Ghetto Tubeless leak

[Kettle83]

I've been getting a heap of punctured so decided to give ghetto tubeless a try. I got it all set up and the bead sealed fine but there is a constant leak out of two spots on the seam between the sidewall and tread area. I've tried spinning the rim at all angles to get some of the sealant through it but it just won't stop leaking.

Should I try adding more sealant? The other option I was considering was ditching the tubeless setup and getting some tunes with removable cores (presta type) and adding sealant into the tube itself which should achieve the same. Have people had success with this? Is it hard to get sealant down a presta valve?

 

[qvack_au]

You lose on weight and can't run as low a pressure with slimed tubes.

If you do want to do it you can get the cores out of the normal valves, or just need the widget or really pointy pliers to do it

 

[sufferthesinglespeed]

One of my bikes is ghetto tubeless and to be honest it's been less hassle than the other with 2bliss ready rims.
Both of them leak sealant from the sidewall almost constantly, to my thinking it seems to depend a bit on the weather as to how much oozes out.
My ghetto setup uses far less sealant than the other, and needs refilling less often. Which again is down to the rim sealing on the other wheels.
It is pretty easy to add more sealant, either through the removable valve core or just by opening a little bit of the bead up with levers and squirting it in to the tyre. No need to take it all the way off the bead.
I generally do it like this anyway
Some tyres are better at sealing up on the sidewall than others it seems. My 26" wheels hold it better than my 29" wheels do. Both are tubeless ready.
Put a little more sealant and maybe a little more pressure to get it to find the leak.
Persevere because the benefits are worth it.

 

[T-Rex]

I've been getting a heap of punctured so decided to give ghetto tubeless a try. I got it all set up and the bead sealed fine but there is a constant leak out of two spots on the seam between the sidewall and tread area. I've tried spinning the rim at all angles to get some of the sealant through it but it just won't stop leaking.

Should I try adding more sealant? The other option I was considering was ditching the tubeless setup and getting some tunes with removable cores (presta type) and adding sealant into the tube itself which should achieve the same. Have people had success with this? Is it hard to get sealant down a presta valve?

That would be from pre-existing pinching which has gone right through the casing. No amount of extra Stans will seal it, because it flexes right on that spot and keeps opening up.

The way to fix it is with supa-glue. Pull the tyre off, clean the holes with brake cleaner inside and out,, and if possible get right inside the holes. Then inject supa-glue right inside the holes, and leave it for 24 hours. Then re-mount, add Stans and ride away.

Stans in a tube doesn't really work, you need the friction caused by free flowing air coming out of the hole to make the Stans set. And as stated above, the slime tubes weigh a ton.

EDIT: The ultimate setup for pinch flat resistance is "tube inside tubeless", but you need proper UST rims and tyres, and it's really fiddly to set up. Only worth while for DH race runs IMO. Better to learn to ride smoothly.

 

[Ackland]

use a small paint brush to paint sealant onto the beads of the tyre....

Let it sit somewhere warm until it gets a bit tacky...

Re-seat...

Enjoy no more leaks

 

[SideFX]

That would be from pre-existing pinching which has gone right through the casing. No amount of extra Stans will seal it, because it flexes right on that spot and keeps opening up.

The way to fix it is with supa-glue. Pull the tyre off, clean the holes with brake cleaner inside and out,, and if possible get right inside the holes. Then inject supa-glue right inside the holes, and leave it for 24 hours. Then re-mount, add Stans and ride away.

Stans in a tube doesn't really work, you need the friction caused by free flowing air coming out of the hole to make the Stans set. And as stated above, the slime tubes weigh a ton.

EDIT: The ultimate setup for pinch flat resistance is "tube inside tubeless", but you need proper UST rims and tyres, and it's really fiddly to set up. Only worth while for DH race runs IMO. Better to learn to ride smoothly.

T Rex advice is right . Stans wont fix all holes especially on the tire bead . Super glue is the fix for the tire repair . As an addition to putting glue in the split , if you have a large hole you can also repair the tyre with old tube as a patch inside the tire and supper glue . < just make the glue tacky on the tire and patch and press overnight > .

 

[Kettle83]

I just emptied the rest of the bottle in and it has stopped the two major air leaks that I was getting. I'll leave it over night and see if there's any slow leaks.

 

[billymtb]

I just emptied the rest of the bottle in and it has stopped the two major air leaks that I was getting. I'll leave it over night and see if there's any slow leaks.

Haha I love this, "I'm just going to ignore all this helpful advice and yell MOAR STANS"

 

[Ackland]

Haha I love this, "I'm just going to ignore all this helpful advice and yell MOAR STANS"

Suppose it wthe easier option

 

[Kettle83]

Haha I love this, "I'm just going to ignore all this helpful advice and yell MOAR STANS"

Actually it was the advice I received initially in this thread - try more sealant and more pressure. It seems like a fairly logical first step before ripping the tyre off to super glue it and starting all over again but thanks for you constructive contribution.

 

[T-Rex]

Actually it was the advice I received initially in this thread - try more sealant and more pressure. It seems like a fairly logical first step before ripping the tyre off to super glue it and starting all over again but thanks for you constructive contribution.

It will seal up fine in the garage because you are not flexing the sidewalls.

Wait till you ride it with normal pressure.....

 

[billymtb]

Actually it was the advice I received initially in this thread - try more sealant and more pressure. It seems like a fairly logical first step before ripping the tyre off to super glue it and starting all over again but thanks for you constructive contribution.

Are the two holes from pinch flatting the tyre? are they just a hole or is it more like a cut/rip? As T-rex said, when you corner the sidewalls of the tyre will want to stretch and its quite a lot of force, a cut will want to open up. Stans isn't designed for this, it plugs holes and acts as a mild adhesive but just doesn't have the strength to hold a cut or tear together. At least in my experience, went through 3 minions in a week of riding.

It looks a lot more stretched in the photo but it started out pretty small, stans couldn't seal it so had to tube it.

 

[Kettle83]

Are the two holes from pinch flatting the tyre? are they just a hole or is it more like a cut/rip? As T-rex said, when you corner the sidewalls of the tyre will want to stretch and its quite a lot of force, a cut will want to open up. Stans isn't designed for this, it plugs holes and acts as a mild adhesive but just doesn't have the strength to hold a cut or tear together. At least in my experience, went through 3 minions in a week of riding. View attachment 312033

It looks a lot more stretched in the photo but it started out pretty small, stans couldn't seal it so had to tube it.

No, the holes were tiny, I couldn't see them at all. I suspect that these tyres are somewhat porous because after giving it a good shake and letting it sit overnight, the sidewalls had specks of sealant all the way around where it has been bubbling through the rubber. These are fairly new tyres (only a few weeks old) that came with the bike. The tyres are Schwalbe Smart Sams, I'm not a big fan of them but will probably use them for a bit longer to get some use out of them. Perhaps a better quality tyre would be less porous.