robeambro wrote:
What I think would be nice to have is a little guide on best practices when you get a flat whilst NOT racing. I'll leave a few questions that I would like expert users to answer. Clearly, in a race setting where one just wants to get back riding asap, it may make sense to wait very little and just throw a plug in the tire (I think keeping a Dynaplug Racer at hand is the quickest way).
While training instead, how do we maximise the chances for the sealant to work? eg. is it better to stop, position the hole down to facilitate the flow of sealant, plug it with our finger (is this going to help?) ?
And, generally, after how long does one assume that the sealant is not going to be able to do its job?
Does it make sense to reinflate the tyre straight away, or better to ride a few more miles at the lower pressure (if rideable, of course), to give the sealant more time, and then inflate again?
"While training instead, how do we maximise the chances for the sealant to work? eg. is it better to stop, position the hole down to facilitate the flow of sealant, plug it with our finger (is this going to help?)?"
-I've never had this really work. In my experience, it either seals or it doesn't, and shaking the wheel or positioning it in a special way doesn't do much. I've punctured and done as you suggest (stop riding, position the hole downward to catch more sealant), and it basically just keeps spitting, because the puncture was just too big. Or sometimes it seals while riding and you never have to stop. I think the best remedy is using a good sealant (see our in-depth test articles), and keeping your sealant levels topped off.
"And, generally, after how long does one assume that the sealant is not going to be able to do its job? "
-I don't understand the question. Can you rephrase? I assume that the sealant will do its job.
"Does it make sense to reinflate the tyre straight away, or better to ride a few more miles at the lower pressure (if rideable, of course), to give the sealant more time, and then inflate again?"
-Perfect world, the puncture seals while riding and you never stop. Mountain bikers are familiar with this. You hear a puncture, and then it stops leaking/hissing after a few wheel revolutions and you keep going. With road tubeless, the sealant has a harder time doing its job because of the higher pressures. So, if you start at 100psi, puncture, and then it seals at 70psi... I'd just keep riding (though a bit more slowly/carefully in the corners). You can try inflating again, but you might blow out the seal... causing it to leak back down to 70psi and seal again. I try to just finish the ride, and would then use a patch/plug kit at home.
The other thing I want to emphasize in general (you didn't ask this) - is that I think that this whole situation is going to get better as more wheels and frames work with wider tires. A 28mm tire on a Hed Vanquish rim will inflate to 31-32mm wide. Maybe you run your pressure in the low 60s. This is a much easier scenario for sealant to work compared to a 23mm tire at 100+psi. Because of all this, I think the best place for someone to start with tubeless (if they're wanting to try it) is for training, and likely on a road bike that'll have wider tires than your tri bike. I think it's no coincidence that the companies that are big on tubeless are also big on wide tires (i.e. ENVE).