Simple question(s) that probably have simple answer(s) but nothing solid necessitates asking the Singletrack hive
Not one to change tyres often but every time I do it costs me £30 a pop, starting to think “just do it yourself dammit”
Questions…
When swapping tyres do I need to thoroughly clean and dry the rims/tyres to go on first or is it ok just to throw tyres on and add sealant?
Best way to thoroughly clean rims/tyres?
Previous sealant used is unknown by myself so providing everything is dry is it ok to use any sealant I choose?
Does the tape and/or valves need to be changed every time or just when it looks like it’s had enough? Tell tale signs of needing to replace tape?
Ta in advance y’all
Sunday roast let’s see this post
I change tyres quite frequently. Pop the tyre bead, syringe all the remaining sealant up from the tyre and pop it back into the bottle to give it a shake (I’m far too tight to throw away sealant). Quick wipe around the old tyre and rim with paper towels. New tyre, new scoop of sealant and jobs a gud un!
@gavjackson1984 as I suspected, easy enough, make sure everything’s dry, tyre on, sealant in…simple
Supposing there isn’t quite enough sealant left from the old tyre or to put it another way, “someone” spilt sealant all over the workshop floor when removing old tyres
Providing everything is dry (tyres to go on, wheel rims) is it ok to use a different brand of sealant as that particular “someone” isn’t sure which one the LBS used previously and has heard stories about mixing sealants can cause issues…
When changing tyres I just lever off the current one, give the rim a quick wipe (no need to to be bone dry), check tape, fit the new/old tyre with some washing up liquid on the bead (leave a bit for putting sealant in), scoop sealant out of the old tyre into the new one and top up if needed, finish fitting tyre, inflate with a track pump or inflator.
I've mixed sealants, and haven't had an issue with Stans, Joes, Planet X random brand, and others. As long as they're latex based then you should be good.
Cheers guys
Best way i've seen of scooping out the reusable sealant i've seen is the lid of an aerosol can. I used to use a syringe but that's a bit fiddlier.
If they are folding bead then I take one side off and can pour most of the sealant out just by creating a dint. Pour into jam jar then suck up with syringe to put in new one.
It's fine if there is a bit of sealant on the rim and tape. It'll be there anyway when you put the new tyre on.
I've had trouble with refitting tyres where there has been dried sealant around the bead. It makes it harder to get a seal. Normally solved with a sharp scalpel and a bit of care cutting it off.
Tape is fine, unless it is creased, torn or obviously damaged. Simple visual inspection. Normally the edges go when you get a tricky tyre to remove. Valves the same. It's worth taking it out and cleaning it though so it isn't gunked up and the lockring not stuck.
I use TESA 4289 tape rather than a bike brand. Works well and you buy 50m for about £15 so I'm still on my first roll after several years!
Most of the big brands are decent for sealant. Joe's is my go to and that's mostly a price thing. I've not been brave enough to try the lifeline one from wiggle after some bad experiences with a weird planet x brand years ago.
Something like an airshot or Schwalbe tyre booster makes inflating the new tyre much easier. £50 but better than when I used to mess around with the 9p pop bottle method and CO2.
It's all become easy in recent years. In mtb the tech is old now so rims and tubeless ready tyres just work in my experience. It's not like back when we first started doing this messing around with normal tyres, bmx tubes and narrow mavic rims!
Pretty much as above, but I don't syringe out the sealant, just leave it in there and top up with a scoop of fresh stuff.
Pointless removing it, to put it back in.
That doesn't work , he's fitting new tyres .
I change tyres quite frequently. Pop the tyre bead, syringe all the remaining sealant up from the tyre and pop it back into the bottle to give it a shake (I’m far too tight to throw away sealant). Quick wipe around the old tyre and rim with paper towels. New tyre, new scoop of sealant and jobs a gud un!
This but I always make sure tyre is seated and holds air before putting the new sealant back via the valve. I don't want to be taking the tyre off again if I've damaged the tape and having to clean all the sealant out again just to retape.
That doesn’t work , he’s fitting new tyres .
Lol, aye, I had topping up in my head!. Changing tyres, I scoop up using a GT85 lid, as above.
I’m putting my old tyres back on after trying something new, so seating shouldn’t be too much of an issue, was more concerned with mixing sealants more than anything
Thanks again for the pointers all, massively appreciated
No syringe use here but use one of those plastic disposable cups that come in packs of 20+ for picnics etc., same function as the GT85 lid mentioned above.
I do reuse the cup for multiple tyres out of a mixture of tightness and not being wasteful.