How To Remove Tubeless Sealant From A Bicycle Tyre - Bike Maintenance

[@luketoms6110]

GCN have just ripped off your video. NICE.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 WOW GCN!! Sad really. You'd think an organisation of that size would know about this sort of stuff.

[@lovemore4229]

Next time I'm in the rubber tree plantation I'll pick some up, the joy of living in Thailand. Cheers for the info. Appreciated

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Convenient 🤣

[@vo2maximus177]

Great moast 😏

[@rick23ro]

It smells awful, you cannot transport that anywhere...probably this crepe is processed somehow to remove the smell.

[@4ht0x4]

Sandpaper cleaner stick is an alternative and google-friendly term, available at HW stores. The smaller version as in the video is also available in the arts and craft stores as an eraser

[@romanpramuka2703]

I'm using same tires and sealant on both my road bikes, lovely tires. During the winter, I spent a few hours in two days by cleaning the sealant from these tires. Thanks for the advice, I will try to source out this thing locally here in Europe. eBay or Amazon have ridiculously high shipping prices.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You sometimes find it in Arts & Craft shops. And also small dealers on Etsy sell it too.

[@MenHateWork]

I think a block for cleaning a belt sander is what we are looking for. Price is low and you have something to grab on proper…

[@thomastaylor7814]

I use a 4-inch piece of an old inner tube cut open to remove the died sealant from the bead and tire casing. It works!

[@toxicblackwidow9841]

Best trick ever to remove that dry nasty sealant. Many thanks !

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You’re welcome 👍

[@davesup5059]

Another option if you can't find crepe is the sanding disc/paper cleaners, woodworkers use. Same material. Very available

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Great tip 👍

[@mrgreekbeek]

A few decades ago, you used to be able to buy Crepe soled shoes, and yes, they were the same colour as the block shown in the video. They lasted longer than most shoe soles, but for some reason they’re no longer available.

[@vo2maximus177]

They got banned because they wore out the pavement 😁

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Clarkes desert boots, still make them I think 😂

[@FurySpyder]

Thanks for this, I'll give anything a go at this point 😂 ... Fed up with wearing the skin off my thumbs! I always remove old sealant, just good practice. As you say, it can negatively impact fitment of the tyre, it also adds weight, I also find that it usually pools in one location so you end up with the extra weight in one location too and an out of balance.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Just makes life that little bit easier.

[@JibbaJabber]

Lol. I was just reading the other day about the product 'rubber'. It was coined that because Joseph Priestley used it to 'rub out' his pencil marks. Now we have an even better use!!! It was introduced to Europe from I think the native South Americans I think. They had been using it to play ball games for centuries! So, at least we're bringing it back to sports!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Rubber..... of course, I never made the connection, but it's obvious really! It's interesting how we're surrounded by works that we never stop and think how the word came about!

[@darrenhitchcox6345]

Nice one Jon, not heard of this stuff before. Order in and see the results

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

Swapped many tires around on different hooked and hookless, narrow and wide rims and never had a problem with these dried bits. The only problem they cause is carrying a few extra grams.

[@rfeigen]

I use orange seal, aside from doing a great job, not a single puncture flat in 6 years! I find it very easy to clean a tire. Note I only do that before a big event. There is not much to clean after 6 months. I tend to go thru tires once a year. Just slowly peel residue off the inside of the tire, it comes off in one piece. It might take 60 seconds, what comes off is like a stretchy saran wrap. But again unless you are looking for every second... do not bother. I don't know what products require this extra care, just switch orange seal and don't worry about it

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You hear a lot of good reports about Orange Seal. The type of tyre in this video require a latex based sealant, which can be a real pain

[@jkayghaa]

Thank you. This will be needed down the line I imagine. 👍🏻

[@chrisbrodroy1183]

Most helpful video i have seen on youtube in a while!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Glad it was helpful!

[@doug1219]

i've had great success with a rag lightly soaked in isopropyl alcohol.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Interesting, never tried that. Will give it a go. Thanks 👍

[@adaycj]

Yea, and unlike a link to a product I already have those things for working on bikes.

[@tjb8841]

I just tried that this morning, not much success. To be honest, it was rubbing alcohol, which usually isopropyl alcohol, but not always.

[@johnstrac]

I don't use tubeless myself but that's crackin' advice.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

That is true praise indeed. Thanks 👍

[@vo2maximus177]

Many, many years ago, I used to wear shoes which had a crépe sole (no, not brothel creepers, I'm not quite that old). Great tip, thank you, ordered 👌. One small complaint: "boogers" is American, we say BOGIES. I checked with my nose, he agrees. I thank you.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Agreed, it should be bogies 😂. Yes, Clarke’s made a shoe they called a desert boot that had a crepe sole. They still make them.

[@ckspark2]

Great hack. But when you remount the cleaned tyre with new sealant, you will discover all the punctures that you might not have even known about have opened back up.

[@valveman2898]

This is great advice, I stopped using tubeless tyres because of the residual mess the old sealant makes leaving tyres difficult to mount …. but now I think I’ll reinstall them after giving it a go. Have 2 tyres in the shed caked in this sh&te.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

It is a real problem, and one that frustrates me. You dread taking a tyre off, because of the mess it'll make. I take them off, hose them off, and leave them to hang and dry for weeks. Then I just hit them with the crepe a few weeks later.

[@strandedpaki]

I don't understand. the older dried sealant layer enhances the puncture resistance of the previously more porous new tire. if there is a ton of it, for me most that mostly peels off by hand. but I'm not obsessive about removing all of it. never had any issues mounting it again after cleaning, and then adding more liquid sealant to make it truly puncture resistant again.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

If you watch closely, the tyre is sticking to itself, even though the sealant has been dried on for months. You won’t get that tyre to sit on the bead on both sides, it’ll just stick to the opposite tyre wall.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

​@@ribblevalleycyclist install it with a tube first, then remove one side and take the tube out. Problem solved

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Have done that in the past, and it does work in some cases, but this latex sealant is so sticky, that the tube gets stuck to it. It’s a nightmare

[@orenmk1973]

I personally use a microfiber cloth (the yellow ones from Costco ) … I rub the sealant off with those and it works great

[@velociraptor2544]

​@@ribblevalleycyclistsoapy water makes latex not sticky

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I wouldn't even bother with removing that small amount of sealant😂

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

It won’t mount back on the wheel. If you watch closely, the tyre is sticking to itself, even though the sealant has been dried on for months. You won’t get that tyre to sit on the bead on both sides, it’ll just stick to the opposite tyre wall. No choice but to clean it off.

[@xaein9515]

Here we go again

[@toxicblackwidow9841]

🤣

[@samsmith7866]

Hi,I really love your tutorials, you explain things so clearly and easily to understand. I would like to add a 34tooth sprocket to my 11/32 105 cassette, as at 72, I’m finding the hills a bit of a struggle at times. I was wondering if it was possible to buy just the one sprocket or would I have to buy the complete cassette. My current cassette is still quite new. Thanks in anticipation ,Regards Sam.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Hi Sam, First up, so sorry it's taken a while to reply. Miche used to do individual sprockets. There was a question whether you should 'Officially' use them, suspect that was down to the Shimano HYPERGLIDE technology. It's also worth noting that the 3 largest sprockets on your Shimano cassette are all riveted together onto a block, so you can't change just one of them. The simplest way is to just buy a cassette with larger sprockets. However, going from a standard cassette to a larger one is possible, but it's not as simple as you would think. You firstly need to work out what cassette size your derailleur will accommodate. If it's an 'SS' variant, then it may not accommodate a big cassette, but if it's a GS, you may be okay. Additionally, you need to take into consideration your chain size. When you add a bigger cassette, you need a longer chain. So the chances are, you'll need to replace your chain too!! Hope all of this has helped. Good luck with it all, and let me know how you get on. Jon

[@ysarn]

Ah, so now I know what a crepe soled shoe is made of which I have had in the past.

[@Sheltonial]

Brilliant hack! Thanks for sharing.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You're welcome!

[@Porculus]

If I could give you TWO likes, I would! Thanks for this.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Haha…… You’re welcome 👍👍

[@jj2138]

I have some of those wonderful Veloflex tires, but after a short time I realized ALL the sealant had dried up and I was riding around on a dry TLR tire. What sealant do you use, and have you had any issues with the sealant drying up quickly? I figured the supple casing breathed too much, or something like that...? I put in some TPU tubes and did not do sealant again.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You’re spot on, they breathe more than the average tyre, due to the thin walls. Put your bike in the rack, put your valves at 6 O’clock, remove the valve cores, and dip the sealant with a straw to check the levels. Do it every few months. I use Joes No Flats because it’s a latex based high end sealant that won’t stain the tyres sidewall.

[@jj2138]

Ha! Maybe I’ll give it another go with the Joe’s sealant….I don’t know anyone that uses this stuff, except you! 😂 and thanks for the tip about the crepe block!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

@jj2138 It’s the sealant Veloflex recommended 👍

[@Dr.Schlitz]

You can actually mount a tire like that inside out with a tube. Mount it on the rear wheel, put the bike in a workstand, turn the pedals to get the wheel spinning, and then apply your abrasive of choice to remove old sealant.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Interesting hack

[@toadsprocket7598]

what do you do if yoy want to remove the sealant because y[ur allergic to latex and your looking to replace it with latex free sealabt ?

[@Robert-mn8gc]

It's the Bicycle World Gone Mad . Who wants 2 stuff around with this Crap

[@daytch9485]

Astro pneumatic pinstripe removal eraser put it in the drill chuck at low to medium speed.

[@phil_d]

An alternative is to use a sealant like milKit that is water soluble so it doesn't dry and gum up! It can also be refreshed with water too.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Never heard of it, will look it up. Thanks 👍

[@phil_d]

@ribblevalleycyclist It's really, really good. Like all sealants, there is a limit of how well they truly seal a hole over the long term, but milKit is quite thick and has small fibres so it doesn't get ejected at higher pressures. If you have a tyre that is exceptional as tubeless on its own (like a Hutchinson Fusion5 Performance) you'll only be adding air once a week because it doesn't dry and seals the rim/tyre so well. I also use 20ml in a butyl inner tube and it will seal a small puncture by trapping sealant between the tyre and inner tube ... fantastic for a commuter like me and I just then have to pull out the bit of inner tube I need and whack a patch on it!

[@JamesSmith-zs8fl]

I'll just stick to Tires with Tubes, they are simple and work great for me.

[@nicholassaiz6543]

Best video ever.

[@LivandTrekGoCycling]

Good advice Jon 👍🚴

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Thanks. Just a quick fun one. Will try and get more like this out. Hope you're keeping well 👍

[@honestmcgyver]

EBay link used. Thanks

[@renefrank9251]

i think this problem depends a lot on the sealant you use. i just removed the tyres from two of my roadbikes. one was with this stans sealant whch is also sold bei schwalbe under their name. this one sticks to tyre inside very hard. the other tyre was filled with milkit sealant from swizzerland. this one you can just wash out with water. by the way milkit is the best sealant i ever used. but i went back to tubed now. tubeless is to much money, work no not for me😉

[@lovenottheworld5723]

At first I thought those black gloves on the bench were rubberised gardening gloves which you were going to use to rub the sealant off. I've heard that works for cleaning dried out sealant from the inside of the tyre.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Yeah, I've heard that heavy duty builders gloves with a thick rubber palm can work too...... Not sure which is better though.

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

Winner winner!

[@paddymurphy-oconnor8255]

Love it! ❤

[@dtdcampbell]

Wish I had this product link a couple weeks ago. 😂😐🥴

[@jameswilde3317]

I can't find this for sale online - any links?

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Give Etsy a try: www.etsy.com/market/crepe_rubber

[@markianross]

I've never needed to remove old sealant from a tyre, although it did bug me a bit leaving it on. Not sure why you're saying the tyre is "unusable"

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

It won’t mount back on the wheel. If you watch closely, the tyre is sticking to itself, even though the sealant has been dried on for months. You won’t get that tyre to sit on the bead on both sides, it’ll just stick to the opposite tyre wall. No choice but to clean it off.

[@markianross]

@@ribblevalleycyclist oh I see. Never had that problem myself. Will definitely give your tip a go though. 👍

[@micktheshaggy3977]

Has anyone tried a using a synthetic crepe instead (it is used for example in the brushes for cleaning suede / nubuk shoes)? I'm asking because it is impossible to find the natural latex crepe where I live (and there are no delivery options in any of the offers from the links provided by Jon, there are other offers but the delivery is too expensive).

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Mick, do you have any Arts & Crafts type shops where you are? Sometimes they sell it. Also, does Etsy deliver where you are?

[@micktheshaggy3977]

@@ribblevalleycyclist Hi Jon, thanks for the tip about Etsy, yes they deliver here (to PL), but the delivery cost is quite high. But maybe I'll find it in some local arts / crafts store.

[@RatluBoogerbag]

The crepe is French, but is not in any way a pancake. They are two very different things.

[@StayInTheWord]

Interesting video. Another reason I run tubes.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

+++++ SORRY!!! +++++ Recorded a close up of the crepe working, but forgot to include it in the edit, sorry! Frustratingly, once published, you can't edit.

[@KarlAllemyr]

you have a lot of helpful videos! watching few many of them now before when I gonna rebuild my bikes! thx!!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Some of the old ones are a bit embarrassing…… don’t watch those 😬

[@jamescurrie1285]

Where do you get a block of Crepe

[@RobertLendvai]

So how do I get dried sealant off my frame?

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

The same way, with crepe.

[@matthieubrasselet1]

crepe is from France the west side regio called Bretagne.

[@dougbowman312]

I have been running tubeless for a long time - both MTB and road - the only thing I do to clean a tire is pull the loose strips of sealant off the bead - I have done this for dozens of tires - you do NOT need to clean your of the old sealant

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

That is latex sealant, it remains very sticky. Watch the video again, you’ll see the tyre is stuck to itself, even though being removed months ago. The opposing tyre walls will stick to each other, and you’ll never get the tyre mounted to the bead. It needs removing.

[@jonienglish3231]

Tip - after cleaning, let Dry . Then Spray on gutter sealant, let dry then mount the tire and add tire sealant. I find most new tubeless tires and very porous

[@MiataBRG]

Sorry, but in what way is that tyre 'next to useless' and ready for the bin?! It's just got some dried sealant in it.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Because, that old sealant is so sticky, you won’t get the tyre to mount the bead. If you don’t get it off, you can’t use it.

[@dogbreath6974]

Could you use chalk, like when you repair a puncher with a patch and put chalk on the glue over spill, not sure how the new sealant will react to it though.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Interesting question. Think you're right though, the new sealant may get prematurely dried out by it.

[@markoneal9677]

Solving a problem that doesn’t need solving. Don’t remove the tire. Don’t remove dried sealant. Just keep topping it off until the tire wears out

[@mikem4814]

That tiny piece of crêpe sounds like it would be very hard on your fingers and offers very little surface area and not much leverage. Get a larger cleaning stick that woodworkers use for sandpaper. You can then utilize the strength of your entire hand.

[@hansgarcia6302]

Hey David Attenborough, get to the point!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

What??????

[@hansgarcia6302]

@@ribblevalleycyclist wasn't sure if I was watching a how-to video or act 1 of King Lear!

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Is your attention span shorter than 4 minutes?

[@hansgarcia6302]

@ribblevalleycyclist yes it is! I'm just messing with you! Great piece of advice with the crepe. Gonna try to unencumber a bunch of Schwalbe tires with tons of Stan's stuck to them.

[@stillededge]

Soooo...just rub it until it comes off. F&$$ing great. Thanks.

[@crack0n]

wtf that's awesome

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Pretty handy tip!!

[@WowRixter]

The best technique I know is to stick with inner tubes 😁

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

This argument also has weight 👍

[@tomertz1]

I was hoping to see the rubber block in action

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You’re right, sorry. I actually recored the B-roll of it in action, but just forgot to include it in the edit. My bad, sorry!

[@dominickbrookes5103]

Why on earth do tire companies not charge a bit more but 8nclude this in the purchase options?

[@bockersjv]

Has anyone tried a toffee wheel? It’s great for removing residue left from stickers/decals.

[@alexc9584]

First time viewing your content. Just some feedback, this could have been 60 seconds maximum rather than 4 minutes. The other 3 minutes are general filling the space, i know us brits link to natter on and moan but keep it positive and to the point.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Thanks for your feedback, Alex. I spend a good part of the time talking about how good that little known tyre is, which I agree, may be seen as slightly off-topic, but would say is valid content for a cycling channel. I then go on to discuss other methods that don't work very well, which I also feel is also relevant to this subject. Additionally, there is little to no benefit in cycling related channels producing short form content on KZbin. If there was, they'd do it a lot more than they do! But yes, you're right, I could've made that in under 60 seconds.

[@damirjukic1657]

one and only device. you don't need to remove sealant.

[@markrushton1516]

Veloflex? Is there a support vehicle with you. Lovely tyres but not for our roads.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

To be honest, I’ve been alright with them. Need to watch out for holes though, and some thicker tyres are tougher.

[@karlj711]

How is it useless if there's no huge clumps of sealant present? The existing sealant could be potentially plugging holes that the new sealant might struggle with. Leave the tyre alone & just add new sealant.

[@saskhiker3935]

I just use my tire until the treads are gone and throw the old tire away.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Agreed, and most tyres live this life. However, you do get instances where a tyre needs removing....... which is something I dread when it's tubeless.

[@saskhiker3935]

@ribblevalleycyclist its the bead i can't break off and remove my tire. I tried dish soap and water, standing on the tire and pulling it. I can't get my tire levers in to get the tire off the rim. It is most frustrating for me. I ride tubelss and only once did zi puncture the tire so bad I had to remove it and replace it. Usually the tire seals itself. I am quite cautious not to flat on my rides.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

It can be really hard getting the bead to break when using sealant. One trick is to clamp the tyre in a bench vice and then lever the wheel, rather than the tyre. You get more leverage that way.

[@kidsafe]

I just use Orange Seal and it peels right off in one sheet...

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Interesting, will look it up. Thanks 👍

[@thisisobvious]

could have used some more footage of the method in action - not that I don't believe you, but "seeing is believing" as they say.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

You’re right, sorry. I actually recored the B-roll of it in action, but just forgot to include it in the edit. My bad, sorry!

[@Heizie999]

maybe rubber might helps?

[@MikeJones-wo7vm]

This does not work if the sealant is even slightly wet. It gets super slippery.

[@XPCTECH]

I'm not spending 30 minutes cleaning a set of tires.

[@dmd8552]

Won't ruin the environment eh? -throws it at an endangered owl like a ninja star -

[@flowka23]

It's French

[@stewart4711]

Why did u inject the it to begin with . When its already been tried.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Sorry, don’t understand the question.