismount [u]one[/u] bead, and remove the tube. You should now find that the tyre takes air properly, as it has the right shape to align the bead with the rim.
Inflate the tyre to whatever pressure is required for the beads to seat, then deflate, remove the valve core before injecting the sealant and riding off into the sunset.
They have been installed since January, using no soapy water etc, and have given me no problems - under a variety of conditions.
I use Bontrager Rhythm Comp rims with Bontrager Mud-X tubeless ready tyres, so you may not have the same success with conversion kits.
(Going to have to repeat the process with the Bontrager XR2 tyre soon, as the Mud-X's are due to come off)
all very good but I'm not running tubeless and the tyres have been on the bike 18 month.
Try neat washing up liquid on both beads and lots of it. Then pump until they ping, they have a great hold on the bead once it is on.