msdumo

I always have a pump and patch kit when I do long bike rides. Slow leaks are worse than flats.
Had 2 of them this month.
Finding a slow leak or fixing a flat while on a ride is not fun but more a pain in the ass.

I was thinking of adding 100 ml of slime tire sealant to my inner tubes on my hybrid bikes.
I hope a sealant will add prevention and almost eliminate this problem.
If you tried this or any other sealant, your feedback would be appreciated.

squirtdad

I would not use slime, based on personal experience.

Orange seal or stan's, but the one I have had the best luck with is Caffelatex.

Also consider carrying a tube or two, pretty quick to fix and then patch the punctured tube at your leisure

canklecat

Slime for tubes worked pretty well for me on one hybrid. I was using Continental SpeedRides, which are great all purpose tires for dry gravel, grass, etc., but have only a thin puncture shield. Two or three years ago I was getting a lot of punctures from stuff like radial tire wires, staples and brads from construction debris, glass, etc. So I added Slime for tubes. Worked fine. I'd still get slow leaks but I could postpone patching or replacing tubes for weeks just by adding air every day or so.

I have a bottle of Muc-Off pink sealant for tubes that I plan to add to one road bike with latex tubes, and to my errand bike. But the maker didn't include a dispenser nozzle for Presta, so I'm waiting until I can cobble together an adapter for my Presta valves.

If you Google for recent articles on sealants for tubes you'll find one or two published this year that go into detail about the author's hands-on tests with his own bikes using various sealants with butyl and latex tubes. Very helpful. It's what persuaded me to try Muc-Off (although the article didn't mention any problems with the dispenser nozzle).

msdumo

I got slime around for my trailer tires and snow blower so I will try it on one of my bikes. Nothing to loose.
You mentioned latex and butyl tubes. Can you educate me on latex (pros and cons)?

ARider2

I use a 2 oz. bottle of Stan's No Tubes sealant in the tubes on my mountain bike because there are many thorns where I ride off-road in the woods. Without sealant I will get a flat every other ride but with sealant I don't get flats until the sealant dries up. One treatment seems to last a good 6 months or more. Last year I had a tire go flat about a year after I put the sealant in and I found 5 thorns stuck in the tube.

andrewclaus

Bought Slime tubes for a road bike once, never again. I'm sure it works better for lower pressure tires, but at road pressure (over 100 psi) it made an incredible mess from a small puncture, a rooster tail of green junk all over me and the bike.

When we see Slime in a donation at the non-profit, the tubes go right in the garbage. I don't like those green valve stem caps.

blamester

I've been using tufo sealant for years. Could be ten years and tens of thousands of miles. Its a roadbike with tufo tubs. No issues to report. I don't put it in till I have puncture and it's never let me down or been messy. I haven't had a puncture after I put it in and wear the tyre out.
I don't know even bring a spare anymore it's just been so reliable.
Road riding or off road I never had a problem.

roka

Years ago I used Slime but I gave up on it because it seemed to cause more problems than it solved. I’ve had to replace many a valve core because Slime had gummed it up and prevented it from working.

Lemond1985

One thing to consider, re Slime Use / Non-Use, is that you are going to have a heck of a time patching any inner tube that Slime fails to seal. I would say "nearly impossible", but I'm sure someone here will probably disagree. But assuming adhesion problems occur, I would have at least one spare tube without Slime, in the event the Slime fails to work.

As far as sealants go, there has got to be a better one out there. I could probably mix up something in the kitchen that would be at least effective as Slime has been for me in the past.

ClydeClydeson

as roka says, slime gums up your valve core over time... at least it does with Schrader valves, I've never tried it with presta - I believe you need to cut a small hole in the tube to get the Slime in, then patch the hole.

veganbikes

If you add slime to your tubes please do not bring it to your local bike shop or if you do warn them in advance and maybe bring them a beer or two to drink after they get slime everywhere. That stuff is nasty and unneeded. If you are having frequent flats and issues, make sure you have a good puncture protectant tire that is properly inflated and try to avoid jumping curbs, running through glass and other road detritus and check your tires once and while for any signs of wear or puncturables. If you are worried about small punctures switch to tubeless tires and then you can use proper sealant (which will still make a mess eventually but is slightly less terrible than the regular slime (though slime does make a tubeless sealant which I may try at some point since I have a bottle given to me to try)

If you are really desperate you could try a small amount of sealant in your tubes but it is just extra mess.

blamester

[QUOTE=ClydeClydeson;21745945]as roka says, slime gums up your valve core over time... at least it does with Schrader valves, I've never tried it with presta - I believe you need to cut a small hole in the tube to get the Slime in, then patch the hole.[/QUOTE
You remove the valve to get it in.
It will clog up a valve but I have never had an issue with it. I just clean it if it needs it.

ClydeClydeson

blamester Most presta valves do not have removable valve cores, in my experience.

blamester

Maybe not I don't know.I have been using tufo tubs for donkeys years and they do. That's why I why I use the tufo sealant. I did go to buy another brand of tub but they couldn't be confirm the valves where removable so I didn't. I stuck with what I knew worked. I don't know if the slime sealant is the same but it must be similar.

ClydeClydeson

blamester I believe most sealants are latex based, but slime is something else... a fibrous mixture, I think. You don't hear about tubeless setups getting the valves clogged regularly, but that was certainly the case with Slime.

blamester

Good to know. I will steer clear of it.

mack_turtle

you can still open up the valve and inject sealant. I've done it many times.

• completely remove the nut from the end of the valve. you'll probably need pliers to grab that little guy and make the final few twists.
• push the valve into the tube. you can feel it push in. pinch it if your fingers and hold it there.
• if you accidentally drop the valve core inside the tube, it takes a few seconds to find it by feel and push it back to the valve.
• the valve is much more open now, at least more so than if the valve core was inside there. inject sealant through the valve
• push the valve core back out through the valve. screw on that tiny nut.
• install tube, inflate, and ride.

again, this sounds difficult but it's actually super easy. I can do it in the dark after a few beers.