tyre sealant - long term use

02gf74 · Jan 15, 2017

my last modern bike purchase came with tyres filled with sealant. It's been ridden a few times and no problems whatsoever but I read that the sealant dries up eventually and needs replacing. Sounds like a faff I don't want to get involved in as I know how time consuming it is to get rid of the old stuff stuck to the inside of the tyre.

So those of you using sealant, how often do you replace it? Also do you need to check over the tyre for any foreign object intrusions and pull them out?

jimo746 · Jan 15, 2017

Re:

I check how much sealant is in the tyres about every 6 months or so. Just pop a small section of tyre off on one side and have a look. Of it needs more I just pour some in (or you can fill via the valve if you have the Stans filling kit.
Last time I did find a small piece of congealed sealant which I removed.
I've seen some photos on the interwebz of tyres that have never been checked and it's amazing how much dried sealant can accumulate if left unchecked :shock:

mattr · Jan 15, 2017

Same as above.
Check occasionally. No need to take the tyre off though. Just take the wheel off and shake it, listen for the slosh.
If there's no slosh, top up. If theres a clonk, you've got an alien. You'll need to remove the tyre and get it out, then reseat/reseal with fresh sealant.
Peeling the sealant off is easy, you only need to attack the lumps/thick bits and they come off really easily.

I only keep tyres a couple of years/2000km, as the treads usually knackered by then. If they lasted longer, I might have more issues!

wookiee · Jan 16, 2017

Re:

....I check every month or 2 with a shake...if it sloshes fine! I have found when changing tyres that there were loads of punctures that had sealed with out my knowledge. So its always good to check that you have plenty of sealant inside. I have had a few slashes over 5mm that have taken a few attempts to seal and used a lot of sealant in doing so, so I always have more than I need in there just in case...

mattr · Jan 16, 2017

Oh, and FWIW the aliens are usually the result of a sealant clog around a puncture/thorn. The one i opened up had a 3/4" piece of thorn in it.

Which i stabbed myself with trying to tear the alien apart.

There be aliens.....

Sketchyxup · Jan 18, 2017

If you leave it way too long you can get the sealant to turn into a bobbly latex ball that just rolls around inside your tyre.

tyre sealant - long term use

02gf74

Old School Grand Master

jimo746

mattr

Old School Grand Master

wookiee

mattr

Old School Grand Master

Sketchyxup

Retro Guru

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