Just recently converted to a tubeless setup on my road bike. Ever since I got the wheels black from the LBS, they go flat within 24-36 hours. I took them back to the LBS and they changed the rim tape and reloaded with sealant, but it’s still happening. The valve feels tight, and I re-tightened it to be safe, but the tires go flat too quickly. I’ve had a tubeless setup on my gravel and mountain bikes for years, and have not had the problem with these bikes. I mean, I can pump those tires up, and not touch the bikes for weeks, and the tires continue to have good pressure. Is there that much of a difference between gravel/Mtn bike tires and road tires that would account for the road setup going flat so much quicker? Any other ideas? Or is this normal and I’m just not used to dealing with this on a road bike?
Have you ridden them yet? I find that mine lose more pressure before the first ride but they’re pretty much the same as my MTB wheels after that - they lose pressure, but don’t go anywhere near flat.
I’ve had something similar happen and it was my Presta valves both time. Maybe the little rubber ring gets a defect, latex or something but it was leaking air slowly even if closed. So I just put a new one in, problem solved.
I get a spray bottle and mix up soapy water to spray the tire with. In these instances I also sprayed the Presta valve and bubble… bubble… bubble… found it!
Have you ridden them yet? I find that mine lose more pressure before the first ride but they’re pretty much the same as my MTB wheels after that - they lose pressure, but don’t go anywhere near flat.
Yeah I have ridden them. The first day I had them, I put the bike in the garage (no ride) and they went flat overnight. I assumed the sealant had not had time to spread around evenly and it would get better with more riding. Unfortunately, it did not.
I’ve had something similar happen and it was my Presta valves both time. Maybe the little rubber ring gets a defect, latex or something but it was leaking air slowly even if closed. So I just put a new one in, problem solved.
I get a spray bottle and mix up soapy water to spray the tire with. In these instances I also sprayed the Presta valve and bubble… bubble… bubble… found it!
Good suggestion. I have spare valves around so I may try the same trick. Thanks.
Just recently converted to a tubeless setup on my road bike. Ever since I got the wheels black from the LBS, they go flat within 24-36 hours. I took them back to the LBS and they changed the rim tape and reloaded with sealant, but it’s still happening. The valve feels tight, and I re-tightened it to be safe, but the tires go flat too quickly. I’ve had a tubeless setup on my gravel and mountain bikes for years, and have not had the problem with these bikes. I mean, I can pump those tires up, and not touch the bikes for weeks, and the tires continue to have good pressure. Is there that much of a difference between gravel/Mtn bike tires and road tires that would account for the road setup going flat so much quicker? Any other ideas? Or is this normal and I’m just not used to dealing with this on a road bike?
i have a rubber tub for feeding our horses, which i repurposed as a water tub for one of my dogs to jump into in the summer. (he likes to do that.) i re-repurpose that tube (i borrow it from the dog) on such occasions as yours, to see where the leaks are. it’s an illuminating experience that tends to yield answers quickly.
i have a rubber tub for feeding our horses, which i repurposed as a water tub for one of my dogs to jump into in the summer. (he likes to do that.) i re-repurpose that tube (i borrow it from the dog) on such occasions as yours, to see where the leaks are. it’s an illuminating experience that tends to yield answers quickly.
Or a simple repurposed Windex bottle filled with water to just quickly spritz around the tire, if one doesn’t have a large rural compound with various tubs and dogs and horses. 
i have a rubber tub for feeding our horses, which i repurposed as a water tub for one of my dogs to jump into in the summer. (he likes to do that.) i re-repurpose that tube (i borrow it from the dog) on such occasions as yours, to see where the leaks are. it’s an illuminating experience that tends to yield answers quickly.
Or a simple repurposed Windex bottle filled with water to just quickly spritz around the tire, if one doesn’t have a large rural compound with various tubs and dogs and horses.
so says the man from minden. they don’t have condos there!
but what you write is true. spray bottle. the soapy water. it all works. and my method has the downside of wheels that sometimes pick up that water and you have to ride the water back out. but sometimes you get these tiny leaks that produce, like, a bubble a second.
a largish shop sink will work. some people have these in their laundry rooms or garages. only a section of the wheel fits in at a time. i stand the wheel up and slowly rotate it into the water.
I’ve had this issue maybe 3 or 4 times over the years. The cause has always been the retaining nut on the valve stem not being quite tight enough.
If you paid the shop to do the tubeless setup, get your money back.
Just recently converted to a tubeless setup on my road bike. Ever since I got the wheels black from the LBS, they go flat within 24-36 hours. I took them back to the LBS and they changed the rim tape and reloaded with sealant, but it’s still happening. The valve feels tight, and I re-tightened it to be safe, but the tires go flat too quickly. I’ve had a tubeless setup on my gravel and mountain bikes for years, and have not had the problem with these bikes. I mean, I can pump those tires up, and not touch the bikes for weeks, and the tires continue to have good pressure. Is there that much of a difference between gravel/Mtn bike tires and road tires that would account for the road setup going flat so much quicker? Any other ideas? Or is this normal and I’m just not used to dealing with this on a road bike?
i have a rubber tub for feeding our horses, which i repurposed as a water tub for one of my dogs to jump into in the summer. (he likes to do that.) i re-repurpose that tube (i borrow it from the dog) on such occasions as yours, to see where the leaks are. it’s an illuminating experience that tends to yield answers quickly.
I just went through this. I used a little bowl with some dish soap and paper towel to wipe around the rim. All the air was coming out at the stem. Re-taped. Same problem. Switched new Stan’s stems. Same problem. Switched to MucOff stems (They have 3 different plugs that can be tried and an o-ring on the lock nut). I switched to the rectangle plug. Still had a problem. Added sealent, spun wheel, laid on side with stem side leaning down and then after 1 hour flipped to other side. After 3 days, still solid as can be. I definitely think the MucOff stems helped, but laying on the side was the main fix.
Here is an article that talks about diagnosis (This is from a MTB site, but still valid): https://easymountainbiking.com/tubeless-valve-stem-leaking/?fbclid=IwAR2vqHikfdUme83gDwmnno04ybi2Izy6qFJr7dwnAbgstgq3UsFqH7sKRAc
What tires? I’ve tried 20+ different tubeless tires over the years (road, gravel, mountain), sometimes had trouble and the mentioned tips alleviate most issues, but sometimes it’s just doesn’t work. I have a pair of Specialized Roubaix Pro 2bliss that I cannot get to hold air no matter what.
Just recently converted to a tubeless setup on my road bike. Ever since I got the wheels black from the LBS, they go flat within 24-36 hours. I took them back to the LBS and they changed the rim tape and reloaded with sealant, but it’s still happening. The valve feels tight, and I re-tightened it to be safe, but the tires go flat too quickly. I’ve had a tubeless setup on my gravel and mountain bikes for years, and have not had the problem with these bikes. I mean, I can pump those tires up, and not touch the bikes for weeks, and the tires continue to have good pressure. Is there that much of a difference between gravel/Mtn bike tires and road tires that would account for the road setup going flat so much quicker? Any other ideas? Or is this normal and I’m just not used to dealing with this on a road bike?
i have a rubber tub for feeding our horses, which i repurposed as a water tub for one of my dogs to jump into in the summer. (he likes to do that.) i re-repurpose that tube (i borrow it from the dog) on such occasions as yours, to see where the leaks are. it’s an illuminating experience that tends to yield answers quickly.
I just went through this. I used a little bowl with some dish soap and paper towel to wipe around the rim. All the air was coming out at the stem. Re-taped. Same problem. Switched new Stan’s stems. Same problem. Switched to MucOff stems (They have 3 different plugs that can be tried and an o-ring on the lock nut). I switched to the rectangle plug. Still had a problem. Added sealent, spun wheel, laid on side with stem side leaning down and then after 1 hour flipped to other side. After 3 days, still solid as can be. I definitely think the MucOff stems helped, but laying on the side was the main fix.
Here is an article that talks about diagnosis (This is from a MTB site, but still valid): https://easymountainbiking.com/...nAbgstgq3UsFqH7sKRAc
let’s expand this out, if we can, to a more general discussion i have with wheel makers. “there are manufacturers,” i tell them, “and there are consumers. when the consumers are forced to be manufacturers, that’s a problem.” by this year, sometime this season, we’ll have reached a moment when any wheel maker who wants to sell into this market must send a wheel out pretaped and with a valve stem installed. when i do NOT have any trouble such as that which you described is when the wheel maker sends me a wheel ready to ride, rather than a wheel ready to finish. i gave some wheel makers some slack, because this became (in my mind) a requirement during the pandemic, and it was not possible to get taping machines. however, even then, if a wheel maker expects us to tape a wheel by hand, that wheel maker should’ve been willing to tape the wheel by hand and install the valve.
this is just part of the process of mainstreaming this tech. it’s got to be easy to use. road tubeless is now, for me, easier than tubed. but i won’t use a wheel that doesn’t come to me ready to mount the tire, and of course the valve must have a replaceable core. those are minimum requirements.
What tires? I’ve tried 20+ different tubeless tires over the years (road, gravel, mountain), sometimes had trouble and the mentioned tips alleviate most issues, but sometimes it’s just doesn’t work. I have a pair of Specialized Roubaix Pro 2bliss that I cannot get to hold air no matter what.
Specialized Turbo S-Works
Just recently converted to a tubeless setup on my road bike. Ever since I got the wheels black from the LBS, they go flat within 24-36 hours. I took them back to the LBS and they changed the rim tape and reloaded with sealant, but it’s still happening. The valve feels tight, and I re-tightened it to be safe, but the tires go flat too quickly. I’ve had a tubeless setup on my gravel and mountain bikes for years, and have not had the problem with these bikes. I mean, I can pump those tires up, and not touch the bikes for weeks, and the tires continue to have good pressure. Is there that much of a difference between gravel/Mtn bike tires and road tires that would account for the road setup going flat so much quicker? Any other ideas? Or is this normal and I’m just not used to dealing with this on a road bike?
i have a rubber tub for feeding our horses, which i repurposed as a water tub for one of my dogs to jump into in the summer. (he likes to do that.) i re-repurpose that tube (i borrow it from the dog) on such occasions as yours, to see where the leaks are. it’s an illuminating experience that tends to yield answers quickly.
I just went through this. I used a little bowl with some dish soap and paper towel to wipe around the rim. All the air was coming out at the stem. Re-taped. Same problem. Switched new Stan’s stems. Same problem. Switched to MucOff stems (They have 3 different plugs that can be tried and an o-ring on the lock nut). I switched to the rectangle plug. Still had a problem. Added sealent, spun wheel, laid on side with stem side leaning down and then after 1 hour flipped to other side. After 3 days, still solid as can be. I definitely think the MucOff stems helped, but laying on the side was the main fix.
Here is an article that talks about diagnosis (This is from a MTB site, but still valid): https://easymountainbiking.com/...nAbgstgq3UsFqH7sKRAc
let’s expand this out, if we can, to a more general discussion i have with wheel makers. “there are manufacturers,” i tell them, “and there are consumers. when the consumers are forced to be manufacturers, that’s a problem.” by this year, sometime this season, we’ll have reached a moment when any wheel maker who wants to sell into this market must send a wheel out pretaped and with a valve stem installed. when i do NOT have any trouble such as that which you described is when the wheel maker sends me a wheel ready to ride, rather than a wheel ready to finish. i gave some wheel makers some slack, because this became (in my mind) a requirement during the pandemic, and it was not possible to get taping machines. however, even then, if a wheel maker expects us to tape a wheel by hand, that wheel maker should’ve been willing to tape the wheel by hand and install the valve.
this is just part of the process of mainstreaming this tech. it’s got to be easy to use. road tubeless is now, for me, easier than tubed. but i won’t use a wheel that doesn’t come to me ready to mount the tire, and of course the valve must have a replaceable core. those are minimum requirements.
IMO, I’d rather do it myself, given that it’s so simple, than pay a wheel manufacturer to do it. You know there’s got to be an accompanying price increase for the extra labor.
Why, just why? I don’t get it. Problems with tubeless for nothing.
Take one of these famous sealants and it will work. If it does not work you are just too stupid to use an app. Just use the right rim tape with the appropriate app, turn the wheel three times and pray, otherwise you are just an old stupid cyclist.
Why, just why? I don’t get it. Problems with tubeless for nothing.
Take one of these famous sealants and it will work. If it does not work you are just too stupid to use an app. Just use the right rim tape with the appropriate app, turn the wheel three times and pray, otherwise you are just an old stupid cyclist.
Glad you are not opinionated
I’ve already used two different “famous” sealants, so which ones do you suggest?
Silca is the best, or is it just the most expensive and Stan’s is better?
Silca is the best, or is it just the most expensive and Stan’s is better?
Stan’s was the second sealant. It’s definitely better, and not going completely flat, but still losing significant air within 24-36 hours.
As others have suggested, I’m going to do the bubble testing and re-evaluate the valve.
Just recently converted to a tubeless setup on my road bike. Ever since I got the wheels black from the LBS, they go flat within 24-36 hours. I took them back to the LBS and they changed the rim tape and reloaded with sealant, but it’s still happening. The valve feels tight, and I re-tightened it to be safe, but the tires go flat too quickly. I’ve had a tubeless setup on my gravel and mountain bikes for years, and have not had the problem with these bikes. I mean, I can pump those tires up, and not touch the bikes for weeks, and the tires continue to have good pressure. Is there that much of a difference between gravel/Mtn bike tires and road tires that would account for the road setup going flat so much quicker? Any other ideas? Or is this normal and I’m just not used to dealing with this on a road bike?
i have a rubber tub for feeding our horses, which i repurposed as a water tub for one of my dogs to jump into in the summer. (he likes to do that.) i re-repurpose that tube (i borrow it from the dog) on such occasions as yours, to see where the leaks are. it’s an illuminating experience that tends to yield answers quickly.
I just went through this. I used a little bowl with some dish soap and paper towel to wipe around the rim. All the air was coming out at the stem. Re-taped. Same problem. Switched new Stan’s stems. Same problem. Switched to MucOff stems (They have 3 different plugs that can be tried and an o-ring on the lock nut). I switched to the rectangle plug. Still had a problem. Added sealent, spun wheel, laid on side with stem side leaning down and then after 1 hour flipped to other side. After 3 days, still solid as can be. I definitely think the MucOff stems helped, but laying on the side was the main fix.
Here is an article that talks about diagnosis (This is from a MTB site, but still valid): https://easymountainbiking.com/...nAbgstgq3UsFqH7sKRAc
let’s expand this out, if we can, to a more general discussion i have with wheel makers. “there are manufacturers,” i tell them, “and there are consumers. when the consumers are forced to be manufacturers, that’s a problem.” by this year, sometime this season, we’ll have reached a moment when any wheel maker who wants to sell into this market must send a wheel out pretaped and with a valve stem installed. when i do NOT have any trouble such as that which you described is when the wheel maker sends me a wheel ready to ride, rather than a wheel ready to finish. i gave some wheel makers some slack, because this became (in my mind) a requirement during the pandemic, and it was not possible to get taping machines. however, even then, if a wheel maker expects us to tape a wheel by hand, that wheel maker should’ve been willing to tape the wheel by hand and install the valve.
this is just part of the process of mainstreaming this tech. it’s got to be easy to use. road tubeless is now, for me, easier than tubed. but i won’t use a wheel that doesn’t come to me ready to mount the tire, and of course the valve must have a replaceable core. those are minimum requirements.
This x 10000.
I have no interest in babying and fussing and messing with all the sealant and crap. Until it’s faster and easier to do tubeless than a tube, RIGHT OUT OF THE (proverbial) Box, this is not worth it. I have messed and screwed around with my tubeless gravel setup without success and finally just threw a tube back in. I just don’t see the value in road tubeless. I flat out about every other year, and it just doesn’t seem with all the hassle.