Tufo sealant question for Tom D and others

Triathlon Forum
1

Tom D or anyone who knows…

I noticed you used Tufo sealant for Nice. What happens after the race? Do you just leave the sealant in the tubulars forever? What happens to it - how long is it good for? I remember someone saying that they flatted several months after putting sealant in and it sprayed a nasty thin liquid all over…

Similar question - for anyone who has used sealant in a race - can you describe how it went step by step? How did it work?

Dave

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The sealant remains liquid until it hits air which is when it vulcanizes to form the plug that seals the hole it came out of. Therefore it stays in forever. I planned to put sealant in during a race this year if required as I was still on the fence as to putting in before hand. But I never had a flat so no idea on how it would work. Leaning towards pre-loading sealant for next year as putting sealant in during a race is likely to be a pain. If I remember from Tom D’s Nice race report he did not carry a spare, my LTS recommends this approach as well. I have repaired a flat with the Tufo sealant after the fact and the tire pumps up to 175 psi (max rating) and holds rock solid.

3

Dave,

Be careful with the sealant. I put it in my race tubulars at ironman last year. After the race I let a little the air out of my tires and the sealant clogged up both valve stems. Both tubulars were ruined as I could not get air back into them.

4

Dave,

Be careful with the sealant. I put it in my race tubulars at ironman last year. After the race I let a little the air out of my tires and the sealant clogged up both valve stems. Both tubulars were ruined as I could not get air back into them.

I agree, should have mentioned this before although I managed to get mine cleaned out with a piece of wire. This is exactly the reason I was undecided on pre-loading and only planned on the sealant during the race after I used up my spare.

5

“The sealant remains liquid until it hits air which is when it vulcanizes to form the plug that seals the hole it came out of.”

And we all fill our tires with-------- ?

6

I am sorry, I made this up on my own. It does in fact cure inside the tire rendering it a completely useless unbalanced blob of rubber. I have no idea how Tufo sells this stuff and why people would ever use it.

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I also had this problem! Thing is, I don’t know if it has ever worked since a puncture in a tubular tire would be immediately sealed by the stuff. The way it instantly hardened and sealed my valve stem when it hit the air, I believe it works!

8

I use the tufo’s on my road race wheels and my front tri wheel. I have not flatted in the 1000 or so miles I have put on the tires except for a nasty crash in a road race. I blew out the sidewall and with a little work the tufo sealant made the tire rideable/raceable. Holds 170+psi and rolls fine. As far as using the sealant during a race, I did not have the luck/experience to make that work for me. It took awhile for the sealant to dry when I fixed my flat at home. Depending on the course distance depends on if I carry a spare. I am not sure on if I will be carrying a spare next season during my races or not.

I personally do not put the sealant in before I get a flat. When I fixed my flat I had to clean out my valve stem a bit. I just pulled the core back out and poked the stem with a paper clip. I also run extenders (I think they are 38mm), so that changes things a little bit.

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Hello there Dave,

Hmm, good question(s). I presume that you just leave the stuff in once and for all… I hope you do. I don’t begin to understand how to get it out. This is the same wheelset and tires I am using in Thailand in a month.

I would suggest it worked, I didn’t flat (knock on wood). In fairness, there are no cuts in the tires.

So far so good.

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Thanks Tom and others,

I wonder how long the sealant is good for? I did a search and someone’s sealant went bad at some point if my memory serves…I’ll e-mail Tufo and see what they say and let everyone know.

Thanks,

Dave

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I ran Tufo S3s for two years with Slime in them. My LBS guy had a five gallon bucket of the stuff with a converted grease gun that fit presta valves and he put a shot in each tire.

1- I never flatted with those tires, so I don’t know if the Slime worked or not. I’ve since run Contis for two years without the Slime and haven’t flatted them either

2- Every time I let air out, if I forget to roll the valve to the top, some Slime squirts out and makes a mess, but doesn’t clog the valve.

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I’ve never had a problem with it setting up inside the tire although you wouldn’t want to leave the valve cores out for too long unless you otherwise sealed the tire. The only way it should set up is if it is exposed to air. Keep the tires inflated and it shouldn’t be a problem.

There is one dorky way to tell if old stuff still works. Slowly let the air out from the valve core and if its still good - it will seal the core before all the air is out. Then of course you will have to clean the core before you can pump them up again.

I usually put half the recommended amount in as a preventive - this works fine. I have one rear tire with a couple of visible cuts and a puncture where you can actually see the plugs.

By the way, the stuff only works with tubeless tires. If you use it with tubes and get a puncture, it will leak out of the tube and make a mess between the tube and the tire, and then harden up.