Tubeless Troubleshooting - How To Guide For Fixing Your Tubeless Setup

Tubeless Troubleshooting - How To Guide For Fixing Your Tubeless Setup
When it works, tubeless is fantastic, it's your best friend, It’s looking out for ya, it’s got your back. But when it doesn’t wanna play ball play, it’s a nightmare.
In this video, we’re gonna look at the 5 most common issues you get with tubeless, and how you sort them.
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Affiliate links to products and tools used and discussed in this video
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Replacement Valve Cores:
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Isopropyl Alcohol:
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Tubeless Sealant Injector:
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Crepe Rubber Block:
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Maintenance Stand:
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Topeak Smart D2 Digital Pressure Gauge:
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Park Tool Pick Set:
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:55 - Sealant
03:02 - Lost or Dried Up Sealant
06:22 - Valves - Clean and Care
08:43 - Bead Leak
09:47 - Sidewall Leak
10:49 - Replacing Rim Tape
About Ribble Valley Cyclist:
I am a regular road cyclist based in the North West of England. I have been a cyclist my whole life, and try to get out every day. The purpose of my KZbin channel is to share the knowledge I’ve built up in my 40 years as a cyclist.
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www.komoot.com/user/184990942...
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Email me:
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[@owenmalkin3967]

I use Silca and never have any issues with it, I also use the Reserve Fillmore Valves Pair no more valves full of sealant.

[@ianccrook8899]

Tubeless. Love it. No going back! Although there is some learning along the way as described so well. Whether tubes or tubeless, one important point is ALWAYS FIT THE TYRES YOURSELF. DIY is the best possible check that the chosen tyre ‘plays nicely’ with the rim. Do this by ‘dry fitting’ and removing the tyre. And to repeat, do this YOURSELF because out on the road, it’s YOU that will be fixing the flat, whether tubed or tubeless. If the tyre is hard to fit in the home workshop, it will likely be a nightmare to get off and on when out on the road. IF THE TYRE you bought ISN’T A GOOD MATCH TO YOUR SPECIFIC RIMS, TAKE IT BACK AND GET ANOTHER BRAND OF TYRE. And try that. And so on. This applies whether tubes OR tubeless. Example: For my Trek bikes, Pirelli Cinturato road tyres and Pirelli Gravel H are easy to fit and remove on Bontrager rims. Even on a cold day! So that’s my choice.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Hi Ian, These are wise words. Agreed, a troublesome tyre in the workshop, will be, at best, a nightmare on the grass verge in Gargrave!!!! TAXI!!!!!

[@Gufolicious]

the amount of followers does not do you justice. the quality of your videos is outstanding.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Thank you, Gufo. The numbers are slowly going up 👍

[@GreenCurryiykyk]

Orange Seal Endurance here for road, gravel, MTB, and Fat. I live where we have ubiquitous goat head thorns and never get flats. An aside, I created a checklist for tubeless install so when I run into troubles I go to the list and determine the best next step. Bizarre level of organization for me, but has done me well. Never had to do that with tubes, I just spent my time at trailside fixing flats.

[@clp91009]

Milkit sealant is my current favourite.

[@dogbreath6974]

I run tubes with Stans sealant, works great on my mtb. Prior to using sealant I had about 4 thorn punctures. I still get thorns but when pulled out just spin the wheel and all is fine. Also the sealant has been in my tubes over 15 months and is still sloshing around and working. Great video.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Glad you liked it. Agreed, as long as you keep it 'Sloshing', it'll serve you well.

[@Frostbiker]

The bit about using strapping tape as rim tape is golden and a good example of why I'm subscribed to Jon's channel. I've heard that Scotch 8896 is particularly well suited because it doesn't leave residue behind when you inevitably have to replace it in the future.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Cheers, Frostbiker, means a lot. I'll look that tale up.

[@awestrope74]

Silca Sealant, 2 road bikes, 2 gravel bikes. Performing great

[@Tntdruid]

I'm using orange seal endurance, only need 1 refill per year on my MTB 👍

[@Garfie1d73]

As always: great video. My practical knowledge: no tubeless, no trouble. But I'm an old fart.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Glad you enjoyed it. Get with the tubeless gang…. You old fart 😂😂. To be honest, I question if it’s worth it.

[@stevebarnes9345]

Me too!!!!! Waaay too much work!!!!! I'm old!!! But still riding!

[@williwacker2774]

You can still go somewhat tubeless going tubulars. There's a company called Tufo who make tubulars you can put on clincher rims. For me this is the unrivalled gold standard. Have been using them for the last 13 years (8K to 10K kms a year) and in combination with sealant inside I had to face three flats which I could still ride home on reasonably fast without damaging any rim. Sadly those tires are only available up to 25mm width and only for 13mm internal width rims and are going to be phased out. The system never caught on due to Tufo's patent's. With that said I'll never go back to inner tubes. The idea of having to repair a tube in a roadside ditch is unacceptable to me. Now for tubeless there are tire inserts available which promise to get you home and IIUC tires/wheel combinations being able to be installed without sealant (which ofc takes away the self-sealing property). For me the biggest hassle with tubeless is the inability to not touch your bike for "longer time". Tires will deflate, sealant will dry up and you'll have to start at -1, sealant grime must me carved out before you can start from scratch. So for now I'm still dreaming about airless tires with good handling characteristics.

[@iainhampson1451]

Tyre Glider, for getting stubborn tyres on, best thing I have ever bought for the bike and has saved me a lot of stress both in the workshop at home and also out on the road and only cost £9.99

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

I should probably get them to send me one, so I can try it out!

[@iainhampson1451]

@@ribblevalleycyclist Definitely get one and try it, I think you will be surprised and impressed just how effective this small block of plastic is

[@terryg652]

The tyre glider works really well. A word of caution. It can scuff up carbon rims. Especially disc specific rims without a rim brake track. It can leave marks on the finished carbon.

[@Steven_db]

Very informative video Jon! I find tubeless great for off road apllications, not so for road.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Agreed, not as good on road.

[@kiwibiker9754]

Ran tubeless for a few years,until a puncture that didn't self seal,fixed with a tyre bacon ,that refused to reseat on the rim with my small on the road pump. No choice but a very messy inner tube install ( yep always carried a tube even tho using tubekess). Fuck it ,I thought, back to inner tubes. So now I'm using TPU tubes. Hurrah!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Agreed. I always carry a spare tube for that very reason. If you get big problems with a tubeless setup out on the road, you ain't fixing it. So, stick a tube in.

[@jkayghaa]

Great video, going tubeless this coming year & really hope to see a benefit. Really appreciate all the information in your video. The only problem is you arent doing more videos! Thank you & ride safe.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You will see a benefit, I did. I appreciate the simplicity of tubes, but a well maintained tubeless setup is better. Agreed, more videos would be better, but time is the limiting factor. Thanks for watching 👍

[@markrushton1516]

Can't believe that there are still how to fix it blogs about tubeless. It was touted as the great solution to punctures but here we are years later.

[@Steven-zs1zm]

Good video, tubeless is a preference imo, it's a big win for the industry, tyres cost more than clinchers, valves, tape and sealant all add up, and you haven't yet bought a pump to bead the tyre, then the dynaplugs for when you're on the road. Pay the LBS for install or DIY and spend 1hr setting up......... I was a tubeless user for two years. I now use TPU tubes which suit me. Not bashing just saying whatever works for you is best and gets you out there cycling.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Hi Steven, Oh, for sure, tubeless has done wonders for the cycling industry....... it's up there with ebikes and electric shifting!! TPU is quickly becoming the go-to option, I should probably do a video on the subject.

[@Holden0583]

Well explained as always. Love your Videos…for me with all the associated issues…I’ll stick with Tubes happy days

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Glad you liked it. Tubeless is a good idea, as long as you look after it. Little and often, and it’ll stay your friend. Fixing a puncture by the roadside is a load oh hassle. Maintaining a tubeless setup is also a load of hassle….. they’re just different types of hassle.

[@stevebarnes9345]

Your videos are the best. - thank goodness I am old and am content with inner tubes/ this all seems like so much work- I'm exhausted just thinking about it .... wow... is it worth it?

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Glad you enjoy them 👍. Is it worth it?…. You get a lot less of the ‘traditional’ punctures, but there is a lot of faff involved in upkeep. I think I’ll keep using it, but I’ll grumble while I do

[@stevebarnes9345]

It's all part of the sport/hobby - I get it- I'll stick With the "faff-less" inner tubes!!!!

[@aveedub7403]

Hi Jon, solution, ride-now tpu tubes, and no faffing around with messy sealant every few months. I bought a carbon TCR pro with hookless tubeless; first thing dumped out the crap sealant and replaced with tpu. No aggro in the future. As i said before enjoy your channel with clear and concise demo's etc, keep up the hard work.🙂🙂🙂

[@johnboxxy3432]

I run inner tubes on my old pushy. I have found Slime successfull for fixing punctures but it can gum up the valve which are mostly Schrader's here in Oz. The steel straw cleaning brush sounds like a great hack for cleaning the valve stem.

[@ghostdog6471]

Great video mate, thanks a lot for this!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Glad you liked it!

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

@19:08 happy to see this 😂 I thought I was the only one who needs tire levers... but damn, never broke a lever before!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Was a killer..... still not done the other one yet 🤣

[@olegpetelevitch4443]

Stans ! every 4 days top up air depends if humid or cold !

[@user-mu3kz4un1v]

A very useful video full of good hacks, thank you, I’m also glad to see that someone has asked about your compressor airline tool for inflating the tyres 👍

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Glad you liked it. I've considered doing a video on the compressor. It's a much better tool than the air tank thing, and can also be used for other things too. Oh, and in some cases, can even be cheaper.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Tesa tape!! Great tip, thanks.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You're welcome! 👍

[@kevinrowlands6753]

Class video expert knowledge

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Thanks 👍

[@steveindorset]

Great video mate. 😎👍🏻

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Cheers, Steve 👍

[@Tarmaccyclocross]

More trouble than they are worth

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

It's a fair point.

[@LakeDistrictcyclist]

Love tubeless never had a problem but I do run a 700x35 on my road bike. Nice video again mate 😊

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Hiya Dave. Glad you enjoyed it. It’s those high pressure setups that cause the issues, Chucky 40/50 psi setups work well.

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

I run 700 x 32 Rubaix Specialised at 72lbs, tubeless, on a Creo. I weigh 70kg

[@JibbaJabber]

Love your advice. You've made going tubeless look like climbing Mt Everest.😅 I can honestly say that in my 4+ years of tubeless, I've found it a absolute boon and a breeze. I've been using Hutchinson Fusion 5 (28s & 30s), Token Roubaix G33, Muc-Off Tape/Sealant and DT-Swiss valves (@55psi). Smooth, supple and sticky😉 The only issues I've had are due to lack of maintenance, (i.e. laziness). The worst I had was early on when I didn't know how to tape (didn't do it tight enough so it slipped). Three tips: 1. Glue the end of the rim tape down so that it doesn't lift. 2. Clogged valves can be prevented with a tiny bit of dry/wax lube. 3. Don't buy fancy tyres, esp ones that weep.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Oh dear, Mt Everest wasn’t the plan 😐. Tubeless is a good idea, as long as you look after it. Little and often, and it’ll stay your friend. Fixing a puncture by the roadside is a load oh hassle. Maintaining a tubeless setup is also a load of hassle….. they’re just different types of hassle. Oh, and point 1, that is a great tip 👍

[@JibbaJabber]

​@@ribblevalleycyclistCheers Jon. FWIW, I can put my tyres on by hand, pump them up every time using a track pump and they keep their pressure overnight better than an inner tube. Three more tips: 1. Don't overtighten the locking nut. Otherwise, you might find it tricky to take off on a cold wet winter ride with frozen hands!! Trust me, I've been there😊 2. Centre the tyre bead in the channel before rolling it on, and if necessary use soapy water to help it slide and seat. 3. Get yourself a dynaplug racer and a high volume hand pump - right tools for right jobs👍

[@pigeonpoo1823]

I'm unsure what you mean with #2. You mean squeeze a tiny bit in? How does that prevent clogs?

[@JibbaJabber]

@@pigeonpoo1823 Yes. Take the valve core out, and then give them a good clean with some soap and/or isopropyl alcohol. Dry them off and then apply some wax lube to the inside of the valve and the bottom of the valve core. When they've dried out, put them back together. The 'slippery' inside surface helps to prevent the sealant from sticking.👍

[@Quizmate1]

If no bead pop i get soapy water and apply liberally to the bead and rim with a brush. Usually does the job and pops together nicely with a blast of air

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

A great tip. Not sure I'd trust hookless with soapy water though 🤣

[@JibbaJabber]

@@ribblevalleycyclist I've used soapy water from time to time on hookless. Works a test👍

[@TheNeelonRokk]

You don't go high pressure with road tubeless, I use 30-32mm tires, at about 4-4.5bar max. No issues whatsoever. And always hooked tires, hookless can stay away from road applications. edit: i use regular stans sealant.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

When compared to other cycling disciplines, 4.5bar (65psi) is still a very high pressure, that, in some instances, typical sealant may struggle to hold back. Additionally, 30-32 is not the road norm. Many run 28, and some (including me) still run 25. Some have no choice but to run smaller. And smaller will require more pressure. Agreed, hookless is a bad idea. Sold as an improvement, when it just made wheels cheaper to make.

[@nickw6175]

Not ever found the need , I ride durano DD with a tube, and do lots of crap roads, gravel and lots of forest roads the odd cyclo cross race but I run them at a high pressure, my limited experiance of other riders riding tubeless is all negative which i think is down mainly to initial installation

[@Hebbs]

Silca sealant makes tubeless 100% worth it.

[@stephendavies8975]

Very helpful video. What is the make and model of the airline gauge/connector you use? Many thanks.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Hi Stephen, Glad you found it useful. Here you go…. Topeak Smart D2 Digital Gauge amzn.to/48iuMvy

[@stephendavies8975]

Thanks for that, but I meant the bit attached to the end of the airline you used to inflate in the first place. I’ve not found one that connects properly to a presets valve. Thanks.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Oh, that!! It's a custom job I made a few years ago. This is your shopping list: LEZYNE ABS-1 Pro Chuck ToPeak Replacement Hose Draper 1/4" Air Blow Gun Or you could blow £135 (Pun intended) on the Park Tool INF-2

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

To be honest I've never actually tried it...... Well apart from the Halfords inner tubes on my electric mountain bike (Decathlon Est100) front tyre only. A number of months back I got a puncture in the front and got showered in the green gunk...... Yeah it sealed the tyre but wow.... I looked like an anorexic hulk! On my road bike I run tpu and just swap out the inner tube if I puncture. On my gravel bike I run butyl as I find it so quick and easy to repair.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Green...... I can't even think of a sealant that is green. Those crazy Halfords kids! TPU is the new kid on the block, and is getting a lot of attention.

[@pilkjaer]

I have read that if a sealant will get into you spoke nipples, it will start corroding them causing even more spokes to fail. I sqitched to tubeless on my MTB just to break a spoke 3 days later and had to redo everything. After some sealant leaks more spokes started to fail. I used gorilla tape but over time it started to get loose and sealant seep under it causing more nipple corrosion and more spokes failing. After redoing this 3 times i switched back to innertubes. F THIS! Also, not that you can leave your spare innertube at home anyway. You can get a puncture that can't be patched or you can fail to inflate it. So you have to carry innertube with you anyway. But then you can just run without tubeless all together and save a lot of headache and even more money. It takes just a couple of minutes to replace an innertube.

[@gammelgemse]

Tubeless is expensive, useless and a major hassle. Tpu tubes have been invented and offer almost the same benefits as tubeless without all the fuss.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Agreed, the new kid on the block is getting all the attention.

[@ashleyhouse9690]

The best solution for tubeless is not to do it in the first place.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

I’m not exactly sold on the idea 🤔

[@stevebarnes9345]

AGREED

[@gammelgemse]

Yes, great conclusion! 👍

[@ghostdog6471]

Ok, let's pretend we care about your opinion 😂

[@cefnonn]

Yet another pointless bike industry gimmick.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Most MTB and gravel riders would disagree with you on that point.