Reynolds Assault SLG and Schwalbe S-One Tubeless problems

bigburnsgeoff

All,
Have a set of 2015 Reynolds Assault clinchers that are tubeless ready. Thought I'd get hold of the new Schwalbe S-One tubeless tyres and try them out ready for the Paris Roubaix Sportive. Tyres go on easy but they are so loose that it is impossible to get them to seal. Thought it was me first but have taken then to the local bike shop to see of they could get them to work. Impossible to get them to seal.

Is it the tyres or the wheels?

Anyone else had a problem fitting tubeless tyres to this particular wheelset? Or is the Schwalbe S-one too slack?

dork_knight

Have you tried with diluted washing liquid on the beads of the tyre and using a Co2 cartridge to inflate the tyre?

meanredspider

I got S-Ones to work on my American Classics rims. As above, soapy water around the bead really helped. A CO2 cartridge was really effective on one of my earlier attempts too although, with soapy water, this wasn't necessary.

JoostG

Probably both. On a Dutch cycling forum with different combinations (tyres and rims): I noticed that it has been easy to mount tubeless tyres on your rim. Schwalbe seems to listen to its users and introduces new tubeless tyres which are easier to mount. In case of an old Pacenti SL23 rim that makes you happy. In your case not.
Besides the things mentioned by Dork Knight you could add an extra layer of tape (to make the rim a little tighter), and you should make sure that the valve isn't leaking. Make sure you add liquid latex as the newer generation schwalbes needs it to air seals all.

ugo.santalucia

JoostG wrote:

Make sure you add liquid latex as the newer generation schwalbes needs it to air seals all.

Or in other words they are not tubeless tyres, but reinforced clinchers...

6wheels

Considering buying a pair of S-One's, I'd appreciate any feedback,tia.

bigburnsgeoff

I tried with a track pump and a CO2 cartridge and it didn't work. The bike shop have also tried both with sealant as well. I'll give the washing up liquid suggestion a try. i noticed that when I mounted the tyres, I couldn't get the beads of the tyre anywhere near the inside wall of the rims, they kind of sat in between the inside wall of the rim and the central cross section of the rim so that there were plenty of gaps for the air to escape.

First experience with tubeless tyres not going to plan.......

These Schwalbe S-ones are also like rocking horse stuff. I had to get them from Holland and couldnt get them in the UK. The hassle better be worth it.

meanredspider

I feel your pain because that was my first experience. I ended up with a mess of sealant and leaking air. As above, do make sure you've got the valve sealed and no holes in the rim tape.

However, starting from scratch without sealant and with just soapy water and a track pump, I did get them to seal fine even though the beads were nowhere near the rims. It does take some persistence in pumping and CO2 does work best if anything is going to. You then also need to get the pressure right up as the tyre only popped onto the rim properly at around 80psi. Once the bead is in place, you can deflate them again and apply the sealant through the valve stem.

The place to pay particular attention is where the bead skirts around the valve grommet - that needs to be properly positioned else you are lost before you start

bigburnsgeoff

Thanks all for the input. I can see what my weekend job is going to be

964cup

Try three layers of tape, and use Stans sealant rather than a pure latex like Caffe Lattex. Spin the wheel after you've put the sealant in to distribute it. Try a track pump first; if that doesn't work, bang it with a gas can. Make sure the tape you're using is wide enough - 21mm should be right for a 17mm ID, but if that doesn't work, try the 25mm.

dork_knight

I would suggest trying to seat the tyre without sealant using the soap & C02 method first, if it does inflate correctly then you should be able to deflate the tyre and it should stay in place.

You could then inject the tyre with sealant through the valve core and inflate with a track pump, this way the C02 will not react with the sealant.

That being said, if they are a nightmare to install then I guess you've got to do whatever you can to get them fitted.

mikenetic

meanredspider wrote:

I feel your pain because that was my first experience. I ended up with a mess of sealant and leaking air. As above, do make sure you've got the valve sealed and no holes in the rim tape.

However, starting from scratch without sealant and with just soapy water and a track pump, I did get them to seal fine even though the beads were nowhere near the rims. It does take some persistence in pumping and CO2 does work best if anything is going to. You then also need to get the pressure right up as the tyre only popped onto the rim properly at around 80psi. Once the bead is in place, you can deflate them again and apply the sealant through the valve stem.

The place to pay particular attention is where the bead skirts around the valve grommet - that needs to be properly positioned else you are lost before you start

Good advice here. When I fit this combo in the workshop, we try to make sure the beads are close together in the centre of the rim, then use a Co2 Cartridge for an initial burst of inflation. This seems to give the initial 'push' to get the beads to mostly seat. Then we use a track pump to take them up to max pressure. They will hiss until you add sealant, but you want it minimised.

You can help that be listening for where air is escaping. If you grip the tyre and squeeze it towards the rim at that point whilst adding more air it can just give the bead a final bit of help to move and seat.

I have managed it just using a track pump, but it's too much like hard work to do all the time.

964cup

IME it very much depends on the tyre & rim combination. I can get Hutchinsons to seat with a track pump and no sealant on SL23s or ZTR340s, but Schwalbe One Tubeless on Cosine needed CO2 and sealant.

bigburnsgeoff

Thanks all. I tried the soapy water, and the gas canister and it worked a treat. the tyres look awesome on the RA's.

One problem, they are about 1mm to big to fit my Ridley Noah SL fork. So i'll be putting them up for sale.

Any other tubeless recommendations for attacking the Paris Roubaix. Want something that is 28mm wide as that will fit my frame. The S-One on the large side of 30mm.

JoostG

Hutchinson Sector is a great alternative: 28mm, and it helped me to conquer those french cobbles last autumn (wet and muddy).

bigburnsgeoff

Got the Hutchinsons on last week and took them out over the weekend. Amazed at how much additional comfort they provide with no obvious loss of speed. I am suffering to much air loss however. Got the wheels in the sink upon my return and its leaking around the valve.

if anyone has these wheels or the strike SLG's where do you put the little rubber 'o' ring that goes over the shaft of the valve? Do you put it on the inside of the wheel in between the rubber bung at the base of the valve and the inside of the rim or on the outside of the rim (next to where the spokes meet the rim) but underneath the lock ring? Given that the edge of the rims has a tight radius there is no chance of getting a decent seal but if its on the inside then its difficult to get the rubber bung at the base of the valve to push up snugly against the internal of the rim.

bigburnsgeoff

An update on tyres and wheels for those interested:

Hutchinson Sectors: They survived Paris Roubaix without a problem. I've found that initially they were rather nervous when cornering particularly when conditions were damp. This resulted the bike momentarily slipping midst corner and then regaining traction. As i've added the miles this problem seems to have gone away and I am gradually getting more confident with them. They must be a bit green when they come out of the box and as the wear they get better

Reynolds Assaults: One bit of advice. if your looking for a wheel to run tubeless tyres on then i'd probably buy something else. It becomes quite clear that running these as tubeless was an afterthought for Reynolds. The main source of leakage is around the valve. Where the valve sits the rim needs to be flat to get a good seal. With the Reynolds there is no flat spot so you have to overtighten the locknut to ensure the valve does not work loose and that there is a seal between the rubber bung at the end of the valve and the inside of the rim. The rubber o'ring is pointless as due to the radius it does not seal the hole. The fit of the tyres on the rim is very generous so its a challenge to get the tyres to sit properly and you get a fair bit of leakage around the tyre. With enough sealant (twice as much Stans as recommended) and after a ride or two they eventually settle down but you will loose ~10psi overnight if you inflate the tyres to 90psi.

For regular clinchers these wheels are OK if heavy (~100g more out of the box than stated), braking is OK if loud in the dry and below expectations in the wet, and the rims flex a fair amount to guarantee brake rub when out of the saddle. But they did survive the Paris Roubaix. if I was buying again I would look for a wheel with better lateral stiffness, designed for tubeless from the outset and with a brake track like the latest Zipps.

singleton

For others reading this and struggling, this may be worth a watch, I found it helpful:

https://youtu.be/_lvieF8IZB8

It's one of the guys from a wheel company going through step by step - with hints and tips - how to fit and inflate a schwalbe tubeless tyre to a tubeless road wheel.

ugo.santalucia

Singleton wrote:

For others reading this and struggling, this may be worth a watch, I found it helpful:

https://youtu.be/_lvieF8IZB8

It's one of the guys from a wheel company going through step by step - with hints and tips - how to fit and inflate a schwalbe tubeless tyre to a tubeless road wheel.

I don't understand what people find so difficult. Occasionally the tyre won't pop and keep losing air, but all the other issues are down to basics... tyres are all fit in the same way... there is nothing special or unique about a tubeless