Tubeless long term storage?
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Tubeless long term storage?
I'll be taking a bike to my daughters to leave there so I have something to ride when we visit. It could be as long as 6 months in between visits. What's the best way to deal with tubeless in that situation? I use Orange Seal Endurance and the bike will be stored in controlled conditions (70-75 degrees).
Do I need to unmount the tires and wash all the sealant out and refill each time, or can they sit that long with no bad stuff happening?
TIA
Do I need to unmount the tires and wash all the sealant out and refill each time, or can they sit that long with no bad stuff happening?
TIA
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If the bike is stored with the wheels off the ground, then giving them a spin every couple of weeks should be sufficient. That's how I keep mine fine over winter.
For no maintenance by daughter/others, then yeah the best option is probably to take the tires off, clean up the sealant and set them up fresh before use. But that way you risk rim damage from having bare rims or flat tires.
You could always just put tubes back in since it's a spare bike that's not getting used much, and save all of the hassle.
For no maintenance by daughter/others, then yeah the best option is probably to take the tires off, clean up the sealant and set them up fresh before use. But that way you risk rim damage from having bare rims or flat tires.
You could always just put tubes back in since it's a spare bike that's not getting used much, and save all of the hassle.
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Using Orange Seal Regular my road tires loose 1/2 their sealant in 2 months.
I suspect this loss to be accurate, ridden or not!
If I were storing a bike for 6 months, I’d remove the sealant (remove core, suck it out), pump up,
and store tires off ground in attempt not to break beads.
Barry
I suspect this loss to be accurate, ridden or not!
If I were storing a bike for 6 months, I’d remove the sealant (remove core, suck it out), pump up,
and store tires off ground in attempt not to break beads.
Barry
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I store it as is. There is always the odd day in the winter when it's warm enough for me to grab a bike and go ride. However I have stored my bikes for up to 4 months. Replace sealant, tires were fine. I'm wondering any negative if you flip the bike upside down and store it that way.
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Yep... Off the ground most important with tubes or without. If containing sealant giving them a spin every now and then and putting a little stick in the spokes to hold the wheel at a different orientation would also help.
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If I had a bike I would only ride a few times per year and couldn't do regular maintenance on myself, I'd run tubes.
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I’ve had bikes with tubless tires sit for most of a winter with no issues. Just sitting on the ground. A couple have gone flat or close to it, but that does not really hurt anything.
I would not bother removing them of asking someone to keep spinning them.
I would not bother removing them of asking someone to keep spinning them.
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Just prior to riding, add sealant & air. It might roll weird at first, but it'll bounce back to its old self
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I just noticed my front tire is flat on a bike with tubeless I haven't ridden in 3 months. Oddly, the rear tire seems like it was the day I inflated it.
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If you don't have them already, I'd recommend a sealant syringe with a thin "needle" that can insert all of the way in to the tire via the valve stem. They're about 10 bucks on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Tubeless-Seal...dp/B07WR9MMDW/.
You may also need to replace your valve stems, though. The lightweight, machined aluminum stems will almost always pass the needle; I use Muc-Off because they're available locally. These simplify and speed up sealant maintenance significantly.
That out of the way, I'd just remove the sealant before storing and then re-inject fresh sealant before riding, otherwise you may get a thick, dried up skin where the sealant pooled. This probably isn't problematic for the volume of sealant typically used in a road tire, but my gravel tires have had rather unsightly crusts in them after long off-seasons.
You may also need to replace your valve stems, though. The lightweight, machined aluminum stems will almost always pass the needle; I use Muc-Off because they're available locally. These simplify and speed up sealant maintenance significantly.
That out of the way, I'd just remove the sealant before storing and then re-inject fresh sealant before riding, otherwise you may get a thick, dried up skin where the sealant pooled. This probably isn't problematic for the volume of sealant typically used in a road tire, but my gravel tires have had rather unsightly crusts in them after long off-seasons.
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Thanks for all the excellent info, much appreciated. Yeah, if i asked my daughter to spin wheels on a regular basis she'd roll her eyes and put the bike on the curb soon after I Ieft .
Now that's one I hadn't thought of and probably the way I'll go. Excellent idea!
Using Orange Seal Regular my road tires loose 1/2 their sealant in 2 months.
I suspect this loss to be accurate, ridden or not!
If I were storing a bike for 6 months, I’d remove the sealant (remove core, suck it out), pump up,
and store tires off ground in attempt not to break beads.
Barry
I suspect this loss to be accurate, ridden or not!
If I were storing a bike for 6 months, I’d remove the sealant (remove core, suck it out), pump up,
and store tires off ground in attempt not to break beads.
Barry
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If you don't have them already, I'd recommend a sealant syringe with a thin "needle" that can insert all of the way in to the tire via the valve stem. They're about 10 bucks on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Tubeless-Seal...dp/B07WR9MMDW/.