Ongoing debate about Slime at bike co-op
#26
tcarl
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 561
Bikes: Roark, Waterford 1100, 1987 Schwinn Paramount, Nishiki Professional, Bottecchia, 2 Scattantes, 3 Cannondale touring bikes, mtn. bike, cyclocross, hybrid, 1940's era Schwinn
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times
in
7 Posts
I've never used Stan's. I've used Slime successfully in a low-pressure (700 x 32, 65 psi) cyclocross tubular for a long time (several years now), but it is messy. Because I've had two shops recommend Flat Attack I tried it. It's worked rather successfully for several years now in several tires - including a Gatorskin tubular that I pump up to 130 psi, and it holds. I do tend to put pretty much sealant in the tire, a little more than the instructions suggest.
#27
Banned.
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posts: 44
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
White School Glue?
I was wondering, has anyone tried making a mix of White School Glue and some water and putting that in the tube? You could mix it to your preferred consistency and make it a little thicker than that Slime stuff. What do you think?
- Aaron
- Aaron
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 9,180
Bikes: 2020 Masi Giramondo 700c; 2013 Lynskey Peloton; 1992 Giant Rincon; 1989 Dawes needs parts; 1985 Trek 660; 1985 Fuji Club; 1984 Schwinn Voyager; 1984 Miyata 612; 1977 Raleigh Competition GS
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1110 Post(s)
Liked 242 Times
in
195 Posts
And latex sealants tend to dry out inside the tube over time which makes it useless.
There is also a new product on the market that so far has gotten rave reviews called Fenwick's Airtight tire sealant and supposedly works fast and under high pressure; but don't ask me how it works because I don't use sealants, I've found no use for them except back in the days I lived in goathead country ,but back then the sealants didn't work for high pressure applications.
#29
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 561
Bikes: 1992 Trek 800 Antelope, 1971 Triumph
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
So it kinda sounds like neither Stan's nor Slime is recommended. In place of them it seems that FlatAttack is a better choice because it doesn't degrade tubes like Slime, yet doesn't dry up like Stans. I only read a few posts that mentioned FlatAttack, but further research shows that it is quite good. It may very well be possible that both of my co-workers are wrong.
#30
"The Veiled Male"
It depends on what your hazards are. I ride on one of the most junk strewn roads in America. Goatheads are the LEAST of the problems. I finally settled on Schwalbe Marathons (both Armadillos and Gatorskins proved less than satisfactory), with "thorn resistant" tubes AND slime. And I *STILL* manage to get the occasional flat. What the slime usually does is allows enough air to stay in the tube to get me to my destination, where a "real" patch can be applied without having to stop on the side of the road. I DETEST having to stop on the side of the road. I also DETEST flats - I haven't had a flat tire on any of my cars in 25+ years, I expect my bicycle to be the same.
So it really depends on hazards and your priorities. Slime has gotten me home on several occasions - totally worth it as far as I'm concerned.
So it really depends on hazards and your priorities. Slime has gotten me home on several occasions - totally worth it as far as I'm concerned.
#31
Used & Abused
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 314
Bikes: GT Avalanche 2.0 + Burley D'lite
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Agreed. I'm not sure why Slime has such a horrible rep. I've been using it forever with no problems. It certainly fixed my goat head problems. We just got a new Burley for the kiddos and Slime will certainly be going into those tires.
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 9,180
Bikes: 2020 Masi Giramondo 700c; 2013 Lynskey Peloton; 1992 Giant Rincon; 1989 Dawes needs parts; 1985 Trek 660; 1985 Fuji Club; 1984 Schwinn Voyager; 1984 Miyata 612; 1977 Raleigh Competition GS
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1110 Post(s)
Liked 242 Times
in
195 Posts
It depends on what your hazards are. I ride on one of the most junk strewn roads in America. Goatheads are the LEAST of the problems. I finally settled on Schwalbe Marathons (both Armadillos and Gatorskins proved less than satisfactory), with "thorn resistant" tubes AND slime. And I *STILL* manage to get the occasional flat. What the slime usually does is allows enough air to stay in the tube to get me to my destination, where a "real" patch can be applied without having to stop on the side of the road. I DETEST having to stop on the side of the road. I also DETEST flats - I haven't had a flat tire on any of my cars in 25+ years, I expect my bicycle to be the same.
So it really depends on hazards and your priorities. Slime has gotten me home on several occasions - totally worth it as far as I'm concerned.
So it really depends on hazards and your priorities. Slime has gotten me home on several occasions - totally worth it as far as I'm concerned.
#34
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,788
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Slime has a horrible rep because other people have not had the same experience you've had with it -- therefore, they (and I) dislike it. Not a rocket-science kind of "not sure why...."
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 9,180
Bikes: 2020 Masi Giramondo 700c; 2013 Lynskey Peloton; 1992 Giant Rincon; 1989 Dawes needs parts; 1985 Trek 660; 1985 Fuji Club; 1984 Schwinn Voyager; 1984 Miyata 612; 1977 Raleigh Competition GS
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1110 Post(s)
Liked 242 Times
in
195 Posts
#36
Lover of Old Chrome Moly
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NW Minnesota
Posts: 2,949
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 143 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 23 Times
in
17 Posts
It always blows my mind when I see people avoid buying puncture resistant tires "because they're so heavy" and then pour a couple ounces of Slime into a lighter tire.+1 on the Specialized Armadillo Elites. I've got them on two of my bikes and can't say enough good about them.
#37
Certified Bike Brat
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Posts: 4,251
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
It always blows my mind when I see people avoid buying puncture resistant tires "because they're so heavy" and then pour a couple ounces of Slime into a lighter tire.+1 on the Specialized Armadillo Elites. I've got them on two of my bikes and can't say enough good about them.
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 9,180
Bikes: 2020 Masi Giramondo 700c; 2013 Lynskey Peloton; 1992 Giant Rincon; 1989 Dawes needs parts; 1985 Trek 660; 1985 Fuji Club; 1984 Schwinn Voyager; 1984 Miyata 612; 1977 Raleigh Competition GS
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1110 Post(s)
Liked 242 Times
in
195 Posts
I guess it depends how you look at things. 'Puncture resistant' tubes made of thicker rubber aren't impervious to perferation by metal wire bits from steel belted tires. One puncture and you're still flat. Any sealant filled tube, on the other hand, can protect against multiple perferations and you probably wouldn't even notice.
Myosmith is correct when it comes to road tires, the first line of defense against flats is the tire, the only truly effective second line of defense against flats is a tire liner like the Panaracer FlatAway which is the best and lightest on the market. Tubes should never be used as a line of defense, in fact if you have a great tire like the Specialized Armadillo Elite, or Armadillo All Condition, or Continental Gator Hardshell (which might no longer be made) or perhaps the new Conti Grand Prix GT?, the Bontrager Hardcase, or numerious Schwalbe models especially the Marathon series, all you really need is an ultralight tube.
Liner wise the Mr Tuffy's or the Slime liner can cause flats! After about 1500 miles of riding the liner chaffs a hole in the tube, the only answer to that is to sand down the overlapping end that will contact the tube till it's paper thing. But Mr Tuffy's and the Slime liner are not that great, they work ok, but not as good as the Panaracer FlatAway, and the FlatAway is about 70 grams lighter.
But unless you have worries of getting a flat to work, or live in a throny area, or don't know how to repair flats and want to eliminate them as much as possible, most folks living in normal areas don't need heavy flat resistant tires.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Deontologist
General Cycling Discussion
11
02-17-15 05:49 PM
Deontologist
General Cycling Discussion
4
01-25-15 03:30 PM