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Tubeless Noob Questions - Proper seating
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Hello all, I got a set of Reynolds AR58/62x along with Schwalbe Pro One TL tires. I also bought an Airshot "pump" (not sure what to call it). Here's where I'm at:
Tires are 700x28, and currently don't have sealant because I may want to try 700x30, might be a different brand though. Once I settle for a pair, I'll get the sealant in.


- Front tire: Use the air shot, and the tire holds, but there was no audible "pop". It's currently at 90 PSI. I'm wondering if I should air it up some more until the satisfying pop sound and then bring it back down to 85-90 PSI? Not sure if this counts as being seated.

- Rear tire: Used the air shot, but it didn't seat (no audible pop). It has a slow leak I believe from a portion of the tire that's not quite to the edge of the sidewall. I was wondering if I should do 2 "sets" of air shot pumps or is that too much? As in, first shot of air, then leave it connected. Close the valve. Pressurize the Airshot again, then do another shot of air?

Thoughts? Experiences? Thanks for all your help!
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Re: Tubeless Noob Questions - Proper seating [Chan] [ In reply to ]
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You won't always get a "pop". The metric you want to use is, are the tires fully and evenly seated on the rim. It sounds like you've hit that with the front tire, and not with the rear.

Don't hit the rear with another air blast, just pump it up "normally" until it seats evenly, like the front tire. If you hit it with another blast, you can pretty easily overpressure the tire and blow it completely off the rim, potentially damaging the tire and/or the rim.

Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
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Re: Tubeless Noob Questions - Proper seating [Chan] [ In reply to ]
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Chan wrote:
Hello all, I got a set of Reynolds AR58/62x along with Schwalbe Pro One TL tires. I also bought an Airshot "pump" (not sure what to call it). Here's where I'm at:
Tires are 700x28, and currently don't have sealant because I may want to try 700x30, might be a different brand though. Once I settle for a pair, I'll get the sealant in.


- Front tire: Use the air shot, and the tire holds, but there was no audible "pop". It's currently at 90 PSI. I'm wondering if I should air it up some more until the satisfying pop sound and then bring it back down to 85-90 PSI? Not sure if this counts as being seated.

- Rear tire: Used the air shot, but it didn't seat (no audible pop). It has a slow leak I believe from a portion of the tire that's not quite to the edge of the sidewall. I was wondering if I should do 2 "sets" of air shot pumps or is that too much? As in, first shot of air, then leave it connected. Close the valve. Pressurize the Airshot again, then do another shot of air?

Thoughts? Experiences? Thanks for all your help!

You can use a bit of dish soap in water and apply to the tire beads using a brush to provide a little lubrication and ease seating. This can also show where your tire is leaking air.
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Re: Tubeless Noob Questions - Proper seating [SummitAK] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for both of your tips. I'll try soapy water tonight and hopefully be done with it.
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Re: Tubeless Noob Questions - Proper seating [Chan] [ In reply to ]
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Products like the air shot are very useful in getting big volume tires seated enough that they start to hold air. From there you manually pump up the tire until it is fully seated. You don't really want the shot to hit so hard it always seats the tire as this would risk damaging the tire/rim due to the sudden force of snapping everything into place at high pressure at once. Ultimately this sort of product moved over from mountain bike where you are trying to seat a 2.6+ inch tire which requires a large volume to get any pressure at all. With road tires you often want a bit more finess as you have a lower margin for error but less of an issue getting the tire to the point you can pump it with a normal pump.
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