Tire Sealants: Do They Really Work?

[VaporKing]

Hi.

After having a flat today, I noticed at the store that Schwinn sells tubes with sealants already in them, and claim to self seal puntures up to 1/8 inch. Do they really work? These tubes are at least twich as heavy as the standard tubes. The shelves for the standard tubes were empty, while the self-sealing tube (which cost twice as much) shelves were full of stock.

I've seen many people complain about "Fix-a-Flat" sealants for automobile tires.

How about the Schwinn canister sealant? Does it pay to carry it, or is this stuff hype as well?

VaporKing

 

[datz510]

I use the Slime tubes from Walmart. One of my last few rides, I had a 1" roofing staple puncture the tire. Didnt even know it until I got home and saw it sticking out of the tire. The slime sealed up the tire well enough to get me home. Then, after pulling the staple out, it took me a few days to get the tube changed out, so I just topped it off with air before I went out. Found that the slime continued to seal up the tube as I rode. Eventually, the tube held air like new again.

I'd highly recommend one of these kinds of tubes. really makes flats less of a problem and more of a to-do item for next weekend.

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

I buy a jug of slime (actually Simonize Seal Tite, which is less money) and add it to my tubes. It works great and costs a lot less than slime tubes.

The complaints with tire sealers in auto tires comes from having to change a tubeless tire that is full of slime. Also, once upon a time some of the aerosol cans of fix a flat were pressurized with a flammable gas!

 

[cachehiker]

Yes, they work.

I'd rather have better tires but even the best offer no real protection against staples. I've had just one flat in 3000 miles on my Vittoria Randonneur Pros and you guessed it, a staple did it.

Sealants make a mess. Sealants tend to settle in the bottom of the tire if you don't ride for a while. At this point, sealants offer little protection for much of the tire. If you're as sensitive to your ride as I am, you can also feel the imbalance at that point, especially in a tight turn at 30-40 mph.

 

[lennyharp]

Slime, Seal Tite and other sealers that work with fibers that coagulate at holes and do plug the holes 1/8 " and larger, settle to the bottom of the tube every time you stop for 30 seconds or more. Centrifical force throws it around the outside of the tube as you ride and it is spread pretty evenly as you ride to cover the outer part of inside of the tube So if you run over a tack short nail or thorn that punctures the outer part of the tube the sealer plugs that hole almost without fail.

The stuff just works. I have seen it plug a hole over an inch long cut by glass. Working in a bike shop you see a lot of wierd things and this one will stay with me because the stuff coagulated on either side of the cut some fibers out and some in the hole, all working to seal the hole while an employee rode another 4-5 miles to work where we all marvelled at the power of the slime.

Some older sealers were a rubbery substance that gummed up everything it touched and did a poor job of sealing compared to what I have just described. It worked well enough that a lot of people bought it but mechanics hated to be the one changing out that tube. Slime and similar knock offs are a bike riders best friend and not an enemy to the shop mechanic.

Now there is a hole that slime will not work on, and this kind gave me my first flat in 1200 miles a couple of weeks ago. A nail or stick that punctures both outer and inner part of the tube is doomed to leak until patched. The sealer is thrown to the outer edge and coats that outer part of the inside of the tube. There is no sealer on the inner edge or part of the tube, the part that is close to the spokes and rim. If the nail punctures both the out edge and in edge the tube will not seal because of that inner part with no sealer.

 

[lestat101]

I love the slime tubes and I can honestly say they work just like they are supposed to. I used to ride to work and I would park my bike behind my bench at work. We'll at the end of an 8hr shift, I pulll my bike out and the rear tire is completly flat. A staple was lodged into it so I pulled it out and filled the tire back up with an air hose, it held the air and never droped in psi the whole ride home. Later I did take the tire off and repaired properly from the inside. To be honest I could have left it and been fine also. To this very day no tires of mine go without this sealant!!!!

 

[Easy Rider]

The Slime works great. Just hope you don't get a blow out or its a pain to clean up.

 

[lennyharp]

Since it is water soluable it washes out very easily. A rag cleans up the majority and a wet rag for the rest. Or just turn on the hose and wash away. Not the mess the old sticky stuff created. It took solvents to clean it up and did not plug holes as good as slime.

Seat those tires right before you go to full pressure and you may not have more blow outs like that. That is a bad one. Shop owners cringe when that happens and may get vocal with some choice words so I got pretty good a seating and avoiding that, but not completely.

 

[biggoolies]

I used the schwinn inner tube with the slime. I gotta tack in my rear tire lost all air and did not reseal. I have the rear rack mount though with all the weight on the rear tire.

 

[lennyharp]

Did you air it up again and spin so it would seal? The principle is the same for everybody and it works if the steps are repeated a few times. Air , spin, air, spin & if it is a tack and only punctured the outer surface and there is 4 oz of sealer in the tube it should seal. If you pull the tack out and do not spin; the sealer is all at the bottom of the tube and will not seal. Weight will not matter. I like to pump up and ride around the block and it will seal if the conditions exist as I state them. It is a physical principle that this is based on and it works the same for all not just some.

 

[oldmanpaintball]

there was a recall on those firestone tires a while back

 

[Easy Rider]

Seat those tires right before you go to full pressure and you may not have more blow outs like that. That is a bad one. Shop owners cringe when that happens and may get vocal with some choice words so I got pretty good a seating and avoiding that, but not completely.

The tires were seated and the pressure was correct. I just went into a corner too hard, locked up the rear and the tire blew out. As far as the slime, it's not that easy to clean off. The slime dries like Elmer's glue.
The stuff stuck to everything and was a pain to clean up. Even when wiped off, it still left a layer of slime all over the place.

 

[Easy Rider]

there was a recall on those firestone tires a while back

LOL thanks paintball. That's why I switched and use thorn proof innertubes with kevlar tires. To me that's the best combo motored bicycles.

 

[lennyharp]

Even better is thorn proof tubes, Kevlar tires and Slime.