Unexpected Causes of Tubeless Tire Air Leaks
An unstoppable air leak in your tubeless tire might actually be due to the valve.
A common problem when replacing tubeless tires is an air leak that won't stop.
There can be several reasons, but if the tape is perfectly applied and there's no air leak from the bead, then the valve might be the cause. The rubber seal can degrade and lose its airtightness.
Tubeless valves maintain airtightness with a rubber seal that contacts the rim. It has adequate elasticity and deforms to fill gaps.
Over long periods of use, the rubber seal of the valve degrades and hardens in its deformed state. If it's not removed from the rim, it can continue to be used, but once removed, the degraded rubber seal won't deform enough, making it difficult to maintain airtightness again. This is the cause of air leaks when reusing valves.
The secret to avoiding failure when replacing tubeless tires is to replace the valve along with the rim tape.
However, replacing the valve every time you change tires isn't cost-effective.
If you use a type of valve with a replaceable rubber seal, like Peaty's tubeless valves, when you replace your tires, you'll only need to replace the rubber seal itself next time.
This allows you to assemble it in the best possible condition with minimal expense, preventing problems before they occur.