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Ongoing debate about Slime at bike co-op

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Ongoing debate about Slime at bike co-op

Old 05-23-13, 10:05 AM
  #26  
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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.
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Old 05-24-13, 03:15 AM
  #27  
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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
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Old 05-24-13, 08:00 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by TheIVJackal
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
Well the glue would never seal a leak under pressure, nor was that glue ever designed to do that. If you ever noticed Slime working on sealing a leak it takes on a fiber like consistency when exposed to outside air under pressure and plugs the hole. But while Slime works great with MTB tires it falls short on road tires due to the much higher pressures the plug it tries to form simply blows out of even the smallest hole once the PSI exceeds 70 to 75 psi. Having said that, supposedly they have a new formula and have been pushing it at trade shows that will seal up high pressure tubes, I have yet to try but have no desire to.

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.
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Old 05-24-13, 10:25 AM
  #29  
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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.
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Old 05-24-13, 10:41 AM
  #30  
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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.
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Old 05-24-13, 11:02 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Zorba

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.
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.
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Old 05-24-13, 11:16 AM
  #32  
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<<<speaking in a secretive, hushed tone>>>

Latex....
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Old 05-24-13, 09:37 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Zorba
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.
If flats have you down then add a Panaracer FlatAway liner to the Marathon and ditch the heavy tubes in favor of lighter ones, perhaps latex tubes so maybe it may soften the ride a tad on those Marathons.
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Old 05-25-13, 04:15 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Jimi77
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.
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...."
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Old 05-26-13, 10:41 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by DX-MAN
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...."
This is correct!
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Old 05-26-13, 04:17 PM
  #36  
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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.
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Old 05-26-13, 06:14 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Myosmith
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.
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.
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Old 05-26-13, 08:28 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Burton
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.
Actually the sealant thing is not entirely correct. The more penetrations there are the less sealant is available to seal a leak until eventually, usually after about 3 or 4, you're flat. And some sealants like Slime doesn't work that great (at least their old version, I haven't tried the new version nor do I want to), and all sealants add weight.

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.
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