I am trying to fit a set of Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres onto my tubeless ready Elitewheels 50 Drive rims.
The tyre was very tight to get on the rim but I did finally get it on. I am trying to seat the bead first and check for leaks before pulling the valve core and adding the sealant. I just can’t get the tire to seat on the rim. I have a compressor and have removed the value core to get more air in. I have tried the soapy water trick and I have tried the belt/band around the tire trick. No success so far
I don’t have a solution, but I can concur this can be tricky. My experience – I run studded tires and tubes on my gravel bike in the winter. But, the rest of the seaon, I run tubeless. I had exactly the same issue trying to remount the tubeless tires in the spring, even after watching countless YouTube videos! I tried the tricks you mention and I even tried to mount them with tubes, inflating the tubes to get the bead to seat, then unseating one side to get the tube back out. Good idea in theory – the tire is at least half mounted – but that still didn’t work for me.
After struggling over a couple of sessons, I took them to McPhails and they had both wheels mounted and ready to go the same day!
People seem to manage to do this, but I haven’t mastered the technique (yet).
I was going to suggest the mounting with a tube first but also leave it overnight. Seems to help shape the tire to the rim.
Use a lot of soapy water. First time I tried I was a bit stingy so using more seems to be better.
Last thing to check is the rim tape. Sometimes rims are tubeless ready but they don’t have tubeless tape installed. If all the air is coming out the spoke holes then that will prevent the tires from catching air.
Thanks. I have admitted defeat, at this point and put the old tire and tube back. I will have to schedule something with one of the local shops or Velofix. Does anyone have a direct contact for Dan?
@HappyOne I’ve gone through similar frustration and have had to throw in the towel and had tubeless tires mounted at the bike shop. I now only buy tubeless gravel tires that I know will seat easily ie. Vittoria Terreno Dry and Continental terraspeeds. Both brands mount without even having to remove the valve core using a standard floor pump. The Vittorias have the best seal of any tire I have used. Highly recommend them.
