Removing old sealant – how meticulous?

The bike I only use for about a month every summer had been set up as tubeless (I bought it second hand that way). The valve was all gummed up so I removed the tyre yesterday and I’m going to put a tube in it. Does it matter if there is still some old dried sealant on the inside of they tyre? I’ve got most of it off but it’s very time consuming. Or maybe there’s a quicker way to remove it?

I don’t think it matters if some is left, i have only been meticulous about getting it all out when i’ve changed sealant brand and not being sure how they’d react with each other.

If the valve is gummed up, in my experience it can be better to replace it at that point.

for gummed up valve a regular spray of GT85 keeps it free

I’m going to put a tube in it anyway because it’s not ridden for 11 months each year, so the sealant would likely be dry.

I just take out the big lumps of dry sealant. I might be doing it wrong though.

Why bother? It’s not doing any harm

Never get rid of sealant unless there’s an obvious big lump I can just pull out. As someone else says only exception would be if I were changing brands but otherwise I never bother clearing out stuff out. Not sure why you would, can’t see it hurting.

My worry was about it sticking to the tube. Most is very dry but one little section is a bit sticky and I don’t want it to stick to the tube and cause problems.

If you’re changing to tubes permanently then run some talc round it to stop it sticking to the tube.

Someone posted a link to Rubber bristled brush which should make removing dried on sealant easy, Ive not bought one but it looks interesting. I only worry about sealant on the bead, as I worry this might cause leaks

I use Orange Seal Endurance and it seems to last forever. One tyre hadn’t been touched in over a year and still had wet sealant in it.

My worry was about it sticking to the tube

I’d puff a bit of talcum powder around the tyre

My worry was about it sticking to the tube. Most is very dry but one little section is a bit sticky and I don’t want it to stick to the tube and cause problems.

Fair point. Yeah, talc should sort that.

Just be aware that the sealant could be hiding/blocking little thorns or bits of flint. Have a good check on the inside where there’s little damp looking patches on the outside.

That’s a good point as that’s exactly what I found yesterday – picking off old sealant and finding thorns stuck in the tyre which would have punctured the tube.

Talc is obviously the answer. Fortunately the bike is at my mother in law’s house and she is likely to have 20kg of the stuff stockpiled in case of Armageddon. My tyres are going to smell lovely.

I wouldn’t worry about the sealant drying out. Just replace the valve cores and put some grease or silicone lube in them before fitting.

At the start of your season give the wheels a shake to check if there is still sealant sloshing about, if it rattles with a stanimal in there then just take the lump out. Top up as required, can be done with a syringe through the valve stem and enjoy riding with out the faff of tubes!

Best thing for removing it is a block of natural rubber/crepe. Comes off a treat.