Hutchinson tubeless Fusion 3 crap or am I unlucky?

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edmundo
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:04 pm
Location: UK

by edmundo

Remove old, perfectly airtight but worn out, Hutchinson tubeless Fusion 2 from tubeless rim. Mount brand new Hutchinson tubeless Fusion 3, inflate and ... it loses 10 psi per hour. Inspect in bowl of water to discover fine line of bubbles escaping from seam in tyre around entire circumference on both sides. Note: not from seal between tyre and rim. Google problem to discover others have exact same problem. Pic from another forum:
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad22 ... resize.jpg
Anybody else heard of this?
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reggiebaseball
Posts: 314
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 12:13 am

by reggiebaseball

IF you have not done so already,
Use compressor and inflate that baby up to 140psi, rock hard,
You may have to re inflate a few times, try to get those beads to really lock in. Inflate it rock hard and bounce it a bit, be especially sure it is supple and locked around the stem area.
Then, if you can get them really over inflated and keep them there this helps is break in, and then you can take them back to normal psi in 24 hours and they should stay stuck./

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edmundo
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:04 pm
Location: UK

by edmundo

I did get it up that high. The problem is not so much the bead locking in, but more the actual tyre appearing to be porous. But thanks for your advice, which I certainly agree with on these tyres.
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Quickdraw
Posts: 67
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:40 pm
Location: South of the Republic of Boulder.

by Quickdraw

I run Fusion 3's on a Campagnolo Eurus two-way fit rim and they hold air better than anything I have ever used. I can easily go a week without adding air. I run them at around 85 psi front and 90-95 psi rear. To mount I used soap and water on the bead. I am able to get the tire seated using a floor pump. Don't know if that info helps, but your experience with the Fusion 3's is different from mine.

Also, I now run them with about 30 ml of CafeLatex, which may also help the seal.

edmundo
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:04 pm
Location: UK

by edmundo

That info does help, thanks. The fact that your tyres hold air tells me not all tubeless Fusion 3s have the same manufacturing fault that mine (and others on other forums) clearly suffer from.
I've been running my Fusion2's at 80 psi front and back and love the ride quality. That's why I want to persevere with tubeless. But if Hutchinson can't even build the f***ing tyre properly it's putting me off the idea.
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freemyheel
Shop Owner
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 2:14 pm

by freemyheel

Are you using any sort of sealant? Stan's, Cafe Latex, etc? Those small holes that you observe under water will certainly be filled by the sealant, so no more problems. I've got several customers who ride road tubeless with those tires and have had similar results when we try to set them up without sealant (especially after about a month of riding) and some Stan's - about 1 oz. - does the trick every time. A little extra weight...but worth it IMO to have a fully functional, very comfortable riding set of wheels.
K.P.A.

blantonator
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:36 pm

by blantonator

my atoms lost maybe 5 psi a day, but no where near the amount you are losing. Once i put in sealant though, they lose maybe 5 psi a week. I definitely think sealant will fix your problem, but the tires should certainly hold air better without.

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Timebandit415
Posts: 112
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Location: San Mateo, California
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by Timebandit415

I'd use soapy water to help the tire bead seat into the rim,

+1 on the

STANS SEALANT<--- very good stuff.

Antoine
Posts: 551
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 6:36 pm
Location: France

by Antoine

I have the same problem with my 7850 C24 TL and Fusion 3 , mostly with my rear wheel.
But when riding it doesn't seems to loose much air.
I don' know if it comes from the rim or the tire.

edmundo
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:04 pm
Location: UK

by edmundo

freemyheel wrote: ... I've got several customers who ride road tubeless with those tires and have had similar results when we try to set them up without sealant (especially after about a month of riding) and some Stan's - about 1 oz. - does the trick every time ...

Very interesting. This is what I suspected: that some (all?) Fusion 3 tyres leak where the Fusion 2 tyres did not. I've run Fusion 2 tyres for years with no sealant and expected to do the same with the 3s. How can Hutchinson make a tubeless tyre that leaks air through the carcass? A major backward step with their latest tyre.
Anyway, thanks for your input. So the solution looks like ... well ... a solution.
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dpeka
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 8:34 pm

by dpeka

I installed Fusion 3s on my Campy Shamal 2-way fit. They hold air great - better than any clincher I've used. I've tried it with and without sealant, and havent had a problem with air leaking, as per your experience.

edmundo
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:04 pm
Location: UK

by edmundo

That's encouraging. Same (brilliant!) wheels as me, as it happens. I've sent the thing back to Wiggle for replacement, so we'll see how another one behaves. I've stuck a standard tube and clincher on for the time being, and the ride reminds me why I like tubeless.
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Kirsipuu
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:56 am

by Kirsipuu

Funny how most responses seemed not to have looked at the very revealing photo of air leaking thru the tire away from the bead. Surely these must be duds. I'd exchange them too.

edmundo
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:04 pm
Location: UK

by edmundo

Good news! My replacement Fusion 3 from Wiggle is airtight. That's with no sealant. I've checked the tyre using a bowl of water. No air leaking from the tyre itself, and no air leaking from the rim/tyre seal. It's inflated and appears to be losing no pressure.
What I don't know is: has Hutchinson fixed the problem, or they will continue to produce some good and some dud Fusion 3s?
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kulivontot
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Joined: Sun May 16, 2010 7:28 pm

by kulivontot

edmundo wrote:What I don't know is: has Hutchinson fixed the problem, or they will continue to produce some good and some dud Fusion 3s?

Considering no one has heard of anything even remotely close to what you're describing, hutchinson included, I don't think anyone is really in a position to tell you whether or not this is a bad batch or just an isolated incident. I'm glad that the new ones don't leak, but if you still don't trust the brand/model, try another option.

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