i know that there is tubeless,but just wondered what people think of them.have used them for quite a few years,but am thinking of not bothering any more as they are quite expensive (also last week i had a puncture (a small hole) and the slime didn't seal it properly (was a dr sludge inner tube).the other side of the coin though,have had punctures where the slime did it's job properly.it's just the expense that i'm thinking of just buying inner tubes.
I only tried them once, something like 12 years ago, and found them useless.
I run them & appreciate the puncture protection they give you. No there not 100% reliable but then neither is tubeless! (i also have tubeless) I have been annoyed that lately I've had failures due to the valves failing rather than the slime but then again they were probably 4-5 years old. Other thing to be aware of is when they deflate due to a bad puncture, the other 6 holes that where sealed under pressure will now not seal either... Used both slime & dr. Sludge both are reliable
Could you not just buy some inner tubes with removal valve cores and put some Stans sealant in?
I've got some Conti inner tubes that came with with removal valve cores...been considering giving it a try.
slime etc is great for people who can't change a tube or fix a puncture, or are under time constraints like commuting (although I personally prefer rim strips or Marathon Plus type bulletproof tyres)
In the shop, usually recommend it to parents buying a bike for their kids.
if you need puncture protection I have found the strips you put in the tyres work well or tyres with puncture protection
JUNK, but watching some one trying to put a patch on one as the goo is comeing out is very funny!
I swear by them. There is loads of gorse where I ride and was forever getting punctures and spending longer fixing them than riding. I can go months without a flat now and when it does happen I normally find a dozen or so holes in the tube. So works for me.
But yes they can be expensive.
FieldMarshall +1
IME work well for dealing with countryside hedge trimming related punctures (hawthorn, buckthorn, blackthorn, whatever). Dr Sludge FTW!
Part of my local loops / rides involve thorns etc and i hate stopping - so i have tried these, slime tubes are heavy, if you can get 'slime lite' tubes on offer then they are worth it (full price is daft), otherwise get a light weight tube with a removable core (schwalbe, bontrager RXL etc)and add slime / alternative - for a cheaper - but just as effective option.
Note: for a similar weight 'penalty' panaracer 'super tube' [ie thicker and heavier!] is also an option, i have one on my back wheel and it has lasted a couple of months without a puncture (which is 1.5 months better than average!).
schwable tubes (removable cores) and Stans sealant works very well as an alternative. Use them on the missus bike since she hates changing inner tubes.
Slime tubes work well but weigh a ton and slime-lite are expensive options.
I use Panaracer Flataway which is a kevlar tyre liner. It does resist many thorns but unfortunately this evening I've been digging out a rather large thorn that sneaked through. 🙁
They can not be reused if you are changing tyres and are pretty expensive at around £10/£12 per tyre.
I've got one on the commuter's back tyre (back always puncture 3-4 times more often than the front, invariably tiny slivers of glass, presumably from the bottle bank I have to ride past on the way to work). It works for that at least, only get them in the front tyre now!