Why is this tubeless leaking air?

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dim
Posts: 596
Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:25 am
Location: Cambridge UK

by dim

sethjs wrote:
Sun Jan 20, 2019 9:22 pm
Update:

To answer a few of the question: Orange Seal was the sealant. I did add add'l sealant (~25 ml before this problem. Another ~25 ml once it started). It didn't start out like this - was initially holding air. And I believe the IRCs do have a butyl lining to make them full tubeless - at least they seem to hold air without sealant (in new condition) and it visually looks like there's a lining.

I took it to Spoke Easy (great shop in SF) - Anton sells IRCs (I didn't know - bought these from Cycle Clinic in the UK). We took it off. Crazy - the sealant was mostly gone. And we couldn't see any visible damage inside or out. Showed him the video. Total head scratcher. He said "I'd mount this tire if I didn't know".

So we mounted a new IRC RBCC Pro (went 28 this time). Holding air no problem. No work to tape or valve at all.

My best guess - I went an early morning (dark) and wet/rain ride and hit a few "invisible" sizeable potholes. Perhaps one of those damaged the construction in a way that we couldn't visaully see when the tire wasn't inflated. Hence roughly the same spot on both sides. But it's a bit of a mystery. Rear was totally fine.
I'm sure I've read about this before on a forum ... the same happened to with someone else (compasstyres , if I recall) .... I maybe wrong, as it was a while back when I was researching going tubeless and having tubeless ready wheels built
Trek Emonda SL6
Miyata One Thousand

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12456
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

You put a total of 50mL of sealant in that tire and it was mostly gone in a couple hundred miles??? Did it just vanish? The only way sealant disappears that quickly for me is if it shoots out through a puncture and covers my ass/seattube/stays/etc with lots of latex.

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sethjs
Posts: 279
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:02 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA

by sethjs

Yup - about 25 when new and then, when I realized it was leaking, another 25. If the pothole theory is correct - it was wet, rainging & dark - maybe I burped out sealant? And then the other ~15 (there was maybe 10 left) went to whatever the leak was. No doubt very strange. And per the soapy water test, only leaking in that one area.

sethjs
Posts: 279
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:02 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA

by sethjs

Yup - about 25 when new and then, when I realized it was leaking, another 25. If the pothole theory is correct - it was wet, rainging & dark - maybe I burped out sealant? And then the other ~15 (there was maybe 10 left) went to whatever the leak was. No doubt very strange. And per the soapy water test, only leaking in that one area.

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12456
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

If you burped out sealant, your rim and tire would have obvious traces of Orange Seal all over...and excess would have flung all over your rear triangle, under you saddle, etc.

User avatar
Orlok
Posts: 225
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2017 12:36 pm
Location: Almere - Nederland

by Orlok

sethjs wrote:
Sun Jan 20, 2019 9:22 pm
Update:

To answer a few of the question: Orange Seal was the sealant. I did add add'l sealant (~25 ml before this problem. Another ~25 ml once it started). It didn't start out like this - was initially holding air. And I believe the IRCs do have a butyl lining to make them full tubeless - at least they seem to hold air without sealant (in new condition) and it visually looks like there's a lining.

I took it to Spoke Easy (great shop in SF) - Anton sells IRCs (I didn't know - bought these from Cycle Clinic in the UK). We took it off. Crazy - the sealant was mostly gone. And we couldn't see any visible damage inside or out. Showed him the video. Total head scratcher. He said "I'd mount this tire if I didn't know".

So we mounted a new IRC RBCC Pro (went 28 this time). Holding air no problem. No work to tape or valve at all.

My best guess - I went an early morning (dark) and wet/rain ride and hit a few "invisible" sizeable potholes. Perhaps one of those damaged the construction in a way that we couldn't visaully see when the tire wasn't inflated. Hence roughly the same spot on both sides. But it's a bit of a mystery. Rear was totally fine.
I'm glad to hear from you that mounting a new tire resolved the problem.! :beerchug:
Once comes a time that you'll have a tailwind :D
Pinarello F10 - Ultegra 8050 Di2 - Carbonspeed C38 Tubeless

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