Doublegee and Blue Goo

[Inspectorgadget]

Mildura is thick with caltrop. I've been green sliming my MTB tubes, so far it's ok, but it's only been a few weeks.

I'm sure they'll get the better of me before long.

The goo is effective. I have picked dozens of doublegees out of my tyres with just one slow leak a week or two back that fixed itself. My goo tubes are no name cheapies but still do the job it seems. Thicker tyres would also work most likely but the Marathon Plus are heavier but not a problem on an electric MTB.

I'm tossing up whether to order some new green slime tubes and just replace the tubes and tyres together...just to be sure.

I will go a month or two sometimes between doublegee attacks but potentially when they happen they could take out both front and rear tyres at the same time. I inspect my tyres after each time I go across natural grass areas and I often inspect tyres two or three times on longer rides for any signs of trouble...troublegee

[John Lewis]

No goo back in the day when we were kids. 50's.
Plenty of doublegees and caltrop was beginning to show up
We used to stretch a bit of thin wire across the top of the front fork just clear of the tyre and likewise on the seat stay.

That flicked the little beggars out and we rarely got punctures.

[Inspectorgadget]

No goo back in the day when we were kids. 50's.
Plenty of doublegees and caltrop was beginning to show up
We used to stretch a bit of thin wire across the top of the front fork just clear of the tyre and likewise on the seat stay.

That flicked the little beggars out and we rarely got punctures.

I have heard of that trick. I saw it on youtube.

I'm not so sure about that one. It probably works some of the time. You'll find even on Microlights they use goo on the tyres for protection and in tubeless MTB tyres.

Mind you it would be interesting to give a go but of course goo seals other punctures also.

I think even sharp sticks can puncture tyres. I would trust Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres with an extra 5mm of rubber to stop stuff like that. I do understand though that the tougher the tyre the less flexibility it has. I have an electric bike also so a bit of extra weight in the tyres is worth it for protection. I am tossing up on the goo for the tyres given the extra protection of these tyres but honestly it is bugger all extra cost and I really would hate having to fix a puncture on an unpaved trail somewhere in the middle of the night.

[Thoglette]

I'm not so sure about that one.

John is.
You don't need to prove it yourself.
It's a bit like the earth being round.

Note that tyres were round not lumpy (until BMX came along, that is)

You don't even have to DIY it - you can send Jan some money and use his.

[Inspectorgadget]

Call me skeptical just don't call me late for dinner...

[HappyHumber]

I've seen/heard of products much like Heine/Compass is flogging here from tales of yore. Variously I've heard them called 'flint catchers' from older Poms who have ridden/rode in certain parts of ol' Blighty. They're aimed at catching & flicking small splinters of road flint and/or broken glass.

I'm of two minds about them; they seem to have a certain old world appeal for those into the vintage bikes. I think their effectiveness is probably down to a few factors; not least of all tyre characteristics, pressures and general riding environment. Modern tech in terms of tyre construction and sealants is probably more consistent.

[Inspectorgadget]

A lot of tubes like on the electric Fat Bike I had have very thin tyres in order to save both cost and weight. It makes them very vulnerable and I got a flat tyre the first day I owned it from double gee.

I then bought the Scott Bosch MTB and got a flat the first hour I owned it from double gee. It had Tough Toms on them which weren't that tough as it turned out.

In both cases the tubes shortly after had goo in them and I never had another flat in 1000 miles of cycling and I have picked plenty of doublegee out of these tyres over the last year of biking.

The goo works too on nails and such. I think a tough tyre like the Marathon Plus which I just bought but haven't fitted yet will help too. I know for some it comes down to performance of the tyre and weight as well as cost. I will probably buy some green slime tubes for the Marathon tyres as well just to be sure. The goo is forecast to last up to two years but eventually the tubes needs replacing or losing their effect although it hasn't happened to me yet.

I also go off road across fields and through bush. If you stick to paved tracks the risk is much less but I'm told such riders still get punctures from the dreaded double gee. Road riding is another type of risk where you get stuff that has fallen from vehicles and broken glass but goo works for that as well. Nothing is perfect but as said before ultralight pilots use goo in tyres also to protect mainly from double gee.

[Inspectorgadget]

I have just put my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on my bike 650B 27.5 x 2.25. It was a bit of a job but then this is only the second time I have take both wheels off a bike and changed them. I knew it was something I need to know how to do. The Schwalbe Tough Tom tyres were wearing out, the rear was close to needing replacement after 1350k. The tyres when removed feel incredibly thin and flimsy.

Here is a picture of the Schwalbe Tough Toms, back on left (note the much greater wear).



The Marathon tyres still feel very light but a lot more substantial and the tread pattern is much more suitable for both paved and trail surfaces with a lot more protective tread in the middle plus 5 mm of protection underneath. They were difficult to put on. At one stage I was going to give up but I took the tube out again and tried a different side of the tyre and it was much easier. They are very stiff to put on, no doubt about it, the sidewalls and not just the outer perimeter of the tyre really are quite substantial. The sidewall on the Tough Tom was shockingly thin, like you could put your finger through it. I did mark up the front rims a bit though with my metal tyre levers but the damage is just cosmetic and hey it is a MTB and I fell off it the second day I had it to make it look used.

I reused the same tubes with the goo, no name tubes put in by the shop. I may change these later but it seemed pointless in chucking them at this stage. I will order some green goo tubes soon as replacements if I do get a puncture.

I tested them with a good right last night including over sand, grass and gravel plus paved surfaces. The most noticeable thing was how quiet they are on the road whether biking along or braking. Totally different and much quieter than the Tough Toms. Performance wise they seemed fine to me even in sand. If I have any further thoughts on them as I go along I will say something, maybe do a review in depth.

A few pix of the Schwalbe Marathon Plus...





Edit: I did a 32km trip from BB to Romeo Road on the Yaberoo Budjara track. Great test. On the way back in the middle of nowhere in the dark, my front tyre was making a noise. mmm. Investigation suggested a lack of air so I pumped it up and away I went. At Hester Avenue I pumped it up a bit more and it looked like it would last until I got back to my car which it did. By the time I got home, the air had gone to the top of the tyre again. Mmm. The tubes were at fault, this front tyre did lose a bit of pressure at one stage on the old tyres but it stopped. I found the leak on the seam of the tube up the side so a manufacturing fault and the goo coming out didn't stop the leak or it stopped it maybe for a while and that leak had been there for a while I think. I think the tubes are cheap junk made by CST in China.

I learnt a lot about fitting tyres by fitting these tyres and I made every mistake it is possible to make. I used metal levers and damaged the rims (which I smoothed off on the top and inside later). I missed tricks about fitting them which I now know. In the end I used four cable ties around the tyre to fit them on and used plastic tyre levers. Maybe next time I will be clever enough with some more tricks to know how to do this without ties or even levers. Having said that these Marathon Plus MTB tyres are notoriously difficult to fit and it isn't a job for a beginner like me, unless you are willing to suffer, damage things and learn the hard way...as I did...

I did replace tubes in my Tough Tom tyres which was easy and gave me the misplaced confidence to put these Marathon tyres on. Great learning experience...ouch!