Well after a few years of humming and hawing I’ve finally set my tires up tubeless. Used finish line sealant and a basic floor pump. Only took me one beer!
I was reluctant as there was some sort of dwarfen technology that allowed me to use the same tubes for SEVEN years (through multiple tires).
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Tubeless is great. I’ve only had a couple of flats since going tubeless four or five years ago and all were the result of the sealant drying out / me not adding more early enough.
Is that Finish Line sealant the stuff that’s supposed to never dry out / need replacing? If so, let us know now it works out for you. I was quite interested in it when it was first announced, but was scared off by a number of poor reviews.
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I’ve had it (Finish Line) in my Icons for a couple of months and no issues, Having spoken to 2 different shops that use it, I should be cursing it right now, but I’m not.
It doesn’t set the beads as easily as other sealants (from what I’m told) and it’s ability to actually seal small holes is reportedly poor. I’ve been running pretty aggressively in dry and rocky trails and no tears (from my eyes) yet.
YMMV
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Yup, since I’m lazy I couldn’t picture myself having to top up or replace dried up sealant periodically. I’m hoping to go for a ride at keppoch this weekend. Will let you know how it goes!
I’m using Finish Line in one bike and Orange Seal in another. I’m loving the Orange Seal, the one hole I noticed this year was a bit of a tear and it sealed pretty well, I did patch the tire on the inside later on as a precaution.
The Finish Line is okay so far but I am having an issue with it sealing one brand new tire. It keeps seeping out at the bead but never really seals.
I recommend carrying a tire plug kit, in case of a bigger hole that he sealant can’t handle. There’s lots of fancy kits from bike companies but I just use an automotive kit from Cambodian Tire because it’s the same thing for way less money. The insert tool is a bit bulkier but not a deal breaker in my mind.
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Long term tubeless mtb tire sealant throwdown - singletracks.com
Hopefully the Finish Line sealant works better for you than the above review.
I’ve been running Stans for a few years, and have never had an issue (aside from topping up the sealant from time to time). After reading that article, I don’t think I’ll bother switching to something else when I need more.
I read that review too. I’ve used Stan’s and Orange Seal and both are fine. I just wish they lasted longer. Don’t seem to be any better options yet.
Just curious… how long between top ups are you going?
I guess if the finish line leaks on me I could try the glitter trick?
I’d say quite a few months. Last season I was starting to get a slow leak in one tire between rides because the sealant had dried up and I hadn’t topped it up. This season I added more sealant when I took the bike out of hibernation in the spring, and there was still plenty in there when I swapped my tires the other week.
Put new tires on in March with new Orange Seal sealant haven’t added any yet…knocks on wood.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever done a maintenance top up yet. So far I’ve only added more after getting pinholes that don’t seal. Typically that’s been after four to six months. Going forward, I think I’ll try to do it every three to four months.
You generally don’t know it’s dried up until you get a puncture and it doesn’t seal, so better to add early than to wait too long and get a flat.
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I put tubes back in a few weeks ago. The tires were pretty dry on sealant.
I’ve run sealant for a few years on my old Stumpjumper. Great for preventing pinch-flatting. But they burped a lot. Whenever I would go a little sideways (if I didn’t land straight off a drop), the tires would burp. Most of the time they would seal up again after I put some more air back in, but not always.
I ran Kenda Nevegals on Mavic Crossmax ST wheels. The Nevegals didn’t fit super-tight on the Crossmaxes, so it was probably just that combination of wheel and tire. They were a real pain to get the initial seal - a floor pump definitely would not do it.
I got tired of the burping issue, and more recently have gone back to running tubes. I don’t think I’ll go tubeless on the new bike, at least for a while.
I ran my fatty tubeless last winter, so I figured it was time to go tubeless on my main trail bike late this summer. I’m pretty light and haven’t dropped the pressure much below 25psi, so I dunno if I should have more burping happening, but so far it hasn’t happened. I tried tubeless years ago with a set of Sun Ringlé rims and Schwalbe tires and it was garbage, but I also think I did the taping wrong.
I’m running Mavic 427s (with a huge ding in the rear from a rock in Moab last year) with Maxxis 2.5" HR2 and an Assegai in the back (what a pain in the ass to mount!). I don’t seat my tires with sealant, I use warm soapy water, air them up to 50 psi and then I add Stan’s sealant with the Injector tool through the valve stem.
I was wondering if when people top up their sealant if they unseat the bead, clean out the old and then add, or do you just add through the valve?
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I have always left the old sealant in, especially the stuff that has dried to the inside of the tire. I just remove my valve core, inject more sealant, re-inflate the tire and ride.
Did you run the fat bike with tubes before going tubeless? Did you notice a big improvement in any way? I’ve considered doing that with my fat bike, but I will probably be swapping tires back and forth quite a bit, so it probably wouldn’t be worth the hassle.
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The only time I’ve ever had a problem with burping is when I’ve let the pressure get too low. If I keep the rear at 24 psi or more (I can run as low as 15 or 16 with my 27.5+), I’m good. (For reference, I’m about 180 lbs.)
For seating, I just do it dry now. Take the valve core out, seat with my compressor, put sealant in through valve stem, reinstall valve core and inflate. Quick, clean and easy.
As for adding sealant, I just put more through the valve stem without cleaning. (Unless I’ve put a tube in while out on the trail, of course.)
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I love riding tubeless, the only thing I don’t like about it is the mess that results when I try to swap tires. So I mostly set and forget and don’t bother changing the tires unless I need to.
For fat bikes, I recommend the Fatty Stripper system. Yes, it helps to have Tubeless Ready (TR) wheels and tires, but I’ve been able to inflate my tubeless setup with a floor pump; no compressor needed.
Have always used Stan’s sealant, but will probably give Orange Seal a shot next time, unless there’s a new “must try” sealant on the market by the time I use up all my current stuff. 
Goodyear has launched a new sealant that they claim will last up to seven months. I’ll be interested in reviews.
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First tubeless ride at Keppoch. Ran 20 psi according to my gauge although suspect was probably higher. No issues with burping, etc off jumps. By the way keppoch is awesome these days! More new trails, they apparently had 100 STFX student out working on them.
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