Tubes with slime in .

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gavroche

Getting old but not past it
Location
North Wales
I was in Halford earlier and noticed those puncture proof tubes. They are expensive though at £8 each.
I have 4 bikes and to fit them all with them would cost me £42. I queried it with the sales assistant and he said he could do it for £36.
My question is: is it worth it? Are they really as good as they say and would self seal in case of a puncture?
I won't go tubeless as it doesn't appeal to me so is that the best next solution ?
To be honest, I get very few punctures, may be once a year or even less as, at my age, I only cycle about 2000 kms a year.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Not worth it. Doesn't generally work that well.

Do they come with Lemon in too ? ;)
 

Drago

Legendary Member
I found they work well. I once rode through a patch of thorny hedge trimmings on the way to work and it held all day and got me home again. When I went to repair there were about 20 thorns thought the tyre and into the tube to the extent i had to peel the tube off the tyre.

So they worked well for me as a "must get where Im going more or less on time without fail" option.

Downside it's they're weighty and add the mass where you want it then least - a gram on the rim is worth three or four on the frame so it does blunt performance and deaden response and feel a noticeably. That being the case I used them on my computer but never on my other bikes.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
I find it doesn’t work too well in tubes

Limes-peels-pulp-sections.jpg
 
I was in Halford earlier and noticed those puncture proof tubes. They are expensive though at £8 each.
I have 4 bikes and to fit them all with them would cost me £42. I queried it with the sales assistant and he said he could do it for £36.
My question is: is it worth it? Are they really as good as they say and would self seal in case of a puncture?

Something not quite right with your maths @gavroche ... 4 bikes have 8 tyres so the total should be nearer £64. Unless two of your bikes are tricycles.

I've got slime tubes fitted on all 6 of my bikes and I have had only one problem in 10 years and over 51,000 miles of cycling - and that was because I'd forgotten to check the pressure of the tyres before setting out in the morning.

It's possible that the tyres may deflate overnight so you should check them before going out on a ride. If necessary re-inflate them if they're low on pressure and check them again after 10km or so.

I think they're a wonderful invention and can totally recommend them. I don't understand why more people don't use them - although there are some people who seem to enjoy wasting time by the roadside mending punctures (I prefer to carry on cycling serenely).

They are another level of security - not 100% guarantee - but much more reliable than ordinary tubes.

They don't last for ever of course and you'll need to replace them every few years.

Prices vary according to tyre size .. my latest purchase was last month: 700X19/25 - and the price was 12,20 euros (inc TVA).

Why not get them fitted on the bike you use the most and see how you get on?
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
I've just had this conversation with a friend, I advised against it. My experience has been less than stellar - when I first got back into cycling, my Dad had them in his bikes so I did the same - worked out to be all the mess of tubeless (gunk all over the inside of the rim and tyre) but not as effective.

When the inevitable happened and you got a puncture that wouldn't seal, you now have to replace a tube and do something with the ungodly mess that you take out. Tubeless works because when that happens you try a plug an if that doesn't work then you drop a tube in and you can clear most (if not all) the mess out.

For punctures in the single digits annually, stick with regular tubes.
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
I tried the Slime tubes too.
Tried them a couple of times, actually.
Only the pricey original Slime make are good imo, beware of imitations.
I rarely get punctures, because I use Marathons greenguard.
Anyway, one time the Slime tube worked, resealed itself, the other time it didn't work, but that could have been operator error.
When it was time to replace them I didn't bother.
 
I find it doesn’t work too well in tubes

View attachment 782834

Don't be stupid, they mean this stuff which goes into tubes a lot easier (at first anyway and I don't know how effective it is :okay: )
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
If you try Slime tubes, I'd recommend that you use tubes that are on the large side for your tyre - eg 38-48 tubes in a 35 tyre, so that the tubes aren't stretched when inflated inside the tyre.
If they are stretched, and puncture, the bit of tube against the puncturing object is pulled away from it by the stretched rubber on the other side, leaving a gap that is difficult for the sealant to close. When not stretched, the puncturing object itself can do a reasonable job of plugging the hole it's just made, and it's easier for the sealant to finish the job.
Even with ordinary tubes and no sealant, I've found that generously sized tubes can seal against a thorn well enough that you only need to pump once every 2 or 3 days.
 

wakemalcolm

Legendary Member
Location
Ratho
Had a commuter with hub gears and brakes. The whole assembly was horrible when it came to taking the wheels off. On the advice of the bike shop I put slime in and didn't have a puncture in 4 years (running city slickers along a canal path). In fact, I don't think I even took the wheels off myself: I got them to replace the tyres when the Nexus split under warranty (which it did, twice).
 

PaulSB

Squire
I've never ridden slime tubes but I've been riding tubeless tyres for 6 - 7 years. When a tubeless punctures one sees sealant spray out through the puncture hole as it seals. With tubeless one is often unaware of a puncture as only a pin head of sealant is visible on the tyre surface.

I imagine tubes press hard against the inside of the tyre. My question would be does the slime penetrate and fill the hole entirely? Does it need to spill out as with tubeless tyres? I guess I'm over thinking this but is the tube pressing against the tyre a hindrance to a good seal?
 
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Way-Out-West

Well-Known Member
Location
Pinno's attic
I've never ridden slime tubes but I've been riding tubeless tyres for 6 - 7 years. When a tubeless punctures one often sees sealant spray out through the puncture hole as it seals. With tubeless one is often unaware of a puncture as only a pin head of sealant is visible on the tyre surface.

I imagine tubes press hard against the inside of the tyre. My question would be does the slime penetrative and fill the hole entirely? Does it need to spill out as on tubeless tyres? I guess I'm over thinking this but is the tube pressing against the tyre a hindrance to a good seal?

It's more difficult for a sealant to seal an inner tube than a tyre as the walls are thinner.
 

Way-Out-West

Well-Known Member
Location
Pinno's attic
I didn’t have any luck with Slime (maybe they’ve since changed formula). I moved to OKO tyre sealant and this stuff has been superb. Since using it, I’ve never had to repair a puncture at the side of the road (tempting fate) for I’d guess 70,000 miles. My brother uses it too and has had the same experience.

A couple of things to mention; 95% of punctures go unnoticed at the time, but the tyre/tube still deflates over time (say overnight) so still needs patching at some point. And sometimes the valves get gunked up and can slowly leak air until they are cleaned. I put a smear or silicone grease on the valve innards which keeps them free of this issue for a long time.

Filling inner tubes requires ones with removable cores (Continental/ Schwalbe), a large syringe and a brake bleeding tube (soft rubber tubing). 60-80ml in a 25mm tube/tyre.

OKO do an x-treme bike version which I currently use, but have also used their off road machinery one which is better value. They perform equally well.
 
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