Slime

[Deborajen]

When I got my first mountain bike, I swore by putting Slime in the tires. It worked great with sealing the little thorn punctures. However, I gave up on it quickly with my touring bike because it never seemed to do any good - I assumed that under such high pressure, even the smallest puncture pretty much rendered the tube useless. Also, even when using the tubes I'd bought with Slime already in them, it would occasionally back up into the stem so the valve didn't work properly and wouldn't close.

This morning, I had my first similar problem on the mountain bike. I tried to add a little air before riding in to work and Slime backed up into the stem and the valve then wouldn't close. It wouldn't deflate quickly, either, so I didn't have time to remove the valve & clean it out & put it back in - had to scrub the ride. I was SO disappointed - this is probably going to be one of the most beautiful days this fall. :(

I'm going to try taking out the valve and cleaning it tonight to see if I can get it to work again. LBS told me awhile back that what they do is shoot some air into the stem with their air pump before replacing the valve. I don't have a high-pressure air pump so I have to resort to wiping the stem out with a twisted paper towel tip, etc.

Any suggestions? Anyone compared the extra-thick tubes with standard tubes/Slime? I've never encountered this with a mountain bike tire before, and I've had that bike for five years. Did I maybe just get a bad tube?

Deb

[CorsairMac]

I had Slime back up bad in the valve stem and then harden. The only way I was able to deflate the tube was to actually destroy it. I've switched most of my bikes over to Air-Loc now, it doesn't back up into the valves and it doesn't harden. It's the "next generation" Slime. Also, I was told by my LBS to make sure when I parked the bikes to have the valve stem up so the Slime couldn't collect in that area. Unfortunately, I don't think you can mix Slime and Air-Loc, but it might be something worth looking into next time you switch out tubes.

OH: on the road bike I run Air-Loc tubes And a teflon strip just to be safe. (kinda like a belt And suspenders!)


I forgot: my LBS suggested putting the tube in hot water to help loosen the Slime if it happened again.

[Trek420]

I'm not a big fan of slime.

1) think it inhibits rolling resistance on the other hand a flat sure as heck slow you down.
2) I went through 2 floor pumps a year when I used it. The little phffft of slime when your tire exhales before you pump it up just mucks up the whole works.
3) Ever been behind a slimed tire when it blows out? I have. You get slimed yourself. Has a slight citrus taste. Ewwww. :(

I don't do anything special and I've had 3 flats since '97.

There, jinxed it.

Not counting many slow leaks I saw and changed the tube before flats occured,bald tires replaced before the flat....ounce of prevention you know.

So far I just inflate before each ride and between rides if not out often. On the bike don't go too far to the right. Seems there's more debris, glass the further you go.

I'm fairly good at sweeping the front wheel with my glove in motion if I think I ran over something. A friend of mine, Mike showed me how to do the rear wheel in motion, skeered to do that.

Keeping fingers toes and eyes crossed that this limits flats. I've heard good things about tire liners and if I was doing something super funlike a long rour I would do that.

[runnergirl]

The LBS mechanics hate slime so much, they actually make it hard to find. They have a long list of reasons it's evil, I agree with the others, say no to slime! :D

[JanT]

Here in Phoenix, we say YES to slime, at least for off-road riding. I've found that if I park the bike with the valves at the bottom that they don't plug up with the stuff. It is hard to find slime tubes for road bikes here, however, and the LBS guys tell me the roadies don't use them. So this newbie roadie doesn't use slime, and I've learned to watch the road carefully for glass and thorns.

[wavedancer]

When I first started mountain biking on Cape Cod I got a flat just about every time I went out. (This is the home of Bre'r Rabbit's Briar Patch!) I started using the slime liners and have only gotten one flat since. They don't mess up the tubes, are quite light-weight, and are a protective strip that goes between the tube and the tire.

[DirtDiva]

Never even heard of those. I'm intrigued. Do you have a link?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Never even heard of those. I'm intrigued. Do you have a link?

I just did a search on Google for

slime tire liner
and came up with links to the REI, Performance, and Nashbar sites.

Here's the link from the REI site: http://www.rei.com/product/11634394.htm. And here's another to the Slime site: http://www.slime.com/bike/index.php. Of course I didn't come up with a link in NZ or UK...

[DirtDiva]

Cheers Denise! :)

[madisongrrl]

Something you may want to consider is Stans Sealant. It is what many of the Wisconsin pro/semi-pro/Elite racers use as well as some of the Sports and Citizens.

I'll be converting my tires over next year. Then I can ditch all the tubes and CO2. I race XC and the less I carry, the better.

Here are some reviews of this product...
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/tubeless_tire/product_122417.shtml

[Aint Doody]

Well, I have slime tubes on my road bike, and I like them. I got a goathead in one; pulled out the goat head, spun the tire around; shot in some CO2 and it's still rolling just fine. Before I add air, I leak a little air out of the valve and haven't had any problems with my floor pump. (It does smell pretty bad, and I have a paper towel handy--it's pretty nasty.) I think it's important to have good tires as well. Cheap tires are just that--cheap tires!