Zaskar

Despite several attempts, the Schwalbes will not hold air. They appear to seal - you know, that satisfying quick inflation and "PING" as the tire seats. But, then - over a few hours sitting/hanging, or several minutes riding - they drop from 45 psi to nothin'

Details:
Rims: DT SWISS C 1800 SPLINE DB; Inner: 22mm; Outer: 26mm
Tires: Schwalbe G-One Bites, 40mm
Fluid: Stans, 3oz (1.5 of the small bottles)

Wheels and tires are new - no dirt, no blemishes on rims

Process:
- Installed valves
- Mount tires - both beads
- Wipe tire with soapy water
- Remove valve core
- Inject 3oz. Stans into valve
- Inflate (using a badass Bontrager Flash Charger pump)
[Tire fully inflates, PING]
- Reinstall valve core
- Re-inflate to 45-50psi (beads stay seated during valve reinstallation
- Spin the wheel, rotate the wheel, hold parallel to ground and shake, flip-repeat, spin, bounce, etc...
- Lay flat (hub/axle in a bucket) for 20 min, flip-repeat
- Get pissed and wonder what I did wrong

Worth noting - the Schwalbes are fairly easy to mount, e.g. no tire levers. Usually, that means it's going to be tough to get them to initially seal. But, they both inflated and seated easily - like you'd expect from very tight tires.

Any suggestions?

cobra_kai

Once everything is mounted get some soapy water and spread it along the rim/tire interface, spoke holes, and valve holes. Your leak is almost certainly coming from one of those locations. Once you find the source of the leak you can investigate. In my limited experience slow leak problems have been due to improper rim tape installation.

Zaskar

Thanks cobra_kai. Do you find the improper tape installation to be limited to DIY, or have you seen it with factory taped wheels?

Seattle Forrest

Check around the valve.

trailangel

Inflate the tires without the sealant first.

Spoonrobot 

Probably tape as the valve hole is the issue.

I always re-tape when I get tires that don't hold air overnight without sealant. 2 wraps is good, 3 sometimes if I'm not confident in fit. Then I use a soldering iron to poke the smallest hold possible for the valve. Tighten valve stem nut as finger tight as possible and then one full turn with pliers.

ldmataya 

This is where I start. Note that what looks like a valve hole leak is just as likely to be a rim tap leak - the air finds its way to the valve hole to get out, especially if you don't use a valve o-ring or washer. In my experience rim tape going bad is most common cause, but I always replace a valve if I think it isn't seating well. You didn't mention what kind of valves you are using, but I prefer the DT swiss and Bontrager styles.

5teve

What sidewall version are the tires? The liteskins are a lot more porous than the snakeskin. I agree the valve and tape around it are worth checking but if they're the lighter sidewall version, a little more sealant and time might be what you need.

cobra_kai

My only experience is with DIY but I'm sure it could happen with factory wheels as well.

Canker

Did you put a tube in there first and pump them up to set the tape? I don't know if that is as necessary with factory installed tape but it is always a good idea. But yeah it is usually at the valve not sealing.

TimothyH

Are the tires fully seated? The fact that it snaps or pings isn't enough.

There is a line on the tire just above the bead. This has to be parallel to the rim edge all the way around. If the line is not even with the edge of the rim then the tire is not seated. Sometimes it is off every so slightly.



Schwalbe Easy Fit fluid is pretty slippery and it helps to be generous with it. If the tire just won't seat then it may have to be taken apart and lots of fluid used.

On occasion I've had to take Schwalbe G-One and Panaracer Gravelking up to 70 PSI with a compressor to get the last little bit to seat but most of the time it is lack of lubricant on the bead. I wear leather gloves, safety glasses, ear protection and turn my head away if I have to go to pressures that high.

Once they are seated then it should hold air overnight without sealant.


-Tim-

jp911

Yes! Happened to me twice. I re-taped with Stan's...very careful cleaning and prep + 2 wraps = solid seal.

WhyFi

I like to set the tires without sealant and then deflate them - if properly set, the beads will stay in place on both sides, all the way around the wheel. If the bead pulls away upon deflating, it wasn't completely locked in - keep trying til it stays put. Once I'm satisfied in this regard, I'll add sealant through the valve stem and it'll take care of any slow leaks (I like Orange Seal as it works well on my higher pressure road tires, too).

Zaskar

This is great info.

I "thought" the beads were seated. But admittedly, didn't inspect as well as I should've. I'll inspect that line much more closely. Hadn't heard of using a tube first to really seat the tape. Smart.

I just ordered a bottle of the Schwalbe mounting fluid. That's one of those things that seems expensive ($9 for soapy water?) but, if it works better... I would've paid more than $9 when I was struggling to stay with the pack Saturday... at 30psi... 25psi... 20psi...

I'm going to seat the tires without fluid - use soapy water to hunt for the leak. And, have a roll of tape at the ready to rewrap. I like the soldering iron method to make the hole for the valve.

pesty

From what I was seeing on DT's site, the C 1800 Spline is a sleeved rim. I just recently built up my first wheels that weren't welded rims and found that I was losing a lot of air at the sleeved joint. I mean, it was audible and I could feel it. You might run some soapy water around that area with it aired up and see if that's it. As soon as I got some sealant in there and shook it arround a bit with the joint at the 6 o'clock position it sealed right up and hasn't been a problem since.

redlude97

This is a good point. I've found with sleeved joints that relying on sealant isn't foolproof. Occasionally the wheel will flex or too high of pressure will cause the sealant to blow out and have to reseal resulting in a drop in pressure. I tend to just apply a touch of epoxy and sand smooth for a trouble free joint long term.

Zaskar

@pesty, that is a great bit of info! Thanks. I'll pay particular attention to the joints when I remount them.