dexterchua84

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to ask what are the do's and don'ts of tubeless tyres? How do you maintain your tubeless setup besides topping up sealant?

Im asking these question at the back of an experience I had recently. I have a set of the new Schwalbe Pro Ones recently installed together with Stan's sealant. After 2 months of not cycling due to the current situation, i took my bike out for a ride. After about 150-160km clocked on this set of tyres, i found a cut on the rear tyre which the sealant wasnt able to seal properly. Brought the bike to my LBS and was told if not cycling frequently, would at least need to spin the wheels to allow the sealant to coat the tyres again and also so that the sealant doesnt 'hardened'.

Is this a common practice if not cycling for awhile?

tomato coupe

Pretty simple actually: Don't ... do ... tubeless.

Iride01 

I don't do tubeless..... yet. But I'd think that irregular use of a bicycle and long periods between rides will greatly detract from the ability of sealant to work properly. I just wouldn't be tubeless on a bike that's going to sit for two weeks much less two months.

Elvo

The sealant can dry out and if it was a big enough cut (>5mm) you might have to use bacon

sfrider 

Check and top off the sealant every month or two. Or if time has passed since the last ride, check before heading out. The bike can sit without sealant forever; the tires will stay put even when fully deflated (at least mine do). The sealant is your spare tube, only it's carried inside the tires instead of in a pocket or bag - don't leave home without it.

eduskator

Sealant ends up sticking to your internal tire's surface after a few months (depending on which one you use, they all have different lifespans) and therefore the sealant level will end up below the recommended one (1-2 ounces), but I don't believe that, if kept at the bottom of a tire for several months, it will end up turning to solid.

It's clearly a good thing to spin the wheel from time to time when not using it, but as long as you maintain the setup properly, you should be fine. Some people measure the amount of sealant remaining inside the tire using syringes, others will simply unmount it after a while, clean it, reinstall it and put some fresh sealant after.

If you don't cycle much, I'd stay with tubes to avoid the extra hassle. If your bike came factory with TL tires, you could always wait until having to change your tires and switch to tubes.

WhyFi

A) Stan's sucks for road bikes
B) I'd agree that tubeless might not be for you if you're not going to be riding very regularly
C) this is the thread with the most comprehensive collection of tubeless best practices thus far - https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...eless-not.html

dexterchua84

What sealant would you recommend though?

dexterchua84

Thanks everyone for the comments so far..

I prob still want to continue trying tubeless since this has only happened once so far..but trust me if this happens again, I would think going with tubes would be the best for me..

However, i have another question about tubeless..is it normal to lose pressure over a few days? I usually pump my tires at 90psi rear and 85psi front on the pro ones since im quite a heavy rider..about 4 days later, i find it drops to about 60psi..is this normal?

noodle soup

I use TruckerCo sealant, but Orange Seal is very popular.

jimincalif

I use Orange Seal in my Schwalbe Pro One road tires. IME Stan’s is good up to about 40 psi, Orange does better with higher pressures.

dexterchua84

I cant seem to find this online on any of Singapore's LBS..Merlin's has it but it cant be shipped to Singapore...

bruce19

My "do" is buy the Mavic system. I did and I'm not going back...ever.

dexterchua84

But this Mavic System seems to require both the wheels and tire setup? If so, maybe not so for me since i just had a pair of DT Swiss R500 done up recently..

bruce19

Yes. Mavic created the tire/wheel as a system which is why it works so well. FWIW, they are not that expensive. A Ksyrium Elite UST wheel/tire set cost me under $500. Here's a vid from former pro rider Phil Gaimon.

dexterchua84

Whats the difference between the orange seal endurance and the regular sealant?

noodle soup

This explains it well.
https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-gea...ealant-review/

ririder

One question I've been thinking about a lot when I ride is, what's the better pressure to prevent the smaller punctures, if that even comes into play.