NoWhammies

I recently installed new tubeless tyres on my road bike. You can read all about it here.

The tyres installed without issue and I was able to inflate them without the need of an air compressor. My bike pump was able to inflate the tyres, and I inflated them to about 110 PSI to get them to seat. Riding pressure is, according to the side walls, 87 PSI.

Background.

• While I did inflate the tyres to 110 PSI, only one tyre/rim 'snapped' in to place.
• After applying soap and water to the tyres/rims, I could see bubbles from where the air was leaking out
• I went to a LBS and asked them if I needed to use a compressor to blast air in to the tyres/rims to get the 'snapping'
• I explained about the soap/bubbles. In fact, some soap/bubbles was still on the rim when I arrived.
• The LBS told me that without sealant, the bubbles was 'normal'
• Not all tyres will 'snap, crackle, pop' when they are seated

So...

• I put Orange Seal in both tyres
• I rode 150+k and the tyres seems to be holding air ok during the ride
• The next day I took my bike down and had to add approx. 10 ~ 15 PSI to the front tyre
• There is no leaking of sealant on the ground (I hang my bike)

Question:

• Should I be concerned about the loss of 10 ~ 15 PSI overnight?
• If the tyres held air during the 6hr 150k ride, can I consider them seated?
• Was the LBS right about needing the sealant to stop the air from leaking?

Thank you.

ThermionicScott 

Did you shake the wheels horizontally after putting in the sealant? That's a good practice to help sealant find and seal any little gaps at the bead.

jadocs

Yeah, losing 10-15 psi overnight indicates there is a slow leak somewhere. I would do as stated above, check sealant levels and continue to inflate to proper pressure and ride the bike and see if it corrects itself.

Leebo

Some snap into place, others just settle in. Look at the registration line on the tire. There should be a line 3-5 ? mm or so around the tire near the rim, look to see that it is even. Hang bike? Tubeless rims too? Often times it takes a few days for the sealant to do it's job. Riding is the best way to do that.

NoWhammies

Awesome. Thank you. I'll take a closer look at the tyres/rims when I get home tonight. I'll even head out for another short ride to get the sealant distributed again.

@ThermionicScott I did shake the wheels horizontally, but maybe not enough.

DrIsotope

Nope.

Yep.

Yep.

After a few days, the Pirellis should settle into only losing 1-3psi overnight. If it's more, you do indeed have a slow leak, either in the tape, presta core, etc. But for the first week or so, 5-10psi overnight is common.

NoWhammies

Thank you @DrIsotope I was under the (mistaken) impression once the tyres seated I wouldn't see bubbles with the soapy water. The sealant would only help 'seal' the tyre in the event of a puncture.

DrIsotope

It's a short list of tubeless tires that require no sealant for operation. Most tires actually state on the instructions sheet that sealant is required for tubeless operation.

The head mechanic at my LBS has a trick for seating tubeless tires: once the beads are seated, he puts in the sealant, replaces the presta core, then before airing it upo, rolls the tire slowly while lightly pressing down. This forces sealant along the bead and helps ensure a better seal.

NoWhammies

And to be fair, the instructions on the tyre box DID say to put in the sealant and then fully inflate the tyre to the max PSI. Which in this case was/is 87.

Checked the tyres last night and they are holding air just fine. Thank you for the assitance.