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As per title.
After a few weeks in Corfu, there was no sloshing sound (35C+ probably didn't help), so I topped up the sealant, and it just got me wondering about all the residue that must be still in there.
How many top ups of sealant, before you remove the tyre and clean out the dried up stuff?
Or, just keep topping up when needed until the tyre needs replacing. I have a feeling it might be this, but thought I'd ask
Tyres are both Vittoria Mezcals, if that makes a difference
Keep topping up. I only clean them out at tyre swap time usually and only if there is an excessive amount of dried sealant. Are the mezcals the tan walled race versions or the grey TNT ones? The race ones leak a lot more, so will need topping up more.
They're the tan wall/graphene ones, and they do seem to get damp patches occasionally. But not any actual fluid leaking out
I top up very rarely, unless I notice they're losing more air than usual or if I get a noticeable puncture and there's no seepage.
As for the Stanimals/gunk, if I really need to take the tyre fully off for some reason then I'll remove any big chunks. Otherwise I'm happy to let them mutate.
Yeah, those tan wall ones, and other manufacturer's thinner side-walled xc race tyres get those damp patches and/or visible fluid. It's still fluid loss either way, so you will need to top up more frequently, especially when it's warm. Conti's are worse though. The old pro-tection xc tyres must use teabag technology on the sidewalls. Fast though.
I just peeled two lumps of solidified sealant from my tires yesterday. I was experiencing some unusual wobbles at speed, and I'm hoping this resolves the issue. The way I hang my bike seems to promote the sealant solidifying in the same location, so I'm going to have to make sure I do something to change that. I topped up the sealant last month, and it was almost all gone yesterday. No punctures to let some out as far as I know.
Vittoria sealant is magic! Can be left for over a year without drying out and is also water soluble. No monsters, no hassle.
How long had it been in there before you went to Corfu?
How long had it been in there before you went to Corfu?
Vittoria sealant is magic! Can be left for over a year without drying out and is also water soluble. No monsters, no hassle.
I might try that at the next tyre change
Water soluble sealant sounds great for dry trail riding...
Anyone know which brands of sealant can be mixed with each other?
I got away with 18 months on the rear tyre of my gravel bike... I topped it up before going on a trip (realised it was dry), but should have done it sooner TBF. Currently has Stans in it.
It'll get a clean out when I swap front to rear, else I'll leave it alone.
Managed three years out of Mavic sealant (not sure who makes it), and it was still very wet after 4k (two years). Perhaps it was just luck.
Vittoria sealant is magic! Can be left for over a year without drying out and is also water soluble. No monsters, no hassle.
I needed new sealant, so I’ve popped for 500ml of Vitoria on the strength of this one post.
if I was lucky I got 3 months max out of stans, my last batch of home brewed latex and water stuff has dried up fast in the recent heat and I have lots of tyres to maintain now. A longer lasting sealant is a big need now…
@cookea make sure you shake the bottle of vittoria very well. It has glitter platelets to assist with bigger holes so if the bottle has been in stock a while they can settle out. Hope my recommendation works for you!
I swapped over to Oko Hifibre, which dries out just like most, but is water based and water soluble so you can dilute it again as it dries (and you can thin it if you like- it's pretty thick as it comes). Brilliant for me, I keep the bikes in the house so stans dries up in no time.
But it's not a magic bullet, because it doesn't "reactivate" once it's dried up, it's a preemptive maintenance thing so inevitably I forget to do it sometimes 😛
FWIW the sealants are only something like 15% solids, so once they've dried out there's not *that* much left.