bicycle repair Tip Glitter and Tire Sealant - Does it work? > Bicycle Repair Tips

 

I've had a slow leak in the rear tire of my
hardtail for months now, and I keep just pumping
it up and riding it.
I think we've all been guilty of this type
of laziness, but this leak is coming from
my sidewall, which means the tire really needs
to be replaced.
When I pump it up you can see air coming out
here, but shaking the sealant around plugs
the hole for a while.
Later today, the pressure will be down to
around 10psi if I'm lucky.
So, while this tire is getting replaced no
matter what, I'm going to use this slow leak
for an experiment.
Many riders have mentioned that mixing glitter
into both homebrew sealants, and off the shelf
brands like Stan's can improve their ability
to seal punctures.
It does sound plausible that the little grains
of glitter would get lodged in punctures and
make it easier for the sealant to do its job.
Let's see if glitter can give my Stan's sealant
an edge on stopping this slow leak.
I'm going to mix some glitter in with the
sealant that's already in my tire.
This way we can't attribute a successful outcome
to new sealant.
My assumption would be that really fine dusty
glitter works best, so I'll use this stuff.
I'll put some of these little stars in too
for style points.
I'll go for a ride to get the sealant in every
little crack, and then let the bike sit for
about 6 hours.
By now, the tire would have usually lost a
lot of pressure, so it's time to check.
No way, did this work?
I'm going to go for another ride and then
leave it until tomorrow morning, just to be
extra sure.
I must say I'm surprised.
This tire is most definitely holding air.
In the 3 months since this leak occurred,
I have not seen this tire hold air for more
than a half a day, so there's a good chance
that it was the glitter that stopped this
leak.
I'm still not sold on adding glitter to sealant
as a standard procedure though.
I'm guessing that it also has side effects.
For the same reasons it helps plug holes,
the glitter may accumulate around other crevices
inside the tire, and cause the sealant to
clump where it shouldn't.
Sealant is designed to provide a balance of
puncture resistance, longevity, and non interference
with other components like valve stems, so
there's probably a good reason that Stan's
doesn't come premixed with glitter.
I simply don't have the answer to this.
If it does provide better flat protection,
it might be worth the payoff during a race,
or a long distance trip where getting a flat
could have huge consequences.
These theories are all just speculation though,
so take them for what they're worth.
In any case, it was a fun experiment which
showed that this trick just might work.
Now I need to wash this glitter off myself
so my wife doesn't get suspicious.
Thanks for riding with me today and I'll see
you next time.