Sealer for tire flats-Green Slime, Flat Attack, Zefal or Fix A Flat for Bikes?

[indianajo]

I was getting 3 flats a year, when I was running road pattern tires. I ride on road. PIT*, I carry 60 lb groceries/parts and tipping the bike upside down takes a full unload by the side of the road. I was getting road iron (nails, screws, cuttings) or broken glass. We don't have those ugly thorns here. I changed tires to kenda knobbies and stopped having flats. So they are quite competent at road hazards, just not those off road western briars. When the knobs on the kendas wear down to <1/16" then they can have flats again.
I found Slime plugged the valve up and when the tire slid off the rim (cheap undersize ****ese rims) I couldn't let the air out to reseat it. I'm back to no sealant at all. I carry a foot pump, 2 lb tools and 2 tubes at all time. I walked 13 miles back to town once when my one replacement tube blew up instantly. Tubes are all ****ese unfortunately with the variable quality, unless I ride 8 miles out of my way over to the LBS to buy them there (******nese). I've bought two frame type pumps from the LBS, neither would hold the schrader valve well enough to pump one tire up. The stupid 3 lb schwinn foot pump from the grocery store actually works, for a year anyway until the rubber hose dries up. I hang it from the handlebar on 16 ga wire.

 

[mrgold35]

Mr. Gold-Thanks for clarifying with your photos. I counted approx 50 heads on that side of the tire alone. Are you saying that you have to get perhaps a needle nose pliers after each ride and pluck those little buggers out of your tires?? If so, that sounds insane and time consuming to have to do so. Thank god for products like Stan's that does the job. Looks like some genius will have to develop a tire that can be more resistant to these nasty thorns. Can one of them perhaps stick to the tire then break off and sling into your legs, arms face etc? Just curious how much of a threat these are to the entire riding experience.

The goatheads usually break off after a while when I ride on paved roads/trails. Sometimes the entire thorn falls out or just the needle part is still stuck in the tire like a plug. It is not too bad to pull out by hand if you are careful. I haven't had any issues with goatheads flying off the tires hitting me at speed of 20-22 mph.

I only double-check the tires for thorns on the weekend because Stans does such a good job during my weekly work commutes/rides. I found the best way to remove the broken off thorns is use a box cutter to scrape the top of the thorn to catch the edge to pull out. I just couldn't grip the top of a broken off thorn with small needle nose pliers.

There is always a trade off no matter where you live. I get nice weather and 12 months of riding; but, I have to deal with flats and sandy high desert conditions.

 

[bob armani]

The goatheads usually break off after a while when I ride on paved roads/trails. Sometimes the entire thorn falls out or just the needle part is still stuck in the tire like a plug. It is not too bad to pull out by hand if you are careful. I haven't had any issues with goatheads flying off the tires hitting me at speed of 20-22 mph.

I only double-check the tires for thorns on the weekend because Stans does such a good job during my weekly work commutes/rides. I found the best way to remove the broken off thorns is use a box cutter to scrape the top of the thorn to catch the edge to pull out. I just couldn't grip the top of a broken off thorn with small needle nose pliers.

There is always a trade off no matter where you live. I get nice weather and 12 months of riding; but, I have to deal with flats and sandy high desert conditions.

Okay now I understand. 12 months of riding is a great trade off for that little annoyance. I am lucky if I can get 4-5 months of comfortable weather riding per year. Enjoy!

 

[Angela M]

Hey All, got the new tires for my RadRover. Replaced the stock Kendas with Maxxis Minion 4.0 FBF / FBR and Contintel Revo sealant. So far so good. Love the way the tires handle, especially on the trails. Super grippy. And...no flats yet Keeping fingers crossed.

 

[bob armani]

Wanted to add this product to my original post:

Vittoria -Air-Liner is a foam-based tubular insert for tubeless tires: For Mountain bike Tubless Tires

 

[Barry S]

Wanted to add this product to my original post:

Vittoria -Air-Liner is a foam-based tubular insert for tubeless tires: For Mountain bike Tubless Tires

Would like to hear from someone who has used them on a fat-tire bike if they make them in that size. Pretty pricey, but if they work...

 

[Alphbetadog]

I don't know about those Vittoria Air Liners. Seems to me if you have to bother with sealant, you might as well go full tubeless and what do you need these liners for?

I live half the year in AZ where there is lots of things to make the tires flat. On my emtbs I go the tubeless route and despite trying all kinds of things like tire liners and such, I find tubeless with sealant is the only way to go on the dirt trails. Well worth the effort, but not really that hard once you get used to it. Since going tubeless I have never experienced a flat while riding.

On our multi-use path/around town comfort ebikes I found tire liners with good quality tires and especially top quality tubes is the way to go. I NEVER Slime them because if you do get a flat it becomes a messy PITA, especially repairing it when out on a ride. With good quality tubes they are easy to patch - just make sure you carry a relatively fresh patch kit. Of course I carry extra inner tubes in case the tube can't be patched. Bring all the necessary tools. Rear tires with hub motors are a hassle, but many times I have just open the bead on one side of the tire and located the puncture without even removing the wheel.

When you are prepared a punctured tire is little more than a minor inconvenience.

 

[jazz]

Less than 200 miles on my new RadRover and I've already had 3 flats, 2 of which happened after installing Mr Tuffy liners. Love the bike, not digging all the flats. I rarely got flats on my regular mountain bike. Wondering why this keeps happening. I keep the psi at the recommended range and do a combo of trail & street riding. Bought some Gup sealant and a portable fat tire pump. Kinda worried about getting stranded miles from home. Anyone else having excessive flat issues?

One reason is the Kenda tires. They are probably the lightest (and cheapest) fat tire available. The problem with this is that it also makes them very thin which offers little puncture resistance.

 

[Nova Haibike]

I don't know about those Vittoria Air Liners. Seems to me if you have to bother with sealant, you might as well go full tubeless and what do you need these liners for?

Because tubeless has its own set of problems. Adding the Air Liners (and other similar products) to tubeless setups are meant to address those problems.

 

[Alphbetadog]

Because tubeless has its own set of problems. Adding the Air Liners (and other similar products) to tubeless setups are meant to address those problems.

What are those problems? It seems to me from watching the installation video it is a tubeless set up but with an additional foam core added. Please educate me!

 

[Nova Haibike]

What are those problems?

When you run tubeless at low tire pressures, you risk rim damage, tire "burping," and pinch flats. Liners are intended to reinforce the interface between the rim and tire, helping to mitigate or eliminate those issues.

 

[Alphbetadog]

When you run tubeless at low tire pressures, you risk rim damage, tire "burping," and pinch flats. Liners are intended to reinforce the interface between the rim and tire, helping to mitigate or eliminate those issues.

Thanks, I got it! I've never experienced those issues with tubeless, but then I run my tire pressure at 24/27 in my emtbs, and they are not fat bikes or even true plus size tires. Thanks for the knowledge!

 

[Gator]

I use these Sunlite thorn resistant tubes, Mr. Tuffy Tire liners and Slime. The tubes come in a lot of sizes. They are pretty heavy duty. I do not like dealing with flats on the way to work.

 

[PowerMe]

Before I ever rode my ebike I had the shop install some Mr. Tuffy liners on the stock Kendra tires. I ride on mostly paved paths and roads, so this has worked well for me. If I were riding off road I'd be looking at a known tire like Marathon Plus, which has been engineered to keep flats at bay.

 

[bob armani]

Because tubeless has its own set of problems. Adding the Air Liners (and other similar products) to tubeless setups are meant to address those problems.

Apparently the Air Liners would help get you home due to their rigid construction in the event you have a puncture and the sealant does not work. There is a YT demo on this product. I hope they will make them for thinner road bike tires as well. We shall see...

 

[MetroDuck]

I put Slime in my wife's cruiser with 26" tires. I took it out a few days later and felt this awful shudder when I used agressive braking. Checked it out when I got home. Brakes are fine and perfectly aligned but the rear wheel is really out of balance. I'm guessing that the higher speed might be causing the excess slime to gravitate to one side. I'm going to be replacing the tube this weekend as that can't be good for wheel or motor.

I we ride almost exclusively on pavement and her bike has the Schwalbe Big Ben tires with Kevelar so they moderately resistant to punctures. Not sure about putting anything in my tire tubes at this point. The tire liner is an intriguing thought. What is the difficulty level in getting those seated properly and then getting the tube back in?

 

[bob armani]

I put Slime in my wife's cruiser with 26" tires. I took it out a few days later and felt this awful shudder when I used agressive braking. Checked it out when I got home. Brakes are fine and perfectly aligned but the rear wheel is really out of balance. I'm guessing that the higher speed might be causing the excess slime to gravitate to one side. I'm going to be replacing the tube this weekend as that can't be good for wheel or motor.

I we ride almost exclusively on pavement and her bike has the Schwalbe Big Ben tires with Kevelar so they moderately resistant to punctures. Not sure about putting anything in my tire tubes at this point. The tire liner is an intriguing thought. What is the difficulty level in getting those seated properly and then getting the tube back in?

MetroDuck-

Yeah, tire liners can be a little tricky at times and can also damage the tubes if not seated properly. I have also been warned that they can also become brittle over a period of time and shards can form inside the tire causing punctures. Perhaps it may depend on the brand of liners you use that will not crack and deteriorate over time.

I have just started using slime this biking season in my 700c X 28cm tires and have not had any issues like you have described. Perhaps you may have filled them with too much solution? Not sure what that is about. Perhaps someone else can chime in regarding this issue?

 

[MetroDuck]

MetroDuck-

Yeah, tire liners can be a little tricky at times and can also damage the tubes if not seated properly. I have also been warned that they can also become brittle over a period of time and shards can form inside the tire causing punctures. Perhaps it may depend on the brand of liners you use that will not crack and deteriorate over time.

I have just started using slime this biking season in my 700c X 28cm tires and have not had any issues like you have described. Perhaps you may have filled them with too much solution? Not sure what that is about. Perhaps someone else can chime in regarding this issue?

I parked the bike and rotated the tire opposite of the position I filled it. After a couple of days this seemed to improve the situation a lot. We went on a 45 mile ride this week and there were no issues so I suppose things are ok now.

 

[ebikemom]

Just was at the bike repair tech's yesterday, and he said that slime works best with heavy duty tubes or tubeless tires. He said that with standard tubes, slime can slow a leak, so you can pump up and get home (I experienced this, acutally), but not solve the problem.

My son's bike (with slime tubes) ran over glass (who knew?) and at the moment of puncture he got a squirt of slime on his toe. He pedaled onward. Pressure was down when he got home. We pumped up and did a 20 mile ride the next day. He needed a pump-up after 10 miles. We got home okay, and I pumped up his tires. The next AM, all seemed well, with great tire pressure, and I headed off for a test ride. After about ten minutes I felt like I was riding through mud, got off the bike, and the back was very squishy.

At that point, it was pump-and-ride, pump-and-ride, to my local bike fixer, who fixed.

I ordered new slime tubes to keep in stock in the garage that are the heavy duty type (they call them "super thick" which made it a bit hard for me to find them online, since I was using "heavy duty" as a search term. I don't have any loaded on a bike yet, so it will be a while before I can give an update of any kind about the heavy duty slime tubes.

 

[ebikemom]

The stupid 3 lb schwinn foot pump from the grocery store actually works, for a year anyway until the rubber hose dries up. I hang it from the handlebar on 16 ga wire.

Very informative post! Thanks! I just ordered a foot pump. Fingers crossed that it is a decent one. If it isn't, I'll remember the Schwinn pump!