biglmbass

My Enve 4.5 ARs didn't come factory taped. Came w' a kit for the owner to install tape & valves. I'd be curious to know if any of their wheels come factory taped.

Regardless, timely thread as I've evidenlty got a leak in the front wheel. Have not spent much time troubleshooting yet. I can top off pressures (55 psi) before a ride and & the next day the front tire will be about half or more deflated. I can't see where any sealant is leaking. I ordered more tape (Enve recommends using only theirs) & plan to re-tape the front soon.

denvertrout

Orange seal "versa valves" with a packet full of accessories. Different shaped rubber pieces. The rectangular did not work, the round worked perfect.

Bassmanbob

Thank you, but I should have also asked you which wheels you changed these on. Was it the Enve Foundation 45 or another road bike wheel set?

msu2001la

I'm interested to hear how new tape/valve stems are working out. I have had a few similar problems with road tubeless and the combo of new tape, new valves has always solved it.

Sardines

My AR was not factory but dealer installed tubeless. ALWAYS have the dealer install the first time, they can detect imperfections if any, and cover defects of the bad install for at least 30 days. What's $20-30 when you just bought a $2.6k wheelset? Now if they aren't a LBS, then it's more problematic, but it's worth the hassle to cover any teething issues.
Re: your leak:
How long has it been before the leak started? If the leak appears after some time, especially such a big leak, then I suggest you do a dunk test to see where the leak is coming from. It's basic process of elimination. I ride a 70-90+ miles on weekends and my Enve drops about 2-4 psi a day from 63+ pumped up before the ride. I feel the Pro One TLEs do work very well with the 4.5, losing fewer PSI over the week than the GP5K S TR.

biglmbass

Sardines I had a local shop tape my Enve wheels w' Enve tape & install the factory Enve valves. I'd never done that before, so had them do it. After watching them I'm pretty sure I could have done at least as well or better taping them. I installed the tires & sealant. They have been loosing air from day one, but at present I don't ride this particular bike very often, so it's not a huge bother yet. This is a back-up bike & I intend to ride it more but I'm still sorting out some fit issues. After reading this thread I intend to check to see if my valve stem is loose or too tight & then will do a dunk test. I've not had the time to mess w' it lately. To hedge my bets I did order a new roll of Enve tape last week.

Sardines

Ah so you bought them direct? Did you bring it back to the local shop who did it for you? They should guarantee their work at least. They could claim the Enve equipment are defective. However, Enve's overflow valves are specifically dedicated to prevent the rim chamber from over pressure. Now the point is how often can that happen with under 70psi? I can't say but I'm not going to doubt their concerns either.

Bassmanbob

Update: OK. I seem to continue to have similar issues with these wheels after retaping them two more times and replacing the same stems from Enve since the original taping when I received the bike. The original install was from my LBS, the second install was also from them with me present and holding the wheels and the third was my own work at home after watching Enve's install video. I followed their instructions implicitly.

The front wheel will hold air for the most part long enough for an endurance ride but needs to be topped off at least every other day. I've noticed that it seems to hold air longer for the first 5-7 days after it's first taped. After the first 5-7 days, then the leak becomes more severe and needs to be repumped daily.

The back wheel seems to be more problematic. The rear wheel will just not hold any pressure more than 40-50 psi. If I pump the rear wheel up to 70 or 75 psi, I can actually hear the leak through the stem until it gets to about 40-50. I've soaped up the tire multiple times, and the leak is only coming from the stems I've used from Enve. there have been times I've needed to top off the tire during an extended ride of 4-6 hours. Just before the second installation, I noticed it finally held a higher air pressure, but that was only after sealant came through and sealed the stem. I was tempted to leave it like this, but Enve specifically states this can potentially damage the wheel. So I immediately deflated the tire and retaped it when I had the opportunity.

Next step: My LBS owner is working with me on this, as expected. We are going to reinstall the tires with the Orange Seal Versa Valves that Denvertrout mentioned above. I'm also considering taping the rim with two layers all the way around, which would give three layers over the stem area. There was a great tubeless install video I saw on Youtube that mentioned this. He always wraps the tape with at least two layers instead of one. If these new valves don't seem to work, the plan is to return the wheels for a new set from Enve. My LBS owner is contacting them now to let them know what has been going on and the potential exchange for a new set.

Trsnrtr

Yep, that isn’t right. Having to add a ‘little’ air every day is normal but adding air during a ride means something is wrong. I’d try new valve cores or whole new valves if the leak is at the base but surely your shop has soaped them to find out where they are leaking from.

WhyFi

I don't recall if it was already asked - are these some of the ENVE wheels that need the special valve nuts to prevent blowing out the inner chamber?

Bassmanbob

I think so. These are new Foundation 45's. The outer nut is designed to allow air to escape if the pressure is building up in the rim cavity, which is outside of the taped area.

Bassmanbob

UPDATE: My LBS owner has been working with me, as expected. We were going to retape the rear wheel today together. I know he would do it right and this would provide me an opportunity to learn as well. Before I got there, he removed the tire and showed me pictures of lots of sealant under the tape. We thought I had just done a poor job taping the wheel. But then, he found a defect in the rear wheel. There was a small hole where the rim had been sealed and epoxied after the bladder had been removed when it was made. After a couple of calls with Enve, and them consulting with one of their supervisors, they will send me a new set of wheels next week. I have a bicycle event I'm leaving to attending on Wednesday, so I'll ride it with tubes. When I get home, we will replace the wheels, tape them and apply the tubeless tires.

My LBS owner did his job, and Enve is standing behind their product. I'm very satisfied.

robbyville

Great to hear that the mystery has been solved! Looking forward to hearing how it all goes with the new wheels