- This topic has 20 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by zerocool.
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Helping non-tubeless tyres seal
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thenorthwindFull Member
I bought some relatively lightweight tyres, probably foolishly, for a new hack bike build. Wanted some wide, semi-slick 29ers, but a lot of them are cheap wired ones for commuting (which is admittedly exactly what I’ll be using them for) and are HEAVY… like 1.2kg.
The ones I bought (Vittoria Tattoo Lights) are <700g but obviously pretty thin. I wasn’t planning to run them tubeless, but now thinking it might not be a bad idea. My current commuter has tubes – I puncture that rarely it’s not an issue, and they rarely need topping up. Other wheels, particularly with non-tubeless tyres (for obvious reasons), don’t seem to stay up very well. I gave up with one of the wheels on my road bike, which also happens to be Vittoria.
So what can I do to help it seal properly? My usual approach to non-tubeless tyres is just to chuck loads of sealant in and hope enough soaks into the sidewalls to seal them eventually, but it’s not ideal/foolproof.
Any other solutions to this, other than not trying to deny physics and just buying some heavy, puncture-proof tyres?
coconutFree MemberTry painting sealant around the internals of the tyre with a brush and allowing to dry for 12hrs, this can seal up most of the micropores, it may work.. or it may continually micro weep. I managed to seal up an older non-tubeless Racing Ralph, but on very rocky terrain it always lost about 10psi per ride.
dovebikerFull MemberGoogle ghetto tubeless – split tube over rim tape – finding a 20” tube with presta and removable valve core might be the trickiest part. If you can’t get a tight bead fit, then pack out the rim with more tape. Strong webbing strap around the tyre helps push the bead out. The main problem with non-tubeless tyres is the bead stretching and not stating on the rim. Don’t over-inflate as you can knacker the tyre and rim as well spray everywhere with sealant – a tyre-ful of sealant at 50psi goes a long way.
thenorthwindFull Member@coconut I’d actually thought about doing that, but was worried it was a stupid idea 😂 Makes sense though, the sealant should form a layer on the inside and block up any pores anyway, so it might just speed the process up. Will give it a go, thanks.
Thanks @dovebiker – not sure how tight the tyre/rim combo will be yet, but I think it’s more the porous sidewalls that will be the problem.
NorthwindFull MemberFrom the responses so far- I think you mean that they bead up and inflate, but then deflate and come off? Rather than having issues with actually fitting them onto the rim?
Glitter genuinely works with porous tyres, it’s ridiculous but it can help a lot. Not all sealants are much good at it. Stans I usually found was pretty good, I reckon oko magic milk hifibre is better than most.
thenorthwindFull MemberYeah, that’s right. Hadn’t thought of that, but sounds like a good idea, cheers. I always use Stan’s and would rather not complicate my life any more by having different sealants in different bikes 😄
shermer75Free MemberOnce inflated hold the wheel upright, and then shake. Turn the wheel a little, and then shake again, until you have coated the whole of the inside with sealant, then lie the wheel on it’s side for a couple of mins. Then turn the wheel over and start again. Keep going until the sidewalls have sealed, to assess this brush the outside of the walls in water and fairy liquid solution (you may have used this to get the beads to sit), you will see foamy bubbles wherever the air is passing through the sidewall. Keep repeating until done.
Caveat: I’ve never managed to get non-tubeless tyres to be as airtight as tubeless, but certainly good enough to not need pumping up for a fair few weeks at least
tonFull Memberif it is for a commuter hack, does the weight of a tube really matter ?
i put sealant inside tubes and they install them in tyres.
bikerevivesheffieldFull Member@ton toom the northern words out my mouth. Tube in, sealant in tube, stop faffing and wasting life 🤪
bikerevivesheffieldFull MemberI need a bus but bought a car for the school run, how many kids can I fit on the roof rack? Not ideal but I’m sure I can make it work ……
shermer75Free Memberi put sealant inside tubes and they install them in tyres
I’ve tried this before but couldn’t get it to seal when I had a puncture, even a fairly small one like a thorn. Is there a knack to it that I’m missing?
dyna-tiFull Memberif it is for a commuter hack, does the weight of a tube really matter ?
i put sealant inside tubes and they install them in tyres.
I dont think you even need sealant, as most commuter type tyres are pretty much puncture proof.
thols2Full MemberI’ve used ghetto tubeless for nearly 20 years, using art latex as sealant. I originally used standard tyres, they mostly worked ok, but some very thin ones would leak sealant out the sidewalls. I usually start with 100 cc of undiluted latex, get the tyre inflated to 40 psi or so, then take it for a ride round the block. Then leave it overnight. If it stays inflated, great. If not, a can of Holts Tyreweld will usually sort it out. Once they stay inflated overnight, I generally add another 50 cc of diluted latex (50-50 water and latex).
However, for commuting, just putting 50 cc of latex in a tube is much simpler. I used to commute past a scrap metal yard. After a few months my tyres started going flat overnight. I pulled out the tube and it had zillions of tiny punctures – the tyre was riddled with tiny shards of metal. I just put more sealant in and pumped it up again.
TiRedFull MemberPaint the sidewalls with sealant. Took an age for me to seal some wire beaded Schwalbe Cx Pros for some 25″ wheels, but seal they did, eventually. Might need quite a lot, but pour it in and paint it around the sidewalls and you’ll be fine.
thenorthwindFull Memberif it is for a commuter hack, does the weight of a tube really matter ?
i put sealant inside tubes and they install them in tyres.
It’s definitely not a lightweight build: steel frame, Alfine hub, a kilo of rack at each end, another kilo of steel mudguard. But wheels, and particularly tyres, are a different matter. Plus a lot of commuting tyres are horrible to ride because they’re so rigid.
Had thought about sealant inside tubes. Not sure how easy it is to find tubes with removable valve cores, and obviously need to be fairly lightweight or the weight advantage is lost.
@bikerevivesheffield Haha, guilty as charged. But if I can figure it out, I won’t have to drive a bus around, so it’ll be win-win.
@dyna-ti they’re not though, that’s the point.
@shermer75 @thols2 thanks for the tips.dangeourbrainFree MemberI’ve done the paint the sidewalls trick with both watered down pva and also copydex before now – before tubeless was really much of a thing even – copydex worked well.
honourablegeorgeFull Membercoconut
Try painting sealant around the internals of the tyre with a brush and allowing to dry for 12hrs, this can seal up most of the micropores, it may work.. or it may continually micro weep.
Continental recommend tat for their tubeless tyres 🙂
Mister-PFree MemberI borrowed a gravel bike from work ages ago which came with inner tubes and suffered punctures quite a bit. Because it was going to go back at some point I didn’t want to set it up tubeless so stuck a load of sealant in the inner tubes. It worked a treat.
thols2Full MemberHad thought about sealant inside tubes. Not sure how easy it is to find tubes with removable valve cores, and obviously need to be fairly lightweight or the weight advantage is lost.
Either use Schraeder valve tubes or just poke a small hole in the tube, inject some sealant, then patch the hole.
The benefit of tubeless isn’t really weight, it’s that the rolling resistance is lower and grip is improved because you can run lower pressures. With tubes, you can run lower pressures without worrying so much about pinch flats, plus protection from thorns, etc.
zerocoolFull MemberGhetto tubeless and Stans. As recommended by Jared Graves himself.
Or something like Joe’s No Flats tubes (wife swears by them on her road bike) or Slime tubes.
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