So I've changed thousands of tires over the years but I have run into a new problem - how to evenly seat a tubed tire on a tubeless rim???
I've had this happen on some MTB wheels (29'r and 27.5") and just tonight with some aero road wheels and a new Conti GP4000S II. The end result is the tire isn't round and will have a wobble as well as a flat spot (thump-thump-thump...).
The rim (it is a friend's wheel and unfortunately I don't recall the brand) has a very distinct lip designed to grab and hold the tubeless tire's bead. That's all wonderful except when attempting to mount a standard tire & tube as the rim grabs the tire and prevents the tire from evenly seating around the rim. The uneven tire seat is obvious by following the lines of the tire just above the bead - are above the rim by about 1/4" except for a small 3" section where they dive down behind the rim.
The tube has talc powder and excess powder on the rim usually helps lubricate the new rubber so it will slide onto the rim more easily. I've tried deflating and re-inflating. Removing the tire and tube entirely. Alas, the best I could do is confirm the tire is ok as the section of bead not seated properly has changed a couple different locations on the tire and rim. Any other thoughts or suggestions?
Hey NCG, You probably already know or tried this but here goes. What I have done in the past is minimally air up the tube and work the area with my fingers to make the line straight. Just push and pull until it is seated evenly. I would use soapy water on the bead also to help with this.
+1 on RoverAl's suggestions. I had a similar problem with a Schwalbe 25mm Pro One tubeless tire on a Stan's 340 rim. I used soapy water but there was always a spot where the tire didn't seat properly. I tried a few times and then decided to take a break and left the tire pumped to 100psi. About a half hour later I checked on it and the tire had seated. Just needed some time and pressure to finally seat OK.
Thanks for the suggestions - soapy water did the trick. A friend also suggested Windex - he adds a couple drops of dish soap to the bottle to give it a bit more "slip" and the alcohol evaporates quickly.
I had tried multiple inflate/deflate cycles without success. Similarly my efforts to push/pull the tire also failed. Completely removing and reinstalling the tire & tube only changed the location of the problem.
One other suggestion I found on the web and observed by a friend, if fully inflated the tire will often seat itself if left overnight. Go figure, I should've just inflated the tire, had a beer (or two) and gone to bed! :-)
My $.02: I had a similar problem mounting a Compass Bon Jon Tubeless compatible on a HED Ardennes TR rim. Over inflating to about 100 PSI with a Schwalbe butyl tube popped the bead in place. The pop was pretty loud! The Bon Jon's have a very stiff bead for tubeless install. Not sure of the material used for the bead -- but tool free install is almost impossible for me. I re-installed the Bon Jon's a few months ago with Challenge latex tubes. I still used plastic tire levers to get the job done. But they mounted evenly without any issues - no need to over inflate. I plan to eventually mount the Bon Jon's tubeless. But the Challenge latex tubes are performing very well at 30-35 PSI. "If it ain't broke- don't fix it"!
Yeah, you can buy all kinds of products, but I have found that good soapy water, high pressure, and giving it about 15 minutes to seat did the trick for me.
Mate, I’ve got the exact same problem and same tyres. I tried dish washing liquid, talc powder, removing rim tape. Heck I even tried warming up the tyres in the dryer.
\nNothing worked. I must reinflated tires about 30 times. I even did a 100km ride on them thinking they would settle.... nothing.
\nI’ve resorted to getting a refund from chain reaction cycles. Still waiting on their response.
\n
\nI’ve used these tires before on same rims with no issues, so hoping I have a off batch.
I use soapy water (or straight liquid soap). Maybe overinflate the tire and let it sit over night. Sometimes they take 15+ minutes to pop.
But that is the nightmare of tubeless tires and/or rims. Some tires and rims never seat properly (leading to dramatic blow outs). Its gotten a lot more difficult with tubeless.
I tried over inflation too up to 140psi in my
\nfrustration as well as pure dish washing.
\nI don’t think it is not seating, but is just not even.
\nChain Reaction came back to me and will give me a refund. I’m going to go for full tubeless Schwalbe Pro ones.
\nSurely I can’t have the same issue twice. I would be happy to stick with another set of contis, but I don’t want to risk it
