Tubless Tires - can I add more goop without having to reset the bead

[Scott O]

My tubeless wheel is not holding air. I tried using soapy water to find leaks but could not find any and I also tightened up the stem. It leaks enough that within 30 min of riding I need to add air. I'm planning to add some more sealant but had some questions first:

Can I just pry the tire off just enough to pour in some sealant and then hope the tire will be reset on the bead? Or does taking even a small portion of the tire off require resetting it with a compressor (my pump won't do the trick).

FYI, wheels are Black Flag Pro (Stan's No Tubes) with a Maxis Crossmark tire (***** to get on and off). Also, I don't believe I have a removable valve core, but I'm not sure. Any good advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[bigdbronco]

You can just remove the valve core and use a stan's injector

2oz Tire Sealant Injector

[NateHawk]

removable core is sooooo nice for topping up sealant.

IME, if the bead is good and sticky, it takes a lot less to re-seat if I need to remove the tire for something. you may not need to re-soap your tire to seat it if you pry off some bead to top up your sealant.

that said, if you need to reinflate after 30min, you're losing air somewhere and it'd be worthwhile to figure out where before adding sealant. it may be a problem that more sealant won't fix. it's entirely possible that topping up your sealant would do the trick, but it'll be hit or miss whether it works unless you know where you're losing air.

I have a UST rear tire and non-UST front on my bike currently. I had been running the front tubeless as well but the non-tubeless tire just didn't hold air as well. It wasn't the rim because the rims are UST, so the problem absolutely was with the tire. I tried keeping sealant levels up, but no matter how much sealant I used the tires still lost air and they continued to weep sealant from the sidewalls. I concluded that the tire was not worth running tubeless and I threw a tube in it until it wears out and I can put a UST tire on there. The rear UST tire holds air like a champ, at least as well as my tubed tire. They lose pressure at close to the same rate.

[Sheepo5669]

If its leaking that fast i would try to find the hole. F soapy water. Fill up your tub and look for bubbles. Or a pool or lake or something.

I have a strange suspicion that your porblem is a leaky valve. Make sure the core is tightened in completely.

If more sealant need to be added to seal the bead or patch up thornholes, you can remove the valve and inject in.

Personally, I would rather break the bead and remove the old gunk and add more.
2 reasons,

1(less important)- dry stans doesnt do much and weighs some...
2(most important)- You may not be able to add all the chunky glittery stuff from the bottom of the scoops with the injector. I usually scoop it in with my finger and wipe it into the inside casing of the tire. I hear that that stuff is the magic behind Stans special sauce.

Just food for thought.

[Pedalphile]

Good advice above.

Also make sure there is no air leaking into the rim cavity via the valve - I had a situation once where air was leaking past the inner wall via the valve, but not past the outer - the air was leaking out the rim from multiple spoke nipples.

Does the tire also leak down quickly when not in use? If no, then your tire could possibly be burping the air out (although the air often takes a bit of sealant out with it when this happens, so it's usually obvious to the eye).

Have you tried inflating to max pressure? Sometimes a bead can be a little defiant towards sealing and needs more motivation by way of higher pressure. Inintially inflating to max pressure also opens any pores in the casing, thus allowing the Stans to work itself into more places, yielding a better seal at operating pressures.

Good luck,
Pete

[Mtn-Rider]

I had a tire with a mystery leak like that and it just wouldn't seal. In quiet surroundings I could just hear the "pssss" sound. After finding it by ear, I soaped the area over and over until I finally saw a band of hundreds of micro bubbles oozing out very slowly, about 1/4" away from the bead on the sidewall. I almost had to look with a magnifying glass to see the bubbles. It sealed up just find after guiding the sealant into the tire area, it won't leak at all now.

Weird stuff happens, you just have to find it. Check each thoroughly one at a time:

- valve and stem on rim
- tire/rim bead area
- sidewalls
- tire contact area

Hint: don't just look for leaks, listen for them too. Tiny leaks make more noise than bubbles.

[Scott O]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have a tiny window in which to work on this late night tonight after I get home, likely under the influence(s).

In quiet surroundings I could just hear the "pssss" sound.

I was tempted to insert a joke here, but I'll let it be.

[debaucherous]

I was tempted to insert a joke here, but I'll let it be.

You could have let it pass....

[Mtn-Rider]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have a tiny window in which to work on this late night tonight after I get home, likely under the influence(s).



I was tempted to insert a joke here, but I'll let it be.

Good jokes = good rep, let it rip...

[Shark]

The stans injector works well if you can remove the valve core. if not, break the bead carefully one one side only and top off.