Self-sealing inner tubes?

[mrmacmusic]

You may have read my 'Bad day' post over in the Commuting section, but I thought I'd post this over here.

Since my recently purchased Marathon+ tyres haven't managed to get rid of the puncture fairy, I'm thinking about getting me a self-sealing inner tube for the rear tyre.

Can anyone offer any advice on them? Do they actually work? I don't want to squeeze gunk into my existing tube, and will quite happily buy a new pre-filled slimy tube if it's going to do what it says on the tin......

 

[ushills]

You may have read my 'Bad day' post over in the Commuting section, but I thought I'd post this over here.

Since my recently purchased Marathon+ tyres haven't managed to get rid of the puncture fairy, I'm thinking about getting me a self-sealing inner tube for the rear tyre.

Can anyone offer any advice on them? Do they actually work? I don't want to squeeze gunk into my existing tube, and will quite happily buy a new pre-filled slimy tube if it's going to do what it says on the tin......

I've used them on a mtb and had good results, would have thought they would be great for commuting.

 

[col]

Sounds a good Idea, I wonder if those strips that are inserted between tyre and tube are effective too?

 

[mrmacmusic]

I've decided to order a "Slime" tube.... I reckon I need to just give it a go and see if it actually makes a difference

 

[Herzog]

I've decided to order a "Slime" tube.... I reckon I need to just give it a go and see if it actually makes a difference

I know you haven't got them yet, but I've a question.

Do you know if it's obvious if the slime has sealed a punture (e.g., leaking on outside of tyre)? Or is an absence of punctures the only evidence you would have to see that it's working?

 

[MattHB]

i use slime in my tubes.. trouble is, i cant say if it works as i dont know if ive had any punctures!

I had a puncture in my first week of ownership, which was some 7 weeks ago, nothing since. No slime in until after the first puncture.. so who knows!

 

[mrmacmusic]

I know you haven't got them yet, but I've a question.

Do you know if it's obvious if the slime has sealed a punture (e.g., leaking on outside of tyre)? Or is an absence of punctures the only evidence you would have to see that it's working?

I suspect that would be about the face of it... I wouldn't be at all surprised though if when removing a slimy tube after months of uneventful riding you discover it's covered in little green dots (assuming the slime is green)

 

[Edge705]

IMHO these should be used for casual cycling not commuting - Good puncture resistent tyres will serve you better than these gimmick inner tubes

However before Im shouted down I did say IMHO and from experience of the lad at work using them for his commute needless to say he's gone to gator skins and standard tubes

 

[mrmacmusic]

IMHO these should be used for casual cycling not commuting - Good puncture resistent tyres will serve you better than these gimmick inner tubes

I'm not shooting you down, but if they work as advertised, surely self-sealing tubes are perfect for commuting... why on earth wouldn't they be?

It's clear that everyone's experiences are different – I've only been commuting for a few months, and since cycling 5 days a week, I was getting regular punctures (even 2 in one day), this being on the supposedly puncture resistant Continental tyres that my bike was supplied with

On the recommendation of several folks here, I switched to Schwalbe Marathon Plus, and suffered a puncture last night only 250 miles in. There are some who've got thousands of miles (apparently) on those – and other – good quality, puncture-proof tyres, so I'm either very unlucky, or it boils down to my route and the surfaces involved, or maybe a bit of both.....

Gimicky they may be, but if by spending a few pounds on a slime-filled tube I can cut down on the unscheduled deflations, I think I'll be a happy bunny

 

[ushills]

With the slime tyres the only time I've known I had a puncture is when you pick up a thorn with a branch attached. When this had happened and I've pulled the thorn out you can hear the hiss of escaping air, spin the tyre and a small blob of green appears and the leak stops.

When I changed tyres on my MTB the last time there must have been half-a-dozen little green blobs and I've never stopped for a puncture unless I've picked up the aforementioned branch.

I never notice any additional weight or any sloshing sensation, I think as it's fairly viscous it get spread around the outer of the inner-tube as you ride and therefore acts like a puncture resistant belt. Personally if stopping was an annoyance (i.e commuting or night MTB'ing) I would use them all the time. I've not fitted them to my road bike as it doesn't seem as affected by the p' fairy.

 

[mrmacmusic]

With the slime tyres the only time I've known I had a puncture is when you pick up a thorn with a branch attached...

...if stopping was an annoyance (i.e commuting or night MTB'ing) I would use them all the time. I've not fitted them to my road bike as it doesn't seem as affected by the p' fairy.

Thanks ushills, most useful

 

[SquareDaff]

I fitted a rear one about 3-4 weeks ago after suffering regular rear punctures on my commute. I've not had to stop so far (touch wood), so I assume they're working. I just use Continental Ultra Sports on my bike. The only thing I noticed was a slight difference in "feel" from the rear wheel the 1st few times I rode the bike - now it feels no different to the front (which still has it's original tube).

I do tend to ride slightly further from the curb in the section of the road I used to get the punctures now, as well. I presumed that the street cleaners (if they even ran) were pushing all the rubbish from the road into my potential path.

 

[Montague Urban Rider]

I've used both slime and Dr sludge inner tube, on my commute and mountain bikes, they work, and they also fail.

If the hole is small you just never notice, small = under 1mm

if the hole is bigger, often hear a hiss as air is released, the stop check tyre, nothing sticking in it, is the pressure ok then continue. Fix as normal at the first warm dry location

Or worse case (has happen twice), hear hiss and again and again etc. can't continue as you have a flat, in which case treat as a normal, patch or replace and deal with problem later.

When fixing you'll often find more than 1 'hole' fix them all

 

[MrJamie]

I put slime tubes on my old mountain bike because they had some decent reviews and i hate punctures. From my experience the slime does generally work against some types of punctures, the small holes in the tube seem to be sealed without much/any loss of pressure (on a MTB), but i found that when thorns etc got stuck in the tyre it would often flatten, presumably repuncturing, larger holes would lose a lot of pressure before they sealed and the seal could break if you tried to pump the tube up again.

The other thing (the downside) is that every time you want to pump the tyre up, you have to take some time to help the slime drain away from the valve so that it doesnt seal up and brake the valve, even if you do this the little that escapes each time seems to clog the valve over time, which was tolerable until it started getting in the pump too. Its not uncommon for a quantity of slime to escape through the puncture hole before it seals and spray your back/trousers with green stuff. Also theyre fairly heavy so not really complimentary to lightweight tyres.

Having used slimes, they were quite effective vs punctures, but i prefer M+ and cheapy tubes.