My CBF250 has had a slow puncture in the front wheel for some time. On a tubeless tyre there is a common cause for this. A barrow full of water confirmed what I thought. The leak was not a puncture but was from the rim. This happens when the wheel corrodes and allows some air to escape.
I removed the tyre - it was not pretty in there. Lots of corroded aluminium. The bike is used in winter and this is the effect of de-icing salt. |
The tyre was stained with aluminium oxide |
I cleaned up the rim with a wire brush and a scouring pad. I applied some petroleum jelly to prevent future corrosion. |
This is the long way to fix this problem. The short way (and one that I'll use if this doesn't work) is a can of sealant. |
The tyre passes the barrow test! |
Damn road salt. I don't miss it. Everything used to corrode when we lived in British Columbia, but luckily Oregon doesn't use road salt, just a crap ton of gravel you have to watch out for.
ReplyDeleteSalt is a pain but without it our roads would be lethal in winter.
DeleteIt also damages reinforced concrete and as a civil engineer this kept be employed doing repairs to bridges and multi-storey car parks.