Tubeless (again) - sealant top up

munkster
munkster Posts: 819
edited April 2015 in Workshop
So I'm well happy with these tubeless wheels and am going to do a 160km sportive on them now I've got the measure of them. If I was riding near home I wouldn't think twice but am now wondering if I should top up sealant or anything since I will be far from home on the ride? Been riding them for about 4 weeks I guess, about 600km according to el Strava. There was a period of about a week where they sat idle while I was out on my winter bike in the crappy weather but generally getting used regularly.

They should still be good, right?? Or is there any advice for a belt and braces approach?

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Still good, unless you sprayed a lot of it out if you punctured
    left the forum March 2023
  • munkster
    munkster Posts: 819
    No punctures, no, just sublime smooth rolling loveliness.

    (Which of course is just asking for it.)

    Cheers.
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    About every three months is the recommended interval for topping up the sealant in road tubeless. There's no need to remove the tyres, although I do every so often to clean out the old dried up latex and check for sealed cuts etc.
  • munkster
    munkster Posts: 819
    That was going to be my next Q actually. Every three months I can do, and no, I won't be taking the tyres (Hutchinson Atom Galactik) off, not because I don't want to, but probably because I'll need to saw them off when I do :-)

    Incidentally, planning ahead, what is the usual thing over the winter? These wheels will be sat cosy in the garage between around November and March I expect. Will I need to do anything particular to stop any sealant doing anything funny like collecting and solidifying perhaps?
  • gaffer_slow
    gaffer_slow Posts: 417
    it would seem that removing tubeless tyres is an ominous task despite the "if there is an unsealable puncture - pop a tube in".

    - are the sealed tyres really difficult to remove?
    - do those that use tubeless carry a spare tube on long rides?

    - has anyone successfully "popped a tube in" at the side of the road?
  • munkster
    munkster Posts: 819
    Full disclosure: my rim choice (Pacenti SL23) may have some bearing on my reluctance to remove the tyre. If getting the sod ON in the first place is anything to go by anyway... I don't carry a tube on any rides, simply because there would be no point whatsoever! YMMV with other tyre/rim combos...

    On the plus side, I have found tubeless, and these rims, to be absolutely sublime. I just have to make sure I don't ride over half a milk bottle when miles from home :-)
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    gaffer_slow wrote:
    it would seem that removing tubeless tyres is an ominous task despite the "if there is an unsealable puncture - pop a tube in".

    - are the sealed tyres really difficult to remove?
    - do those that use tubeless carry a spare tube on long rides?

    - has anyone successfully "popped a tube in" at the side of the road?

    Not overly difficult, generally speaking. I use HED plus rims and fitting or removing a Schwalbe ONE is a simple task, that only requires levers for the last bit. The Pacenti SL 23 is notoriously a bit tighter, hence the problems many are experiencing.

    I don't find tubeless tyres overly tight, certainly not tighter than some Continental...
    left the forum March 2023
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    I'd avoid unseating tubeless tyres unless necessary - the sealant builds-up around the bead and you'll need to clean it all off or you'll likely have difficulty re-sealing them. I've had sealant in tyres for 18 months without worry.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    I use Stans ZTR340s and Hutchinson Intensive Tubeless, and can put the tyres on with fingers only (using soapy water as a lube); removal is a one-lever exercise. (The flipside is that the ZTRs are so light that the tyre bead compresses the rim, so you have to retension the wheel after fitting the tyre the first time). @MontyDog because the ZTRs are tubeless by design, you don't need sealant to get a seal - it's only for punctures. Cleaning them out is probably mostly placebo, but it does give me a chance to check properly for embedded bits of flint and glass.
  • gaffer_slow
    gaffer_slow Posts: 417
    Monty Dog wrote:
    I've had sealant in tyres for 18 months without worry.

    did you top up at all over the 18 months?

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