Robert A

Got my first road flat with a tubeless tire this morning and got stranded. I couldn't pull one side of the tire off the rim so I could insert my spare tube. I'm running GP5000TL on Easton R90SL rims.

Is there a technique to insert a tube so I don't get stuck again?

Elvo

Use road bacon

MattTheHat 

Tire levers?

DrIsotope

I'm curious of a few things: how big was the puncture (to big for sealant, but small enough to plug?,) and what was the method attempted to get the tire loose? In my experience, even the tightest-fitting tire can still be popped loose and filled with a tube when necessary.

Robert A

I had two. Was able to insert them both, but the tire was so tight that I couldn't slide them around the rim.

Robert A

I don't yet know how big the leak was. I could insert the tire levers and lift the tire in those two spots. But could not run them along the rim to lift the tire enough to insert the tube.

DrIsotope

If you have a puncture too big to seal, and don't have plugs, you need to completely unseat the tire in order to get one bead out and insert a tube. Hercules couldn't get one bead outside the lip with the other still locked in.

shelbyfv

Next time, maybe try pumping it up and spinning, see if the sealant will seal. Given that the hole wasn't large enough to be obvious.

jadocs

Use plugs and not an inner tube. You’ll be off in a matter of minutes.

big john

It has to come off somehow. Break the bead all the way around and push it to the center to allow you to peel it off.

Robert A

What are plugs?

Robert A

So one side goes to the center, allowing the other side to come off the lip of the rim?

KLiNCK

Robert A

How well do plugs work on road tires, particularly when the hole is small?

jimincalif

Yes, plugs. Saved me from getting stranded (or having to put in a tube, which I do carry along with boots) last week. I’ve since done another 140 or so miles on the tire since plugging it. I use DynaPlug, there are a few varieties. I’m intrigued by the newly announced plans from Stans that supposedly react with latex sealant to form a more permanent bond with the tire. Are these available yet? My local LBS guy said they were not when I spoke with him a couple weeks ago.

shelbyfv

Was the sealant coming out of the hole? That should give you a clue to the size.

Robert A

I was ridding in the rain so it was difficult to tell, but there was some sealant near the valve. When I dropped the wheel off at my LBS later today, we could not easily locate the location.

WhyFi

What sealant were you using?

Only once have I experienced a puncture that was too big to be permanently sealed by the sealant alone and yet small enough that it didn't total the tire - it was about a 1/4" (5mm) slit. I tried some bacon strips, but they kept getting pushed out at 80psi. Maybe one of those strips with the metal barb would have held. Anyway, I eventually patched it internally. (And, in fairness, this cut happened somewhere on an 80-mile ride and it held well enough that I didn't notice it until just before the next ride, a couple days later.)

DrIsotope

The last tire I had with a "goldilocks puncture," that is: too big for sealant, but small enough not to destroy the tire-- lasted another ~800 miles with a Dynaplug in it. They don't happen often, IME. It either seals quickly, or the tire ends up in the garbage. Sad truth.

jadocs

I always patch them from the inside afterwards. I don’t leave plugs in.

katsup

I haven't tried this with road tires, but I have unseated tight MTB tubeless tires with the heel of my shoe. Place your heel on the tire as close as you can against the rim then pull up on the wheel. I have only done this with standard walking shoes.

Seattle Forrest

The plug itself is metal, right? Is that ok on carbon rims?

Princess_Allez

It's metal. I have a dynaplug kit, but I have yet to use it. I guess you should take the tire off when you get home and trim away the plug. A bit of a headache/annoyance, but that's the price you pay for going tubeless

jadocs

The DynaPlug end that goes in the tire has a brass end to prevent the plug from being pushed out by the pressure and centrifugal force of the tire as mentioned above (bacon strips).

CliffordK

Were you able to get the tire popped off as one focal point? I often like 3 tire levers, and walk around the rim initially. With tubeless, you have to work hard to get the tire down into the channel.

My biggest problem with a tubeless flat was getting the replacement tube installed. Boy was it tight. At the time, I had 1 tubeless, and 1 tube tire, and ended up swapping tires to an easier to mount rim.