I recently bought a air compressor so I can start changing my own tubeless tires.
I have watched the LBS do it many times with my gravel and MTB tires. I noticed that when the tires seat they seem to always make a loud “pop” when then tire bead seats on the rim.
I just managed to get my road tire (28mm) on the rim and inflate it. I went up to 100 psi…and heard a small sound, but it was nothing like what i’ve heard with my other tires. The tire is holding air and looks fine…but i’m worried that its not seated and may roll off the rim. Should I be worried? is there anyway to tell if i’m fully seated??
Take it out for a spin around the block…if it is not fully seated, you will feel it immediately. It will feel like it is not weighted properly or a wheel is out of true, kind of a “whomp whomp whomp” sensation as the wheel rotates.
Sorry I know this is alittle off topic but I was thinking about buying a compressor to save myself quick trips to the LBS. Which compressor did you go with?
I wouldn’t go much over the max of the tyre, and not go over the max of the rim (if it has one).
If it doesn’t seat at that pressure, its because the tyre bead is stuck somewhere. Using soapy water all around the inside of the rim helps the tyre move. Most tyres ‘ping’ when fully seated, sometimes more than once. Others don’t at all. Always look for the ‘seating line’ and follow it around the tyre on each side to see if its fully seated everywhere.
This is what I do - I’m using a pump with an air tank:
put tyres on
get a small sponge, put dish washing soap on and some water, then wipe it around between the tyre and the inside of the rim
take valve core out, attach pump
lay wheel on side, so tyre isn’t compressed anywhere
fill the tank, give the tyre a blast and then pump
if it’s not fully seated, repeat the air blast and pump. It often takes 2-3 attempts
even if you hear pings, check the line on the tyre all the way round to make sure it’s seated (keep pump attached)
if it looks good, try and release air slowly, and dis-attach the pump
fill with sealant
install valve core, pump it up to desired pressure, shake the sealant around
Just check the tire to wheel interface that it is evenly distributed. With this I mean that the there is usually section in the tire that is meant to be just visible “above” the rim. If the tire is not seated small parts of the tire part are still under the wheel and not visible. Check both sides to make sure. This is not specific for tubeless setup but also for running with tubes.
With tight new tires the tire can drop when inflated. Should not be issue though as long when pressurised to running pressure it sits firmly.
Soapy water really helps the tyre slide onto the rim first time.
Someone was asking about air compressors. A halfway solution / alternative is something like the Bontranger Flash Charger or equivalent if you lack space or a workshop.
See that thin line on the tire just above the rim? See how it dives behind the rim around the “72 psi 5 bar” area? That’s a problem with both tubed and tubeless.
Deflate, spray that area with water being sure some gets into rim, and pump up again. That quickly fixed it for me. I’ve switched to using plain water, it seems to work as well as soapy water and less mess.
I’ve been using a floor pump! S-Works Turbo RapidAir, S-Works 2BR T2/T5, Pirelli Cinturato TLR, Vittoria N.EXT TLR, Roubaix Pro, … Only had to use the compressor once in the last year or two.
this is a bit of a detour from the original question.
But now that I “mastered” putting on a road tubeless tire, I will try on my gravel bike and MTB.
In general, is it easier or harder to mount wider tires??
