Taking tubeless wheels and planes
02-06-19, 04:49 AM
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Taking tubeless wheels and planes
A customer support rep from Jenson said it was a bad idea to put tubeless wheels and bikes with them on planes because the variations of pressure and temperature can cause the fluid to leak and create a big mess. Is that true?
02-06-19, 08:31 AM
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Even if you were to throw an inflated tire into a vacuum, it is unlikely to have issues. Most tires will stand much more than a 14 psi pressure differential...and that's all you'll see. It's the difference between what you measure with the gauge and the absolute pressure which includes the atmospheric pressure.
*Think about it. They put dogs and other animals down there.
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02-06-19, 10:49 AM
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I'd be concerned with temperature as well. If it's not the low temperature rated fluid, it might dry out at an accelerated rate.
02-06-19, 03:59 PM
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Not a concern either. A low temperature doesn’t accelerate drying of the sealant. It slows it. And it takes a long time for sealant to move out of the tire...much, much longer than even a flight to Europe.
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02-06-19, 04:10 PM
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Why not bleed off a little pressure? Leave enough pressure for the tire to hold itself on the rim, but no need to have it full. It could be embarrassing to have issues occurring.
02-07-19, 09:13 AM
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If you have to let the air out of the tire to fit it into a crate or case, that might be a problem.
02-07-19, 03:20 PM
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Everything was just fine.
02-07-19, 03:51 PM
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generally tubeless tires are stuck pretty well to the rim mechanically and with sealant. I am pretty sure I could totally deflate my gravelbike tires and have no issue on a plane with sealant escaping
02-07-19, 07:19 PM
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"Some" cargo hold are pressurized. Either way no biggie. Just air them down before you give them to the airline.
02-11-19, 11:24 AM
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I've flown with my bikepacking bike a few times. Never had a problem with tubeless tires. Just drop the pressure a bit and you're GTG.
