So does this happen to anyone? You get a flat. Take the tube out, pump it up and put it section by section in a bucket of water to find no leak. Remount it and pump it up. Come back later to a flat. Ive got slime in my tube checked it over visually and by hand. Put it in water. What is happening?? Frustrated. Has happened to .e before. Help

Sometimes you have to check it very, very thoroughly. I woke up during a tour with a flat. Had to put the tube in a puddle to find the tiny hole. It then took a long time to find the tiny piece of wire/staple that had caused the flat. It wasn’t until I turned the tire inside out that I found it.

Thank you

If you have slime in the tube, it may be more difficult to find a slow leak. Carefully look for a moist spot on the tube.

As [MENTION=186391]indyfabz[/MENTION] mentioned, something like a radial tire wire, thorn, or piece of glass could repuncture the tube as soon as you remount.

I wouldn't want anything but air in my tubes, nasty messy goo that just adds weight and mess, no thanks.

When doing a flat fix you want to find what caused the flat so run through your tire (ideally with a glove on or with a cloth something to protect your hands and maybe run through it again after with ungloved hands just to be sure. If not that check the rim strip and make sure that is in good order or just replace it with a better one or one of the same (if already good), check the rim as well for any burrs or damage and then if you have proper tube then you could also do the water test but with random goo inside of it, it could be quite hard to figure out the issue.

If you are worried about flats, you can get a tire with good puncture protection and add Tannus Armour to it (which generally requires a smaller tube as the foam liner takes up some of the space) or especially with frequent pinch flats and small punctures you can go tubeless with the right set up and in that set up you will have messy goo but way less chance of flats and more chance of filling little holes and punctures. That one would only be for a regularly ridden bike though.

Never had a use for slime tubes.
Only time i tried them they gave my a green stripe on my fenders, made fart noises on every rotation and deflated anyway.

Tubes are relatively cheap, and once one has a phantom leak, it goes in the project bin and gets replaced.

If flats become a problem, get a tire that is flat resistant like a Schwalbe Marathon

Also, double and triple check the tire for any thorns or stuck sharp objects that my punch a new tube.

No Slime.
I carry Five Spare Tubes and One Spare Tire.

This is the way. Once the tire carcass is breached the game is over. Since Bontrager Hardcase Series are proving so hard to find I've bought my first pair of Marathon Plusses. If you absolutely cannot afford super tough tires then Rhynodillor or Mr. Tuffy tire liners might be necessary. Liners can chafe holes in your tubes though. But sealant or slime in tubes is an admission that your tires are sub par.

When getting a flat some times its just your turn...

And when you have a flat fix failure... Well... Some times its just your turn...

Git Er Dun...

Check the stem valve of the tube and see if it is tight or defective. I had a tube valve body come right out of a tube once. People take them for granted but they can be defective and have slow leaks or get dirt stuck in them and leak down. And yeah, that slime stuff they sell to put into tubes is gimmicky garbage. The right way is to carry a spare tube or patch kit and a pump with you. The goo in the tube just complicates things, throw that out and go get some nice used tubes out of the dumpster behind your local bike shop.

Don’t cheap out on tires.

When I rode across the country with a dozen people one guy was too “frugal” to spend the money for good tires. Conservatively, he got a flat/week over 93 days. I got 3 during the trip and my subsequent ride home. One of those was caused by a giant screw.

Absolutely hate slime. I had at least one occasion when I was refurbishing a bike for a friend who used it on a bike equipped with Schrader valves. The slime messed up the valve core so much I couldn't adequately inflate the tire. After that i refused to work on any bike with slime in the tubes and replaced tubes on old bikes I bought to refurbish for kids.

You could try using tire liners between the tube and the tire casing. It's cheap https://www.ebay.com/itm/155509529459 (700c or 26" size). I have to say I bought some a long time ago and never used the tire liner, just learned to live with fixing flats. One hint is to align the valve with some point on the tire that you can recognize. Then when you remove the tube and find the hole, you will be able to locate the exact place on the tire where the puncture occurred. That makes it a lot easier to find very small items like a piece of metal tire cord in the tire. You might be able to feel it by running your fingers over the inside of the tire but narrowing down where it is makes it far easier to find.

and a gorgeous model to do the labor? 1/2 clips too. I'm in love (jk)