Them self sealing inner tubes?

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WrightsW5
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Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by WrightsW5 »

I have seen them in Halfords, own brand and Slime brand. Both say they seal punctures up to 3mm. Are they any good, do they really work?
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

i last used slime tyres over a decade ago, rode over a pile of drawing pins and yes the slime worked really well.

How often do you get small penetration punctures?
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
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Elizabethsdad
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by Elizabethsdad »

I had Slime inner tubes on a bike a few years back - combined with Marathon plus tyres - never had to fix a puncture but don't know if I got any. I did notice that I had to pump up the tyres less frequently which made me wonder if the slime has the effect of making the inner tube less permeable.
WrightsW5
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by WrightsW5 »

I seem to get a lot of tiny punchures where I can pump the tyre up every day or half day and ride around, then if I go to the effort of fixing one I seem to get another very soon!!!! So these self repairing ones sound like a good idea.
John_S
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by John_S »

I’ve not used the slime before but was interested in reading peoples thoughts because the thought of getting less punctures is always appealing.

Following the post from Elizabethsdad I took a look at the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. The video that is on the Schwalbe website is definitely interesting in terms of the tyres preventing punctures.

http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/tour-reader/marathon-plus.html

http://www.schwalbe.com/en/unplattbar.html

However I guess that there would be a weight and rolling penalty to pay for the reduced chance of punctures.
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Si
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by Si »

My experience of putting it into a pair of tyres that got frequent p*nct*res on the local gravel and glass cycle paths is that once in there I didn't have another p*nct*re.

However, this was a case of putting slime into my tubes rather than buying tubes with it already in. Hopefully if you buy tubes with it already in then you won't won't end up 'gunking' yourself and everything around you when you try to put it in (as the applicator was built for car-type valves but I had presta so some fabrication was needed), or when you try to top up the tyres (did get a bit coming back out when I undid the barrels and pressed to free the valve up).
Elizabethsdad
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by Elizabethsdad »

John_S wrote:I’ve not used the slime before but was interested in reading peoples thoughts because the thought of getting less punctures is always appealing.

Following the post from Elizabethsdad I took a look at the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. The video that is on the Schwalbe website is definitely interesting in terms of the tyres preventing punctures.

http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/tour-reader/marathon-plus.html

http://www.schwalbe.com/en/unplattbar.html

However I guess that there would be a weight and rolling penalty to pay for the reduced chance of punctures.

Other people have reported that Marathon plus has a greater rolling resistance, I didn't notice a problem myself but maybe I am not that fussy. They do seem to be generally regarded as about the best for puncture prevention, so if that is your priority... With regard to slime tubes I recall reading in other posts that when it came time to replace the tyre the slime inner tube had to be replaced as well as it would be glued to tyre where ever it had sealed a puncture. Also according to one cycle mechanic I was chatting to once have one blow out on you when you are pumping it up is a messy experience to be avoided.
Phil Fouracre
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by Phil Fouracre »

Best thing 'since sliced bread'! Got slime in all my bikes, marvellous stuff. On one, got slime and marathon plus tyres, bullet proof. Having a blow out being messy, sounds like a myth to me, why would they in particular, blow out? Just out of interest, I changed tyres from those supplied, on one of my bikes a while ago, for marathon plus, because the originals didn't look much of it. While I had the tube out I checked it over and found a number of pin head sized brown spots on it. As you would, I picked a couple of them off to find green underneath! Confirmed what I had always felt, that it really did the job, had no noticeable pressure drop, yet had obviously had punctures!
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

They don't necessarily blow out more often, but when they do (and it only takes a tube failure, or a slashing puncture) it is a terrible mess...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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RickH
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by RickH »

My only direct experience was a lass I was doing LEJOG with. You could tell she had slime tubes by the arc of green gunk spraying all over the road & bike when she had a puncture a couple of days in.

Most of the others with slime-less tubes didn't have any punctures.

Rick.
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
sreten
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by sreten »

Hi,

A good question is how long is it before the slime solidifies, which it will ....

rgds, sreten.
mercalia
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by mercalia »

An alternative is tyre liners that Halfords also stock. These are strips of hard to penetrate flexible plastic. I have these on my bike and get very few punctures. The only puncture I have had recently was a pinch puncture going over a curb at an angle rather badly. The nice thing just use normal tubes and if you dont like them you can remove them.I havent found any bad effects re rolling quality . The only time I tried slime was fill your self and a) the valve blocked b) the slime collected in one place c) when I got a puncture the goo kept coming out and I couldnt mend the puncture using a patch as the slime got in the way. I wonder how safe it is, cars/mc have had puncture repair aerosols for years, they are meant to be just temp and are at much lower pressure.
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mjr
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by mjr »

Cycles have had puncture repair aerosols for years, too. I carry one for use as a quick fix if I puncture on my way to a timed appointment. It's not as good as a patch but it'll get me there.

I think puncture resistant tyres are masses better than the liners of 2005, so I've not tried any more recent versions.
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mercalia
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by mercalia »

mjr wrote:
I think puncture resistant tyres are masses better than the liners of 2005, so I've not tried any more recent versions.


take a look next time u visit Halfords. My original( Halfords) ones from, 2000 or so much softer than the ones I got a few months ago from Halfords. Would take a serious sharp object to get through them I think. They fit nicely under the tyres and unlike slime tubes dont need changing if you change the tube? The edges are much thinner so "merge" into the tyre
sreten
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Re: Them self sealing inner tubes?

Post by sreten »

hi,

Tyre liners are a waste of time with puncture protected tyres,
which basically incorporate tyre liners, far more effectively.

PPT's IMO are the way to go.

rgds, sreten.
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