Assymetric gravel wheels wont seal
 

I am having a heck of a time getting panaracer gravelkings to seal on my new hunt rims. I have retaped twice so am pretty sure its not the tape and have tried a couple of different valves. Best guess, because its the only difference between these wheels and others I have set up with out issue, is that the valve hole is offset from centerline so the valve isnt seating correctly. Any recommendations for valves specifically designed for asymmetric rims?

Crazy idea: find where they leak.

So when you say seal, do you mean they leak air out quickly, or do you mean you can't get the beads seated? If it's a leak issue, you need to find out where the leak is. If it's blowing out a spoke hole, it could be the valve, it could be the tape.

Kinlin recently switched their design on the XR31, where the disc model (no brake track) is now asymmetric. I had no issues getting tires to seat or seal. I continue to recommend Velotubes valves regardless of wheel type, they're all I use.

I had trouble with Diamondback Blanchard rims whose center channel was off center. The side with the wider shelf would seat fine but the side without would just flutter. best solution was using Continental tires which are tight. Second best solution was to put a tube in, inflate and seat, then break the long-shelf side to wiggle out the tube and the stem in. Might not be possible with little road bike tires.

The tires seat fine and will inflate. Air escapes around the valve, hence my question about valves. I have retaped and double taped with Stans tape and have had no trouble getting other wheels to seal up with this approach. The only difference between these rims and others I have used is the offset valve hole so am asking whether there is something there I am doing wrong.

I have set up two sets of the Hunt 4 season wheels with the valves that come with them and haven't had any problems with leaks. Tubeless valve stems need to be really tight to seal properly. I push on the rubber part with my thumb, while tightening the nut, and then rock the stem back and forth a bit and tighten some more. The process leaves me with an indentation on my thumb from pressing on the valve.

Thanks, I haven’t gone that far.

You could also seal the valve to the rim with some silicone sealer -- works well and easily removed later.

What sealant are you using? Did you shake the wheel around vigorously? Was there sealant leakage around the valve hole?

That's an option. Another option, which I've read about but not ever needed to try, is to cut a little section of an old inner tube into a circle, then punch a hole in the middle, and use it sort of like a soft washer when installing your valve inside the rim. It'll be a bit soft and flexible, and hence might help with the seal.

PS: Use Orange Seal.

This, along with wider tape, seems to have done the trick. I was spoiled by my HED rims, which seal up almost air tight without sealant, without having to really crank on the stem nut, and with 21mm tape in a 21mm internal width rim. With the 20mm Hunt rim, I had been using 21mm tape, which was too narrow. I pressed in 25mm tape and that helped a lot, although I was still losing more air than I would have with the HED rims. But 60ml orange seal seems to have filled the last gaps.