Why don't people like self sealing inner tubes?

Mr.Duck · May 2013

I got these Bell tubes from ASDA. I got a nasty sharp shard of something cut deep into the tire and it gave me a flat. All I had to do is inflate it again and it soon sealed up and it lasted a few miles at least to get me home. It seems to work OK.

I understand it's heavier, affects the ride quailty a little bit, etc. But why don't people say the same things about tubeless tyres, with tyre sealant sloshing around, which must unbalance the wheel does it not? But people say tubeless is great, and tubes like Slime self sealing tubes are not worth it. Do you guys just repair a tube at the roadside and it's no big deal? I would find that to be a bit of a nightmare, especallally if it was raining!

pdw · May 2013

I tried slime for a bit. The problems I had with it:

* When you press the end of a presta valve to unstick it, you get spat at with green snot, and it gums up the valve making it harder to inflate.

* You still have to stop to reinflate the tyre when you get a puncture. By the time you've stopped and got a pump out, you're half way to repairing it properly.

* Eventually you'll get a hole that it doesn't seal. If you're like me, you'll reinflate the tyre three times before eventually deciding that it's not going to seal. You now need to fully deflate the tyre and change the tube, at which point the slime completely seals the valve. When you finally get it off, you're faced with a tyre full of sealant mess.

* Having removed the slime tube, you've now got to find multiple objects in the tyre because they'll still be in there, and if you don't get them out they'll just puncture the next one.

I don't repair tubes at the road side if I can avoid it - I swap them, and repair them later.

As for tubeless - on a mountain bike I can see the advantage of being able to run lower pressures without risk of pinch flats, beyond that I don't know.

Initialised · May 2013

Tried them, they failed to stop a puncture then resisted repair.

Mr.Duck · May 2013

pdw wrote:

I tried slime for a bit. The problems I had with it:

Those Bell tubes have schrader valves and the sealant never comes out when you press the valve open. Could the schrader valves make all the difference?

So the best, least hassle approach is to take spare inner tubes and some tyre levers, and swap out tubes by the roadside?

Initialised · May 2013

I find the best approach to be a combination of puncture resistant tyres and Leeches (neoprene patches) , no waiting around for the glue to be ready and if they are going to fail (which is rare) it tends to be a slow leak. Puncture resistant tyres mean that anything that can get through will be obvious so you can often fix the puncture and remove whatever caused it without taking the wheel off the bike. Always carry a spare tube just in case.

Long_Time_Lurker · May 2013

Because they havent worked for me in the past.
I use puncture-proof tyres instead. The last puncture I had was due to a problem with the valve. No amount of self-sealant was going to fix it.
For the sake of 10 minutes once every 6 months, ill stick with normal tubes.

IanLD · May 2013

I've had Schrader valves gunge up too although not as quickly as Presta.

Complete waste of space as far as I am concerned. Didn't work when I did puncture and just sprayed green gunge all over the inside of the tyre. Tube could not be patched due to the slime and bag was covered in further slime that had leaked out when taking it home.

Would have liked them to have worked and did strip valves down to clean them each time, but so much nicer using normal tubes again and a bit lighter too

Headhuunter · May 2013

Never used slime but it sounds like it actually causes more problems than it solves. As others have pointed out, if you just get some half decent puncture proof tyres and avoid riding through piles of glass or thorny branches etc, you should only get a puncture a couple of times a year anyway and then when you do, it's simply a case of switching the tube rather than repairing the punctured one, that should take about 20 mins... Admittedly it's not great if you're next to a busy main road in the rain but it happens so infrequently that it doesn't bother me that much...

Initialised · May 2013

Get puncture resistant tyres and ride in the left most car tyre line instead of the gutter where the puncture fairy lives, get tubes that start near your tyre size so they aren't stretched, e.g. 25-35mm tubes for a 28mm tyre or 1.5-1.75 for a 1.6. Another trick is to use the carcass of a worn out 23mm tyre inside a 28mm in winter as an extra puncture prevention layer.

The Rookie · May 2013

3000 miles commuting, 2 punctures, only one changed roadside (the other was slow enough that I only nioticed as I walked past the bike at lunchtime). Why would I want to lug an extra 300g's around all the time for that?

Mr.Duck · May 2013

This is making sense. So even with self sealing tubes, you need to carry spare tubes for when then self healing fails and then can't be repaired. So you might as well use normal tubes.

Initialised wrote:

I find the best approach to be a combination of puncture resistant tyres and Leeches (neoprene patches)

That prduct looks great. I found other similar products like Park GP-2 and Slime Scabs. Do you know if any of them are better or all perform about the same? The idea is you just pull the inner tube out and repair it without having to take the wheel off at all?

Initialised wrote:

Puncture resistant tyres mean that anything that can get through will be obvious so you can often fix the puncture and remove whatever caused it without taking the wheel off the bike. Always carry a spare tube just in case.

Are the most puncture resistant tyres Schwalbe Marathon Plus? There's a great user submitted picture on Amazon with a whacking great nail sticking out of the tyre that managed to rip off half of the rear fender, but was not able to puncture the tube! Just pull it out and cycle home

They are heavy tyres and come it lots of different widths (25 28 32 35 38). Is it best to go for the narrowest tyre (25c) or something bigger to spread the load and should improve puncture resistance even further?

Initialised wrote:

Get puncture resistant tyres and ride in the left most car tyre line instead of the gutter where the puncture fairy lives,

Heh, damn puncture fairy ¬.¬

I don't ride in the gutter as it is. I found the more in the gutter I cycle, the more cars will push through, brushing past really close, and carving me up! Not sure I go as far as the left most car tyre line. I'll have to watch out for that.

meanredspider · June 2013

I think most people have covered it. The key reason for me is that I couldn't get repair patches to stick for more than a week on the holes that wouldn't self-heal. 2 punctures for the price of one and an expensive tube thrown away.

I think these heavy duty tyres are probably overkill for most situations. Fine if you're in an environment with loads of broken glass but I only get one puncture every couple of thousand miles so I just pick a puncture resistant tyre (Vittoria Rubino Pro in my case) that rolls really well.

edhornby · June 2013

I've tried the sticky patch puncture repair kits - they aren't as good as a rema tip top patch and proper glue, I have them but only for days when you have multiple punctures and you need a get-you-home - in this instance I would stick patch, limp home and remove it and do a proper repair in the evening

lostboysaint · June 2013

The correct answer to the OP is "'cos they're crap."

Initialised · June 2013

So far my experience with Schwalbe tyres is that they just don't puncture. I used Snow Studs three winters in a row with no punctures and the only puncture I had on Duranos (not the Plus version) was from hitting a pothole but I only used them for 4 months.

Patches, Leeches are good value compared to Scabs and just as good, but the clear patches like Park Tools don't work as well as the neoprene patches. I treat them as a permanent repair but if the hole is near a seam it may not hold so take extra time with the sandpaper. I never got the hang of 'proper' puncture repair kits, compared to Leeches they seem a faff and archaic.

Mr.Duck · June 2013

So with the self adhesive patches, do you use them just to get you home and then relegate that tube to a spare? Do you run at a lower pressure with them on too, like 40 PSI?

meanredspider wrote:

I think these heavy duty tyres are probably overkill for most situations. Fine if you're in an environment with loads of broken glass but I only get one puncture every couple of thousand miles so I just pick a puncture resistant tyre (Vittoria Rubino Pro in my case) that rolls really well.

That tyre looks pretty good. Would you say it's equivalent to the Continental Grand Prix 4 Season? The Rubino Pro looks cheaper, good value.

The GatorSkin is really popular. The folding version is light too. Is there any difference between the "GatorSkin Folding Road Tyre" and the "Ultra GatorSkin Road Tyre" as they are named on Wiggle? The one with Ultra in the name is heavier and mentions Kevlar in the description. Whereas the other one does not mention Kevlar.

I think Marathon Plus tyres are going to be ~1.4 KG heavier for 2 tyres! :shock: Perhaps they would not be the best choice...

Chime in anyone that has their own favourite durable tyre...

Initialised wrote:

Patches, Leeches are good value compared to Scabs and just as good, but the clear patches like Park Tools don't work as well as the neoprene patches. I treat them as a permanent repair but if the hole is near a seam it may not hold so take extra time with the sandpaper. I never got the hang of 'proper' puncture repair kits, compared to Leeches they seem a faff and archaic.

Ok. Have you not had a repair leak and need patching up again? I never got a hang of it either. Takes ages, stressful, doesn't work. :x

rolf_f · June 2013

Initialised wrote:

I never got the hang of 'proper' puncture repair kits, compared to Leeches they seem a faff and archaic.

They are only a faff and archaic in as much as bicycles are a faff and archaic! Honestly, the traditional patch is no faff - and it is the only really permanent solution (in that you effectively weld the patch to the tube rather than relying on a glue joint).

If you can manage the sandpaper bit, how hard is it to put a bit of glue on the tube. There isn't actually any skill involved really. Just make sure you've covered a good area around the puncture with no gaps, wait five minutes and put the patch on. What is there to get the hang of?!

Why don't people like self sealing inner tubes?

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