When Should You Replace Tubeless Sealant? | Maintenance Monday

[@gcntech]

What other maintenance videos would you like to see us make?

[@philipcooper8297]

The STI shifters. How to clean and maintain them, so they work alright.

[@bikecommuter24]

How about a video on pre or post ride things to check for? I usually give my bike a once over before I start riding and sometimes after work while I'm relaxing I bring my bike into the den and look the tires over while watching tv, there seem to be a species of thorns that is attracted to bicycle tires where I live, I caught most of them before they can puncture anything, so far😆

[@KenSmith-bv4si]

Yeah I wanna see you take the tubes and add sealant to them beautiful Zipp 353's. Deer gawd man remove the tubes!

[@jaanscott4961]

I'd like to know if its possible to carry out a full service yourself on a modern road bike and is it cost effective. I've always done my own while I've had 10 speed rim brake set ups but would be nervous doing same on modern electric shifter and hydraulic brake system groupsets.

[@alanhill7965]

Changing disc brake pads would be handy

[@darthonutube]

Funny how sometimes we just don’t think of the simplest things - the dipstick through the valve! 😂 Better than that though, is your sense of humour in the video! 😂🎉

[@Music-pq8cm]

Hooked rims Clinchers Tubes No mess no fuss

[@mattlloyd6651]

Another tell-tale sign I had before being more on top of changing the sealant was when I spun the tire I could hear a rubber ball bouncing and rolling around inside. All of the sealant had dried and collected. Bonus free bouncy ball, at least.

[@User85306]

Easiest way to control an works👍🏼

[@westsenkovec]

Stan's Race?

[@GC987]

That's one of the most practical and helpful videos I have seen in my quest to convert to tubeless. Thanks.

[@metubenoggin07]

I came with a question in mind, you answered it, clearly, unambiguously. I thank you and bow in your direction.

[@woodsdavid2887]

I topped up my tires the other day just as this video explained and it worked like a charm. Thanks Ollie for the clear instructions. The procedure took about 5 minutes ー no fuss, no muss.

[@gcntech]

Glad it helped! Enjoy the riding 🙌

[@stevedavis9551]

Another indicator that sealant needs to be topped up is when your tyre starts to lose more pressure than normal between rides. (Although you probably should have replenished it before this point!)

[@_SpaceDad]

Keep a supply of new valve cores handy to replace old ones clogged with dried-up sealant. Makes filling tyres with air alot easier with unobstructed valve cores.

[@reidwagner1508]

After adding sealant l swab out the tire stem before screwing in the valve. Seems to make valves last a little longer

[@manoz6194]

I've never had problem with dried sealant because I find I can just pick it out, it's usually around the bottom of the core.i do are when the old one is too bent

[@diezrosales]

Thank you so much for this video, Ollie. I've just changed the sealant on my Liv Langma Advanced for the first time ever and I think it's worked a treat. I wouldn't have had the confidence to do it without having watched this video first. 👍

[@oliviermagere]

I was procrastinating at the prospect of unseating the under used tyres on my emtb to scrape the dried out sealant out of it. Makes so much sense not to bother, thanks Oli and GCM as the rest is easy peasy!

[@lmc333]

I see Ollie, i click and i like right away automatically within the first silly joke lol

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

#dadjokes

[@em1355]

Great video! Clear and concise instructions! Given the high costs of a bike and the bicycle maintenance, associated with those bikes decided that it was time that I start doing a lot more of the basic maintenance myself. Videos like this are VERY helpful! Thanks!!

[@trroland1248]

Good one Ollie! 😉 It’s always worth getting your dipstick out.

[@g.west2372]

In the last videos he's getting more suggestive... and I'm all in for it 😀

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

@@g.west2372 mixed feelings. It is easy to go the wrong way commenting on it and end up insulting his gf.

[@buster.keaton]

For Stan's "No Tubes" sealant, I've found that the sealant (pink, gummy stuff) dries on the inside of the tire, leaving a puddle of clear liquid in the tire that has little or no sealant in it. Hence I typically want the clear liquid out of the tire before adding "fresh" sealant.

[@That.Guy.]

I find that the clear milky stuff weeps through the sidewall of my tire for some reason even though I’ve never had any punctures

[@jn9480]

You can also remove the tire and give it a good shake; if you don't hear sealant sloshing around then it's dried up. You do need a quiet room to hear it, and if you've blown your hearing this won't work.

[@shaunsten7788]

😂 best commentator of the GCN GROUP kept it interesting funny and full of important information as usual. Thankyou

[@DavidMackenzie]

Great video Ollie. Just what I needed as I need to check my gravel bike tyres. And I've got the t-shirt 😀

[@ScefingScyld]

I'm done with sealant. Latex tubes for road tires, TPU for anything bigger. 45gr TPU tube in a 650b 47mm wide tire is amazing and rides better too.

[@Chris-de2qc]

Why

[@thebrowns5337]

One thing I can never understand, and it seems tubeless users have an 'emporers new clothes' moment about this is the added weight when you keep refreshing/topping up seallant. I know this was partially covered but again...emporers new clothes. A lbs employee said he topped his mtb wheels up weekly. Even if all the water of whatever evaporated there is still weight left behind, and you aren't going to wait until it's all dry, there will be some moisture. No way tubeless ends up lighter than tubed.

[@klarkolofsson]

Sticking with tubes for now.

[@ryanw8987]

Love Ollie videos! I went to check sealant in my tires recently. As I deflated, sealant started seeping out from under the bead. From the amount coming out it appeared there was enough sealant still, so stopped letting the air out and reinflated. Check complete 😁

[@johnwolff1043]

At the end when adding sealant do not rotate the valve all the way to the 6 o'clock position, stop at 3-5. This allows the sealant to run down hill and not be pooled at the valve. When adding large amounts sometimes the tire will inflate slightly and when you remove the bottle the pooled sealant can push back out when the tire goes back to zero pressure. Had this issue with the green goop in mtn bike tires.

[@carlk1183]

That's a good idea. Thx for sharing.

[@RS-il5zw]

lol - had checked my sealant with the valve at 6 o'clock, and, sealant started seeping out. Suggest starting with the valve higher than the 6 position and then slowly rotate the wheel to 6.

[@francesstager997]

Thanks for this video. I CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR HOW MANON FARED IN HER RACE YESTERDAY!

[@AimedCHAIEB]

Thank's dude, i discovered that my sks tom 18 includes the valve opener !

[@markrozee]

Staying with inner tubes - for ever!!

[@diablito89]

Great, good tips. What about rim tape replacement? How often do you need to do this?

[@sBentonfamily]

I change mt sealant every couple of years. Then put in new tubes and save the old ones for back up. Might try that TPU sealant just for kicks !

[@TexasWahoo_]

I changed a set of tires recently and cleaned the old sealant from the ones I removed. Seemed to be more trouble than it's worth and I won't be doing that again. I will make sure the bead is clean, though.

[@DP-eu8gg]

Love the sense of humour.

[@joegamas1194]

This was an awesome maintenance video, great job Ollie keep up the great work

[@MrNisipeanu]

I installed a pair of 25 mm GP 5000 TLs back on June 15th and filled em up with 100 ml of fluid each. On Aug 20'th I hit a pothole with my front in a dark tunnel and had a puncture on the running side of the tyre. The tyre gone flat in less than a minute and I inflated it 3 times before realizing that I have not a single drop of solution. I had to borrow a wheel and go back 17 km to the car and get solution. After adding 100 ml, and inflate, the tyre was good to go. Soi my advice to you is to add 50-80 ml per month if you want to be protected. Because in the summer, in Eastern Europe (Romania and Greece), we get 35-40 degress daily. This with 4 moth is maybe for winter time

[@PeterWebb-f3e]

Back for a refresher 5+ months after topping up my 32mm road tires. No sound of sealant sloshing and PSI drops from 50 to 40 between rides. I'll drop to 4 month checking/topping up.

[@MrLuigi-oi7gm]

After watching this well presented video (nice job Ollie!) and reading the many comments from folks about their own sealant protocols, I find myself even more convinced that my use of 40 gram Schwalbe TPU inner tubes on my road bike is the best strategy FOR ME. It's great us cyclists have a choice of products so that tubeless folks can do their tubeless thing and tube folks can do their tube thing. 👍🙌☺️

[@blahqwe]

exactly, what really is the great advantage of tubeless, only slightly faster? As changing an inner tube takes about 5 mins and that's a rarity anyway.

[@MrLuigi-oi7gm]

@@blahqwe Yes! Give me my Continental GP5000 tires plus Schwalbe TPU inner tubes and let me ride off into the sunset! 🌅🚴🏼

[@slowcyclist4324]

The problem with tube is that if you puncture, it has a 0 percent chance of sealing and your ride is ruined. With tubeless, it will seal most of the times without you even noticing. Tubes represent a 100% chance of stopping your ride, while tubeless allows you to ride on 80% of the time.

[@blahqwe]

@@slowcyclist4324 yes so you carry a spare tube, as most tubeless riders do anyway....so where's the big advantage?

[@adamandelin4109]

@@blahqwe because small thorns or even a small nail won't cause me to have to change a tube. Annoying to change tubes...the tire just seals up and you ride on. Huge advantage

[@tigerE10]

Cheers Ollie you saved my bacon! After watching this I checked my gravel bike with 38C Panaracer Gravel Kings which I fitted in March and were fully filled with Muc Off sealant (the purple stuff) at the time. They failed the dip stick test with a de-cottoned cotton bud. They were almost bone dry! They are now fully re-filled. Perhaps the two super hot heatwaves in the UK caused things to dry up faster than normal? Thanks again and will re-check in a few months.

[@LainOTN]

Hey! living in a very dry area I have to top it every 2 months in summer and around 4-5 months in winter. How fast it dries is more a fact of how dry/wet is your environment more than the temperature. But for sure the heatwave would make the environment a little more dry than normal.

[@gerardlynch9860]

Nice one !!!! Really needed this info got new bike 3 months ago with tubeless tyres. So time to replace

[@KenSmith-bv4si]

Nice one Ollie. I've been tubeless since 2016 I've tried a few different sealants, Stans Orange and Specialized RapidAir sealant, I like the RapidAir best. Like Ollie, I check it and add @ 3 months, its easy I tire lever one side open add sealant , reset bead then add air.

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

Somewhere a science classroom is missing its professor.

[@robertsignore7216]

Hi Ollie, I would love an explanation of how the internal friction of the tire and the different tube material affect the overall rolling resistance. Why are different materials more efficient?

[@thebrowns5337]

@King Of Crunk talc my tubes to. Its worth it.

[@ltrtg13]

I use tubeless valves on my mountain bikes. That has a valve core tool as a valve cap. The other is also a spoke key.

[@aidanburger9912]

Ollie is a vibe.

[@BhavaSindh]

Ollie, you are brilliant as always!

[@jameswilson2815]

I've learned in Hawaii where I live, I'll put in 2 ounces in a 29er every 6 mos. Never had a flat in 5 years. 😎🤙

[@TobiasHunt]

That was helpful and practical. The removal and cleaning of old gunk has put me off putting in the new (was just hoping they hold out instead). If I can just chuck in fresh pink goo, then all is good. 👍😎

[@paulannable3734]

Just add and top up. Music to my ears, thanks! I’ve been dreading the rigmarole of removing/resetting my tubeless MTB tyres.

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

Ollie is ever entertaining.

[@geoffrey2273]

Good information. I’m about to do this first time @ 4 months. I had a puncture a few days ago, and the small amount of sealant that escaped was liquid consistency. I live in a warm climate and store bike indoors. I’ve had three punctures in 1000 miles. One front, two rear. The front self sealed but did spray sealant all over. The rears didn’t self seal, and after some sealant kept escaping, I used a dyna plug each time. Took a few seconds, and no issues since. So for me, the convenience has been excellent. I have 32s and I inflate to the low 50 pounds. I ride road only. I will never go back to tubes.

[@PoulHansenDK]

When releasing the air, do it in the 9 o'clock position or you might get sprayed with sealant!!

[@David.1517]

I use "Flat Out" in both tube and tubeless gravel and mountain bikes. Works perfectly and DOES NOT DRY OUT! (For 10 years anyway lol).

[@ruwas369]

i have not checked the sealant in 3 years... i suppose i should take a look.

[@tonyo4984]

Take the opportunity to clear out the valve cores while you have them out of the valve so you can get a good airflow when pumping up your tyres. Even so eventually they will deteriate and will need replacing ☹ Also if you are not going to ride your bike for a while put the valves to the 6 o'clock position. If you leave them at 12 o'clock after a ride then there will be fluid in them and it will harden, at 6 o'clock it should run out.

[@ivanobulo]

Good video! I had a puncture few days back and it didn't seal because sealant dried out after just 3 months. Guess hotter California climate speeds up the process. Therfore this time I put 50% more and check again in 3 months.

[@pj9375]

Not all tyres wear at the same rate Ollie. My front tyre, even with rotation could last 2 to 3 year or even more so I’d definitely have the tyre off the rim at least once a year or two to scrape out the material that’s dried.

[@onurvarol1040]

You are the man.....

[@PashkaBear]

I got a flat tyre after two 2 years of riding same inner tubes. Replaced it in 5min and riding again. No sealants, special equipment valves or anything. Just a 4€ tube, that I had for a few years.

[@DamianSeverin]

Great - thank you!

[@rah4981]

I was a skeptic, but now I'm a tubeless fan. Not even one puncture on my road bike this summer.

[@hugochong9974]

Which tires are you using?? what country city do you mostly ride???

[@terrydean3802]

I replaced sealant once....when I went back to latex tubes after 3 months fiddling with The Tubeless Nonsense 😅🙄

[@nerigarcia7116]

Yeah, I just add sealant and don't worry about what's dried up anymore. The time I did go to clean it up it was more trouble than it was worth. I figure it's just another layer of protection anyway. Then by the time it gets too mucked up inside it's time to get new tires. One less hassle to worry about.

[@Chris-de2qc]

I'm not spending another $100 on a pair on new tires

[@nerigarcia7116]

@@Chris-de2qc I'm just saying I add sealant until it's time for me to buy new tires. I usually swap them out once a year anyway, so that's adding sealant like maybe twice a year. Just an excuse to buy new stuff.

[@SR-fm1ft]

I found that replacing tubeless sealant with an inner tube did wonders for actually being able to ride the bike with a specified amount of air in the tire reliability.

[@rdcycles9790]

I should probably top my up after 5 years. Never punctured though!

[@SharonPiano8]

My bike is three years old and never added sealant. Might something be wrong?

[@leftymadrid]

I've got some Mavic Ksyrium S rims tubeless and bombproof weighting in at a nice 1560g, riding them for three months now. Funny enough I've not gone tubeless yet! I thought I'd give the TPU-40 gram tubes a try thinking, "Ok when I get a flat l will do the jump over to tubeless" but heck no flats yet... I fear this is going to take a lot longer then I thought lol. And I may even stay with the idea of using tubes. I mean, when you think about it, it just takes a couple of minutes to change an inner tube. It's just so hard to stay away from a MaxissTyre with puncture protección that ONLY weighs (185g and a tube that's 3×stronger that weighs 40g) !!!

[@nige_breaks_bikes9782]

Simples ! And genius ❤️

[@chrisburton4694]

I tend to find the sealant clogs up the valves to the point I can’t always get air in. So have to clean entire valve before getting any where

[@Diana-ch3sh]

Thanks for a great video! (About how high up on the zip tie should the fluid level be? half inch? quarter inch?.. Thanks so much!)

[@k9taxi]

How do you check sealant level when you are using Vittoria Air Liners?

[@barriobarranco]

Never heard that tip about the valve core remover being on a multi tool, but just scrutinised my one (old Topeak Alien) and found the space on the chain splitter that does just that once the pin/thread have been unscrewed...top tip Ollie! (Tubeless is the way forward, love the comments from the rim brake loving luddites...)

[@WhaJMc]

What about just giving the wheel a shake? If you can hear the sealant sloshing around then it doesn't need topping up and there's no need to deflate the tyre. Works for me with my gravel bike.

[@davidcollier6520]

Thanks for posting this, it was very clear and helpful. I did have a question that does not look as if it has been asked. You said if the dip stick is dry then it is time to top up the sealant. But what would you say is the minimum of depth of sealant before it is time to top up, e.g. it is probably about 5 mm after topping up so maybe about 2 mm or 3 mm?

[@dh7314]

I have just removed my tyre after 6 months (Pirelli pzero with stans sealant) i was expecting it to be dried but weirdly it was almost entirely the same volume of sealant.

[@popejbryant]

"get yourself a dip stick .." *Cries in CushCore*

[@jaydavee]

TS-1, the sealant syringe everyone has broken the needle on, and the needle is sold out everywhere.

[@MichalBrat]

Thanks for the video, I have two questions: 1. how much did you deflate the tyre in the step one? It still seems to be quite inflated in rest of the video 2. can you mix various sealants? I have no idea which compound was put there by technician so I would just go for whatever brands` marketing persuades me.

[@kastking2958]

well removing valve core will release all pressure, so its safe to assume all the air. Maybe tires are rigid or clips shot at different times.

[@johnreese3762]

Got it! I think!

[@84imreplica]

I have tubeless tires on two of my four bikes and within the last two week I've had punctures on both tubeless tired bikes. Both times I took the flat tire off the rim and both were 95% dry. Before yesterday's ride I considered adding sealant, but decided to do it after the ride. That was a big mistake, because I got a flat on that ride. I've learned my lesson and will now add sealant every 4 months and I'm also going to keep a maintenance journal for each bike.

[@cb6866]

NOOOooooooooop ! Dr Bridgewood , please do not use pliers ! I know , most folks have em , but even an adjustable wrench is more forgiving . Thanks to all involved in these ! Dipstick out , here .

[@neilmdon]

I was just formulating an Isaac Newton snark when you said “it’s not magic, it’s gravity”. Ruined my day.

[@HennieBours]

But it might also be the the dipstick is still wet but without enough latex in the fluid. At that time the fluid does do its job anymore. It is more a kind of water at that time iso a mixture of latex which is needed to fill up the gaps.

[@DaveRider719]

I am using the vittoria road air liner. I think no dip possible here?

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Great tips! But.. there are better sealants, try Silca.

[@morganconey4814]

Best thing about this video is having a laugh at those worried about the weight of dried sealant. Does calculating the weight loss from tread wear in your tyre keep you awake at night? "it's got 3256 km on it now perhaps I should reweigh it? 🤔" 😂

[@joseluisperezrocha8044]

Replace or refill? Thanks Olie

[@departurexx1520]

Im not a tubeless fan, but base on my experience seeing other tubeless rider having problem with their tubeless...I would say replaced it. New rim tape, Valve and sealant with clean tires is the way to go.

[@Treningsprat]

Good hair!

[@bradsanders6954]

It tells you right on the sealant bottle, how long till sealant gets added...........also a thin prod can be used as a dip stick. Easy.

[@Arthur-kl4uo]

Noob question: If it depends on a lot of factors how long sealant is gonna last, how do those factors affect the life expectancy? Like, which factors prolong it, and which limit how long sealant typically last?

[@departurexx1520]

To be on the safe side, 2mth max you need to top up your sealant. My experience with some rider on tubeless is that some even 3mth their sealand has dried up. Is all depends, u might some get pinch hole during some rides for few mth rgar sealant help u sealed.

[@Arthur-kl4uo]

@@departurexx1520 Thanks. I know it depends, as said in the video, and as is the case with almost anything ;) But my noob question was more directed towards which factors make it last longer, and which factors make it last shorter before it eventually dries out? My guess is higher temperatures (summer) make it dry out faster than lower temps (winter). Probably sealant in road tyres (with less sealant) dry out faster than MTB (with more sealant)? Etc...

[@danwebber9494]

Mountain tires between 6 and 9 months, based on 100ml of sealant. Road tires with 30ml only 2-4 months.

[@departurexx1520]

@@Arthur-kl4uo Seriously really depends on how many times you ride and how far you ride. And also depends on your luck did you get any punctured that already help you to sealed during some of your ride or you didn't get it at all. More puntured more sealant use, less puntured less sealant use. That's why i said just do it every 2 mth to be at the safe side.

[@Arthur-kl4uo]

@@departurexx1520 Thanks, with the responses given, I think I am getting closer to answering my original question (which factors limit, and which extend the life expectancy of sealant), being: - Riding shortens life expectancy in comparison with not riding it (as riding increase likelihood of punctures) - Warmer and dryer conditions shortens life expectancy (because sealant will evaporate) compared to colder/humid conditions Am I missing something obvious other than this? -

[@proximityroars5149]

Hahaha, when you said 4-6 months I then realised I haven’t changed mine to two years, god I’m a bit late

[@CARPETFIBBER]

I change my yearly or as needed. Rarely get any flats.

[@rhobson]

So I should run tubeless because it's faster and lighter, but then I need to add almost two latex tubes worth of sealant, with the downside of possible spray in case of a puncture? Also I should continue to carry a tube in case the sealant doesn't plug the hole? Any more downsides? I'm sticking to inner tubes, specially since getting to know how light (and small to carry!) latex tubes are.... :)

[@erictravis5995]

Once the old sealant has dried up, is it okay to add a different type of sealant to the tire? I have changed types but have heard that mixing can be problematic for performance of the sealant.

[@elbiemetoo]

Consider replacing the valve stem core at the same time. They are cheep when bought in quality

[@jameswilson2815]

Also if you have more than 1 bike, make sure you don't mix different sealants. I run Stan's in one and Muccoff in the other. It just happened that way. Aloha.

[@KonstantinLopatin]

One extra point that I'd add is that you should consider the type/brand of sealant. They can be using different processes for the sealant to 'work', so topping up would work only with the same brand, as otherwise you could be diluting both inside the tire. But it's such a love-hate relationship. Tubeless setup saved me quite a few times on the road, but I ended up having to patch the tire from the inside and reassemble after a few hundred k.

[@uchuts]

Is it always ok and no problem to deflate `normal` like 1:50 with sealant in? I concern it may turn sealant solid like an actual puncture situation, sudden change of air pressure etc.

[@metpham]

great

[@basengelblik5199]

My sealant already lasts a full year. But that's an MTB with 1.5-1.7 Bar of pressure.

[@trananhvuong]

Tuyệt vời bạn hiền. Kênh hay video rất tốt. Chúc bạn hiền sức khoẻ và thành công. Đã ủng hộ.

[@jimhansen5395]

What's wrong with X-Ray Vision? It works fine for me!

[@davemcdonald5981]

What is the weight difference between an inner tube and the sealant needed in a tyre (total sealant weight after say a year)?

[@davemcdonald5981]

How much is the difference if the weight of the tubeless valve is included?

[@ivanteo1973]

after you put the sealant for a new wheel first time, weigh it. when wheel's weight start falling >10% top it up.