Roval SLX24 Tubeless Woes

[kppolich]

So I'm going through my usually tubeless setup with these wheels which is:

2 layers of stans tape, 21mm
Roval valve stems
Tubeless ready Roval SLX24 wheels, 21mm internal width
Specialized Terra Pro 2bliss ready tires
Stans Race Sealant

I usually tape, insert valve stem, hand tight with washer, tire on, seat with pump, then let sit over night to make sure everything is decent without adding sealant. The, the next day- if all is still holding air I'll add sealant.

Enter these wheels. Roval SLX24, alloy, with this pesky drain hole? Tires setup fine, no air compressor required, inflate up to 40-50psi and then slow leak through this hole right above the valve stem hole.

I currently re-installed the tubes with hope that leaving them inflated overnight will press the tape down and possibly help with any leaks there.

Ideas/Thoughts?

[peanutgallery]

Just put the sealant in and shake

[fmradio516]

Not sure what the internals of the rim look like, but I would think that given where that hole is, maybe its the valve stem leaking. Add sealant, tighten it down to spec and try again. If the rim tape is covering all the holes properly, this should be the answer.

[kppolich]

Confirmed tape is good
Confirmed valve stem is torqued down a good bit and rubber washer is sealing.

I did add sealant last night and everything is holding fine still this morning.

Other thoughts:
The specialized tires and roval rim seemed to be not completely sealed without sealant. A little soapy water on the outside of the bead and rim surface showed a lot of bubbles. This was resolved with sealant, but was the first rim/tire set that I've used that hasn't held air without sealant.

Live and learn!

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Not sure what the internals of the rim look like, but I would think that given where that hole is, maybe its the valve stem leaking. Add sealant, tighten it down to spec and try again. If the rim tape is covering all the holes properly, this should be the answer.

Was about to mention the same. The tubeless valve looks slightly askew as it's parallel to the left spoke while being off-angle from the right spoke in the pic. Also in the pic the top of the valve is in line with the drainage hole, while the bottom of the valve with the removable core is off-line. Some valve designs are better at sealing in rims than others when mounted slightly askew, and many carbon rim designs have an integrated valve guide piece molded into the outside of the valve hole.

Also sometimes with a double layer of tape it creates a slight gap between the top of the tape and the bottom of the rim, so the rubber gasket at the bottom of the tubeless valve can't sit fully flush in the channel.

If the valve can wiggle with the nut tightened then you might need to re-seat it on the inside of the rim. With the gasket flush against the channel there's no place for air or sealant to leak other than through the valve.

[kppolich]

Typically, I prefer the Orange Seal or Stans vales with the conical rubber grommet that really fit nice in the valve hole. This time, I wanted to keep the same brand with the wheels and valves, Roval isn't the nicest there.

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by kppolich

Typically, I prefer the Orange Seal or Stans vales with the conical rubber grommet that really fit nice in the valve hole. This time, I wanted to keep the same brand with the wheels and valves, Roval isn't the nicest there.

The Stan's valves are indeed excellent, and I've never had leak or mounting issues with the dozen or so tubeless setups they've been used on.

The tubeless valves that look like half a barrel are very hit and miss IMO, since the curve of the rubber gasket might not perfectly mate the curve of the channel and can only insert in one direction. If they get twisted in any way the seal is compromised as well.

Ones like these aren't always the best:

[kppolich]

100% Agree, just wish the Stan's came in black.
No issues ever with Stan's or Orange Seal. Plus the orange seal comes with a few grommet options, only thing I don't like are the Orange nuts.

[fmradio516]

Good to know about those valves.. I have a set of DT Swiss valves that came with my wheels that I was going to use to go tubeless, but they look like the not-good ones. The only grommet they came with is the one pictured two posts above closest to the base of the valve that has two holes with one open end. What the heck is that?

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by fmradio516

Good to know about those valves.. I have a set of DT Swiss valves that came with my wheels that I was going to use to go tubeless, but they look like the not-good ones. The only grommet they came with is the one pictured two posts above closest to the base of the valve that has two holes with one open end. What the heck is that?

Not a grommet. Valve core remover.

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Not a grommet. Valve core remover.

That makes sense. Thanks.

I will probably get a couple Stans and throw these in the trash even though when I looked them up, they were pretty expensive(i think it was over $20 a piece).

Probably the smarter thing to do is check out the profile of my rim since its a DT wheel and these came with them, maybe itll work great since they were designed to.