what perishes inner tube.

[Pat "5mph"]

[QUOTE 4073148, member: 9609"]However the interesting find has been; Since adding a few drops of veg oil, the tyres don't seem to be deflating by the usual 20 - 25 psi every week. In fact other than the obvious loss of a a few PSI by simply attaching the track pump I would say they are not loosing any pressure at all. So presumably the bit of lubrication around the valve is allowing it to seal better. Its early days to be sure, but it would be nice if this little trick helped to reduce the natural loss of tyre pressure that I am sure most of us will be aware of.[/QUOTE]
You were actually doing this experiment on Christmas Day instead of ?
What I think is: loss of tyre pressure is like aging, you can delay it but it's inevitable
Olive oil is good for the skin btw, or for the salad, wouldn't dress a valve with it

 

[Levo-Lon]

Are you suggesting KY Jelly for valve seals? Actually might not be a bad idea.

well i wont ask for that ...ohh its for my inner tubes..

 

[Levo-Lon]

Red rubber grease as in brake seals if you must but its not as easy to buy now .
the safty brigade has stopped the sale of brake seal repair products ..so ebay is the place if you want some.
some shops may still sell it..

 

[Levo-Lon]

Vassaline is mineral based ?? Petroleum jelly...

 

[Ajax Bay]

You were actually doing this experiment on Christmas Day instead of ?

Since @User9609 was giving an update 3 weeks after his OP and he reported that after several weeks he'd experienced no pressure loss it suggests that he was just reporting the results; not actually 'doing' the experiment. So both of you were commenting on CC on that day (pots, kettles, black). But remember the Scots consider Christmas as a minor festival on the way to Hogmanay: the real one, so maybe Christmas Day is just one of those countdown days.

You've got to be impressed by the reported minimal pressure loss by using vegetable oil: perhaps this is 'new knowledge'. So as well as @Tom B 's "Talc, talc, talc" perhaps good practice with a new inner (butyl) would be to drop a few drops of said oil into the valve. A (CC) crowd long term experiment is merited - reporting back on this thread, perhaps.

 

[Globalti]

I'm big on lanoline for bike maintenance; it's extremely waterproof and lubricates small screws and bolts well but has the disadvantage that it stiffens up in cold weather so it's poor for greasing headset bearings but great melted and smeared all over the outside of the bearing to keep rust at bay, most bikes being designed for Californian conditions. I use a smear on the ferrules to waterproof my rear derailleur cable, which maintains shifting performance for longer.

Also the smell reminds me of my favourite sheep.....

 

[RichardB]

I'm big on lanoline for bike maintenance; it's extremely waterproof and lubricates small screws and bolts well but has the disadvantage that it stiffens up in cold weather so it's poor for greasing headset bearings but great melted and smeared all over the outside of the bearing to keep rust at bay, most bikes being designed for Californian conditions. I use a smear on the ferrules to waterproof my rear derailleur cable, which maintains shifting performance for longer.

Also the smell reminds me of my favourite sheep.....

And you'll never have dry skin again! Do you have a source for the lanolin? I don't recall ever seeing it on sale (except as an ingredient in pharma products) but that may be because I wasn't looking.

 

[Globalti]

I get it from our labs at work because it's sometimes included as an ingredient in skin creams and African hair foods. I guess you should be able to find it if you search for suppliers for cottage makers of cosmetics.

Edit: Amazon sells it.

 

[Broadside]

Do you have a source for the lanolin?

IIRC you can buy it in Boots, it's commonly used by breastfeeding mothers to help with sores. It's not cheap though at about £8 for a tube.

 

[RichardB]

Thank you both.