Topping up tubeless

[legendontour]

Having just gone tubeless in preparation for this years TDR, I have a newb question.  How often and how much sealant do people use and how often is it necessary to top up?  Do people carry spare sealant on trips?  After an initially messy experience trying to pour it in via a gap created by a tire lever, I have purchased and used the stans syringe with my removable core valves.  A significant improvement, and for the minimal weight penalty, I am planning on carrying it on the TDR.

[dadana]

How often kind of depends on how many leaks you get. Here in New Mexico, we have stickers called goatheads which can puncture dozens of little pin holes every time you ride. I add Stan's to my tires about once a month. I also remove my tires once a year or so and clean all the hardened Stan's out of the tires and clean the rims. I have been riding the Great Divide trail (one week a year) and we always carry a small bottle of Stan's with us. The syringe is the best way to install it on the trail as you don't have to break the bead and can re-inflate with a hand pump.

[PretendGentleman]

I tend to go overkill on sealant.  I use slime since its cheap and available all over the place; I dilute it with a touch of water.  I replace it about every 6 months.

Since getting my krampus, the knards won't work tubeless.  They just keep burping.  So I switched to qbp q-lite tubes (removeable presta cores) and I rinse out the talc and add my own slime.  I do the same thing with a spare tube, which also acts as a slime reservoir. I strongly recommend carrying a spare tube with tubeless.  If you damage the sidewall for example, you may not be able to get it to hold air unless you use a tube.  A zillion old thorns might be sitting in your tire, and while you should try to get them all out before installing a tube, it can be nearly impossible.  Thus a slime tube is imperative for avoiding another flat 100 yards down the trail.  I've also used a bit of gorilla tape to connect two tubes together at the valve to squirt slime from one to another.  I gently heated the tape with a lighter to get it to stick better.

Another similar issue is what to do if you need to reseat the bead of a tubeless setup on the trail.  For setting up my fat bike rims tubeless with a floor pump, I installed a layer of low density foam between rim and rimstrip.  This lets you get the bead on the rim, but it also creates a good seal between rimstrip and tire bead so with just a bit of moisture, you can easily fill a tire with a hand pump starting with no seated bead on either side! 

[vikb]

Do people carry spare sealant on trips? 

I add sealant every 6 months or so....I don't carry sealant on a tour, but I'm not likely to be away for more than a week.

I just crack the tire and throw in a scoop or two of Stans. Other than wiping the sealant off a small section the rim I don't find it particularly messy.

I do have a couple small 2oz bottles of Stan's I pack in my truck on longer road trips. If I was going on a month long MTB tour I'd throw them into my frame bag just in case.

[tubeSSnapper]

No syringe is needed, the 2oz. refill bottle will fit right into the valve core. One less thing to carry. I refill the 2 oz bottle after use and tape the cap on tightly to prevent a messy accident.

[dgjessee]

Sort of related... if you're flying with your bike do you usually just deflate tires, leaving stans in there, pump 'n go upon arrival? Or does anyone start fresh at the destination, adding stans and re-inflate? I'm planning to do the former, just want to make sure I'm not missing something here.

[RossC]

I just deflate tyre to about 3-4 psi leaving the Stans in there.

[baquah]

FYI, those little 2oz Nalgene bottles you can find at REI have the "exact" same threading as the 2oz Stan's bottles. My trick is to get a couple of spare caps for the Nalgene bottles, and alternate those with the conical Stan's cap that fits every-so-nicely into the valve stem. No leaks, and only an extra cap to thank for it.

--
Sean

[TWebb]

"Since getting my krampus, the knards won't work tubeless.  They just keep burping. "

I did split tube with mine and its working great!!

[mjr5house]

I love my 2bliss

Just a word of caution on the stans valve stems. Make sure you support your pump well at the valve stem when using a hand pump. I recently had the top of the stem break off inside my pump from excessive movement wile pumping. It was a nail biter because I was half way on my 25mi work commute. However the good news was it did not let the air out so I nervously made it to work. Now I cary a spare valve and went to a non removable core (cause its hefty). If I need to put stans in on the go I use the 2oz bottle with a small piece of clear tubing that slips in the side of the rim, it only breaks the bead by 3mm so i'm still able to use a hand pump

By the way i'm not saying not to use the removable valves just making you aware that they are a little weaker at the top under the flat points.
 
Mike