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Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 11th 11, 05:20 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Bob[_19_]
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Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

Hello,

Do those "self-sealing" inner tubes work ?

When putting on new tubes, worth going to the trouble to get them ?

Any thoughts on would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob
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  #2  
Old April 15th 11, 01:58 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
dgk
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Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

On Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:20:41 -0400, Bob wrote:

Hello,

Do those "self-sealing" inner tubes work ?

When putting on new tubes, worth going to the trouble to get them ?

Any thoughts on would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob


No one answered? Well, they seem to work for me, assuming you're
talking about the slime tubes. The slime does add some rolling
resistance but it's worth it for me.

There are several kinds of slime though, online some folks have
written that stuff sold in Walmart is watered down. I just got some
new slime from Nashbar to use in my Significant Other's new bike.

It does tend to mess up Presta valves though. They become hard to
unscrew in order to open them.
  #3  
Old April 17th 11, 08:16 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
Tºm Shermªn™ °_°[_2_]
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Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

On 4/11/2011 11:20 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Do those "self-sealing" inner tubes work ?

Some swear by them, other swear at them.

When putting on new tubes, worth going to the trouble to get them ?

Any thoughts on would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob


Do you live in an area with lots of puncture vine thorns, broken glass,
etc where you will be riding? Otherwise, flats are not that common,
assuming that you are not using racing tires with relatively thin and
fragile casings and tread.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.
  #4  
Old April 17th 11, 09:27 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
Blue Heeler[_2_]
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Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

Tºm Shermªn™ °_° wrote:

On 4/11/2011 11:20 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Do those "self-sealing" inner tubes work ?

Some swear by them, other swear at them.

When putting on new tubes, worth going to the trouble to get them ?

Any thoughts on would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob


Do you live in an area with lots of puncture vine thorns, broken
glass, etc where you will be riding? Otherwise, flats are not that
common, assuming that you are not using racing tires with relatively
thin and fragile casings and tread.


I have been on a journey the past few years to try and minimise the
number of times I am stopped by punctured/slashed tyres.


My commute is 25km from one of the northern beach suburbs of Cairns,
Australia.


The main problem is that there are a large number of fools hereabouts
who throw glass (mostly beer bottles) out of car windows, secondary
problems is that the area is one of rapid growth which means lots of
things like screws, nails metal off-cuts etc.

When I first started riding to and from work I was averaging a couple
of punctures a week, and losing about one tyre a month to irretrievable
slashes from various sources. I should add that my homeward run is
usually in the dark. In addition to playing with tyres I have also been
experimenting with lighting systems, but I digress.


After trying myriad brands of tyres, both cheap and expensive I
discovered Schwalbe Stelvio + in 2008 and suddenly my puncture rates
dropped to about 1 per month. The Stelvio + model was discontinued and
replaced by the Durano plus in 2009, I have happily continued to have a
very low puncture rate with these tyres, although in the past year I
have had two of them slashed beyond practical repair.

Good though the Duranos are, I still occasionally suffer a puncture
from thin metal, wire, nails or screws - frequently the puncture
"agent" does not stay in the tyre and I am unable to say for certain
what the cause is.

This made me start thinking about the various sealants you can put in
car tyres to prevent deflation in similar circumstances.

Now you can't put "green slime" (a catch-all covering tyre sealants as
they generally tend to be a slimy green colour for some reason) in past
a Presta valve, I tried and it won't work. Period.

A search of the net found some brave souls were cutting the pin in the
Presta, putting the sealant in, and then carefully feeding the pin back
into the valve. I tried this on a damaged tube and bluntly I lack the
dexterity required.

Another solution beckoned. Why not, I thought, simply cut the tube
somewhere close to the valve, a slit just large enough to feed in the
nozzle from the green slime bottle, and then once the requisite amount
of slime has been added simply put a normal patch on the tube.

A $2 disposable scalpel from the local chemist and a $20 bottle of
green slime (sufficient to "treat" 4 bicycle tyres according to the
label) and a couple of larger than normal glue on patches were obtained.


A small slit allowed the nozzle to carefully squirt in the slime, I
then cut the "truck tube" patches I'd bought down just a bit and
patched the slit.

I've now been riding on two tubes treated as above for the past week.
On Friday morning I noticed that the front was down a little in
pressure, but did nothing at the time other than pump it back up to
120psi. Today I pulled the tyre off and found 2 small spots of "green
chalk" on the tube that appear to be sealed up holes. At this stage I'm
counting the experiment a provisional success, if I got the whole month
with no stoppage causing punctures I'll be very happy indeed.


Cost to treat 4 tubes - about $26 made up of $20 green slime sealant,
$2 scalpel $4 for 8 large tube patches. I guess there is also some glue
in there too, but I buy my patch glue in bulk and still working my way
through the 100 tubes I bought 5 years ago.



--

  #5  
Old April 17th 11, 10:01 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
Tosspot[_3_]
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Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

On 17/04/11 09:27, Blue Heeler wrote:

snip

Cost to treat 4 tubes - about $26 made up of $20 green slime sealant,
$2 scalpel $4 for 8 large tube patches. I guess there is also some glue
in there too, but I buy my patch glue in bulk and still working my way
through the 100 tubes I bought 5 years ago.


Doesn't that stuff go off after a while? I tend to 'collect' glue tubes and
have had a couple of *unopened* ones reveal themselves to be a solid rubbery block.

Although, thinking about it, I've had some 5 year old ones be fine on first
opening. Maybe it's in the manufacturing process.
  #6  
Old April 17th 11, 11:54 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
Blue Heeler[_2_]
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Posts: 38
Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

Tosspot wrote:

On 17/04/11 09:27, Blue Heeler wrote:

snip

Cost to treat 4 tubes - about $26 made up of $20 green slime
sealant, $2 scalpel $4 for 8 large tube patches. I guess there is
also some glue in there too, but I buy my patch glue in bulk and
still working my way through the 100 tubes I bought 5 years ago.


Doesn't that stuff go off after a while? I tend to 'collect' glue
tubes and have had a couple of unopened ones reveal themselves to be
a solid rubbery block.

Although, thinking about it, I've had some 5 year old ones be fine on
first opening. Maybe it's in the manufacturing process.


I keep them in refrigerator no problems so far.

--

  #7  
Old April 17th 11, 12:13 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
Peter Cole[_2_]
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Posts: 4,572
Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

On 4/17/2011 5:01 AM, Tosspot wrote:
On 17/04/11 09:27, Blue Heeler wrote:

snip

Cost to treat 4 tubes - about $26 made up of $20 green slime sealant,
$2 scalpel $4 for 8 large tube patches. I guess there is also some glue
in there too, but I buy my patch glue in bulk and still working my way
through the 100 tubes I bought 5 years ago.


Doesn't that stuff go off after a while? I tend to 'collect' glue tubes
and have had a couple of *unopened* ones reveal themselves to be a solid
rubbery block.

Although, thinking about it, I've had some 5 year old ones be fine on
first opening. Maybe it's in the manufacturing process.


The problem is that the tubes are often not gas-tight. Since they
(unopened) are sealed at the screw top end, the only place for them to
pass gas is at the bottom crimped end. What I do, even with new,
unopened ones, is make another fold at the crimp. That seems to help. I
also carry 2 glue tubes in my patch kit. In a gas-tight container the
glue will last indefinitely.
  #8  
Old April 17th 11, 12:17 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
Tosspot[_3_]
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Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

On 17/04/11 11:54, Blue Heeler wrote:
Tosspot wrote:

On 17/04/11 09:27, Blue Heeler wrote:

snip

Cost to treat 4 tubes - about $26 made up of $20 green slime
sealant, $2 scalpel $4 for 8 large tube patches. I guess there is
also some glue in there too, but I buy my patch glue in bulk and
still working my way through the 100 tubes I bought 5 years ago.


Doesn't that stuff go off after a while? I tend to 'collect' glue
tubes and have had a couple of unopened ones reveal themselves to be
a solid rubbery block.

Although, thinking about it, I've had some 5 year old ones be fine on
first opening. Maybe it's in the manufacturing process.


I keep them in refrigerator no problems so far.


*boggle* You've got a better touring bike than mine :-)

  #9  
Old April 17th 11, 01:22 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
Tºm Shermªn™ °_°[_2_]
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Posts: 1,270
Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

On 4/17/2011 3:27 AM, Blue Heeler wrote:
[...]
My commute is 25km from one of the northern beach suburbs of Cairns,
Australia.


The main problem is that there are a large number of fools hereabouts
who throw glass (mostly beer bottles) out of car windows, secondary
problems is that the area is one of rapid growth which means lots of
things like screws, nails metal off-cuts etc.[...]


Do you have a bottle deposit law? Here in the US, broken glass is much
less of a problem in states that require retailers to offer between
$0.05 and $0.15 for each empty glass beverage bottle (mostly beer
bottles) returned, compared to states with no deposit law.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.
  #10  
Old April 17th 11, 02:54 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.tech
David Scheidt
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Default Self Sealing Inner Tube: Do They Work ?

In rec.bicycles.tech Peter Cole wrote:
:On 4/17/2011 5:01 AM, Tosspot wrote:
: On 17/04/11 09:27, Blue Heeler wrote:
:
: snip
:
: Cost to treat 4 tubes - about $26 made up of $20 green slime sealant,
: $2 scalpel $4 for 8 large tube patches. I guess there is also some glue
: in there too, but I buy my patch glue in bulk and still working my way
: through the 100 tubes I bought 5 years ago.
:
: Doesn't that stuff go off after a while? I tend to 'collect' glue tubes
: and have had a couple of *unopened* ones reveal themselves to be a solid
: rubbery block.
:
: Although, thinking about it, I've had some 5 year old ones be fine on
: first opening. Maybe it's in the manufacturing process.

:The problem is that the tubes are often not gas-tight. Since they
unopened) are sealed at the screw top end, the only place for them to
ass gas is at the bottom crimped end. What I do, even with new,
:unopened ones, is make another fold at the crimp. That seems to help. I
:also carry 2 glue tubes in my patch kit. In a gas-tight container the
:glue will last indefinitely.

You're repeating Jobst's 'this is how they did things in the dark
ages' spiel. Modern cement tubes are heat crimped. They're normally a
multi-layer sandwhich. It's not perfectly gas impermable, and some
are just defective, so there is a shelf life.

For those who patch at the work bench, cement is available in larger
containers. An 8 oz jar with a brush in the lid costs a few bucks,
and lasts a long time[1], as ong as the cap is screwed on after use. If
it dries out, the usual cause is the solvent has evaporated; it can be
thinned with hexane. If it's over heated, it can vulcanize itself
into a blob.

[1] the tubes in a patch kit are 5 grams, so about 50 of them.

--
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