A number of factors can impact how well your tubeless setup seals and retains air. It is normal for even the heaviest duty tires with large amounts of sealant to lose small amounts of air over the course of a 24 hour period. Lighter weight tires with thinner casings will lose air faster.

Critical Factors

The majority of issues we see with tubeless sealing come from the following:

• Rim tape - Tape must be fully seated in rim well with no creases or damage which would permit air to escape into the rim itself. There should be no tears or seams. It's not uncommon for tape to be damaged or pushed aside when installing a tight fitting tire. Care needs to be taken to ensure tape is not damaged during tire install. 

• Valve stems - Valves should be properly seated and tightened per the manufacturer specification

• Sealant issues: Old, inadequate volume or inadequately mixed/agitated sealant can all play a role in tubeless issues. 

Troubleshooting your tubeless setup

The first goal with troubleshooting your tubeless setup is to identify exactly where air is escaping from. This will help identify potential causes to you will need to address. Here is an easy way to do this:

Start with a spray bottle with soapy water (a small amount of dish soap works great!). Remove the problem wheel from the bike and liberally spray the soapy water on the tire sidewall and rim area. Locations where air is escaping will quickly bubble up. 

• Air escaping from the tire sidewall and/or the tire bead/rim interface: 
  • This could indicate and issue with the sealant, tire or tire/rim interface:
    • Sealant: Ensure the sealant you used was properly agitated and the volume was correct. 
    • Rim: Ensure there are no dents or damage to your rim bead hook which might limit the tire bead/rim contact. This could jeopardize your ability to set the tubeless system up.
    • Tire: It is totally normal for a new tire to have pores that need to be sealed by the sealant. This can take time, especially with lighter weight tires. 
  • #Protip Solution: Inflate your tire to the tire manufactures maximum recommended pressure (this is printed on the tire sidewall) and ride the bike for 10 min or spin the tire on the bike or in a stand for 10 minutes continuously to ensure the sealant is fully coating the inner surface. Reduce pressure back to normal running pressures. Increasing the pressure will open up the tire pores and get sealant into all those little micro-pores where the air is escaping. When you reduce the pressure, those micro-pores contract and let the sealant do it's job. 
  • 

• Air Escaping from the valve/rim interface, around spoke nipples or from the rim seam:
  • This indicates that air is getting into the chamber of the rim and forcing it's way out via the path of least resistance - which typically is the rim/nipple interface or the valve/rim interface.
    • Rim tape: The vast majority of cases where this occurs is due to the rim tape seal on the rim bed being compromised. Most often, this happens when the tire is being installed. 
    • Valve/rim bed interface: This also could be where the issue is coming from. Ensure your valve is properly tightened (over tight can be just as problematic as under tight) and that if your valve uses a directional grommet, that it is correctly orientated with the rim bed. 
  • Solution: Either of these cases will require removing the tire to address the problem. If the rim tape is damaged or not adhering properly, it's time to remove it, clean the rim bed, retape and then be extra cautious when reinstalling the tire. 

Other important info: 

• Over the first days and weeks that the new tire is installed, it is possible that you will lose a bit of air overnight. This will improve as the wheel is ridden and the sealant creates a thicker coating.
• Remember, no matter how well your sealant is working, it is important to check your tire pressure before every ride with a digital pressure gauge.