Filling a tubeless tyre

[Namit Varma]

Hi,

I recently bought a road bike with tubeless tyres. I wasn't aware while buying the bike. Now, after setting up the bike, I find that I can't manage to fill air. When I checked online, I understand that this is probably because there isn't enough pressure initially to lock the tyres into the rim, and the way to fix that is to use a pump at a petrol pump. Is that a good idea? What are the alternatives? Any advice is appreciated.

Cheers,

Namit

[Arvind Ganesh]

Welcome to tubeless! :) 

First, the basics. Do you have sealant ready? Most bikes that ship with tubeless wheels don't ship with sealant. 

Make sure your rims are taped with tubeless tape and a tubeless valve is installed. 

Second, use soapy water on the rims and tires to help them pop into the bead socket. A compressor is recommended for pumping air. You can also use a "charge" pump that will let you store air at high pressure and then release it at one go to help seat the tires. I noticed that the BOTS Specialized store on Infantry Road stocks this type of pump. 

Once you have done this and heard the tire pop into place, pump up the tire and see if it holds air at least a bit. Do this before you put in sealant, because if it won't hold shape at all then you would be wasting sealant. 

If it holds shape then you're good to go. Use a valve core remover to remove your presta valve core and inject/pour the sealant in through the valve. Put the core back in and then pump up the tire.

Shake it vigorously in all directions to help sealant spread and reach all crevices. If any air was lost, pump it up again and then put the wheel on your bike and go for a quick short ride. Doing this will help the sealant close all leaks. 

If this doesn't work, best take it to a bike shop that will be happy to do this for you. 

And FYI - tubeless ready wheels will gladly take tubes if you ever want to run it conventionally. In fact, it is recommended to still pack a tube in your saddle bag because that will be handy if you ever get a tear in your tire that is too big for the sealant to seal. 

Cheers, 
Arvind

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[Namit Varma]

Thanks Arvind.

[berkeleydb]

Daiyummm... pretty elaborate song & dance. :)

-{db}.