Appreciation post: My shop's 'wrong' way to seat tubeless tires actually works

We had a stubborn 29er tire that wouldn't seal after three tries with a regular floor pump and a compressor, so I tried the old 'spray soapy water on the bead and spin it fast' trick my coworker calls a hack. It seated with a loud pop on the first spin, saving us from breaking out the dreaded tire booster (which we don't even own). Does anyone else have a weird method they use when the proper tools fail?

3 comments

3 Comments

bethcarr23d ago

Honestly, the weirdest trick that worked for me was using a ratchet strap around the tire's center. It looked ridiculous but got the bead to finally catch.

markm277d ago

Lighting starting fluid on a tire bead?

jamiemiller23d ago

My buddy in Texas swears by spraying a mix of soapy water and a little bit of starting fluid right along the bead. He lights it with a long match and the small pop seats it instantly. Sounds crazy but he's done it on tractor tires for years.

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