KevinF

I'm trying to setup a new road wheel with tubeless tires. DT Swiss R411 rims, built by Wheelbuilder.com, using rim tape.

Plopped in a valve, seated a tire, removed the valve core, shook the sealant, added sealant using an injector, put the valve core back in... and air won't go in, or at least won't stay in. Using "Stans No Tubes" parts (valve, sealant).

I see sealant bubbling up all around the tire bead, so air is going in, just immediately leaking back out.

Basically, doing this:
I've tried two different tires (Michelin Power Road TS and Vittoria Rubino Pro G2.0); same result. I tried the "soapy water trick"; no difference.

Any ideas? Trying to inflate with a standard floor pump and with a CO2 cartridge; no difference.

veloz

Getting the bead up onto the shoulder makes it easy. Try it this way.

Rolla

You probably just need more air, like from a compressor or one of those chambered tubeless tire pumps. You should hear the tire "pop" three or four times when the bead seats.

m.c. 

Someone makes a canister to attach to the pump to capture the air and release it in one big blast. I've never done this before but it seems like it needs a lot of air all at once to get the bead set.

tyrion

This technique works for me. I seat the bead and make sure it holds air, then remove valve core and add sealant.

Polaris OBark

The only mistake you made was to put the sealant in too soon.

What I do is set everything up dry, first. When it holds air, then it is time for the sealant.

If it doesn't "just work," I take out the valve, and put in a standard inner tube, seat the tire manually as best as I can, and then pump it up to high pressure (within the safe limit) and let it settle in. (Often you can hear the bead snap into place.) Sometimes I leave it overnight (or longer), but I don't think that is critical. When I am ready, I break the seal only on one side, remove the tube, insert the valve, and pump it up. I have a canister pump, but often I won't even need it, but if you have that, use it. Sometimes removing the valve core helps too, but lately I haven't even bothered. Inflate the tire, and again let everything snap into place. If it holds air for a few hours, add sealant through the valve (or if you feel lucky, break the bead 180° from the valve and pour sealant directly into the tire). Re-inflate, roll the wheel around horizontally so sealant can get to the bead/rim interface on both sides and cover the side-walls. If it holds most of the pressure for 48 hours, it works. If it is getting soft still, add a bit more sealant.

yannisg

You mean the tire doesn't seal to the rim.
I've struggled with this problem since 2012, and many times I've considered returning to tubes because of this problem.
I'm strictly talking about road tires because Mtn bike tires don't have such a problem due to increased volume.
Usually, but not always, I can seal a new tire with a floor pump.
Tires that have been used are more difficult to seal, and sometimes even with a compressor it took a lot of trials, and a few I couldn't seal even by adding sealant. So I had to install a new tire.
The combination of tires to rim make a difference.
However, I have solved the problem with a booster canister that I have been using for over a year without any problems.
I highly recommend buying one.

DaveSSS 

I just installed two new Michelin tubeless tires on my fulcrum racing 3 wheels. I push on the wheel and roll the newly installed tire on the floor to help get the beads pushed out before applying a shot of compressed air. If the bead seats, the valve core can be installed and the tire aired up with a floor pump. Mine are holding air quite well with no sealant. Later, I'll remove the valve cores, inject sealant and be done. Michelins can leak some sealant through the side walls and the bead area. A fair amount of the first batch of sealant gets used up in the process.

My zipp 303s hookless wheels with Pirelli p zero tires were much easier to install and seated with an ordinary floor pump.

Canker

Soapy water can help the tire slip onto the bead. I have an air compressor so that makes it easy but even with that I've had to resort to soapy water with one set of wheels and tires.

sean.hwy

Do you have a charge pump or air compressor ? This is the one I bought. It works well. I have been able to seat 50+ tubeless tires on 6 set of rims.
But for some reason my lightbicycle wheelset and Vittoria Corsa G2.0 700x28 I had to do the trick posted by veloz where half seat tire on one bead, then do the same for the other side. then blast it air. Some tires I can seat with no sealant and add the sealant after the tire is seated. Other tires requires that I have to put in the sealant first to help the tires.


While I like my charge pump just fine I would have much preferred a small quiet air compressor. If you have the space for it I would highly recommend that instead.



charge pump

bikeme

This is exactly how to do it on tough rims/tires! I have a Santa Cruz Reserve wheel that is offset on one side. Combine that with a floppy sidewalled tire and it is a pain to get the bead to seat. My LBS showed me the inner tube trick. I had to be sure to break the bead on the wider side of the wheel when removing the tube.

yannisg

I have more luck with the canister than the compressor. I've struggled with the compressor for years which is better than the floor pump, but the canister solved all the issues.
I didn't have much luck using soapy water in situation where I couldn't seal the tire to the rim.

sean.hwy

That makes me feel better about my canister floor pump. ha-ha

How many gallons and what psi will your air compressor do? I know some of the tiny compressors only go to 135psi. I tried seating my tires with less than 150psi it did not work so well.

this one might struggle on some tires



this one should be a lot better than a canister floor pump

tFUnK

When you say "seated a tire" do you mean that you inflated the tire to get the beads to seat into the rim, and it held air after doing that?

Sardines

Well let's break this down methodically. The bead is not hooking in. One way to do it is to buy a high pressure bottle like the SKS RideAir, Schwalbe Tire Booster, Milkit. Another alternative is to get a charger floor pump like the Lezyne or Topeak versions. Sometimes a high volume floor pump would work.
One method of seating is to use a tube, inflate to the max pressure of the tire/rim, put it in the sun for 20 mins. Then let it cool and carefully unhook one side to get the tube out, install the valve, and reinstall the bead into the wheel. Soapy water will help with the sealing and also show leaks. When you inflate, make sure the open side is facing down. If it holds and you hear the rims ping as it seals, just inflate to the highest pressure of the rim and put it back into the sun for it to expand properly. Then let it cool, and the remove the valve core and fill with sealant.
If it doesn't seal, then look for the leak. Sometimes the rim tape also leaks air through into the chamber and out the spoke holes. I would also check the tape, If you don't want to buy another floor pump, go to a gas station and use their air pumps in flat tire mode to inflate.