Is a Slime Seal (Tube) Permanent?

[AHicks]

that must be it. remember will fat tire e bikes came out most bikes tires have too high of PSI to actually work.

I don't buy into the idea that tire sealant won't "work" on higher pressure tires. I have way too many successful miles running 60psi+ prior to the switch to the newer style Schwalbe balloon types that we're running now. I ran Marathons for years! I might go along with the idea it doesn't work as well, but as evidence I can say that the weekly psi checks required with empty tubes (no matter the brand/price/quality) were ELIMINATED and the tires could go an easy month (or more) between checks with sealant installed.

Point being, maybe the sealant didn't work out for you, but I was REALLY happy to see I no longer needed to top the 60+psi tires once a week......

 

[fooferdoggie]

I don't buy into the idea that tire sealant won't "work" on higher pressure tires. I have way too many successful miles running 60psi+ prior to the switch to the newer style Schwalbe balloon types that we're running now. I ran Marathons for years! I might go along with the idea it doesn't work as well, but as evidence I can say that the weekly psi checks required with empty tubes (no matter the brand/price/quality) were ELIMINATED and the tires could go an easy month (or more) between checks with sealant installed.

Point being, maybe the sealant didn't work out for you, but I was REALLY happy to see I no longer needed to top the 60+psi tires once a week......

I still have no clue about your air proof tires. you keep telling me somehow slime has smaller than air molecules that permanently bond with rubber blocking air. I never saw that fantastic info on the bottle.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

It may have something to do with the type or caliber of the puncture you get. Slime isn't a 100% cure for all punctures. But my experience is more like AHIcks' regarding both higher pressures and tires staying inflated. I say "more like his" meaning I can't say it's as good as his, but it's close.

Also, this may have more to do with not riding in rain or water very often, but I've never had an issue with Slime not working in wet conditions. I do have to ford some creeks from time to time and have never had any Slime-filled holes open up. Of course, it's possible I may not have any punctures, although I'd be amazed if that's the case.

The short story, as far as I'm concerned, is that Slime is great stuff. It's the brand I've been using and it's worked really well for me. Other brands may be better or worse, but I will always have some kind of sealant in my tubes. I did pick up a bottle of Flat Out recently but I don't know when I'll have an opportunity to use it and I honestly can't imagine it doing a noticeably better job. You'd just about have to devise a scientific, controlled, test to prove one was better than the other. Some You-Tubers have done that, or something approaching that, but in my world, as a practical matter, Slime does the job.

TT

 

[AHicks]

I still have no clue about your air proof tires. you keep telling me somehow slime has smaller than air molecules that permanently bond with rubber blocking air. I never saw that fantastic info on the bottle.

Maybe time to stop thinking about it and get your hands dirty long enough to try it?

 

[fooferdoggie]

Maybe time to stop thinking about it and get your hands dirty long enough to try it

I have many times guess what still have to put air in my tires like everyone else.

 

[AHicks]

I have many times guess what still have to put air in my tires like everyone else.

That's kind of a dumb comment, no? I have to put air in my tires too. My point is, it stays put much longer.....

Maybe the air in your neighborhood?

Or perhaps you're being stingy with the amount you're using?

 

[fooferdoggie]

That's kind of a dumb comment, no? I have to put air in my tires too. My point is, it stays put much longer.....

Maybe the air in your neighborhood?

Or perhaps you're being stingy with the amount you're using?

yes you say it stays put. I have never heard of that effect ever. some tubes go longer than others on leaking air but they all leak some. no seals can stop air leakage because they don't have molecules smaller then air molecules and they don't stick and coat tubes. simple test put some slime on a tube hang it up check it in a hour. it will all have run off. it will not penetrate the rubber and seal it. if it did that the rubber would no longer stretch.

 

[Johnny]

My experience with Slime has been very positive.

I don't think it actually has a psi rating. I used it on my bikes, well over 60 psi. At one time the tires needed inflating every couple rides, after filling the tube with slime they keept pressure even after a month.

One should be careful is the tube size though. Try to use a tube which is rated higher than the tire size. If the tube is small, it overstretches and makes is hard for slime to seal it. For example for a 2.2" tire I would use a tube which is rated up to 2.4". Makes a very big difference in slime performance.

 

[fooferdoggie]

My experience with Slime has been very positive.

I don't think it actually has a psi rating. I used it on my bikes, well over 60 psi. At one time the tires needed inflating every couple rides, after filling the tube with slime they keept pressure even after a month.

One should be careful is the tube size though. Try to use a tube which is rated higher than the tire size. If the tube is small, it overstretches and makes is hard for slime to seal it. For example for a 2.2" tire I would use a tube which is rated up to 2.4". Makes a very big difference in slime performance.

that could be my issue I usually see a smaller tube to make it easier to get in and not pinch it.

 

[AHicks]

yes you say it stays put. I have never heard of that effect ever. some tubes go longer than others on leaking air but they all leak some. no seals can stop air leakage because they don't have molecules smaller then air molecules and they don't stick and coat tubes. simple test put some slime on a tube hang it up check it in a hour. it will all have run off. it will not penetrate the rubber and seal it. if it did that the rubber would no longer stretch.

My friend, you have a pleasant surprise due if you can bring yourself to actually try it. I didn't say it would hold pressure into eternity. I said necessary psi checks become MUCH fewer and further between (no longer necessary weekly). I honestly don't really care if you believe that, but would kindly request you don't spread false info (doesn't work on higher pressure tires) to newbies without actually giving it a fair chance with an open mind on the matter....

 

[fooferdoggie]

My friend, you have a pleasant surprise due if you can bring yourself to actually try it. I didn't say it would hold pressure into eternity. I said necessary psi checks become MUCH fewer and further between (no longer necessary weekly). I honestly don't really care if you believe that, but would kindly request you don't spread false info (doesn't work on higher pressure tires) to newbies without actually giving it a fair chance with an open mind on the matter....

I have used it for years. I have tried all of the sealants. I have had more flats then stopped flats using them. I have seen the seal fail more than it has worked. sorry but I ride a ton in all conditions. they all have their limits.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

yes you say it stays put. I have never heard of that effect ever.

At least a couple of people in this thread have mentioned it, so you have heard of it.

There are many factors which may make your experience different from others'. Stretching a too-small tube too tight could be one. Other than not having a choice during a field repair, I don't think that's a good idea. If you're worried about pinch flats, just be careful installing the tube! And, by the way, Slime won't do much for pinch flats since the are on the rim side of the tube. Slime is meant for flats in the tread area.

TT

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I have used it for years. I have tried all of the sealants. I have had more flats then stopped flats using them. I have seen the seal fail more than it has worked. sorry but I ride a ton in all conditions. they all have their limits.

That is crazy. I can't argue with your experiences, but I have to think you're doing something different than the rest of us. I'd be curious to know what makes your results so negative.

TT

 

[fooferdoggie]

That is crazy. I can't argue with your experiences, but I have to think you're doing something different than the rest of us. I'd be curious to know what makes your results so negative.

TT

not negative just a lot of experience and a lot of info fro many people over the years. all sealants have limits and trying to say different is silly. the biggest failure of sealant is if you cant find what gave you the flat and remove it it wont work. This has been my biggest failure. most of the time I can't find it till I take the tire off and find its flush on the outside. rain can cause it not to work too and PSI. if its a slow leak and whatever gave yo the flat is gone it may seal in time. but calming seals is some magical thing is silly. on my 50 psi tires it seems to help I have found a low tire but it filled and stayed filled. on our tandem most of the time the sealant does not work. I had it work once only for it to fail in a couple of miles.

 

[m@Robertson]

Yes I remember now green slime bottle comes with a clear hose to fit over Schrader valve stem and the bottle cap is the valve remover.
It won't work with presta.

It works great with presta valves, most of which have removable cores just like Schraeder valves do. From back in the day before I used removable presta cores (i.e. started paying attention to that when buying tubes) I used this method, which sounds crazy but works splendidly. I used a simple patch after application to ensure the tube worked as-new.

I still have no clue about your air proof tires. you keep telling me somehow slime has smaller than air molecules that permanently bond with rubber blocking air. I never saw that fantastic info on the bottle.

@AHicks experience is mine as well. Its pretty straightforward: Flatout (and for years before it, Slime) coats the inside of the tube. Its a sealant. It seals. It stops air from escaping slowly from a distended tube. Tubes are pretty much all porous... just not very much so ... they all bleed air thru the rubber. I remember my 700x20C tubes that were inflated to 120 psi were good for one day only and were at 100 the next day. The floor pump was a necessity.

If you had a bad valve then all bets are off. But for just proofing the rubber, sealant in quantity like slime or Flatout does exactly what he says it does.

Add a sealant in quantity and this does not happen anymore. I never noticed it with Stans or Orange Seal, but both Slime and Flatout do it. I'm sure its not magic. The quantity of the goo and its spread throughout are I think the likely reason.

 

[m@Robertson]

not negative just a lot of experience and a lot of info fro many people over the years. all sealants have limits and trying to say different is silly. the biggest failure of sealant is if you cant find what gave you the flat and remove it it wont work. This has been my biggest failure. most of the time I can't find it till I take the tire off and find its flush on the outside. rain can cause it not to work too and PSI. if its a slow leak and whatever gave yo the flat is gone it may seal in time. but calming seals is some magical thing is silly. on my 50 psi tires it seems to help I have found a low tire but it filled and stayed filled. on our tandem most of the time the sealant does not work. I had it work once only for it to fail in a couple of miles.

Your experience is atypical. Of course sealants have limits. I have unfortunately found mine - for Slime it was about a 1-inch slit that needed several air refills to seal, and only sealed to low pressure. But I was able to limp home under power and not walk. And I needed a mop to clean up the mess, sure. But I rode home. And as for thorns and nails its a 100% solution. I'll need to top up the air sometimes, but my commute can continue. Hell... one time running tubeless on Snowshoe XLs, coming back from Home Depot with bags of compost on the back of the Big Fat Dummy, I hit 6 (Six) roofing nails in a nailgun strip and Flatout sealed it. I had to refill something like 4 times before it got all of the line 'o' holes sealed (battery powered pump = win. again), and I was sweating bullets, but it held. And that same tire is still on the bike. Still tubeless.

I have never had an issue finding where the hole is. The reason for this is twofold. First of all, when I hear the HissHissHiss I jump off the bike and check it while air is still rushing out. The place where the hissing is, is where the thing is that made the hole. Go from there. But if I missed it and the air is all gone, I formerly used a co2 cartridge or a lot of hand pump strokes to get air into it and do the same thing. Nowadays I connect my battery-powered pump and get to the same place much more easily. And back in the olden days before I used Slime, I took one of the beads off the rim and looked. Then felt around. Worst case: Run the inflated/deflating tube just over your lips. The much more sensitive not-skin of your lips will instantly find the smallest hole. But I haven't had to explain that one to bystanders for many years, thankfully.

 

[AHicks]

not negative just a lot of experience and a lot of info fro many people over the years. all sealants have limits and trying to say different is silly. the biggest failure of sealant is if you cant find what gave you the flat and remove it it wont work. This has been my biggest failure. most of the time I can't find it till I take the tire off and find its flush on the outside. rain can cause it not to work too and PSI. if its a slow leak and whatever gave yo the flat is gone it may seal in time. but calming seals is some magical thing is silly. on my 50 psi tires it seems to help I have found a low tire but it filled and stayed filled. on our tandem most of the time the sealant does not work. I had it work once only for it to fail in a couple of miles.

That's absolute nonsense. You pull the tube and in the case of Slime, you look to see where the green sealant is coming from! Where it's leaking is completly obvious unless you've managed a total blow out, and that's not the kind of protection/insurance we're talking about here.

 

[fooferdoggie]

That's absolute nonsense. You pull the tube and in the case of Slime, you look to see where the green sealant is coming from! Where it's leaking is completly obvious unless you've managed a total blow out, and that's not the kind of protection/insurance we're talking about here.

a few times I have seen it or found the cut but more often never. because often its raining when I get a flat because wet rubber cuts really easily. I have seen wet spots when I find a low tire when I start out but then its usually sealed or will seal on my lower psi tire. most of the time the stuff leaks out into the rim between the tube and rim

 

[AHicks]

a few times I have seen it or found the cut but more often never. because often its raining when I get a flat because wet rubber cuts really easily. I have seen wet spots when I find a low tire when I start out but then its usually sealed or will seal on my lower psi tire. most of the time the stuff leaks out into the rim between the tube and rim

Excuses. If you don't want to use it, don't. Just please stop saying it "doesn't work" without adding the phrase "for me/my riding style"? Without that qualifier, you're spreading bad information that serves no usefull purpose to ANYONE approaching the topic with an open mind.....

 

[fooferdoggie]

Excuses. If you don't want to use it, don't. Just please stop saying it "doesn't work" without adding the phrase "for me/my riding style"? Without that qualifier, you're spreading bad information that serves no usefull purpose to ANYONE approaching the topic with an open mind.....

Dude I use it in all of my tires get over it. but I am noting its failures something you seem to take offense of.