I've got 3 sets of wheels with tires and sealant and they aren't going to be used between December and the end of March. Does it make sense to remove the tires and clean everything inside and out? Can I save and reuse the sealant? I've had some mixed results reinstalling tubeless tires. I think I know the answer, maybe I'm just hoping to save some money and avoid some work.
I typically remove my tires once a year and scrub out all the dried up sealant. Its a pain, but over the years you can build up quite a bit of extra weight if you don't. Especially if you are not riding the bike, the sealant can solidify in a big chunk and throw the tire out of balance. So if you aren't riding, it makes it a great time to clean everything out. If the sealant in a tire still looks reasonably good, I will reuse it. However if it is badly discolored or looks like things are separating then I just trash it.
Why not just swirl your wheels around every couple of weeks? Seems a lot less work than cleaning them out. My 650b wheelset only gets used maybe once every 4-8 weeks, but seem to be fine in terms of holding sealant and not drying out.
I have been worried about my sealant freezing in my subzero garage, so if I know I won't be riding a bike (MTB or gravel) during the winter (I have a winter beater), I will suck most of the sealant out with my syringe and put it in a bottle until I ride again. I don't bother removing the tire completely and cleaning, I only do that when I rotate tires.
Not sure if that is even necessary or if sealant freezing is bad or even possible, but its what I do!
Maybe it's just where I ride but when I pull my tires there are usually bits of metal, thorn ends, and other crud in them. IMO it's definitely worth cleaning them out periodically.
I’m I the same as op - bikes won’t move from Dec to Mar. garages goes into freezing temperatures for the same time period. Bikes hang from the rims so no pressure on the tires.
I don’t do anything. I add an ounce of sealant to every wheel in the spring. Stand bottle sits in the garage all winter too.
Thanks for posting - I was going to post something similar.
The first year I had tubeless, I didn't do much other than ride them occasionally. Then remounting a tire, I noticed that a that the sealant had dried over winter and left a latex pool in my tire. Not good (although easy enough to remove).
Now, I rotate my tires and check pressure every 2-3 weeks. Typically if I fill them with sealant in August, there will not be too much liquid sealant in them this time of year.
What off-season? Even here in NH, where we have a real winter, I ride all year. Granted, the gravel bike sees less use in the winter and I don't ride it on snow or ice, but it does get used. It's just a matter dressing for the weather, which isn't difficult.
If you're not going to ride, sucking out the sealant seems like a reasonable idea. With tubeless, I avoid unseating the tires, as it's rough on the beads.
bnystrom wrote:What off-season? Even here in NH, where we have a real winter, I ride all year.
LOL, good point. Well, you obviously don't spend your winters indoor in a velodrome ;-) Still, I have multiple sets of tubeless wheels, and even when I'm riding outside in the winter, I'm not really using my summer tires very often. When the weather is really bad I'm on studded tires on a winter beater.
LOL, good point. Well, you obviously don't spend your winters indoor in a velodrome ;-)
I wish I had that option!
Still, I have multiple sets of tubeless wheels, and even when I'm riding outside in the winter, I'm not really using my summer tires very often. When the weather is really bad I'm on studded tires on a winter beater.
Sure, I only ride summer tires if the ground is clear and preferably when the temp is above freezing, though that's not mandatory. When it's snowy and icy, either the hardtail or fat bike with studded tires get the nod. I haven't bought studded rubber for the gravel bike and don't plan to, as I'd really prefer to have the wider rubber that the other bikes provide.
[QUOTE username=bnystrom userid=4927942 postid=1321622363]What off-season? Even here in NH, where we have a real winter, I ride all year. Granted, the gravel bike sees less use in the winter and I don't ride it on snow or ice, but it does get used. It's just a matter dressing for the weather, which isn't difficult.
The definition of winter really is variable. Here in suburban Montreal we have real winter too. The streets around me are often just a mess of slush, ice and salt so in the winter I ride the trainer or put my fatbike in the car and get myself into the woods where I can get shelter from the wind.
In the end I removed the tires from two sets of wheels and left one on to use before the snow comes.
