XXL Posted September 5, 2017 Share I purchased two x Continental Tubeless MTB tyres for my 29"Merida. From day one, the seemed to leak air / not hold pressure. I lost the rear tyre to a bolt that went through the sidewall. I still have the front one, which is still on the bike.I recently realised, after having the valve replaced, as I thought the leak might be at the valve, that the sidewall is actually leaking air. This came to light when the bike shop cleaned the inside of the tyre and rim well while changing the valve. I put new slime in and pumped it up and the saw wet spots at each of the "spew-pips" or vent-rubber on the sidewall. In some places there were even, what looked like soap bubbles coming through the sidewall. On enquiry at my local cycle dealer, I was informed that this was not uncommon on this particular tyre and I need to put more slime. Surely not! Tyres should, theoretically, hold the required pressure (2 bar), for more than 24 hours.I have a Chinese brand on the rear now and it works brilliantly. I pump it every two weeks. The front one....every 8 hours.Can anyone help me with the contact details for the local Continental distributor? I had no response from the contact I was previously given by the people that sold me the tyres. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igg Posted September 5, 2017 Share All my tyres have done this to some extent, even the expensive ones. Just put a bunch of sealant in, slosh it around and leave it on its side for a few hours. Flip it over and repeat. This should seal the sidewall sufficiently that it holds air. Most tyres these days are constructed "tubeless ready" meaning they require extra sealant initially to completely seal. The intention is presumably to save on weight, as UST sidewalls are a whole lot thicker. Also, Conti are notorious for being worse than others with this kinda thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s14phoenix Posted September 5, 2017 Share It's a conti problem. - add more fluid and keep pumping until it stops. it should seal and not keep leaking eventually. EDIT... note that its not just contis that do that but a lot of other brands too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted September 5, 2017 Share From my experience, Continental tyres only really work well with Conti's own tyre sealant. I have a set of Der Barons and initially set them up tubeless with Stan's. I also continuously lost pressure and the tyres were seeping sealant through the sidewall. I then got rid of the Stan's and poured in some Conti sealant and the tyres have been bomb-proof since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HdB Posted September 5, 2017 Share Yeah, I've removed my Conti's, as I just got fed up with having to re-inflate and topup so regularly. I went back to Maxxis (Ikon, I think, front and rear), and haven't had to do either in the last two months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyLuke Posted September 5, 2017 Share yes what everybody said, its quite common and will eventually seal up, my TL racing ralphs and ikons did it too. My LBS mix half stans and half Ryder sealand for for mounting the tyres and then just add stans as you go on if you need to top up. there's new sealand the LBS stocks with a rhino on the logo, its a bit thicker and makes better lining inside than stans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droo Posted September 5, 2017 Share Continental on your car. Maxxis on your bike. Contis are notorious for leaky sidewalls, and by the time there's enough sealant stuck to the sidewalls to keep the air in you may as well be running a DH tyre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin PJ Posted September 5, 2017 Share I think this can happen with any tire. Obviously this is not ideal. Just keep putting sealant and ride it. I noticed it happened with my old Racing Ralphs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr lee Posted September 5, 2017 Share I have always been a Maxxis brand whore and have never had a bad thing to say about them but after a recent purchase of the Ardent Race 2.2 it may change... After much research a few years back as to which tyres and brand I wanted to go with when I converted to tubeless, I opted for Maxxis due to the tread reliability, sidewall protection, ease of fitment with a floor pump and fit and forget track record. After a few weeks the sealant started to leak from the sidewalls of the first tyre, on both sides, where the moulded markings are situated. I did the whole leaving it on it's side thing for a few hours (actually more than with other Maxxis models) and this did not help. I found this very strange for a Maxxis tyre and the shop replaced it with another after reporting it to the local agents. Now on the second and the same thing is happening and another report is being filed.Used Stan's sealant! I do hope that this is just a mould batch issue, although the serial numbers seem to be very far apart. It is understandable that problems do creep up from time to time and I am chuffed that the shop and agents are willing to assist in any way that they can. The 2.35 will be too wide for the back. So far no such problems have been noted on this width which is good because I would also like to try one up front some day . I do hope that the 3rd one is right because after trying different configurations on the rear the Ardent Race 2.2 seems to be just perfect for what I want...just enough grip in the corners while not compromising too much in the rolling resistance department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s14phoenix Posted September 5, 2017 Share I prefer the Schwalbe snake skin tyres. But have some Vittorias on my 29er. they also nice. have more punctures with vittorias but they seal as you ride and without losing much air. Using Ryder sealant - white with the little black stuff in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted September 5, 2017 Share XXL, if you want to keep the Continental tyres, follow my advice and get some Continental sealant. It'll solve your problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr lee Posted September 5, 2017 Share I prefer the Schwalbe snake skin tyres. But have some Vittorias on my 29er. they also nice. have more punctures with vittorias but they seal as you ride and without losing much air. Using Ryder sealant - white with the little black stuff in it. Those little black bits are rubber balls, possibly scrap from a rubber recycler or tyre manufacturer. Very clever idea to add that into the mix to help seal up those small holes! Ryder is also way cheaper than Stan's but I find it does not dry quick enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr lee Posted September 5, 2017 Share XXL, if you want to keep the Continental tyres, follow my advice and get some Continental sealant. It'll solve your problems. I never knew that Conti made their own sealant.... Must keep an eye out for it. I assume it would be much thicker than stans... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted September 5, 2017 Share I never knew that Conti made their own sealant.... Must keep an eye out for it. I assume it would be much thicker than stans... Yip. It's called 'RevoSealant'. It's not that different to Stan's i.t.o. consistency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr lee Posted September 5, 2017 Share Yip. It's called 'RevoSealant'. It's not that different to Stan's i.t.o. consistency. Must have some other proprietary wizardry to it then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droo Posted September 5, 2017 Share Another trick is to wipe the inside of the tyre with a solvent to remove the mould release agent which can stop the sealant from sticking to the sidewalls properly. It's in the fine print on the Contis' fitment instructions IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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