Serious question: how often do you clean out your tubeless tires?

676 Views 13 Replies 5 Participants Last post by jessymart, 3 mo ago

newleaf150

Discussion Starter · 5 mo ago

I am posting this in the beginner's forum because when it comes to this subject, that's what I am.

Though I've been aware of tubeless setups as a fact of life for some years, I never paid much attention to their ins and outs. I ended up going tubeless on a new ride without learning all I could in advance, as is my wont. Now I'm catching up on my tubeless reading and am not thrilled with what I'm seeing.

It appears that Stan's NoTubes and most of the the rest of the crop of tubeless sealants not only have to be replenished regularly, but leave behind a gummy mess inside the tire which must be cleaned out every year or so.

Has anyone dealt with this? It sounds like there's no need to scrub the inside of the tire clean, but rather to remove the chunks of dried sealant, or 'Stanimals', in order to keep things balanced and light. Until then, one presumably adds more sealant every few(?) months. Measuring the remaining sealant without breaking the bead and physically looking at the inside of the tire remains something of a mystery to me.

It is clear that the quart bottle of Stan's I purchased with the tubeless conversion constitutes massive overkill. I had no idea it only lasts a year whether unsealed or not.

So, tubeless folks, what does your maintenance and sealant routine look like? Do you pop tire beads to measure remaining sealant, or is there an easier way? Or is that not required for some reason?

Thanks in advance!

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maelochs

· #2 · 5 mo ago

No, no, no .... you are supposed to take off your tires and scrub off the sealant with a wire brush after every ride. Otherwise the sealant will seep into the tire, doubling their weight. It's one of the things that makes tubeless more convenient.

As for adding, I have no idea what to do with gallon-per-tire ice Cream tires .... but for a while I added a half-dose (I think it was an ounce) to a 28mm 700 c every month or so. It worked great, until I forgot for a few months .... now the tire seeps air and is also welded onto the rim. Tubeless is So much better!

I have heard about peeling out old dried sealant, but as to how frequently .... no clue. annually sounds fine. Depends on how long your tires last. lately, with my ride schedule, i could have these tires until 2050 .... I guess knobs tend to tear though .....

Seriously, I don't think you can measure remaining sealant .... I suppose you would have to leave the bike sitting for a day or two so it all pooled at the bottom, but even then, I would think a lot might stay as a fine film around the inside of the casing. I'd just and a couple quarts every month or so .... You'd figure tires that big, would come with a dipstick .....

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maelochs

· #3 · 5 mo ago

Here is some "official" and equally unhelpful info: How to Add Sealant to Tubeless Tires Tire Hub - A Quality One Tubeless tyres - topping up sealant

This a little better:

Contact | Orange Seal

How much sealant do I install? We recommend the following:

23–28c: 1-2oz
26–27.5: 3oz
29ers: 4oz
3.0 – 5.0: 6-8oz

Since Fat Bikes aren’t listed, obviously they cannot use tubeless tires.

Frequently Asked Questions—— The Best, by far: “How do I remove sealant from a Persian Rug?”

Since no one asks about top-ups, I guess they figure you will last a year and then totally redo the set-up …. But that’s not what anyone else says.

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maelochs

· #4 · 5 mo ago

This is also out there and was easily harvested …..

How Much Sealant Should I Add to My Tires?

Table showing much sealant Stan's recommends for your tubeless tires

www.notubes.com

This is closer to being comprehensive …… Eight ounces for a 27.5x4.6, they say ….

Sealant Support - Product Support | Stan's NoTubes

First Name in Tubeless | Stan's NoTubes designs have become the preferred choice of countless professional athletes and dedicated riders simply because they work. At NoTubes, our commitment to developing the next generation of outstanding products—new designs that outperform everything in their...

www.notubes.com

How long will the sealant last in my tire?
The sealant should last an average of 2-6 months depending on factors such as: temperatures and humidity in your area, how often you ride, where you store your bike (cooler is better), tire casing thickness, number of punctures the sealant has already sealed that you never knew you had, etc. A good preventative maintenance schedule for most riders is to check/refresh your sealant quarterly (every three months).

Do I need to clean the sealant out of my tires?
It is always good to wipe excess sealant out of your tires if you plan to use them again. A dry rag is sufficient for cleaning out regular sealant. Race Sealant must be rinsed out of the tire with water after use and then wiped with a rag. If allowed to dry, excess Race Sealant can cause the casing to stiffen, thereby affecting the performance of the tire.

In this video they seem to be adding two ounces to a four-ounce tire …….

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i12ride

· #5 · 5 mo ago

wuuuuuuutttttttttttt?!?!?!?!?..........The only bike I have that is tubeless had same sealant in the tires until they were replaced coupla years ago. Sealed bunches of punctures til the day the tires were changed. There was still plenty of functional sealant in them when they were swapped. Went tubeless in 2017 after getting bike from cwtch and same sealant was in there until 2021 iirc. I think that is when I did the fork upgrade, new chain, new tires and sealant, rotors, pads and fresh dot 5......so about 4 years or so. Won't mess with that again unless it demands attention or next set of new tires.

bike is stored inside in ac so maybe that helped, lol.....also supposed to be good for the brake fluid....which went longer than a year. Also about 4 years.

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maelochs

· #6 · 5 mo ago

i12ride said:
wuuuuuuutttttttttttt?!?!?!?!?..........The only bike I have that is tubeless had same sealant in the tires until they were replaced coupla years ago. Sealed bunches of punctures til the day the tires were changed. .... Won't mess with that again unless it demands attention or next set of new tires.

To be fair, your tires spend half of each ride suspended in the air.

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newleaf150

Discussion Starter · #7 · 5 mo ago

maelochs said:
No, no, no .... you are supposed to take off your tires and scrub off the sealant with a wire brush after every ride. Otherwise the sealant will seep into the tire, doubling their weight. It's one of the things that makes tubeless more convenient.

As for adding, I have no idea what to do with gallon-per-tire ice Cream tires .... but for a while I added a half-dose (I think it was an ounce) to a 28mm 700 c every month or so. It worked great, until I forgot for a few months .... now the tire seeps air and is also welded onto the rim. Tubeless is So much better!

I have heard about peeling out old dried sealant, but as to how frequently .... no clue. annually sounds fine. Depends on how long your tires last. lately, with my ride schedule, i could have these tires until 2050 .... I guess knobs tend to tear though .....

Seriously, I don't think you can measure remaining sealant .... I suppose you would have to leave the bike sitting for a day or two so it all pooled at the bottom, but even then, I would think a lot might stay as a fine film around the inside of the casing. I'd just and a couple quarts every month or so .... You'd figure tires that big, would come with a dipstick .....

Thank you for sharing your experience, and the links. I'd seen some, but not others and am still at the stage where I'm reading whatever I can find on the subject. More information is better, at least to start.

I have seen several references to breaking beads which felt like they'd been glued. Sounds like you've experienced that, too. As for sealant dosage on my tires, the best advice I have found is 6-8oz per tire. For Stan's at least.

A dipstick would be great, lol. I've seen a reference to using a Stan's injector to suck the fluid out of a tire for measurement, but that frankly seems farfetched to me. I love the injector's looks for, well, injecting sealant into the mounted tire. If you're me, that's way better than breaking a bead and physically pouring sealant in, then trying to re-seat the tire without spilling it all. I've no doubt there are people who can do just that. Indeed, I've watched a few of them on YouTube. I do not have to try that to know that I'm not among their number

.

This will be...interesting to figure out.

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newleaf150

Discussion Starter · #8 · 5 mo ago

i12ride said:
wuuuuuuutttttttttttt?!?!?!?!?..........The only bike I have that is tubeless had same sealant in the tires until they were replaced coupla years ago. Sealed bunches of punctures til the day the tires were changed. There was still plenty of functional sealant in them when they were swapped. Went tubeless in 2017 after getting bike from cwtch and same sealant was in there until 2021 iirc. I think that is when I did the fork upgrade, new chain, new tires and sealant, rotors, pads and fresh dot 5......so about 4 years or so. Won't mess with that again unless it demands attention or next set of new tires.

bike is stored inside in ac so maybe that helped, lol.....also supposed to be good for the brake fluid....which went longer than a year. Also about 4 years.

Dude, thank you for this. I very much hope my experience comes closer to yours than not. My bikes are not stored in AC, but they do live indoors.

I was hoping the stuff I've been reading online was overstating things a little. Sounds from this like that may be the case. I love the feel of my tubeless tires off road at 6psi, but I'd really rather spend my time riding than maintaining.

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i12ride

· #9 · 5 mo ago

the industry likes to perpetuate business sooooooooooo.......yes, have a shop rebuild your bike every time you ride....just like all the pros have their team wrench do. it is a must.

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i12ride

· #10 · 5 mo ago

I generally will test limits of usage and neglect to find limits of my equipment.....and then adjust component quality and maintenance accordingly. A baseline is a must, lol.....

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glanmit

· #11 · 3 mo ago (Edited)

i12ride said:
wuuuuuuutttttttttttt?!?!?!?!?..........The only bike I have that is tubeless had same sealant in the tires until they were replaced coupla years ago. Sealed bunches of punctures til the day the tires were changed. There was still plenty of functional sealant in them when they were swapped. Went tubeless in 2017 after getting bike from cwtch and same sealant was in there until 2021 iirc. I think that is when I did the fork upgrade, new chain, new tires and sealant, rotors, pads and fresh dot 5......so about 4 years or so. Won't mess with that again unless it demands attention or next set of new tires.

bike is stored inside in ac so maybe that helped, lol.....also supposed to be good for the brake fluid....which went longer than a year. Also about 4 years.

So happy to hear i am not the only one.
But that is the reason i am here, to learn something from pros.
So far that is one of the best articles about the tubeless tires i found https://www.bikertricks.cоm/tubeless-bike-tires/ and it finally explains what is so special about them.

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