How to repair a tubeless sidewall
Don't chuck it in the bin just yet
Repair a cut tubeless or non-tubeless tyre. These simple tips will extend the lifespan of your damaged tyre. An easy fix that will stop you splashing out on new rubber.
By Charlie Collins
- Time taken: 15-20mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Tools needed: Tubeless tyre patches, patch adhesive, super glue, tyre levers, pump, syringe/spray can lid
Nowadays, many of us are tubeless converts thanks to its added reliability and often lower weight, but when you get a flat tyre it’s not as simple as swapping out an inner tube. This guide shows how to save a punctured tubeless tyre.
It’s likely you wont get much change from £100 for a set of decent tyres for your mountain bike and a large cut or hole can easily render this expensive rubber fit for the bin.
Yes, the majority of us run sealant within the tyre, and often this will do a great job at plugging smaller holes and cuts from leaking air. But larger ruptures will need to be correctly patched to continue railing turns.
If the tyre is fairly new, it’s always worth trying to repair, as there will be plenty of life left in it. However, consider if the tyre is overly worn and still in usable condition, if not, its best to replace it.
Now although you can repair the tyre to a pretty good standard, it can be hit and miss as to whether it will last the life of the tyre. A repair can be considered an emergency option, but in many cases, we’ve seen them hold up absolutely fine. Another thing to mention is that tubeless ‘bungs’ are another great way of fixing your tyre when trailside, but larger holes will be more difficult to seal.
Hutchinson Rep’Air Tubeless Repair Kit – £5.99 – £5.69
This kit holds all the relevant pieces required to patch the inside of your tyre. There’s a road and mountain bike version, so make sure you go for the latter!
How to repair a tubeless sidewall
1. Locate the hole, looking for bubbling sealant or sound of air leaving tyre.
2. Remove all air from tyre.
3. Try to remove all sealant using syringe or a lid from a spray can.
4. Thoroughly clean off affected area, ensuring no dirt or sealant is present.
5. Pinch tyre to open up the cut/hole and apply super glue directly in to cut from the outside.
6. Allow tyre to relax and and hold in normal shape, waiting for the super glue to set in rupture.
TOP TIP: Some people will use an abrasive to key the surface, but this very quickly reveals the tyre’s threads, so be careful if doing so.
7. Find an appropriately sized patch, being sure to cover affected area well.
8. Apply patch adhesive to inside of tyre evenly around the hole to the size of patch.
9. Allow adhesive to semi-dry by letting it go opaque in appearance.
10. Peel away foil backing from patch, being careful not to touch the clean surface.
11. Place patch on to adhesive in correct position.
12. Apply some weight to the patch to make sure its firmly in place in tyre. Leave for several hours to ensure adhesive is fully set, then refit to wheel and reinflate.
3. Apply the patch glue liberally to the inside of the tyre ensuring there is enough glue to sick down the whole patch. Leave the glue to lose it’s shine and become tacky
4. Apply the patch and ensure that it is thoroughly stuck down. If you can mount the tyre on a rim and inflate an inner tube inside it, it will apply a good amount of pressure to ensure the glue holds.
5. Leave it overnight and peel off the plastic in the morning. Then get shredding knowing you just saved yourself forty quid.