Opinions on Slime (or similar products)?

AHicks

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When complaining about the constant need to air the tires on my bikes, I've been told by several "experts" (bike shop employees) not to use anything like Slime. This past March, so frustrated by new tubes requiring frequent need to be aired, I tried some Slime anyway. Need for frequent tire pressure checks have all but been eliminated since - for months now. The tires on that bike are FINALLY holding air!

So, have I lit a long fuse that will eventually get to the end with a disaster?

I fully understand that if I do get a flat now because of a nail or something, it's likely I'll be dealing with a mess inside that tire, but other than that?
 
Let's see... Bike shop employees warning you against a proven solution to making more trips to the bike shop...hmmmmm.

And my experience with actual Slime brand had been good. I've actually heard it work after riding over a goat head thorn. It punched in then flew out with audible hissing starting, and with each revolution the hissing got quieter and stopped. I didn't even need to pull over for more air.
Another time I saw something funny in my tire that looked like wood. And it was... A stick as big around as a chopstick was broken off flush and glued in by the Slime. I just left it in there until it was time for a new tire 6 months later.
It doesn't always seal up jagged holes, but it's pretty darn good.
 
How does it affect tire balance? I ride at highway speeds with smaller than typical diameter wheels, so I always have to balance my wheels. Does Slime or similar create out of balance conditions that vary since it's a liquid?
 
AHicks said:
I fully understand that if I do get a flat now because of a nail or something, it's likely I'll be dealing with a mess inside that tire, but other than that?

That's been my experience. If you have to do a repair to a slimed tube, it is messier and more difficult to make a good repair - especially on the road. I try to always have one good spare ready to go in addition to my patch kit. OTOH, you are much less likely to have to do roadside repairs if you've got slime in there.

BTW, normally tubes hold air quite well for many weeks if they are not punctured. I probably check my tires once a month - if that...
 
John in CR said:
How does it affect tire balance? I ride at highway speeds with smaller than typical diameter wheels, so I always have to balance my wheels. Does Slime or similar create out of balance conditions that vary since it's a liquid?

It is actually a liquid and fiber material. So I can certainly understand why you might be concerned about balance issues. I've never noticed any such issues though. But then I top out at about 38 mph on a couple downhills and I'm only at those kinds of speeds for a short while. I don't go highway speeds on my ebike.
 
Some previous threads about it (not every one is relevant) with good info
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=Slime&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sr=topics&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

and some previous individual posts:

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=Slime&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=-1&t=0&submit=Search
 
John in CR said:
How does it affect tire balance? I ride at highway speeds with smaller than typical diameter wheels, so I always have to balance my wheels. Does Slime or similar create out of balance conditions that vary since it's a liquid?

As puncture prevention, or tubeless conversion, the amount of slime in a tube or tire must follow manufacturer’s recommendations. For tube flat prevention, that is about 4 oz in a 26 X 2.5 tire. Then it does spread evenly around and doesn’t affect wheel balance. If a greater quantity is used, it does accumulate at the bottom at rest, and depending how long it’s been at rest, the wheel might need to spin for some time before it’s even and balanced.

For performance riders, the best use of slime is not prevention. It is emergency repair. When you have a flat and want a quick fix: remove the valve off the stem, fill some slime, screw back the valve, spin the tire a few turns, inflate with a Co2 cartridge, ride. Most of the time you will be able to continue riding for many weeks without any other problem than extra weight in the tire, and some slimy mess to clean at next tire service. When I need to plug a leak with slime, I usually replace the tube and tire soon.

In tubeless assembly of bicycle wheels, we use very little slime if the rim is tubeless ready and the tire UST rated. For tubeless conversion of a regular rim, we use about the same as for tube flat prevention.
 
Motorcycle/Scooter rims along with motorcycle/scooter tires like the Shinko's and your golden!
Or
Shwalbe Marathon Tour or Marathon Tour Plus has a bit thicker protection. Well worth the price of the tire. I may go with that from Chain Reaction Cycle, and a Downhill tube since they are thicker. Then add them tire liners and perhaps even an added layer of an old tube just for shitsngiggles - If you ever get a flat, then use the slime to get yourself home without having to do all that work. That is going to be my last methodology before I convert to motorcycle stuff, which is ready to go.
 
Re the balance issue, I've never noticed anything with the Slime, as it's liquid enough that it quickly evens out inside the tube. But I have seen problems with the liquid latex and parking the bike for too long making a wobble causing lump.
 
^^ Hehe... Watts the term "parking the bike for too long"? MY tires are rolling near daily... with "generic" liquid latex in inner tubes showing zero probs re weight distribution. :wink:
 
In my area goat heads, puncture vines, sand spurs, what ever you want to call them, thrive. I've plucked as many as a hundred of them out of a tire. I wouldn't survive without the heavy thorn proof tubes with slime and a tire liner. I routinely change the tubes in every bike I bring home before I ride it. Grandson came up one time and brought his bmx bike. We took it out of his moms car and rolled it to the barn. Next morning he went out to ride and guess what? Flat tire from a goat head.
 
Voltron said:
And my experience with actual Slime brand had been good. I've actually heard it work after riding over a goat head thorn. It punched in then flew out with audible hissing starting, and with each revolution the hissing got quieter and stopped. I didn't even need to pull over for more air.

A similar example. My first experience with Slime helping me out.

[youtube]YEAAIxuyIxw[/youtube]
 
Slime is a decently effective product. I hate it when the slime gums up my tube valves though. You don't need to worry about it causing balance issues because it all evens out when your tires warm up from riding. The only other downside I can think of is it makes a huge mess when you get a pinch flat :D
 
Voltron said:
Let's see... Bike shop employees warning you against a proven solution to making more trips to the bike shop...hmmmmm.

It's because we know what it does to valves. And pumps. And the entire shop when a tire pops off the rim.

I recommend that folks do their own flat repair. I am glad to show them how. The six bucks I make on labor doing a flat fix is nothing to be protective about.

Slime is gross. It keeps you from putting air into the tire, or letting it out. It turns into cat hairballs in green gravy as you ride. It makes simple punctures almost unpatchable. For most of us, it's not easier than carrying a spare tube, patch kit, and pump and knowing how to use them.

Latex-based sealants like Stan's have similar drawbacks, but they go off faster and require more frequent attention.

I would only use such nasty compromises on my own bike if I were venturing into a thorn-strewn hellhole. If you know in advance that at least 9 out of 10 flats will be thorns, then it's probably worth using sealant. But first, start with a tire that has effective puncture protection built in. Putting sealant into a crappy tire is like putting a water sanitizer tablet into water that you dipped out of a roadside ditch.
 
Everyone has different experiences of course, but I've never experienced any of that. I always shoot a poof of air down the stem before screwing the valve back in and never have clogging problems.
I've never seen it clump up in a tube, except for a small clump right at the location of a leak.
Def never had it spray down a whole shop when a tire pops off, but I've only put it in a tube, not tried to use it as a tubeless sealant.
And no matter what it's drawbacks, compared to putting a tube in rear of some of the ebikes with a fender, rack, skirt guard and flip down kickstand in the way, seeing if some Slime will fix it is a low cost, low risk effective fix for many end users.
Again, I've personally had it fix flats on the fly without even pulling over, much less stopping to put a tube in, but then again I do live in a thorn strewn hellhole.
 
Chalo said:
Slime is gross. It keeps you from putting air into the tire, or letting it out. It turns into cat hairballs in green gravy as you ride. It makes simple punctures almost unpatchable. For most of us, it's not easier than carrying a spare tube, patch kit, and pump and knowing how to use them.

I wouldn't bother on a regular bike and never did. I used to just carry a spare tube and patch kit and that always worked fine excepting
one century ride where I had 4 or 5 flats and ran out of tubes and patches. It was only a bike shop guy I knew showing up as a passenger in the sag truck (that I was about to take) that saved me that day. He lent me his rear wheel and I was able to complete the ride with no more flats.

But the rear DD wheel on my ebike is more trouble to deal with - especially at night. I can certainly do it, but I'd rather not - especially on a commute ride. Going in to work it would make me late and going home I'd like to avoid delays.

What I've figured out about patching slimed tubes is to not use them right away. If you do, the tire pressure will tend to push the slime into the only moderately cured adhesive where it can cause a bubble that potentially compromises the patch and seal. So yes, it is a potential problem for a field patch. At home, I clean the area to be patched with 90% alcohol before applying the glue. I then let the patch sit and cure for at least a day before putting any significant pressure in them. When I do that, they repair nicely.

The next time I get a rear puncture, my plan is to sacrifice my current front tire and use it as a liner as you've described. Perhaps with that I can avoid using Slime. I definitely have a love/dislike relationship with Slime.
 
Fyi Clalo, I am one those "we" that are bike shop employees or owners... But there's lots of room for differences in professional opinions even in the world of "we".
 
I'm remembering a sad episode when one of my insane customers-- an annoying proselytizing Christian homeless dude with a chronically overloaded cargo bike-- brought me one of his 16 inch trailer wheels for a tire swap. He had his tubes something like half filled with Slime. His nylon mag wheels were rated for 35psi maximum, but his tires were rated for 65psi. He asked for 65 and swore that's what he usually used.

I swore-- lots-- when that sucker went "boom" at somewhat less pressure than he wanted, and baptized me, the stand, the workbench, and pretty much everything within ten feet.

Turned out his pressure ratings were about as good as his world view.
 
Voltron said:
That doesn't really sounds like a Slime problem as much as a crazy customer problem...

It wouldn't have mattered so much how crazy he was, without the Slime.
 
I thought you install regular tubes, and then add slime through the valve when you get the flat. Might be good for a quick repair, its easy enough to pop off the wheel, take off tire/tube and reinstall when you've done it enough times. :oops: Even with my red neck torque arms using hose clamps.
 
I used slime for about 2 years. It never prevented a flat as far as I could tell. And every time I had to pull an inner-tube to fix the flat that the slime didn't stop it was such a greasy gross mess that I couldn't patch a flat without having a place to wash the tube off. Not to mention the inside of the tire. I would usually just limp home flat tire and all. I finally gave up on the product all together. Good tires and heavy tubes work just as well for me.

:D
 
markz said:
e-beach said:
Good tires and heavy tubes work just as well for me.

I could measure the thickness of all the inner tubes I have gone through.

Continental
EVO
LifeLine
Schwalbe
Rubbers
MEC

No doubt. And that is the life of an e-biker.

:D
 
Goat head thorns are the primary problem where I ride, and on several instances I've seen Slime seep through a very small hole without exhibiting the ability to clog it even if I rotated the tire. Acquaintances that ride in some cactus-filled desert areas in socal won't allow anyone to join the group unless they are using No Tubes in a tubeless system.
 
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