Tube Sealants

**Del Boy** · #1 2 Apr 2005

Hi All,
Has anyone used Ultraseal, Goop etc on tubed tyres? Does it work? If so it could give a greater sense of well being on a long trip to more remote places.
Cheers Del Boy.

**mmaarten** · #2 11 Apr 2005

The problem is that you NEVER know if it works... You only know it does not work when the tire is flat.

Just learn to patch your tire, it,s easy and it works.

Maarten

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- www.maartensworld.com -
- Some photo's -

**Ian** · #3 11 Apr 2005

I've used the sealant from Ipone - the type that's supposed to prevent deflation due to punctures, as opposed to fix them. I changed a tyre and found a puncture - the sealent had sealed it.

**Jerome** · #4 30 May 2005

yes, they work

Slime is good

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Jerome

http://www.fowb.co.uk

**richardb** · #5 30 May 2005

I tried slime, which didn't seem to fix a flat in my front tyre, so I am sceptical. However I think the puncutre occured when the bike was parked in Mexico city (inside the hotel lobby) for a couple of days, and I suspect it may have been done malicously. It was a small hole and let the air out slowly. I rode the bike for a while before it went completely flat and I first noticed it. SO it should have worked according to the instructions.

I think having a repair kit is useful as a back up if nothing else.

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Richb
http://www.postmaster.co.uk/~richardbeaumont/60684/

**Stephano** · #6 31 May 2005

Proving that you didn't have a puncture because of a certain sealant is difficult. However, Ultraseal definitely prevents air leakage. When I visit
my poor baby every six months her tyres are always at the pressures I left them.
Counting the days...

**oldbaldrick** · #7 1 Jun 2005

There are several different tyre sealants out there - Oko, Slime, Ultraseal, Goop, Punctureseal, Tyre Moose, etc, etc.
They all work on the same basic principle of using the rush of escaping air (through the puncture) to plug the hole with fibres or small rubber particles.
I have used several different makes over the years with mixed, but generally good results.
Working in a Yamaha dealership in the late 70's, we had a wheel in a jig and invited customers to puncture it with a sharp screwdriver. There was the initial hiss of escaping air, but when the wheel was rotated a few times, that stopped and a small blob of sealant could be seen plugging the hole. This tyre/tube combo must have had hundreds of holes in it, and it still held good pressure.
It must be remembered that the tyre and tube on a moving bike will flex quite a lot and this can cause air to escape past the sealant. Also, a non-punctured tube is very strong, but once it has a hole in it, it can very easily tear and suddenly lose all its air. So check your pressures regularly, and visually examine the tyres (it only takes a moment) at every coffee/petrol/ciggie stop. These sealants generally work better in a tubeless set-up, as the tyre will tend to reform and grip the puncturing item, leaving a smaller space for the sealant to, er, seal.
But in a tubeless tyre, it needs to be replaced every time the tyre is changed.
At a bike show recently, I asked several companies why their product was so much cheaper/dearer than another, thinking that some must be lots better than others, but none of them would tell me.
I do not think that the expensive ones (Ultraseal) are necessarily any better than the cheaper ones. (Can I say that on here?).
All my bikes have a puncture preventative sealant in the tyres, as I reckon that even if it doesn't work totally, it will help with some small punctures, and slow down the air loss of a bigger one.

**Grant Johnson** · #8 1 Jun 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by oldbaldrick:
...
I do not think that the expensive ones (Ultraseal) are necessarily any better than the cheaper ones. (Can I say that on here?).

Absolutely positively you can say that here!

We do not bow to advertisers on the HUBB, nor require you to do so. Outright slagging / libellous comments obviously not, but personal opinions such as expressed above - perfect - keep 'em coming.

Ultraseal will be at the HU UK Meeting by the way, so for everyone else, there's your chance to decide for yourself.

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

**Bill Ryder** · #9 1 Jun 2005

A few more comments on sealants. I have found it difficult to get a patch to stick to a tube that has sealant in it. What happens sometimes is that the hole is to big to be sealed by the sealant then when I try to put a patch on it the sealant seems to prevent the patch from sticking. I have seen sealants such as slime work well here in Montana for things such as cactus spines but anything bigger calls for a new tube. The main thing I keep sealant around for is sealing up tubeless tires at the bead/rim interface. The stuff works great for those slow leaks caused by a corroded rim or frayed tire bead. Where I see sealant used most is when a customer changes their own tire and punctures the tube with a tire iron then pumps the tube full of sealant. Of course the hole is too big and the tire still leaks so they bring it to me to deal with. Messy messy messy.

**Bill Shockley** · #10 30 Jun 2005

Hola Amigos,
I agree with most of what is written here but always carry new spare tubes with me in the Cycoactive fender bags sold by both themselves and Aerostitch. Over the years I have gotten real fussy about tire patches and now only trust Rema Tip Top which is the brand sold by BMW and available at any good shop(German made patch). Two or 3 kits stashed away take the pain out of tire patching as the directions are very specific especially for the adhesive application.
I have never had one fail and consider then the best cold patch(other brands have failed). In Latin America you cant beat the local vulcanizer alway a mule or two down the road. I wouldnt want to screw up a good tube with slime type products plus the stuff slicks the wheel and tire if the tube fails/gets cut during deflation at speed almost guaranteeing a tough job of getting stopped safely. I have had a tire come half off the rim when the stuff got loose.
I'd pass on heavy tubes too favoring Michlein Airstops which are light, strong,run cool and are easy to work(and patch) with at the roadside.
BMWSTBILL.