Ok, first tubeless setup and all been good for a few months.
Recently notice Minion is losing pressure even after a short distance. Re-pressurise but still doing it. Take the tyre off to see that stans has set into a rubber pool in it.

Questions,
bear with me please! 🙂

1) The stans setting “solid” in a pool, just the latex saying I need to ride more?? 😀 I went for 2 weeks without a ride waiting for a part to turn up. Should that really cause it to harden in place though??

2) This stuff is hard to remove. Got the big pool of stuff out but around the bead of the tyre I’m having trouble getting it perfectly clean… But is that even necessary? I don’t want it to compromise the bead sealing potentially.

3) I applied good quality rim tape as recommended on here, Tesa…but only applied one layer of it only over lapping the valve by a few inches. I notice the tape is being indented over the spoke holes by the air pressure against it. Best to do 2 layers of tape to be sure?

Oh, rim is an Alexrims Volar(?)25. 29″ flavour.

Thanks for info guys,as always. 🙂

Do you use CO2 to inflate the tyre?

1) No

2) No

3) No, but you can if you want to 🙂

Thanks for reply!

CO2, yes used it once to inflate the tyre but I suspect the sealant had already hardened by then as this was just after I noticed the tyre was losing pressure but not sealing. Was only a couple of days ago too, that I used the CO2.

Just bumping in case anyone else has come across this too. 🙂

I’ve had Stan’s in various bikes for over a year and it hasn’t done that. They must have stood for >2 weeks during that time. Hence I could only think it might be a reaction with the CO2.

It is Stan’s, is it? Was there any other sealant in there previously?

Hello again,

Yes mate, Stans fluid. Brand new tyre and wheels so no previous brand of fluid.

Just set the tyre up again a few mins back actually, used 2 layers of rim tape too… for the hell of it.

Gone up with track pump reardy as the Minion always seems to do on these rims. Taking it for a short ride in a bit to get the fluid nicely around the tyre.

I remember reading something about CO2 cartridges causing a “cold shock” to the fluid but wasn’t really sure if this is one of those myths to be honest! 🙂

I’ve inflated plenty of tyres with CO2 until I got my airshot and I’ve never seen that, looks like it’s separating out. Maybe mail Stans? Did you give the bottle a good shake? What happens if you just pour some Stans into an old cup and leave it?

Hiya,

Yeah, have bottle a good shake beforehand.

Good idea, will put a bit into a small cup and see what happens.

Will try and remember to mail stans about it to ask what they say.

Had that too.
Commuter bike, so not left unridden.
Never filled w/ CO2.

Not a lot of help that.

APF

Hmmm…

Resurrecting this as had the same problem in the HR2 now. 🙁

Losing air slowly, popped the tyre off… to see the sealant congealed in a rubbery pool again.
As before an almost clear fluid also in the tyre, obviously separated from the actual sealant itself.

Never got round to mailing Stans but think I might have to! 🙁

Interesting to hear you’ve had this too Alex.

Exactly the same as your pic.
Gonna try Orange sealant next time.
Let me know if Stans have anything useful to say

APF

Will do Alex!

Most odd and a bit annoying. Took ages to get most of it out of the tyre. 😀

It’s the CO2. I’ve had exactly the same happen so talking from experience.

(If a tyre does need a shot of CO2 to pop the bead onto the rim I only do it without sealant; deflate once sealed and reinflate and deflate again to purge CO2 and then add sealant through the valve.)

As above, I’ve had this very thing, and I have never used CO2.

So that’s definitely not it.

APF

Yah, have to say I’ve not used CO2 on this tyre at all.

Used a track pump to inflate this one.

Yah, have to say I’ve not used CO2 on this tyre at all.

Aah – sorry, reread from top and didn’t see the different tyre bit!

I believe the pool of thick gloop is the actual rubbery particles that float in Stans and actually do the sealing. So add some fresh Stans and mix it all in.

The “gone off” Stans boogas (which you don’t seem to have) need to be discarded – they’re usually quite big and look like something from Alien.

On normal Stans the bottle says to open the lid, hold your finger over the hole, shake then turn upside down and wait a few seconds before pouring. This lets the thicker particles that actually seal holes come to the bottle opening.

New maxxis always feel very ‘slimey’ on the inside from the mold release, possibly that interacting with the stans. I usually give the new tyre a scrub to clean that off before mounting, more because I want the stans to ‘stick’ in a hole than thinking about adverse reaction.

That’s only happened to my tyres when I’ve changed them over for a ride or two and just left the other tyre with the stans still in the tyre and left them in the bike shed to try and save the sealant, so it much just reacting with the air. The bike must be sat though as obviously the tyres hadn’t moved for a week or two in my case.

The “gone off” Stans boogas (which you don’t seem to have) need to be discarded – they’re usually quite big and look like something from Alien.

Also known as ‘Stanimals’

I’ve never seen that before. Also use CO2 to inflate. Maybe it was the hot weather from a few weeks back?

yes
no
no

I’ve seen that when using non-tubeless ready tyres that are quite porous. Mostly in the old days of tubeless. Air seeps out of the sidewalls and the stuff just dries out. Modern tubless ready tyres are far less prone to this ime.

Usually you get the pool if you don’t ride very often (happened to me over a winter). Sometimes you’ll get a cauliflower thing that rolls around inside making noise.

All part of the tubeless experience, no reason to switch brands.

Where do you store your bike? is it in direct sunlight or an outside building which in the heat gets like an oven?

Stored in the hall mate.

So the bike and tyres are petty pampered. 😀

I haven’t had this happen to date, but I have taken to giving the wheels a shake to check there’s still some sloshing about as my last puncture appeared not to seal due to there being no gunk in – once I got home and put more in it sealed up and inflated no bother. I guess I must’ve had some minor punctures without noticing them.

Even tyres I take off and leave in the open air seem to take a while to solidify the pool of Stan’s.

I’ve had the same problem with Stan’s, in Conti and Maxxis tyres. Never found out why but switching to Conti RevoSealant stopped it.

Stans goes off eventually. I would just check it every 3 months or so by popping the tyre off to make sure there is proper sealant, not just separated liquid and latex sloshing around when you shake the wheel.

Stans has Ammonia in it to stop the latex from going off, it will eventually evaporate through the pores of the tyre until there isn’t any left and the latex will go off. Like when you leave a pool of Stans in a tyre that isn’t fitted to a wheel, it goes off quite quickly.

I’ve found Orange seal lasts longer and seems to work as well, and it doesn’t contain Ammonia, which can damage aluminium.

Any sealant will damage aluminium eventually on account of it containing water, the secret is to not to leave any aluminium exposed to the sealant.
UST rims? Good on ya! Stick some tape on them or lose them.

Bumping this as by the look of it I have the same problem as last year.

The sealant has separated into an almost clear runny fluid and the rest into a pool of rubber at the bottom of the tyre.

Only difference is that the bike has been laid up for a few months.

Any of you guys get this after a few months of not being used?

If so, id better drain the stuff next time I lay the wheels up for a while…

The worst part is the time it takes to get most of the sealant out of the tyre, it’s a compete bitch to do when it’s like this. 🙁

“The sealant has separated into an almost clear runny fluid and the rest into a pool of rubber at the bottom of the tyre.”

I had the very same thing recently with some UBER tyre matrix sealant. When I went to swap tyres recently the sealant had separated into a thin watery substance and balls of sludge stuck to the inside of the tyre. Spoke to uber about it – they hadnt come across this before but were going to look into it.

Well, I’ve finally got round to emailing Stan’s.Lol

Will see what they say…. 😉