Tubeless Sealant Comments and Review

[hotshod]

I have now been running Road Tubeless Hutch F3 since March 2012 and done over 10,000k without a flat. I have nearly worn out my second rear tyre , it should be replaced within the next 1500k. I have only ever used Stan's Sealant.

This week I decided to test it with a drawing pin to see if it was still effective. It was slow to seal and it weeped clear liquid for a while , not the white dot seal that you might expect.
I took both tyres off to further investigate and the Stan's had broken down to white stringy latex and a clearish liquid. This was after 4 months for the rear and 6 months for the front. So I added 30ml of Stans and will do a full clean out when the rear is finished.

I would like to draw out as many comments as possible about other sealant brands and there performance , ...... be it how they seal a puncture or how long they remain effective.

I have converted about 10 sets of wheels for other riders in my group. I originally told them to change or check fluid at 5 months in summer and 7 in winter...... ie April & November.

The drawing pin test is for those with faith........ do it at home !!!!!
Tubeless users step up ......

[Crawf]

If you're like me and have a number of wheelsets - all tubeless, then it may be worth creating your own concoctions.
The off the shelf sealants aren't cheap if you're a tinkererer like me.

-Latex liquid
-Slime
-Water
-EG coolant

[twizzle]

Joe's "road racer". A lot thicker than the Stan's, which is more MTB (low pressure) oriented.


Sent from my iThingy...

[RunForrestRide]

I'm just on my first set of tubs. Can anyone explain how these sealants work and are they really worth getting?

[twizzle]

Tubs and sealant are not generally compatible, but I'll let you do your own research as to why.


Sent from my iThingy...

[NhiTrac]

Found this to be a good read.

Actually theres a whole bunch of good reading on that website...

[wabbs]

Very new to tubeless and I have Hutchies installed as really there is not so much choice.
I have used Joes sealant but as to the newness of the install I can give no testament to longevity.
Reading the blurb they say that tubeless is worth 12% better rolling resistance??
I can testify to a higher average speed for the same effort but not to that level.
Also have to say they are a more comfy ride than my Michelins they have replaced.

[Stefan_A]

I was talking to a mate yesterday who said his tubeless roadie sealant had gone hard after leaving his bike in the hot boot of his car a lot over summer. Can anyone attest whether this is an issue? I think the sealant was what came with the Schwalbe ZX? tubeless tires.

[jacks1071]

Joe's "road racer". A lot thicker than the Stan's, which is more MTB (low pressure) oriented.


Sent from my iThingy...

+1 For Joe's Road Racer (when using road tyres with high pressure, Stan's is fine for an MTB).

I've just setup a set of Pro-Lite Merano A25W's (24mm wide rim) on tubless. Have run road tubeless before and decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Keen to see if the wider rims change my opinion on road tubeless.

[trailgumby]

Haven't used tubeless on road tyres, only mtb. Yes, the liquid does separate. I would recommend checking it every 3-4 months.

I left it for 7 months on some "tubeless ready" XC tyres, and the tyres started leaking out thru the sidewalls and I had a washout on the front on the road as a result. I lost some skin. 'Twas a really dumb manouvre, I had Someone looking after me: 1 minute later and it would have been very much worse.

If you are using full UST tyres, they will be airproof and the sealant is only for puncture protection rather than being an integral part of the air seal.

Thicker sealant makes sense for the much smaller volume of road tyres. Fast sealing is vital - you have much less air to lose before your tyre becomes dangerous.

[old al]

I use Tufo tubulars on my race bikes. On Sunday I came home from the races and my back tyre was flat. (Blamed it for not winning! ). I carry Vittoria Pit Stop when I am training on my race bike but have never had a puncture to try it out. So, tried it on this one, two small pinholes on the side of the tyre cause by hitting a sharp stone, I know this because the stone shot out and hit one of the other racers in the shin. Good tactics I thought!

Anyway, long story short, two cans of Pit Stop later and not a sign of it sealing. absolutely hopeless. Wheel off the bike, twirled it around to get the sealant onto the side wall with no avail. Took delivery of some Tufo Extreme Sealant and tried that. One third of a 50ml bottle into the tyre, twirled it around, pumped it up to 130psi (my racing pressure) and it sealed instantly. No sign of a leak, nothing.

So, for what it's worth, that's my experience with sealants. I now carry some Tufo Extreme and a Co2 bottle when I train on tubulars. But note, tubulars must have a removable valve to use Extreme.

Al.

[jacks1071]

Don't forget your valve removal tool

[old al]

[quote="jacks1071"]Don't forget your valve removal tool [/quote

It's comes attached to the Extreme bottle otherwise I would forget it!

Al.

[jacks1071]

I bet the Tufo stuff would work just as good in a road tubeless tyre.

I have ordered some of it in for my buddy but never used it. Looked like a good alternative to pitstop but a lot slower.

I've used pitstop twice, once on my own tyre and it was a permanent repair - raced the whole season on that tyre.

Once on a buddy's tyre and we only got a good enough seal for him to ride home which about 40psi in the tyre. It did do the job though but he couldn't have raced on it with that pressure and he did have to replace the tyre.

[old al]

Good thing about Tufo tubulars, and the reason I buy them, is that the inner tube is bonded to the inside of the tyre not separate like other tubulars so it is easier to get a seal. Can't be repaired though.

Al.

[il padrone]

Ghetto tubeless - any tyre, any rim.

[HappyHumber]

Ghetto tubeless - any tyre, any rim.

I just love that howto. Its just the sort of crazy lengths I'd go to avoid a specific $$ solution. Must try it some time. In the meanwhile I'll just stick to cheap, generic tube sealant from the Auto parts stores in the tubes of my runabout bikes.

[eeksll]

Ghetto tubeless - any tyre, any rim.

I had a look at that, the sealing tube sits between the tyre bead and rim. Is it not a concern that the tyre could come off?

[il padrone]

I had a look at that, the sealing tube sits between the tyre bead and rim. Is it not a concern that the tyre could come off?

I have no direct experience in doing this so can make limited comments. A friend yesterday reminded me about this. He is using it on his MTB I believe.

The technique is described for MTB use, road bikes may be a very different propostion. They describe making a close measure of the gap between tyre bead and rim base, and packing the rim tape to ensure that sealant and air does not 'burp' under side-loads. The rubber tube strip will raise the tyre bead further to make for a more secure fit. MTBs do not run very high pressure, and especially using tubeless - one big advantage of tubeless is the ability to run tyres at 15-20psi and not get pinch flats, with much better traction. At these low pressures, popping the bead off the rim is hardly an issue.

Like I said, roadies wanting to run 120psi for low rolling resistance are another thing entirely.