it stays liquid until it doesn't, like, a long time.

I don't know how it works when I use sealant inside a latex tube as a prophylactic, but it works. For tubeless, the purpose of the sealant is to help seal the "edges", ie. around the valve and the bead of the tire, if I understand it correctly.

E

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Welcome to tubeless. I've lived with it for several years now in my mountain bikes and more recently with one of my road bikes.

The sealant doesn't cure. It has microscopic pieces of latex as the sealing agent that stay suspended in the liquid, so you actually don't want the liquid to dry. However, it does eventually dry, so I top off the sealant every 3-6 months. On my mountain bikes, I'll pull the tires once a year and wipe out the old sealant liquid, which turns a nasty brown color, and pull off the dried sealant latex. I'll probably do the same with my road bike, which was recently converted to tubeless.

The sealant plugs leaks just like a cut stops bleeding. The microscopic latex acts like a clotting agent. Rough analogy.

Sweet... thanks for the info. I didn’t think I was going to have problems since this isn’t the first tubeless install ever, just curious.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Your Stans sealant will be liquid for about 30 days in my experience. Then it will start to ball up and dry up, eventually you will hear the little balls rolling around in your tire and will need to remove, scrape out, or simply refresh the sealant with liquid.

The most concentrated sealant (link below) has been good for 60-70 days in my tests. The longer it stays liquid the longer it will flow to the right spot to plug punctures.

Link:
https://www.ebay.com/...p2060353.m1438.l2649

The above is correct. You want it to stay like milk sloshing around your tire as long as possible (months). When you no longer hear the sloshing, it's time to add more, as it's no longer effective as sealant.

It works sort of like blood. When there's a leak, coagulates into a scab that plugs the hole. There are little particles that catch onto the edges of the puncture, and they sort of crystallize into a solid.

I think it lasts me about 6 months before it dries out, I have never added it pre-emptively. If a tire won't hold air anymore then it's time for more sealant. I don't get flats often so I don't sweat sealant level.
That being said, I went to change to a winter tires last week because we got a pile of snow. In my rear GP5000 were what looked like a 4 penny finish nail (2 inches long) and a 1/2" brad. They were just along for the ride, I had no idea they were there. I think I picked up the big nail about a week before I changed the tire because I remember hitting something going down a hill. I had plenty of sealant because I have only been riding those tires for 6 weeks but at the six month mark, with my level of non-maintenance either one probably would have caused an actual flat.

You can add sealant with a syringe and length of tubing if you are crafty. There might even be ready made kits for this so you don't have to DIY it together. That way you don't need to take the tire off.

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Andy Tetmeyer (I work at HED)

I've also anecdotally heard approx 6 months before it 'dries'. Inc from mtb friends who use it.
I guess that will depend on things like ambient temp, humidity, and how leaky / porous the tyre was to begin with.

I have what I think is an outlier n=2 ... I've had Stans sealant in a pair of wheels on a mountain bike (Maxis High Roller II) on Mavic 319 rims + Stans 'conversion' rim strip, and the sealant has stayed with some liquidity for 2 years ! (I put about 70ml in each, 27.5 wheels and 2.3" tyre width) . Still hear some slosh. I eventually topped it up just to be sure. The tyres went up well and next to zero weeping of sealant at day 1. So that may explain why it's still got some liquidity to it.

I also have read (no proof of this myself) that using co2 to inflate can cause the sealant to dry up / coagulation quicker. I've avoided that at installation time (and could be an old wives tale).

Re. The syringe, yes Stans make / sell a syringe with a flexible tube + a threaded end on it for adding sealant via the valve stem (take out the valve core 1st) for less mess.
Simple and a bit pricy for what it is (think they're sort of £15 mark) but saves some mess in the garage for sure.

i actually picked up a syringe. i did the front wheel with it for the initial install and opted to just dump the stuff in on the disc. the syringe may be good like you said for topping off. def going to see how that works.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador