crazyravr

and then what?
Not sure where to post this...

I was on a ride and on the way back, 10km from home hisssssssssssssssss and milky stuff spewing out of the tire. This was a first for me so wasnt sure, stop or keep going. So I slowed down and the goo managed to seal the puncture. When I got home, I was trying to plug it and I have added extra sealant. As soon as I pumped the tire up the plug went flying, couple times I did this. So then again I added more sealant and pumped the tire up. Now it seems to hold, but I did not go for a ride yet. Looks like the hole is about 1/8" and its more of a cut.

What should I do? Go for a ride and see if she holds? If it does I am all good or not really?
This is on Gravelking SK 32mm tires.

datlas 

Based on what you are saying you probably want to patch it from the inside with a bacon strip or the equivalent, or you will risk this opening up again.

It's the teeny pinhole punctures you don't have to worry so much about.

Iride01 

I'd put a new tire on it. Maybe save the old tire. If my budget for new tires gets to my breaking point, then I'd go back to plugging, patching or booting the better of the pile of old tires I have.

So far I've just got a pile of old tires taking up space. Turns out that it's not that often I have to replace a tire for cuts.

WhyFi

What sealant are you using? That small of a cut should be a non-event for a good sealant that's not past its prime - maybe not even calling attention to itself, but at the very least it should seal permanently, without a plug, and have no trouble at pressure.

SCTinkering

I had the same issue with GP 5000TL. Sealed up, I had to top up with a CO2 cartridge, but it was uneventful finish to the ride.

When I got home I topped up the tire and it blew the plug out. Tried multiple times and ended up buying a new tire. That ended up being the right call because the puncture I got was more of a cut/slice which cut some cords in the middle of the tire. If it were any bigger I would have needed to boot it to get home. TL and sealant are great for those small things like glass shards, staples and tiny pieces of wire. Bigger cuts are going to take any tire down.

popeye

How hard is it to get the bead to seal on the road?

SCTinkering

100% depends on the tire and rim combo. Mavic tires on Mavic rims was easy.

Conti GP5k TL on a Nox rim has been a complete pain in the ass every time mostly because getting the tire on the rim requires very careful use of levers. I've nicked the rim tape a couple of times and that's caused leaks that's made it so I need to pull the tire and re-tape the rim.

In the end that cut I got would have trashed a clincher tire and tube too, no way I would have gotten home without a long patch and likely a boot. So the tubeless got me home, but in the end I still lost a tire.

Panaracer has some reinforced Gravel King tubeless, but smallest size is a 32. Works for me because my road bike is a gravel bike with road wheels. (I know I gave away aero for mondo wheel clearance.) If one doesn't have the clearance, then the options become much more limited.
In the end I agree that for tubeless to work at this time you need a higher volume tire. Personally I think a 32 is lacking the volume to make tubeless work for anything other than very small punctures, so bring a CO2 inflator or two just to be safe.

WhyFi

Most tire/rim combos don't unseat at all, even with a complete loss of pressure. Those that do usually need to get really, really low before doing unseating, so it's not a terribly common unless you get a really big gusher of a cut, like one you'd have to boot.

WhyFi

Sealant dependent. I've run tubeless 25mm tires at 100psi with great success and I've had 1/4" cuts permanently seal in 28mm tires at 70psi. The kind of puncture that the OP is talking about (1/8") should be child's play for a good sealant.

popeye

So for anything that needs a boot you need a tube and a tool to remove the stem. I'm ignorant on tubeless matters and wondered how you would seat the bead without gasoline and a match.

WhyFi

Pretty much, but you shouldn't/don't need to tighten the stem more than finger tight, though sometimes the nut can oxidize and stick (that happened to me once )

Ha. Yeah, on the side of the road, seating the beads isn't really a concern - either they're still locked or you need a boot/tube, anyway. The more common scenario is that you lose a bit of air to a biggish puncture and you need to top off with a min-pump. The most common scenario is that you don't notice anything until you get home and see a little bit of spray on the back of the seat tube. Well, in my area and for the types of punctures common here...

gsa103

If you get a cut too big for sealant, the general on road fix is to remove the tire, place a boot inside tire and then put an inner tube inside the tire. Once the inner tube is in place, it inflates just like any standard clincher tire.
If you're feeling ambitious, you can just boot the tire then use a burst of CO2 to re-seat the beads and hope the sealant still works. That means you don't need an inner tube, but the cold CO2 can freeze the sealant.

The alternative is tubeless repair kit, which is strip that you push into the hole and then pull out, so no need to break the beads.

nycphotography

i find old tires that have worn down and are thinner tend to be harder to seal. Pull the tire off, clean the inside area around the puncture, scuff thoroughly, and glue a patch on from the inside. Remount, refill with sealer, GTG.

But a thinner tire will be prone to non-sealing punctures, so at some point I replace it to not risk being stranded or having to deal with a tube (and TL valve stem removal) in the field.