tire additive
 

Well, I asked about what was in your tire kit the other day so the next question is:

Is anyone using Slime or a slime equivilent in your tires? Does it even work on bike tires?

Most every tire I own is Slimed..my tractor, my lawn mowers, horse trailers, cars and motorcycles.

My 40hp Kubota tractor would always have a low tire but since I put slime in it I haven't had to add air in over a year!

Mike

I'm told that it doesn't work very well on high pressure road bike tires. Mountain bike tires might be another story.

I've personally never used it. I hate fixing flats on tires that have it. If I lived in the goat head thorn belt I might feel differently.

I've never tried Slime on a bicycle tire. I know several people who use and swear by Stans NoTubes to run their MTB tires tubeless and at very low pressure.

I gave it up because it ruined two tire guages and it can be messy when fixing a flat. Haven't missed it at all. Yeah, it helped me get home a couple of times, but I'm much quicker at fixing flats now. bk

The stuff never worked for me. It dig make quite a mess, though, when it failed.

Paul

"World's best tire sealer"

True Goo

http://truegoo.com/

I have used it in the past. I use nothing now. It seals the tire, but won't hold 120 psi and leaks out slowly, giving you a false sense of security and garage "low pressures."

I don't mind fixing flats, actually I kind of enjoy it. It's part of bicycling. I can't even imagine putting that crap in my bicycle tubes.

However, as Retro Grouch said, "If I lived in the goat head thorn belt I might feel differently".

Another couple, my wife and I all rode the Caprock Canyon Trailway a few years ago. I Slimed our tires before we went and encouraged the other couple to do the same. The other fellow was anti-Slime, but he did put Specialized Armadillo belted tires on their bikes.

In thirty-one miles of riding, we stopped 17 times so the other couple could repair flats (multiple punctures each time). It was a long day. When we would stop, I'd get my pilers out and remove the goathead nutlets (tribulus terrestris) from my tires - there would be a tiny hiss followed by the appearance of a microscopic green dot (the Slime). I never even had to add air to our tires that day.

Cycling Plus magazine theorized that of all the things one could do to combat flats (tube sealant, anti-puncture strips, belted tires, etc.), tube sealants probably had the lowest impact on rolling resistance.

Best,
tcs

We have those " rascals " in Florida, too.

I tried it once, it clogged the valve, I couldn't add air i I wanted to.

Has anyone tried the tube with the slime already in them so you don't get a flat? Also what is your thought on the puncture resistant type tubes that are out there? I am just getting back into biking after 25 years lay off and I will be carrying an extra tube and patch kit but, looking at the above two options sound like a good thing.

This stuff is much too messy for my tastes. I like to keep everything clean and neat on my bikes. Most days I can take my fingers and rub them along the sides of my chains without black marks. After almost all rides the bike gets a wipe down or wash (including the tires). So, slime is just way outside what I can tolerate, despite any flat protection benefits.

I tried one, in addition to the valve clogging, it was noticeably heavy. Not worth the price.

Specialized Air lock tubes work for me.
 

I use Specialized Air Lock tubes in Albuquerque where the goat head stickers are a real menace. Doesn't always prevent a flat, but, I can usually re-air it up with a CO2 cartridge and I'm good to go. Works for me with Vittoria EVO CXs and Conti GP4000Ss.

Another rider had a spare puncture resistant tube. Wow, they are really thick and heavy. If you are using nice road tires, I think those tubes would make the ride harsher.

I'm glad there's no thorns around here. I get less than one flat a year here in Ohio, with Michelin Krylions and standard tubes. I avoid riding on shoulders or bike lanes that accumulate glass and metal fragments. The road is a lot cleaner near the tire track in the lane.

There are probably hundreds of threads in the BF archives about puncture resistant tires. There are marked differences between tires on this front. Some find the most extreme puncture resistant tires to be heavy and ride rougher. It also depends upon what size you need, making a 700x23 puncture resistant and still light & smooth riding is a different challenge than making an anti-puncture 700x38.

Several people here like the Continental GP4000s tires.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=426723

The only reason I ask about the puncture resistant tubes is the LBS by our local limestone trail recommends them as their are alot of thorns. I didn't think that a tube would cause that much weight difference on our bikes. I have a 2009 Trek 7500 and my wife has a new 7300, we are planning on riding this trail a good bit. I do understand anything you add to your bike is going to causes more weight. But with thicker tubes it would only be about a pound or so of extra weight to the bike? I know the shop where I bought my bikes doesn't carry them at all and they also stated about the weight but I figured it was because they sell alot of racing bikes and weight is a big factor to the racers.

I DO live in goathead country, and I don't use it. It works OK on small punctures, but if a hole is big enough for some Slime to leak out of it, I can never clean it off well enough to get a patch to stick.

Don't know how much slime you would put into each tube. The pre-made slime tubes usually weigh 8-10 ounces more each than a standard tube. It would be adding a pound or more.

If you are riding rather casually on a limestone trail on a 30 pound hybrid bike, that's not going to make a lot of difference. You would probably notice it if you were riding aggressively and going up hills.

When I ride my hybrid on trails, I usually attach a bag that weighs 5-6 pounds and I can't say that I've ever noticed the difference. A bag isn't rotating weight, like a wheel. Extra rotational weight is usually more noticeable. But on a flat'ish rail trail, that isn't going to be that big of a deal.

The Bontrager Invert Hardcase tires that came standard on your 7500 & 7300 are pretty decent in resisting punctures. Not top of the line, but decent. They do have a thick rubber tread, a thicker casing, and an anti-puncture belt. But if you have nasty thorns, then maybe you need something more. Usually one doesn't. I will add that if you do have a flat while out for a ride, that those tires can be a bear to get off, as that thicker casing makes them less pliable. I know this from personal experience.

Hey Tom
Thanks for the tip on the tires being a bear to get off the rim. I will make sure I have some good tire irons with me. The whole rotational bit make alot of sense to me. I know that I will be riding here on the roads in town and there are alot of hills. I guess I just carry two extra tubes with me when we are riding the trails and hope for the best.

There are split opinions on Slime. My LBS in PA refuses to work on a wheel/tire that has the stuff in it.

When I visit LBS stores when in AZ there is a 5 gallon can of the stuff at every workstation. I kind of depends on the road hazards you are going to encounter. Lots of thorns, or goatheads dictate using it.

I broke two plastic tire levers trying to get a single Bontrager Invert Hardcase tire off a rim.

Hey Tom
Do you have any suggestions on a tire to switch to that would give me the same or better ride and make changing a flat easier on the road. I like the tires that came on the bike but if that is an issue for a flat maybe I would look into another type of tire. I have read here and a few other places that alot of people dislike that tire for one reason or another.