I am looking for a bit of advise on this bloody back wheel, the bike had a tube in it when I got it so I wanted to change it back to tubeless so pulled it apart only to find this mess inside.

To me the wheel is knackered I doubt it would ever seal again and if so would prob not last long.

Whats everyones thoughts on this wheel and does anyone know of any wheels to purchase to replace it.

Fit a bolt in valve, or use the one from your old rim band with an O ring fitted.

Seal the valve in the rim with Dow Corning lead and gutter seal (leadmate). Apply a coat of leadmate 2 to 3mm thick all round the rim well to seal all the spokes. When the leadmate is dry wrap on a couple of layers of PVC insulating tape. This prevents the leadmate being damaged when fitting the tyre. Make sure you have a hole through the sealant and tape (2 to 3 mm diameter) aligned with the hole in the valve.

Sikaflex windscreen bonding sealant can also be used.

Do not use silicone containing acetoxy / acetic acid or bad corrosion will occur.

Cheers for that info I will try and get some today. Certainly sounds a cheaper option than £400 for a new wheel so worth a try first before I have to bite the bullet and buy a wheel.

http://geocel.co.uk/catalogue/single-product/sealants/all-weather-roofing/trade-mate-lead-and-gutter-seal

See above link - this is the stuff I used most recently on a 07 Beta rear wheel. Has been in since about February and the tyre pressure has not dropped at all.

Make sure you have no loose spokes.

Edited July 15, 201412 yr by dadof2

Whats caused that damage?

Electrolytic and galvanic corrosion

No doubt the gutter seal will seal the rim to prevent leaks. I wonder if it will make it impossible to tighten loose spokes in future. Also, it will do nothing to stop the corrosion from continuing eat attack the rim.

I would recommend taking these steps if you want to keep that wheel.

Clean any loose material with a brass brush.

Use a mixture of Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and water to neutralize the corrosion.

Dry thoroughly.

Apply a coating of either alodine or corrosion prevention paint, specific for aluminum.

Then either seal with the gutter seal or simply use a tube.

When using a tube, do not use the nut on the valve stem. That way if the tire / tube slip, you will see the valve stem pulling to the side so you can correct it before the stem tears out of the tube.

Well lads thanks for all the advice but I ended up just buying a new wheel.

I looked at it and weighed up the recommended repairs and as above then thought about the issues with loose spokes and just bit the bullet I gave gasgas uk a shout, they sent me out a new rear wheel with disc and sprocket for £260. I called them at 14:30 on Friday and it was on my doorstep the next morning in sunny Aberdeenshire what a service masive thanks to them.