I’m really struggling to get a pair of Vittoria Corsa Control TL onto my Zipp 303s rims. I mean they mount easy, but setting the bead with a flash pump is proving impossible. I’ve tried the inner tube technique and taping around the rim with electrical tape. Next attempt is going to be with a ratchet strap around the circumference. Pray for me.
This is all down to their manufacturing method. They’re made flat like a ribbon so they’re reluctant to immediately confirm to the shape of the rim like a “normal” tyre.
I had the same issue with a different set of tyres in my Zipp 303S wheels, I think they are particularly hard unfortunately. It just took a combination of all known methods, soapy water, one bead mounted with a tube, flash pump, valve core out, massaging the tyre onto the rim as I inflate it. It’s a b*stard. The tube method will help give the Vittorias shape if you leave them for a day with the tube in.
Every known method indeed! I managed it at 10pm last night. Manually seated one bead by hand, soapy water on the loose bead, cargo strap tight around circumference, valve core out, flash pump pushed up to 170psi, hand on tyre by valve, and 2 glasses of Merlot. Bang it seated. I’m off shopping now for Stans race sealant and a syringe as my bottle of Stans standard might be 2 years old now (will splash it in the mountain bike).
Cheers for the advice / empathy! These Zipps better roll well after all this palaver.
You may be in for a shock using Stans Race in a syringe. It’s got some chunky particles in it and in my experience will block up most syringes unless they’re really big in which case you won’t get it in through the valve stem.
I was about to give up until I finally got them on with Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack, I was sceptical but was able to get the Gp5000 TL to fit, so satisfying, they are so hard to fit on the mavic cosmic pro UST but when they do, you can pop them in without pressured air, just pump works, because they are so tight! Also they hold air without sealant, so hopefully double protection with sealant!
I set up tubeless for the first time last week. I’m on Bontrager Paradigm 25s with Gravelking 38 slicks. I had to seat with tubes, then remove the tubes, keeping one side seated, before using CO2 to fully seat before adding sealant. I imagine it would be easier with a tubeless pump booster, but it wasn’t too much of a stress anyway.
In terms of the ride, I don’t notice much of a difference from my previous setup, which was the same tyres with 21mm internal width wheels but using butyl tubes. They possibly ‘feel’ a little slower, although the bike computer shows that to not necessarily be true. My TT bike at the same speed will always ‘feel’ faster thanks to narrow tyres and a stiff frame. It’s an all-road bike, so top speed on smooth roads is pretty low down on my list of priorities anyway.
I’m happy enough so far, but I’ll reserve final judgment until I’ve had to ride through some awful conditions and seen how the sealant works.
I put a new tyre on once without properly cleaning the wheel bead and a dried out bit of sealant caused something similar until I cleaned it. Odd that sealant could cope with a hole due to a p’ture but couldn’t seal a smaller gap caused by a bit of hard sealant
You might be lucky if you rotate the wheel so that the sealant is at the hole area the spin the wheel. I’ve had a few tyres that wouldn’t seat at higher pressures but taking them for a ride at the lower pressure allowed me to up the pressure slightly, then after a few more rides get the full pressure in.
yes, you are. Had a same issue with a Hutchinson fusion once. Same location. Tire was relatively new though so it looked like the sidewall wasn’t strong enough in that area. Because of the close location to the rim the hole would open up again each time I hit a small bump. Replacing it was the only option…
The tyre is moving too much in that location and the hole opens up again, had that before. If you want to save the tyre, take it off and put a tube patch inside over the hole. It won’t stick well at first (because the tyre isn’t rubber inside), but if you leave it overnight or so, it’ll be ok.
I’ve had success sealing some holes with putting the wheel on its side and spinning but if its not doing it quickly for you it probably isn’t working :-/
Edit:
As I suggested above, if its holding at 40psi take for a ride (the worst wont happen but dont go somewhere you can’t get back from), the next day try 60psi and take it for a ride and finally on another day take it to 80psi. Ive had tyres that would hold pressure initially aftter a few rides hold fine; I think the centrifugal force of an an actual ride does what spinning by hand tries to do but more effectively (dispersing the sealant into all the nooks and crannies).
I did similar but with 1st Swisside Hadrons 625 clinchers. Their support actually got back to me with a ‘sure, go ahead’ and gave me instructions how to do so. But after a wee bit more research I decided against it. I can be a nervous descender as it is
The air pressure in the tube pushes outwards and presses the tire bead into the rim’s hook. This prevents lateral forces from pushing the bead off the hook. In tubeless, the hump or shelf is the mechanical equivalent. Essentially with tubeless you are jamming the bead into a channel and friction counters the lateral forces.
I had the same issue when I got a big puncture on Schwalbe Pro Ones (looks like that’s what you’re running?). Virtually all other tubeless tires I’ve used will stay seated if they go flat.
You can inflate them tubeless, and even ride them. Even the pro ones, they might come off when they’re new, but they’ll be fine when inflated (I’ve had the pop-off when flat on tubeless rims too). However, it’s not recommended.
In MTB, it is (or was) quite common to run tubeless tyres on non-tubeless wheels. But the pressures involved are much lower than on the road, and the higher-volume tyre probably deforms easier without putting stress on the rim-bead seal.
I wouldn’t do it on the road. You don’t want your tyre coming off at 30mph in a corner on concrete.
