Page 48 - AMB Freelist

eless Sealant Test WORDS & PHOTOS MIKE BLEWITT
and used when the tyre was no longer conceivably rideable.
There are a lot of variables to control and this method controlled some of them. Time and temperature will have an impact on tyre sealant, and higher pressures will lose more air before sealing can occur. Take these findings as a single experience, as others experiences may vary. We will test any other sealants in the same manner in future product reviews.
LOCAL INPUT ON A GLOBAL PRODUCT
Owen Matthews is the industrial chemist behind Australian brand Ride Mechanic, and he spent a couple of years testing countless tubeless sealants before developing his own product, Ride Mechanic Hoop Goop. Based on seeing the strengths and failings of just about every sealant on the market, his advice is pretty informed.
“Always setup tubeless without sealant and check for major leaks in the system via submersion in a water trough. Problems should be fixed without the complication of sealant. After setup and bead seating, use a valve with 3.5mm internal diameter, and use a Sealant Exchange kit (tested on AMBmag.com.au) to add Hoop Goop to coat the internal surfaces and build an inner tube in situ when riding. You can remove the
excess sealant with the syringe after a few weeks of riding." “Carrying a tubeless repair kit is vital – a 60ml bottle of fresh
sealant and a tyre plug. If the tyre deflates remove the valve core, add some fresh sealant through the valve stem, reinflate and keep riding. It takes less time than installing a tube. The fresh sealant should repair most holes but if it’s not effective and the hole is too big (over 4mm) or the cut is on rim-bead area use the plug.”
“Apart from setup, a puncture and racing there is no need for any liquid in a tyre. As soon as you put it in the liquid will start degrading and becomes less effective. This is much more problematic for road tubeless. Tubeless tyres rolling at optimum pressures are very good, with much better construction than non-tubeless. Often the reason people swear by tubeless sealant is they do not get flats. And this has nothing to do with the liquid in tyre, it’s because modern tubeless tyres are so good."
This is a pretty thorough setup procedure - but having used it a few times, it does work. Still, follow on for our test results.
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