Tubeless Tire Removal

I'm new to tubeless tech. and maintenance. So far, I've had a lot of luck with my Maxxis Rambler conversion on my Haanjo Comp stock HED Tomcat wheels. Using Stans Tape and valves, and Orangeseal Endurance sealant, the installation was fast and easy. The tires have held up well for several months of unpaved riding, mostly on maintained dirt and gravel roads, with some excursions onto nastier old farm trails. I run them at 35/30 psi. I'm now at a point however, that I want to do some tire and wheel swapping, and would like to remove the Ramblers from one wheel set, and install them on another. Can you give me some suggestions on how to remove the Ramblers, without making a big mess in my garage? I have a Stan's sealant syringe that may help the process. Also, I plan to discard any sealant that is still in the tires. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you're lucky, riding through the hot summer months might have dried up the sealant.  I use Stans and I usually refresh the sealant three times a year.

My normal routine is to rotated the rim so the valve stem is between 10 & 2 o'clock and let them sit for a few minutes.  I start letting air out thru the valve and 99% of the time no sealant sprays out.  After the air is out you should be able to pop the tire off each side without spilling any sealant.  Super easy and very clean. At this point you can quickly syringe the left over sealant.

OTHRider wrote:If you're lucky, riding through the hot summer months might have dried up the sealant.  I use Stans and I usually refresh the sealant three times a year.

My normal routine is to rotated the rim so the valve stem is between 10 & 2 o'clock and let them sit for a few minutes.  I start letting air out thru the valve and 99% of the time no sealant sprays out.  After the air is out you should be able to pop the tire off each side without spilling any sealant.  Super easy and very clean. At this point you can quickly syringe the left over sealant.

Thanks for the suggestions. Hadn't though of removing both sides of the tire first. Makes a lot of sense. Any suggestions for the best way to dispose of the old sealant? I'm thinking of simply soaking it up with paper shop towels, and throwing it in the trash. Also, how do you clean up the rim, once most  of the sealant is removed? I seem to remember Stans recommending a cold water rinse.

bobknh wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions. Hadn't though of removing both sides of the tire first. Makes a lot of sense. Any suggestions for the best way to dispose of the old sealant? I'm thinking of simply soaking it up with paper shop towels, and throwing it in the trash. Also, how do you clean up the rim, once most  of the sealant is removed? I seem to remember Stans recommending a cold water rinse.

\n \nHang the wheel on your repair stand. I only remove one side of the tire. I would remove most of any liquid sealant with the syringe, then you can use paper towels if you want. I just do it all in the yard and rinse out the tire and rim with the garden hose. \nRemoving dried sealant from the rim can be a PITA. Peeling/scraping/scrubbing is the only effective way. Nearly impossible to remove from the tire, and not really necessary.

shiggy wrote: Hang the wheel on your repair stand. I only remove one side of the tire. I would remove most of any liquid sealant with the syringe, then you can use paper towels if you want. I just do it all in the yard and rinse out the tire and rim with the garden hose. Removing dried sealant from the rim can be a PITA. Peeling/scraping/scrubbing is the only effective way. Nearly impossible to remove from the tire, and not really necessary.

Thanks Shiggy - If I recall, I cleaned some Stan's out of a high pressure Bontrager road wheel and did use a garden hose outside. My recollection is that there were a few clumps that I scratched out; but overall the rim was pretty clean. Hope Tomcat rims aren't too messy. I plan to re-install the stock Kenda Happy Mediums with tubes. I'm giving the bike to my step-son as a beater bike, and he doesn't want to mess with sealant. I'm hoping that the 40mm Ramblers will fit my new Ritchey Swiss Cross Canti. frame. I know that JOM has been running the 40mm Ramblers on his Ritchey Swiss Cross Breakaway.

To remove excess sealant, I hang the wheel in the garage, pop off one bead, hold a paper towel under the tire, and just pull down the bead to empty the sealant onto the paper towel.  After, I rinse with a garden hose.  If the sealant has dried (usually does when I'm in the desert), I use a 3M pad to clean the sealing surface of the rim.  In the past, dried boogers of sealant have prevented a new tire from sealing.  If I'm reusing a tire, I remove the big pieces (kind of like small clumps of cauliflower) and clean the bead of the tire with the 3M pad.  Sometimes, I have to peel the dried sealant off the bead which is a PITA so I usually try to get away without doing that.  If I'm just replacing dried up sealant I just pop the bead off in one place, pour in the sealant, and re inflate.  No cleaning necessary.

jonz wrote:To remove excess sealant, I hang the wheel in the garage, pop off one bead, hold a paper towel under the tire, and just pull down the bead to empty the sealant onto the paper towel.  After, I rinse with a garden hose.  If the sealant has dried (usually does when I'm in the desert), I use a 3M pad to clean the sealing surface of the rim.  In the past, dried boogers of sealant have prevented a new tire from sealing.  If I'm reusing a tire, I remove the big pieces (kind of like small clumps of cauliflower) and clean the bead of the tire with the 3M pad.  Sometimes, I have to peel the dried sealant off the bead which is a PITA so I usually try to get away without doing that.  If I'm just replacing dried up sealant I just pop the bead off in one place, pour in the sealant, and re inflate.  No cleaning necessary.

Jonz - thanks for the suggestion. All the suggestions I've received on this thread have been helpful; and I hope some other readers find them helpful as well.

jonz wrote:To remove excess sealant, I hang the wheel in the garage, pop off one bead, hold a paper towel under the tire, and just pull down the bead to empty the sealant onto the paper towel.  After, I rinse with a garden hose.  If the sealant has dried (usually does when I'm in the desert), I use a 3M pad to clean the sealing surface of the rim.  In the past, dried boogers of sealant have prevented a new tire from sealing.  If I'm reusing a tire, I remove the big pieces (kind of like small clumps of cauliflower) and clean the bead of the tire with the 3M pad.  Sometimes, I have to peel the dried sealant off the bead which is a PITA so I usually try to get away without doing that.  If I'm just replacing dried up sealant I just pop the bead off in one place, pour in the sealant, and re inflate.  No cleaning necessary.

no need to unseat a tire to refill sealant. Just remove the valve core and use a syringe. MUCH easier, quicker, and cleaner.

shiggy wrote:no need to unseat a tire to refill sealant. Just remove the valve core and use a syringe. MUCH easier, quicker, and cleaner.

A lot of people seem to prefer that but for me, it's just as quick to pop off a small section of the bead.  The only time I use a syringe is adding sealant to motorcycle tires - those beads are a major PITA.

shiggy wrote:no need to unseat a tire to refill sealant. Just remove the valve core and use a syringe. MUCH easier, quicker, and cleaner.

I believe that my Stans syringe has a plastic tube which fits over the valve body. With the valve at 6 o'clock, with the core removed, I can't imagine how you could remove most of the pooled sealant. Wouldn't you get mostly air?
BTW, I've been riding my regular road bike for several weeks to prepare for a 100 mile 1 day ride up in NH's White Mountains which I finished last Sat. 6,000 ft of ascent. Lots of fun, and we raised a lot of money for a handicapped cycling program I do volunteer work for. I looked at my neglected GG bike this morning, and the front tire was totally flat. No visible sealant leakage. I pumped the tire up and it held air and pressure. Does this mean it's time to refresh sealant? If so, how much should I add? They are 40 mm Rambler TR's. When first mounted, I used 2 oz. of Orange seal in each tire.

bobknh wrote:
I believe that my Stans syringe has a plastic tube which fits over the valve body. With the valve at 6 o'clock, with the core removed, I can't imagine how you could remove most of the pooled sealant. Wouldn't you get mostly air?
BTW, I've been riding my regular road bike for several weeks to prepare for a 100 mile 1 day ride up in NH's White Mountains which I finished last Sat. 6,000 ft of ascent. Lots of fun, and we raised a lot of money for a handicapped cycling program I do volunteer work for. I looked at my neglected GG bike this morning, and the front tire was totally flat. No visible sealant leakage. I pumped the tire up and it held air and pressure. Does this mean it's time to refresh sealant? If so, how much should I add? They are 40 mm Rambler TR's. When first mounted, I used 2 oz. of Orange seal in each tire.

\nTo ADD sealant, not remove it. \n \nI want the tire beads to be completely seated before I add any sealant. Much easier and cleaner than trying to refit a bead with sealant sloshing around, and it may not reseat easily when you try to inflate it. \n \nGenerally, if my tires are losing significant pressure over a couple of days I will add 20-30ml.

shiggy wrote: To ADD sealant, not remove it. I want the tire beads to be completely seated before I add any sealant. Much easier and cleaner than trying to refit a bead with sealant sloshing around, and it may not reseat easily when you try to inflate it. Generally, if my tires are losing significant pressure over a couple of days I will add 20-30ml.

Hi Shiggy - these threads get confusing after awhile. Now everything makes sense. Thanks for your always useful advice. BTW, my new Ritchie frame arrived a few days ago. Started building it up yesterday. I'm very impressed! Tested fit of 40 mm tires - plenty of clearance. Have a box full of new and old components to be installed. Will be traveling next week though. Probably wont finish the project until mid-October. Very impressed with the frame set. I got it on sale for $1,000. That sale is over, and the price is back up to about $1,300. Better to be lucky than smart!