slime, and its ilk

[alecstilleyedye]

i'm thinking of sliming my mtb's tubes as a cheap alternative to buying decent tyres. it only does canal towpaths and bridleways.

any good as a make do?

 

[handsome joe]

I've got a pair of Schwalbe city jets, with Specialized tubes, on my MTB and ride on a tow path nearly everyday on my commute. In 9 months only have had one small puncture. If you look around i think you can pick some City Jets up for under a tenner. I've heard slime can be heavy and that put me off getting it myself.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

Slime is VERY heavy, just where you don't need the weight on a bike.

I found a slimed tube on an old junker I bought and it was like riding something ten pounds heavier than it was.

 

[mickle]

Use 'Stan's No Tubes'. You'll never need to pump up a tire ever again.

 

[Tynan]

I''d never heard of that before mickle, is it as sensible as it claims to be and is it a good idea for road tyres? never mind the protection, does it really make wheels lighter and more efficient?

 

[punkypossum]

I use slime tubes and have been very happy with them - the weight difference is not that great (especially on thinner tyres) and the lack of punctures more than makes up for it afaic!

 

[jimboalee]

I use BikeDoctorX.

Only because it was given to me by Steve Jackson at Kelvin Cycles and I didn't fancy shelling out for Marathon + for a crappy old upright I use in the depths of winter.

I have had two punctures with the 'slimed' tubes. The tyres stay up for the duration of my commute - 1 hr - and show a softening after 3 - 4 hours.
It is NOT a 'cure all - permanent fix'. It's a 'get me home' where I can fix the puncture in comfort. In my case is was in the office at lunch time.

 

[RedBike]

I've never had any luck with slime tubes. They simply didn't seem to work.
Stans on the other hand seems excellent.

I never noticed any additional weight gain using the tubes on the MTB. The weight difference is insignificant compared to how much heavier a tyre gets when muddy.