I have a (tubeless) tyre which is leaking at the seal to the steel rim - I'll clean up the rim, but does anyone know of a suitable sealing gloop to put between the rim and tyre? What do tyre fitters use?
If all fails I'll try and get a tube for it, but would prefer to try and get it to seal first.
Alan.
It's usually caused by the rim going rusty, if steel. So clean and re-paint. Then you shouldn't need any gloop - which is unlikely to stop the rust starting again in short order if you only clean it off.
If the rim is clean and the tyre in good condition, then there is no real need for any sealant at all. The professional seal stuff I have is like runny patch compound, there are various makes and presumably slightly different consistencies. There would be no harm done by using inner tube patch glue as far as I can see.
Fitting an inner tube to a tubeless tyre is far less safe and may actually be dangerous or illegal as many tyre makers only specify their tyres as tubeless. Particularly low profile, high speed types. That said I have seen tubes put in all sorts with no apparent problems.
Almost any little tyre shop will fit the tyre using some sealant for you, but check the price first. I have been amazed at fitting prices that some places charge, personally, if in your position, I would strip the tyre (assuming you have the skills and equipment), clean the rim using a power file (narrow belt sander) and refit using a dilute detergent/water solution as lubricant (the professional lubricant is rather like runny barrier cream). Test after blowing up for any bead leaks, if there are any, then get some rubber compound from a bicycle shop and seal with that.
mrcheerful
There are two different gloops, one is tyre lubricant to ease fitting, the other is a gap filling sealant for use on lightly damaged or corroded rims.
mrcheerful
The gloop AFAIK is not to seal it, the tyre bead does that. The gloop helps it go on. If you clean up the rim and it still won't seall then you'd be much better off with another wheel.
You might find that painting the inside of the rim after cleaning it up will help by filling in the little irregularities through which the air might escape.
Rob Graham
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