Thursday, January 15, 2009

Goop

I've been meaning to test out Green Slime for a while. Not because I just like the idea, but because I keep getting slow leaks in the rear tire on my commuter bike. Since it has an internal-geared hub, getting the wheel off and on is a bit of an issue, and then I have to make sure the chain is tight and occasionally readjust the cable tension to keep it in the right gear. Add to that the fact that just flipping the thing upside down to get the wheel off is a significant challenge due to weight, and you'll see why tire changing/patching is low on my list.

(Keep in mind, I do have liners in the tires, but I think the spoke ends may be poking through the rim tape and causing little tiny holes.)

The last time I flatted, a few weeks ago, I just stuck my tongue out and left it flat. Last weekend I picked up a tube of slime and went to work. The bottle has pretty clear directions on it, and I went by them. I won't repeat them (rote) here, but roughly:
  • Let the air out and then pull the valve core (the top of the bottle has a built-in removal tool).
  • Use the hose to pump slime into the tube, about 1/2 the bottle for a bike tire
  • Replace the valve core and inflate.
  • Roll the tube to distribute the slime and remount.
That was the basic chain of events I followed, and it was almost that easy. The biggest issue I ran into is that the goop is thick. It took a lot of squeezing on the bottle to get it moving. Another thing to be aware of:

DO NOT REMOVE THE BOTTLE FROM THE HOSE, OR THE HOSE FROM THE VALVE STEM UNTIL THE HOSE IS EMPTY!!!

I cannot stress this enough. If you do (like I did) the pressure in the tube will pump all of the goop back out and it will go everywhere and be a pain to clean up. I had the advantage of having a utility room that I could work in and worry about cleaning up later, but had I been in my old apartment I would have been in trouble.

So far the slime is holding. I've done a few rides of varying length, and haven't had the slow leak problem again. If it holds I may go ahead and slime all of my bikes, just in case.
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

3 comments:

  1. Yokota FritzJanuary 15, 2009 at 10:10 AM

    Hey Joel,

    I used Slime for a while, but when I do get the eventual large slash that Goop can't seal, I end up with a big mess inside the tire and rim. I also ruined a pump when Slime back up out of the valve into the pump itself.

    So the stuff kind of works, but for me it's just too much of a mess to be worthwhile. I just use heavy duty tires these days.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJanuary 15, 2009 at 6:45 PM

    I'd love to go the HD tire route, but at least for my commuter (74 Schwinn) I don't have to option unless I want to get new wheels built. The bigger gripe I have about the odd wheel size is that I would love to have reflective sidewalls.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yokota FritzJanuary 17, 2009 at 1:01 AM

    I was talking with somebody at Interbike last fall and I think he told me they have 27" tires with reflective sidewalls. Give me a chance to dig that info up... I *may* even be able to get a freebie to review if you want it (and agree to write up a review for me)

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)