Rim balance and using slime

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Henshooter

New Member
Feb 10, 2014
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Melbourne au
Hi guys and gal (intrepid :) )

Recently I read a thread on the importance of balancing your rims and as such I have done this using small pieces of sheet lead , the results are great and although it makes little to no difference to the performance of the ride IMHO it definitely made for a smoother ride .
Now I suffered a puncture the other day 5km from my destination and had to walk 3 to a service (fuel) station to pump up the tyre ,thank god the puncture was slow enough to at least get me home as it was 30+ Celsius that arvo and with a freshly shaved noggin and no hat heatstroke was imminent

Now this lesson taught me to carry a small but versatile kit to fix any issue on the road and gave me the thought to acquire some slime.

For those that don't know what it is it's a liquid you add to a tube that will block a minor puncture as a temporary fix , it won't permanently repair the puncture but will hold up for a while ( some have said it has held for them for weeks without repair).

This is where it got me thinking about balance and slime , see I know from using slime many years ago an average bicycle tyre needed roughly 4 oz of slime per tube , that's a fair chunk of weight to add to a tube .

My question is ( understanding centrifugal force )would the slime evenly distribute over the tube , but would it ?? Really ... It is quite a viscous fluid and as such if it isn't distributed slowly the Gforce would bunch it up and effect the balance of the rim similar to a bucket of water on a rope science experiment

I'm going to do some testing to see what happens and deliberately puncture a tube to also see if the fibrous material that plugs the puncture collects and holds material essentially throwing the rim out of balance

OPPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE VERY WELCOME !!

Regards Henshooter
 

16v4nrbrgr

Active Member
Mar 17, 2012
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North Bay
I use ATV slime in my bicycles and motos, has bigger chunks of stuff in it for bigger punctures, and its thicker than bicycle slime, and it makes the tires dynamically balance out better IMO, never had any need to balance my wheels ever.

A good way to avoid a heatstroke riding a motorbike is to wear a DOT approved helmet, it can help avoid concussions and brain hemorrhages too! ;)
 

Henshooter

New Member
Feb 10, 2014
275
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Melbourne au
A good way to avoid a heatstroke riding a motorbike is to wear a DOT approved helmet, it can help avoid concussions and brain hemorrhages too! ;)
That's what I have but it was still so hot it was crazy , I appreciate the comment regarding the slime , can you explain the reason behind why you think this happens

Regards Henshooter
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
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OKC, OK
I also run Slime in my motorized bicycle tires with no issues at all. In fact, I can't tell much difference from the time before Slime.

Good luck!!
 

Henshooter

New Member
Feb 10, 2014
275
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Melbourne au
Ok I've applied the slime and upon reading the warnings it states this product may cause excess vibration or unbalancing of the tyre and if so consult a tyre repar centre immediately , I guess in larger quantities this may actually be an issue
 

SteakFury

New Member
Mar 20, 2014
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Columbia, MD
I would guess that as long as it does not dry out it would balance the tires.

I use Equal which is a tire balancing compound in my motorhome tires and there is a similar product out called Dyna Beads that does the same thing. Equal is more like a powder that distributes evenly as the vehicle rolls.

Slime is a bit thick though and I assume it will settle when parked and take a bit longer to distribute when your bike gets rolling.
 

The_Aleman

Active Member
Jul 31, 2008
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el People's Republik de Kalifornistan
I've been using Slime for over 20 years, the only time I have ever noticed it negatively affecting the balance is on very cold days at beginning of ride.

The centrifugal force will spread it out. Slime is little more than liquid latex.