‘Tubeless ready’

neal1984

So I decided to have a go at converting to tubeless on a Boardman MHT 8.9 I’ve just recently bought. Wheels and tyres are sold as ‘tubeless ready’. I had a crack at it tonight but have discovered a large leak at the join in the rim (in between two spokes).

My question is this; is the rim faulty or should I have swapped out the standard rim tape first?

Rim tape is fitted covering the spoke holes and I do not appear to be getting any significant leaks from the spokes just this leak at the join.

Not sure how I can upload the video here so I’ve shared my iCloud link if that works;
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0ARkvXBkL882YExIpLpsVbrog#Hornchurch

robertpb

Go and buy a roll of Gorilla tape, that will seal the rims properly.

RedClip

Is the leak coming from the join directly opposite the valve hole?
If it is, I had the same issue with my DT Swiss 1850 wheels, when I test filled the tyres with just air.
Once I put sealant into the tyre, the leak stopped. Especially when the join is at the bottom of the wheel and the sealant is pooled there too.

Yes, I would remove the standard rim tape.
Mine came with proper rim tape installed, but I added another layer using Gorilla Tape.
You could try that over the top of the other if you wanted to.

Sorry, I can't get the video to play.

neal1984

Yes, the leak is 180 degrees from the valve.

Thanks for your help, I will get some gorilla tape and try again.

figbat

I believe you still need to tape a tubeless-ready rim, so yes, you will need to replace the standard rim tape with something sticky. I also use Gorilla tape.

JBA

neal1984 said:

Yes, the leak is 180 degrees from the valve.

Thanks for your help, I will get some gorilla tape and try again.

It's 180deg from the valve because that is where the joint is.

Gorilla tape does the job well but I wouldn't use it. It's a complete bugger to remove if you ever need to renew it and leaves sticky patches of glue all over the rim internal surface. Get some proper tubeless rim tape, watch a few YouTube videos on how to install it and crack on.
I have had good results with Specialized 2Bliss Ready Rim Strips as well. They are like giant elastic bands. Hard to initially fit as they are such a tight fit but seal really well. They are also very cheap. About £2 - £3 per wheel.

lesfirth

0110 said:

Is the leak coming from the join directly opposite the valve hole?
If it is, I had the same issue with my DT Swiss 1850 wheels, when I test filled the tyres with just air.
Once I put sealant into the tyre, the leak stopped. Especially when the join is at the bottom of the wheel and the sealant is pooled there too.

Yes, I would remove the standard rim tape.
Mine came with proper rim tape installed, but I added another layer using Gorilla Tape.
You could try that over the top of the other if you wanted to.

Sorry, I can't get the video to play.

My advise is exactly as above.

swod1

The rim tape that was on the wheel from factory probably wasn't thick enough. sometimes people do two layers to be sure.

re doing the wheel with better tape will help and make sure you get some for the right size of the internal diameter of the rim.

The Rookie

swod1 said:

re doing the wheel with better tape will help and make sure you get some for the right size of the internal WIDTH of the rim.

FTFY