How in the hell do you get a tubless tire off of a tubless rim without breaking tire tools, wrenching your back, and breaking a huge sweat? I’m running tubeless tires on my MTB for the first time and have found them extremely hard to work with. Looking for tips/tricks on how to handle flats. I’ve had experience with trying to remove one, put a tube in it, and reinstall and it wasn’t fun. I’ve also broken the seal of one to put extra stans fluid in and then tried to reinflate with a pump; wow, that wasn’t fun. Finally got it to seal with CO2. What’s the best way to handle a flat that won’t seal with these types of tires?
How in the hell do you get a tubless tire off of a tubless rim
Generally once all the air has been expelled I find it pretty easy to get the tire bead detached from the rim. Literally no difficulty. Maybe it depends on your tire/rim combination?
I’m running tubeless tires on my MTB for the first time and have found them extremely hard to work with
I’ve actually been impressed with how simple it all is (versus a “tubed” setup)
What’s the best way to handle a flat that won’t seal with these types of tires?
A flat that won’t seal is handled by installing a tube. I’m curious as to where you are experiencing such difficulty in working with the tire. What kind of rims do you use with what tire?
Don’t have my bike in front of me but I believe they are Bontrager wheels from a Gary Fischer Superfly, circa 2010. Tire is a Schwabe (sp?). The tire almost appeared to be glued to the rim (it wasn’t) and getting it off and on the rim is a huge PIA. I did this in my garage and am afraid if I was on a trail I would be SOL.
Have you worked the bead completely out of the channel all the way around the rim before trying to remove the tire? Sometimes if parts of the bead are still seated it can be really difficult to get the tire off. When removing a mtb tire i will deflate it and then pinch both side walls of the tire in towards the center channel of the rim before attempting to remove the tire to insure the bead is completely unseated on both sides. If on the side of the trail and trying to change out a tube i will only do this on one side to save time.
As others have mentioned, removing the bead is much easier if you can get it into the smaller circumference of the rim’s center channel. We’re talking no tire levers necessary easy. For reseating the tire after adding sealant, you were right to try CO2. It takes a large volume of air to pop the beads back up in place before it all leaks out. I use an air compressor and take out the Presta core to allow the maximum volume of air to enter as quickly as possible.
I’ve had more trouble w Scwable than other tires. I also use a compressor, but I don’t need to remove the valve core. If you don’t want to buy a compressor you can use the ones at a gas station with a simple adaptor (useful if traveling)
Does your tire hold the bead when you do that (once you take the compressor head off the valve)?
I’ve been using CO2 but the seating doesn’t hold if the tire loses air. Running Specialized tires, which seem to have a “weaker” sidewall.
I’ll use the compressor with the valve core out to blow maybe 25psi into the tire. A standard car tire chuck works fine on the coreless Presta stem. As soon as I take the chuck off I put my finger over the hole to keep some air pressure then quickly remove it when I’m ready to thread the core in. I’ve done dozens of tires this way.
‘‘Finally got it to seal with CO2’’
CO2 and Stan’s don’t mix well. It will cause the sealant to dry up very quickly. Stan’s usually dries up after about 6 months and you have to clean the tire out. You usually find a big silicone boogger in there. With CO2 you get the boogger right away.
I had major issues seating a set of maxxis icon/ignitors and what helped me was setting the wheels up with tubes and letting them sit over night so that the tires could “take form” and seat the beads. Then i was able to remove the tube by only releasing one side of the tire (bead still set on other side), slip my valve in, dump in stans, and it seated with a handpump.
Have you worked the bead completely out of the channel all the way around the rim before trying to remove the tire? .
What I experienced was difficulty getting the bead out of the channel. Once I broke it in one spot it detached completely everywhere else. What’s the technique for breaking the bead without a tire tool?
it should pop off with your hands. Park makes this funny tool, but i suspect you can grab it with your hands or channelocks w/ wood blocks
I am able to just push the sidewalls in with my fingers to dislodge it, I don’t have incredible hand strength or anything so if you are unable to do that you must have one heck of tire/rim combination in terms of how hard the bead is seated.