Monday, November 16, 2015

From Tony: Fat Bike Tubeless

I am relatively new to tire sealants and my fat bike was the first in my fleet to switch over to the tubeless world. I chose Orange Seal based mainly on their claims that their sealant preformed best at sub zero temperatures. The product worked. No flats all last winter. I know it is not a big endorsement because who gets flats riding around on snow. Curiosity got the better of me about what was going on inside the tire and because all sealant companies recommend adding fresh sealant every 4 to 6 months, I decided to take it apart. Breaking the seal along the bead was very difficult and I had to resort to levers and body builder noises. The latex material is amazingly tough. The photo shows the coagulated sealant after hanging in my garage over the summer. No doubt all sealants dry up eventually. At I thought I would cause a sizable weight imbalance, but when I pulled it out, it only weighed an estimated 15 or 20 grams. Considering the overall mass of the tire material, I don't believe it will even be noticed while riding. I don't plan to mess around with the front tire except to add the recommended refill of sealant.

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