Hey all, I got a rear flat on my ride yesterday (first one this year amazingly) and figured the sealant would plug the hole but after a couple of attempts to pump it up and ride it was obvious I needed to put a tube in to finish my ride.
When I took the tire off I noticed the sealant looked like it deteriorated or degraded. I put it in myself earlier this season (maybe June?). Do you think I needed to put more? Should I just replace it every so often? How often do you top off or replace sealant? I live in Colorado (dry climate) if that’s a helpful reference.
I’m running a Specialized Purgatory 2.4 in the back.
by DBetts
7 Comments
just give the wheel a shake if it feels like very little or no liquid, add accordingly. shake when freshly loaded so you know what it should feel like.
It will inevitably get air exposure and dry up. Depending on signs of sealed holes, every so often I’ll shake the wheel and “listen” for sealant. Sometimes I hear nothing and say “Meh. I’ll put some more in next time.” Consider being better than that. 👍🏽
No real “timeframe” for me though, sorry.
Looks like someone puked in there
I’ve had Stan’s regular in my tires for at least a year. I think I’ve topped off once? My maxxis side walls leak like crazy, never had a flat, yet.
This just looks like older sealant that has dried up and I’m guessing you didn’t have enough.
Do you ever add more? How long has it been? How much do you usually run?
If you ride a lot, you probably want to be adding sealant at the beginning of the season then again later into it. Stans says 2-4oz but I do about 5.
Unless you get a big clump, you shouldn’t need to replace it or clean it out. If you ever have to take the tire off though you might as well wipe it out while you are in there.
Make sure to shake the sealant bottle well before you add it. It’s possible you didn’t shake it and didn’t have a good mix in the first place when you last added it.
I have been told by my LBS that the Specialized Purgatory tires are known for issues with leaking sealant around the edges and the tires not staying pressurized. My tire would leak sealant when riding, but could hold the tire steady when not in use. Basically riding would reintroduce the leak. I’d consider that it might be the tires and not the sealant if you keep having issues.
Yeah how old is the sealant? Because it does go off. Different brands have different tyre life. Stans is about 6 months and gets worse and worse.