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Schwalbe TLE sidewall leak

by CafeStop
Sat, Apr 10, 2021 11:01
8

Am I the only one seeing just one section of a new Schwalbe G-One Allround TLE (700x38c) leaking?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fs4Jg5HerGAXw9Fx5

I just fitted a new pair and had to resort to a bath to find the reason for losing about 1 bar a day (suspecting valve seal or tape problem).  The other one is just fine, but it's just this section of the sidewall on this one that is leaking in this way (checked all the way around incl. valve area).  Both tyres have 100ml of MucOff sealant in them, and have been well spun/shaken.  This video is taken 5 days after the job (so sealant should have done it's work by now).

I have emailed Schwalbe for an opinion. But, I can now understand why some people find tubeless straight-forward and others not.  Without doing this test in the water bath I too would have had to resort to re-taping and assuming I did something wrong.

Anyone trying this rim/tyre combination will find it tricky (Fulcrum Racing 900 DB).  I was lucky to have a compressor, and even then I had to take out the valve core.  The beads just naturally sit in the well of the rim .  Took a lot of fiddling and luck to get enough air in, at enough speed, to get them both to hop onto the rim.  When doing this the "messless" way and adding sealant via the valve, both tyres unseated themselves when deflated (one from both sides and one from only one one side).  I then had the same hassle again getting them to pop back out of the well and onto the rim.  Maybe they need packing differently in future?  If I get a flat or loss of significant pressure before these tyres adapt to their new natural profile (which I hope they will) there is no way I'd get them back on at the roadside with a hand pump - even if I can get the puncture plugged.

Oh, and by the way, Fulcrum Racing 900 DB rims and SRAM valves are not a good mix.  I had to find some rubber seals from a MucOff set that I hadn't used, as the SRAM supplied options were all the wrong profile.  I only bought a SRAM set as the MucOff were out of stock.  There needs to be more focus on standardisation of valve/rim fit.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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8 comments

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Tim Ward | 3 years ago
1 like

Does the tyre have TLE, TLR or TL anywhere on the labels on the sidewalls?

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CafeStop replied to Tim Ward | 3 years ago
0 likes

Hi Tim

Thanks.  Yes, as per first sentence.  It's a TLE and it has that on the sidewall.  After a full week now the escape of air slowed...  Going to keep fingers crossed.  The company I bought from said to send them back, but I note on their site that they don't have them in stock.  So, am hoping they will eventually turn out OK.  I just didn't experience one taking more than 24 hours, and even then I sometime had the inflated dry (no sealant) overnight with less loss.  I suspect Recoveryride's post is correct, in that it may be a bad batch.  I recall there is something with the skin sidewall that I have that means it is harder to manufacture (or something similar) and hence only available in one of the compounds that Schwalbe do for the G-One Allround.  Maybe it's related to that, but it's still no reason for air bubbling out like that...  Cheers

Avatar
andystow replied to CafeStop | 3 years ago
1 like

I've had a tubeless tyre spit out sealant on and off for weeks before finally settling down. Give it time, there's no reason the sealant can't fill those tiny holes.

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CafeStop replied to andystow | 3 years ago
0 likes

Thanks Andy. Good to know.  I'll see if it keeps improving and hope I don't need to return the tyre

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Tim Ward replied to CafeStop | 3 years ago
0 likes

OK, just wanted to amke sure it was a tubeless as the 2020 Performance Line versions are not (athough the 2021 versions now are) The Evolution versions have been tubeless from the outset. There will always be some variation in sidewall porosity in manufacture, however these tyre are not fully airtight without the use of sealant and, as other comments have observed, it can sometimes take a while for the tyre to me become fully sealed. A good way to help with this is to lay each wheel on a bin or bucket to it lies flat and horizontal. This allows the sealant to pool on the sidewalls and accelerates sealing. Left over night alternately on each side is definitely worth a try. But they should seal up and become more airtight the more you ride them.

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Rakkor replied to Tim Ward | 3 years ago
1 like

My Cannondale Synapse came with WTB's whose sidewalls were covered in little white pinpricks of sealant and just wouldn't hold pressure for more than a couple of days. I topped up the Stan's, I'd used originally, with Orange Endurance and they have beeen faultless since - I assume the little grains in the Orange filled the leaky sidewalls better, or it may have just been the extra 30ml of sealant. Either way the tyre hold pressure for weeks on end now.

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CafeStop replied to Rakkor | 3 years ago
0 likes

Thanks Rakkor.  Sorry to hear you also had initial trouble, but in a way I'm pleased that this may turn out OK for me with this tyre.  It does show that there is manufacturing variance between these 2 that I bought on the same order, and I used the same sealant and quantity on both.  One sealed fine in terms of the tyre wall (just a poor valve seat seal to overcome).  Perhaps these challenges are more common that the industry would like customers to know...

Avatar
Recoveryride | 3 years ago
1 like

I suspect you may just have a dud tyre. The fact the other one works fine means it's unlikely to be 'just one of those combinations'.

I had this on a set of Maxxis that I set up for the other half. After a couple of weeks of trying various things, I returned it to the LBS where I bought them. When they couldn't get it to hold pressure either, they exchanged the tyre. The second one has been fine.

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