Tubeless Tire Sidewall Repair

[jbuchanan]

The first tech article in a series I am working on.
http://www.rocksnclocks.com/blog/tech-articles/tubeless-tire-sidewall-repair/

[Done]

Nice article. Looks like I need to add a bigger sewing needle to my kit. Thanks!

[Groundshine]

Great article.. I will also add a needle and thread to my bikepacking kit.  Looking forward to your approach on a broken bead.

[Cosmo K]

Nice article...thanks for the right up!

[trebor]

That is the same needle and thread in my kit. I also carry little single use tubes of super glue. Super glue works great on rubber and in tesion - a glued tire that's inflated would be in tension at the bond. Bashing another rock would introduce shearing forces, but then the sewing, as you've described, will give the support needed.

Good stuff!

[Blammo]

Great article ...not having to carry a 700gm spare tire for my upcoming 4 day trip will be welcomed.

I have successfully used the superglue method once ...the only time I needed to and that was about 1999 or 2000 with some serious ghetto latex brew ...but I have not heard enough other success stories to want to rely solely on that technique.  Thanks for adding to the list of success stories though.

[offroute]

Very cool tip, jb. Thanks.

I've had good luck so far repairing tubeless sidewalls with superglue and rubber tube patches. Patched a hole that the sealant couldn't handle, on the inside breaking a small section of bead. Used that tire normally for the rest of its life. Patched outside a tire on a non-catastrophic sidewall split, plus glued a knobbie flapper back on. That patched split looked a little dodgy after a few day rides.

I can see supplementing your sewing MO with s-glue/patch for a less temporary fix.

Cheers,

Mike

[juanesunpescado]

Very creative solution but I do not understand your basic assumption that a tube is an unacceptable solution. Seems like a tube would be easier and faster.

Can you please elaborate on this: "You can tube it and then boot it, but now you are running a slime tube at best and that is not a very good place to be in the back country".

Would you actually NOT take a spare tube with you in the back country? If you have one, why not use it?

Thanks,
-tj

[jbuchanan]

Very creative solution but I do not understand your basic assumption that a tube is an unacceptable solution. Seems like a tube would be easier and faster.

Can you please elaborate on this: "You can tube it and then boot it, but now you are running a slime tube at best and that is not a very good place to be in the back country".

Would you actually NOT take a spare tube with you in the back country? If you have one, why not use it?

Thanks,
-tj

I don't know if you have ever had the pleasure of riding in southern Arizona, but a tubeless system is mandatory and the longer you can keep it going, the better. Slime tubes have typically had poor performance when pitted against a Stan's tubeless system.

And yes, I do take a tube, but those are a last resort.

[juanesunpescado]

OK, got it. I have done a bit of CO riding and fell victim to the goat heads. Here in the NW we have nothing more insidious than mildew.

-tj

[AZTtripper]

Yeah 2 tubes is pretty much a no brainer for routes like the AZT 300 I usually carry 3.

If you only have 2, once you use the first one your riding on borrowed time.

Now that I am running Stans tubeless and Stans in my spare tubes I might just go with 2 for most stuff.

Tim

[Done]

I go tubeless and carry two Slime tubes on Kokopelli's Trail. Probably redundant, but if I have to pop in regular tubes out there, goat heads would puncture them pretty quickly. I may try to fill them with Stan's, like AZTripper (thanks, good idea).

I rode the CTR with regular tubes in 2010 and 2012, and I carried one spare regular tube, two boots, needle & thread, and a patch kit. In 2010, I didn't have any flats, but this year I had two (one small sidewall tear, and one pinch). The pinch flat was stupid--after fixing the sidewall tear, I left the tire too soft.

I haven't raced the AZT, but I have ridden in AZ--and I would definitely go tubeless with extra Slime/Stan's tubes. And a needle & thread, patch kit, tire boots, and possibly extra Stan's fluid. There are SO many prickly things and sharp rocks down there!

[AZTtripper]

Yep thorns sharp rocks you name it.

On the 07 AZT 300 I had zero flats before Tucson but used up all 3 tubes before the end of the ride.

In 010 running Stans in a tube I had just one flat. I remember running into Mark out north of Oracle. He had used one of his 2 tubes and was fighting to get the one with the tube to reseal as a tubeless. Not wanting to use the other tube until he had to put it in the other tire.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

Most Excellent blog Jonathan. thanks

OK, got it. I have done a bit of CO riding and fell victim to the goat heads. Here in the NW we have nothing more insidious than mildew.

-tj

Had my share of goat heads riding in CO. There worse in the fall and winter.
One can go for miles and miles never seeing one then all of a sudden your in them and your pulling 50 out of your tires.

On my everyday riding bike I run Garden Tractor Green Slime (bought at AutoZone) not the thin bike slime.
On my DH bike I've yet to get a goat head so don't run any protection other than pack a few patches and spare tube.

[trebor]

Update on sewing a sidewall.

I had the biggest sidewall slash to date, about 2" long, during my TDITT in August. Previously to this I'd say any sidewall damage i've ever had to deal with has been in the .5 to 1.25 inch range.

I started sewing trail-side at Jerry Creek just a mile or two miles past Fleecer and broke my needle (CRAP!). I had also used some superglue to hold the edges together as I started to sew. So I boot it and throw in a tube. When I got to a town that had a large curved needle (Pinedale i think), I sew the sidewall and throw a small patch on the inside of the tire. Unfortunately, I can't get the tire to seat tubeless so I put the tube back in.

I rode with that setup for a couple hundred miles. By the time I got to the next town to get a tire (Steamboat Springs), the sewn sidewall was on it's last leg (thread?) and about to give up. Timing was perfect in that respect. I wanted to go tubeless again for several reasons, hence why I attempted to sew the big gash:
1. I only had 1 tube until Pinedale and that made me very nervous! I figured if it would seat and hold air, I'd get my tube back as a spare.
2. The boot and tube combo didn't sit exactly right in the tire causing a noticeable wobble at speed. Taking my hands off the bar to eat or take off my jacket, etc. was a little scary - it was the front tire that got the slash.

The tire was a Conti RaceKing - the non Protection variety. The sidewall was too thin I think for sewing such a big tear - at least with the expectation that sewing would be a permanent fix. The rubber was tearing where it had been sewn.

I think I've learned to assess better the size of the tear, the thickness of the sidewall, and best of all, time wasted dealing with the issue. I gotta figure at least 1-2 hours was spent working on that tire prior to it being replaced.

[offroute]

Got a 1" split in a sidewall last weekend. Hastily put in a tube thinking I had lost the bead or had a huge burp, then saw the tube trying to push out as I inspected at low pressure. Lazily glued a patch on the outside which got me home, then slapped another inside without removing the tube. I'll set it up tubeless when I get time. I'm banking I can run it for the normal life of the tire as I've done with other superglue jobs. Loving the fast trailside fix with rubber patches and glue. FWIW...

[LyndaW]

Jonathan - great info. I have always carried a needle and thread but never thought of sewing up the tire without removing it and breaking the bead. A curved needle is going in my bikepacking toolkit immediately. 

[mmeiser]

Awesome, yet another reason to run tubeless. Have seen how some packrafters fix their packrafts. Still quite a bit lower pressure, but they put the patch on the inside. I also have some experience fixing sleeping matts, shoe goo has worked best for me.    A tire boot type patch might offer even more support and seal, but it would have to be applied after sewing by breaking the bead.  Not sure if shoe goo has any application here at all, not sure it could take the pressure, but I suppose if this was a sleeping mat I would work the shoe goo into the stitching to ensure a final seal.

[Marshal]

Side wall cut repair procedure.

Note: For faster/easier (&smaller) side wall cuts see jbuchanan’s procedure above.

However-for larger cuts and/or a slightly more robust repair—and with a wee bit of luck you can still re-stans vs tube up---and this method will barley bulge out when you pump back up

Tools--Curved needle, Kevlar Thread, two long zip ties, some gorilla tape, small clean rag/sock etc, small bottle of stans. (CO2/optional)

Step 1: Take a deep breath, relax and find a nice area to conduct your repair.  You are going to perform minor tire surgery and a calm, steady, methodical demeanor in a ‘off-the-trail’ location will work best.

Step2: Position your bike upside down, lay out all your tools where you can reach them without kicking or stepping on them.

Step 3: Rotate the cut to the 12 o’clock position, this will let all the remaining stans to pool at the bottom-6 o’clock position.

Step 4: Install the zip ties around your rim/tire at approximately the 9:30 and 2:30 o’clock positions. Tighten them down lightly so they basically follow the profile of the tire. 
 
Step 5: Break the bead between the Zip ties—try to break the bead on just the cut side of the tire

Step 6: Use the clean rag to wipe/dry/clean the inside of the tire/cut area.  Position a double layer of gorilla tape over the cut—inside the tire.  The tape should overlap the cut by approximately ¾ inch.  Make it larger is needed—you can trim it a bit later if needed.  Don’t worry to much about it adhering to the inside as you will be sewing it in place.

Step 7: Carefully sew up the cut using the Kevlar thread.  Stich about 45 deg to the cut (if you like you can add a second ‘opposite’ 45 deg stich over the top of the 1st one). You will need to ‘hold’ the tape in position with one have while poking the needle in/out with the other.  Careful not to poke a finger. 

Step 8: Reseat the section of broken bead.  Rotate the tire or use some of your spare stans so to liberally work stans all over the broken bead section.  The wet bead will reseat easier.

Step 9: Keeping the bike upside down attempt to inflate.  You might need several trys.  But unlike with new tires usually all it takes is just a tiny tiny amount of seal and the partially broken bead will slip right back into place. (Ha--Your results may vary) (CO2 if you need/have one)  (No work’ey??—well then just dump the stans and tube-up in your newly repaired tire & better luck next time)


Field Note:
During last yr’s AZT 750 I used jbuchanan’s procedure on a 1 inch side wall cut (but with the Kevlar thread).  However I was not happy with how much it bulged out when pumped up.  I will never know but I was sure it would soon fail.  So after about 3 miles I redid it with internal tape reinforcement.  And with said reinforcement this repair method took me from the Gila River to Payson in last year’s AZT 750.  Once in Payson as I had to get a front brake repair-real bike shop help I went ahead & bought a new tire.  But I am pretty sure I could have made UT on the repair as it was holding perfectly.

[dream4est]

Nice post Marshal.
I had the following method work for me in AZ 750 with a 1/2" gash:

1. Stop bike and inspect damage.
2. Determine that my style of fix would work.
3. Leave damage at 6oclock to keep tire from deflating all the way.
4. In quick fashion apply one layer of electrical tape with super glue over cut.
5. Then apply bigger second layer of tape and superglue.
6. Pump tire up.
7. Ride on to seat wound properly.

I rode from Canelo hills to almost Flagstaff until i had to break bead and repair internally and add a tube. I am 2/3 in races on this style repair. In the future I will add a Park Tire Boot on top of the tape repair to protect it better from side abrasions. In 2012 I just added more layers of tape but they wore down too fast.

This method only works if the damage can be patched from the outside quickly. Like having the glue/tape ready to go and being patched in under 120 seconds. And the tire has to hold at least 5psi or so.(a full on flat would require one of the above methods).

For tiny holes, just the superglue and some dirt as additive works well. The superglue mixes with the tire sealant. YMMV.