Do I need to renew the sealing (in a TL tire)
 

Got tubeless wheels/tires a year ago. The bike has been in storage but with the season around the corner, I wonder if I really need to "exchange" the tire fluid/sealant in my tires. Does it really only last a few months?

This is a very good time to top it off. 🙂

Yep the longest ones tend to last 3-4 months

You need to at least check it. I'd recommend a sealant syringe, available on Amazon and elsewhere for 10-12 bucks, so that you can remove, check, and replace the sealant that's in your tires without removing them from the wheels. Be aware that not all valve stems will pass the plastic syringe tube all of the way through, so you might need to get new valves, too.

As far as how long sealant will last... as always, it depends.

You need to consider both evaporation and depletion. Evaporation is pretty self-explanatory - it'll dry out over time. As far as depletion, some of the sealant gets used every time it seals a puncture, but the "problem" is that many tubeless punctures can go completely unnoticed. Basically, the worse your riding conditions, in terms of flat potential, and the more mileage you log, the more frequently you should check and top-off your sealant. In the summer, when I'm at ~1k miles per month, I'll check it every month. Late spring and early fall, maybe every 6-8 weeks, depending upon how much grit and debris is on the roads.

In the future, I would drain the sealant before putting it in storage for extended periods - I'd rather the sealant not pool and dry out in one spot in the tire.

Thanks all!
I really appreciate your insight

So if I just add new sealant through the valve (removing the core) I don't need a "high pressure" tire inflator. Correct?

By the way. The tires were set up by the shot when I got the bike.

At some point, I was riding and see a pink spot on my tire that a few yards later ends up all over the frame. I thought was chewing gum and was so pissed.

I could not identify any puncture on the tire (not even now).

Could have been a puncture that sealed? Maybe so small I could not tell?

You probably won't need one. Most tires will stay locked on to the rims when deflated, in which case you will not need to reseat them.

Most likely.

Similar topic - is it normal for tubeless tires to lose air much more rapidly than tubed tires? I've had this same problem with two different sets of tires now. Tires (33mm Vittoria Terreno Mix with Orange Seal) are pumped up to around 40-50psi, then losing about half their psi over 24-36hrs and are completely flat after a week of sitting.

New tape, and the sealant is also new (2 weeks ago), but I'm wondering if I need to add a little more? Maybe my valve stems are not on tight enough causing slow leaks? Or is this just normal for tubeless?

The air loss seems pretty equal front/rear.

As noted upthread, the answer is that it depends. It depends on tire construction type, weather conditions, sealant composition, how the tire and sealant were set up, and weather the tire has been punctured.

In general, though, I’d say air loss rate is slightly higher than butyl tubes. Any tubeless tire properly set up should hold decent pressure for many weeks, maybe months. Actual riding pressure, or very close to it, should hold a week pretty easily in my experience, but it depends. Probably in hot, dry conditions pressure holds better than in the cold.

Be sure to use enough sealant, for unlined tires, to thoroughly coat the casing, and rotate the tires to achieve that. I do a couple of applications a day apart before I’m satisfied the tire is perfectly set up. I use the recommended amount the first time to coat and seal the casing, then check how much liquid is left in the morning before adding a bit for emergency sealing duty. I have Rene Herse rubber which totally sucked up 2 shots of sealant in two days before holding liquid. Crazy.

Yeah, it depends. I generally run tires with lighter casings and they generally lose air slightly faster than tubes. My current Michelin Power Roads hold air really well, though.

I was always told to verify the amount of sealant every once in a while and replace it completely after a few months. It will vary from a brand to another, but 6 months is the most I've seen when reading the instructions on the back label of the product.

Funny thing is that I did my girlfriend's tires (removed tires, cleaned, put fresh sealant and re-install tire) yesterday and even after 1 year of usage, there was still 2oz in there, and sealant hadn't turned bad. Color was OK, texture and smell as well. She didn't put much mileage last year, but still! She was using OEM giant sealant. I put Muc-Off this time and will see if it lasts as long.

I "top off" sealant every 3 months after setting a reminder on my calendar. Also, do a periodic check with a syringe.

Be sure to shake the sealant very vigorously and often while preparing to inject into the tire. Particles settle relatively quickly in the container and you risk pouring all goop and few or no particles if you miss this critical step. Ask me how i know:)

My experience with Orange is the solids settle on the top. But yeah, it needs a good shake before adding to the tire.

Absolutely. I took myself out of contention at a gravel race recently, got a puncture that wouldn't seal, put a plug in it and it still had a hard time holding pressure. It was only later that I realized that I hadn't checked the sealant in my tires since I mounted them six months ago, yup, not a drop in there. Won't make that mistake again. :thumb:

But I am kinda proud of the fact that I solo'd the entire course and came back from dead last to 29th place out of over 200 people, and even took a KOM.