bonsai171

I need to change a tire on my gravel bike, and need a suggestion on how to clean up the rim after removing the tire and sealant. The sealant I have is Orange seal endurance, would warm water and soap work?

Dave

Rolla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE4fxvD49PA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycl5Q66taHQ

Koyote

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I just wipe off the rim with a couple wadded up paper towels, then mount the new tire.

franswa

that’s what I’ve done and so far so good.

bonsai171

I actually saw this video earlier. Not planning to clean the tire since it is worn out, but I'm curious if simple soap and water would work with Orange Seal Endurance. We aren't living at home right now due to major construction, so I don't have access to my compressor or anything else cycling specific either without driving 15-20 min. Hopefully I can mount a Panaracer Gravelking with a floor pump too.

Dave

scottfsmith

The sealant is not normally touching the rim due to gravity. That plus the slick surface of the rim means there is no issue removing any sealant on the rim with a paper towel. It can collect in and around the valve stem though so make sure to clean that well.

Good luck with those Gravelkings, I found them one of the hardest tires to mount as they were very loose on my rims.

Rides4Beer

Yup, I've never had to actually clean the rim, just wipe it down with a paper towel and mount the new tire.

Koyote

I wouldn't bother cleaning that out, as you WANT sealant in that area to help maintain air-tightness.

msu2001la

I've never noticed much (if any) sealant sticking to my rims after removing a tubeless tire. It's usually all over the floor.

bonsai171

Got the old tire off no problem, and the rims cleaned up really easily. Just used paper towel. Got the new tire on, but can't seat it with the floor pump unfortunately. Guess i'll have to drive home and use the compressor at some point.

Dave

bonsai171

I tried using a compressor today, but no luck setting the bead. The valve core was out of the wheel, the pressure output was set to 110 psi, and I used both a blow-gun and schrader valve filler, but didn't have any luck. The tire bead was set in the middle of the rim. Is the issue the fitting used to get air in the tire? What else could be wrong? The compressor is also pretty large at 8 gallons.

Dave

walnutz

Add a layer of gorilla tape.

tdilf

If you haven't seen this, it might help.

scottfsmith

For me the Gravelkings were too loose and bead in the middle would never work. The only way I got them to set was to get the tire beads right up against the rim. The tires are very flexible so you can use your hands to pinch the tire and pull to the rim, just rotate the wheel while you do that to every inch of the tire. Then inflate without setting the tire down (setting down will move the bead from the rim on the spot where you set it down). Either that or adding half a dozen layers of rim tape might work.. a couple layers did not help, the LBS tried that and failed.

Rides4Beer

I was going to recommend the same video, def works. Also, and this is an easy one, but I've done it before, make sure the valve stem is actually between the tire beads, I've had it where I popped the tire off to one side of the valve without realizing it. But if that's not the case, then getting the bead started in opposite directions as shown in the video usually works. I've always been able to seat with a floor pump using that method.

bonsai171

I tried that video a little while ago. Got the tire to visibly move with the floor pump, but it didn't fully seat. Maybe it will work better with a compressor. I'm tempted to take it over to the bike shop and let them mess with it.

Dave

Chilepines

I'm a big fan of Skinny Strippers - which is a bike thing ;-) for tubeless setup.
Usually can inflate gravel tires with just a floor pump with those in place. I've never had a problem getting a gravel tire to seat when using a compressor with the valve core removed.

bonsai171

So I took the tire and rim to the LBS. The mechanic blaster the tire with a massive automotive dual stage compressor. The tire wouldn't seat with several attempts. His verdict was that the rim/tire wasnt a good one. Rims are wtb i23s, and the tire was just too loose. They had a Specialized Pathfinder Pro, and offered to mount it, and if it didn't work, no charge. The tire inflated right away, popped, and seated perfectly. It was also a bit wider than the Gravelking at 42mm vs the 38mm. Has anyone seen a database of good rim/tire combos for tubeless? So far the good tires know of for the Wtb i23s are the Maxxis Rambler and Specialized Pathfinder Pro.

Dave

Koyote

Glad it worked out. Bonus: you got a better tire!

bonsai171

What is better about it?

Dave

KJ43

Nice. I've ridden both tires and liked them, but for gravel riding the Pathfinder Pro is my favorite tire (in 38mm width).

bonsai171

​​​​​​My first impression of the Pathfinder is that it reminds me of WTB tires on a MTB. They seem like they will be strong, puncture resistant tires. I ride a lot of singletrack and rough gravel on them, so that will be a plus. The Ramblers I had held up really well, but were only 40mm. Wondering about the suppleness of the Pathfinder Pro though, seems like it rides a bit harder than the Ramblers. Probably fast when it gets going.

Dave

KJ43

The Ramblers I had (42mm width) were great in the dirt both in grip and comfort, but not great on the pavement and the knobs wear fast. The Pathfinder Pros were not as supple as the Ramblers but much faster on the pavement and seem just as fast in the dirt even if they aren't as comfortable as the Ramblers. The Pathfinder Pros just last forever also since it has the solid center line.

bonsai171

I rode the bike again today about 8 miles. It felt better than yesterday, but I realized there is some drag in the rear tire, probably from the caliper. Going to fix that, it will probably change my impression of the tire.

Dave

bonsai171

This morning I took the gravel bike out for a real test of the Pathfinder Pro (got the brake rub issue addressed already). The ride was 37 miles, and a mix of pavement, leaves, dirt, fine gravel, and a little rough gravel. The tire gripped really well in all conditions, but was especially fast on pavement and the fine gravel. The suppleness was good too, but I think the Rambler might be a little better (which is odd since this casing is 120 tpi, and the Ramblers I ran were 60 tpi). Can't wait to ride these again!

Dave