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I’m setting up my factory spec DT 360 rims as my gravel wheels with Hutcheson Sector tubeless tires, my first attempt at road tubeless. ( I’ve set up many MTB wheelsets though)
I applied Orange tape over the supplied rubber ( I think) rim strip, mounted the tires, added some sealant and they seated right away. I gave them a spin and jiggle to make sure the beads sealed and all seemed great.
Checking them an hour later, pressure was down, I reinflated to 80 PSI and noticed a hissing. On inspection the welded seam on the rim was bubbling just below the brand decal.
I’ve never seen that before. Does that point to a flawed wheel ( these haven’t been ridden so no JRA stories ) or is my taping the most likely suspect?
" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978
Maybe both.
Ive seen leaks at the weld on alloy rims, espcially wider rims, due to the tape not being able to seal a large or rough weld bead inside the rim. Sure its just a fine line on the exterior of the rim, but is it a rough, heavy bead inside?
Sometimes the tape can't "conform" enough to this larger weld bead to maintain an air tight seal. Think of it like trying to get tape to lay pefectly flat to an irregular speed bump, pretty tough.
It wasn't unusual to have to file and sand the bead on some surly fat bike rims to get the tape to lay flat enough to seal.
Worth checking.
Edit: why tape and a rim strip? Possible cause of airleaks there as well. I would go with multiple layers of tape before using a strip but I am also not super familiar with that rim.
Last edited by:
talking head: Feb 22, 18 8:39
I am pretty sure that you should only be using tape.
That was my concern as I typed this up. Just a little reluctant to open the tire after the sealant is in...
I’ll remove the strip and retake. I’ll report back afterwards. Thanks for the replies!
" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978
Solved it.
Opened up the wheel and removed the tape I applied. The ‘rim strip’ was actually a factory applied tape job better than I’ve ever managed so I left it.
The welded seam on the rim was rough on the inner edge - I could imagine air seeping past the tire bead. I used the sanding drum from a dremmel tool and just made 6-8 passes to smooth the inner edge and remounted the tire with another half-portion of sealant. Used the compressor and it seated and snapped in right away, then spun it around for a few minutes to make sure it was fully sealed. It’s held 80 psi for a full day so I’m ready to ride it!
" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978
Cool!
For whats its worth eventually I would lift the original tape and check the weld all the way across, not just at the beads. But if its holding air, I would run with it for now!
Tubeless can be kinda finicky depending on how well the tire and rim interface together, but its really not rocket science and worth tinkering and learning. As with most things, good prep is key.
And its worth it, tubeless really is so much better for gravel and mountain with wider tires and lower pressures. One of the best advances in the offroad world in my opinion.