I’ve been running tubeless on two of my mtbs for a while with no problems so I decided to convert my CX bike too. I’ve done it with Stans CX rim strips, joe’s sealant (since that was what I was already using) and Small Block 8s.

Got it all together fine, inflated no problem , the usual leaks as holes sealed and then it was fine. Rode on it last night on a more mtb-orientated route (eg rocky and rootier than I’d normally cx on) just to really give them a working over so see if there were any problems and there weren’t – it was basically faultless – no leaks and no pinches on sections that I’m pretty sure I’d have pinched on if I’d been running tubes.

Got home, left the bike for 30 mins then came out to wash it and the back wheel was leaking air through a pinhole. I did the usual shake to get sealant there and the wheel sealed. Washed the bike, including the wheels/tyres, stuck the bike on the workstand to oil it then left it for another hour or so. Came back to hear the rear wheel leaking air seemingly all round the rim – nothing extreme but I’m sure it’ll all be flat now (didn’t check this morning).

Anyone experienced similar? I’m now wondering if washing it has somehow diluted the sealant at the tyre/rim contact, stopping it sealing.

The only thing I can think that is different on this compared to my mtb that has a joes rim strip is that on the CX, the rim strip tucks under the rim hook – eg from outside you can’t see it at all – whereas on the mtb, the rim strip is just visible from outside.

I’ve had a similar thing happen with kenda tyres before.

There seemed to be some kind of a coating on the inside of the tyre that stopped the Stans sticking to it.
Fine when you rode it as it kept the solution sloshing about and sealing any holes. But when left for half an hour it would all drain to the bottom and start leaking from the side walls.
Try taking the tyres off and scrubbing the inside with something slightly rough.

I’ve had problems on my mtb occasionally where the tyre bead stops air leaking out of the rim but it somehow gets under the rim strip and into the rim cavity. did you use Joe’s/Stans tape over the spoke hole sinside the rim or just normal rim strip?

Thanks SSS – that sounds pretty plausible – the tyres are only on their second ride so any release agent/etc would still be there.

www – used duck tape as usual – pretty sure that’s not the problem though as if the sealant is working it’d never be in direct contact with the pressurised air.

I’d blame it on the rain rodents personally 😉

Good point pt – reckon they may have got trapped inside the tyre…

Got home to find both tyres flat as expected. Pumped them back up to 70psi and almost two hours later they’re still fine. Very odd.

It think the answer to your question is in the title, Random. I have just used stans strips on my mtb and my 29er. Tyres on the Mtb are Spesh Purgatory 2 Bliss ready and they went on like a breeze, trackpump inflated without breaking a sweat, no sealant from the side walls. Now my 29er has a captain on the front which is 2 bliss ready. What a faff to get it to inflate, had to resort to CO2 canisters despite being able to (just about) inflate the rear, a fast trak lk (which was not marked as 2 bliss ready) with a trackpump. WTF?

Yeah you get combos that are tricky but this is different. Easy to inflate and hold air fine until after a ride. We’ll see how they go on a longer ride tomorrow.

Oh and I checked on the stans site and the rim strips are definitely mounted correctly.

Kendas are terrible for tubeless. That is the problem.