robbyville

I’ve only had to stop and deal with my tubeless tires twice in 4 years of exclusive use. Both times were caused by my own silliness. But despite the difficulty of getting a tire on I’ve never once had a problem getting tires off roadside. I simply haven’t had any problems breaking the seal with my bare hands and leverage. This also includes removing all my tires for replacement and as mentioned previously I’ve been using TL’s for a while and I also like to play with different tires so I think I’ve seen my fair share.

From a roadside standpoint, I think the only truly universal challenge with TL’s is making sure you’re careful when removing to not spill sealant on your shoes or shorts, that junk is hard to get off!

Yeah agreed. The only other time I’ve had these types of challenges were with an old set of Fusion 5’s (I know how you like them lol) on a set of I9 rims I used to own. When you try them on your rims or your friend’s you’ll probably need levers and I”be found the key to be to try and keep the lever under the bead and perpendicular to the rim and then slide the lever and bead in bit by bit. Don’t use the lever as an actual lever essentially. Probably makes no sense when I read this but it was the only way I could do it. Also I used soapy water which I’ve never actually had to do.

robbyville

I had a similar one a couple of weeks ago where I had to install a tube, although “had to” ended up not being the case. We were in the middle of our Saturday group ride when someone said “looks like you sprouted a rooster tail”, looked back and sure enough sealant was spraying up onto the bike, I pulled over and the sealant must have done it’s job as it stopped and the tire although a little softer had stopped leaking. After 15 more miles the tire started to feel spongy on the back, I assumed that the sealant had not held after all, pulled over and tool off the tire, emptied the remaining sealant and put in a tube which promptly flatted as soon as I put air in. Took out the tube and did what I always do (except this time) and ran my finger through the tire to find out that I had a new staple in the tire. If I had just looked at the tire at second stop and pulled out the staple I’ll bet the sealant would have simply done what it does and I would have been fine to finish the ride. Ah well... I’ve been reading everyone’s comments about the plugs, I’ve never Tried them but will get some and put them in my bag.

As a note of tire review, the tires I was using were an experiment. Vitoria Corsa Speed’s, when I bought them I had read all the reviews about their lack of durability, how fast they were but should be a race day tire. I, of course ignored all said comments and bought them. The moment I received them and saw how light and thin they were I knew they would probably not last long on our roads here. They did feel good while they lasted though! In the end I just didn’t feel like I could trust them anymore, kept them as spares and put a new set of GP5000’s on. I’m about the only full time resident in our valley that uses tubeless so my favorite LBS Owner has a stash for me and sells them to me for $50 each which I greatly appreciate!

colnago62

I was thinking, going to the LBS and seeing if they have a used tire that could used to practice on.

u235

I've had two TL leaks that required a tube, both were annoying 15 minutes to flat leaks from internal tape failures. Others already gave tons of tricks for tubing, I've found it no different than the process of replacing a tube on a non TL setup. Break the bead on both sides to get the bead into the center, then pull a side off. It can be harder to break the bead because the sealant can "glue" the bead to the rim but it will eventually break free. In my cases all of my TL setups the tire is not too tight on the wheel.

GreenAnvil

I had a tape leak at a recent event; didn’t even realized it until I had finished. Luckily, the leak sealed and the pressure remained at around 40psi. I checked the tire and found no punctures, and then realized the tape had failed at one point and the sealant made its way into the rim and out around the valve core. I re-taped both rims and have done a couple of rides since and no issues.

IMO, it’s very important to find a wheel/tire combination that works well together. I recently posted about my failed attempt to convert a set of Ultegra 6800 TLR to tubeless with GP5K TL tires and could never mount them. I wouldn’t want to be stuck out on the road with tires that I couldn’t pop the bead and remove in order to install a tube if needed. All of my tubeless tires are Mavic Yksion Pros, which some people have reported don’t last long, but they meet my needs because they install nicely on Mavic and Ultegra rims and roll very nice.

So far tubeless has been a positive experience for me. I’ve discovered about 3 punctures at home after rides that have sealed properly. I prefer to do repair work at home but it’s nice to know that should something happen that would require me to pop in a tube to get me home I can.

RiceAWay

Usually you let all of the air out and push the tire off of the steps. Then it is pretty easy to get off because of the slimy sealant. If you do it carefully you don't get your hands very slippery while you're insertiing the spare tube. And again with the slimy sealant it goes back on again pretty easy. Always remember to remove starting opposite the filler and install starting just off the filler so that the filler is the last thing you install. That way you san keep the bead in the trough maintaining a slack on the bead..

I just got one a couple of weeks ago in the rain when I couldn't see glass on the road and I couldn't tell where the leak was either so bacon wouldn't help. Also you definitely have to practice using bacon. When I got it from the local shop he warned me that it took him about 25 repairs to get the hang of it. I figured it out pretty quick but I'd probably have a problem on the road especially in rain.