Super tight beads on Gravel King Tubeless loosen up?

[doomridesout]

I just got done building a set of carbon 650b wheels with a hooked rim and a bead shelf. I put tubeless tape in two layers in the rim bed, and mounted a 650bx1.5 Panaracer Gravel King, which is tubeless. No drama getting the tire on. I inflated it without sealant and was able to get it to fill with a floor pump.

I went to unseat one half of the bead to put in some sealant and double check that the tape was flat and adhered to the rim, and couldn't get the tire to budge. All I managed to do was blister both of my thumbs trying to drop the bead down into the center channel. I couldn't even get enough space to get a tire lever in there. My question is: Do these tires loosen up and get easier to take off? I'm not dealing with this on the road.

[DRietz]

It’s kind of a trade off...great tubeless reliability or easier trailside maintenance.

I would just ride it and see, though I’ve never been unable to unseat one of the beads. Give it a week and try to take it off - you surely can’t return the tires now anyway.

[doomridesout]

I eventually threw my hands up, put sealant through the valve hole, and I'm going to ride them and cross my fingers they're looser by the time I'm going to take them off.

[Hilltopperny]

I have been able to remove them after install without any issues, but I always add sealant through the valve core after I set the bead.


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[R3awak3n]

Yeah it is was definitely hard to get them out. But I rather have it easy to set up tubeless.

We were installing some gk sks on my friends bike and we coupd not even get 1 bead in the rim, let alone the second. Luckily we had one of those tire jacks. Those things are awesome, I bought ine immediately after that

[Geeheeb]

I was able to unseat them but man it was tough

[BikeNY]

Does your tape run all the way to the bead seat area? If so, that could be part of the problem. In my experience (mostly with carbon MTB rims), the tape is only needed to cover the spoke holes, and shouldn't go all the way to outsides of the rim. And yeah, add sealant thru the valve stem.

On the plus side, it sounds like you have a nice solid seal between the rim and the tire!

[Jaybee]

What rims? I have GKs set up on 3 different wheels and none were especially tight.

[shoota]

What rims? I have GKs set up on 3 different wheels and none were especially tight.

Same here.

[R3awak3n]

Depends on the GKs. The non tubeless ones are not as tight. My 32s go one just like any other tire but the 48s and my friends sk 32 dont.

[Jaybee]

Depends on the GKs. The non tubeless ones are not as tight. My 32s go one just like any other tire but the 48s and my friends sk 32 dont.

Just for the data points - I’ve got 48 sk set up on Stan’s flow - I think I used a tire lever for the last bit. 28s w tubes on kinlin, no issue, 35sk on kysrium disc, no issue. To be fair, I’ve never tried to remove either of the tubeless sets - just added sealant through the valve and haven’t touched for over a year.

By contrast, Nano 40 and Resolutes were both a huge PITA to get the beads on - broke a couple Pedro’s levers in the process. No issues once set up though.

[nalax]

I tried 650b x 42 GK on WTB i19’s. They were easy to set up tubeless and also removed easily enough by hand. OTOH WTB Byways were harder to remove on the same rims.

[SlowPokePete]

My 38's were very difficult to install. normally I don't use tire levers, but wow, those were tight! ... on 24mm i/d rims.

SPP

[John H.]

Some combos are like that.

I had a set of Roval carbon SL wheels- Ran a Hutchinson Secteur on them (tubeless). I had the misfortune of double flatting on a rocky descent.
It must have taken 20 minutes er wheel to change- Thought I might have to cut the tires off.

Try only one layer of tape. Try Dick's bead slip. Or try different tires.

[doomridesout]

It’s a light-bicycle 650b gravel rim. I suspect any tire would fit tight. The tire went on easily enough, but I’m worried about removal eventually, as I can’t push the bead off the bead shelf. I have two huge blisters on my thumbs today. I had no trouble with non tubeless GKs on many other rims.