When and How to Add Tire Sealant

How often should you check the sealant in your bike tires, and how do you do it? Watch and find out!

Video on adding sealant by unseating the bead:

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[BitsOfEternity]

When you've pushed the plunger all the way to the bottom, and there's still some sealant in the tube at the bottom, pull the plunger all the way out and then put it back in - that will create an air pocket between the plunger and the sealant at the other end, and hopefully allow you to plunge until the tube is empty, avoiding most of the mess when removing the injector tube afterwards - and I'd put a piece of shop towel around the base, just to soak up anything that might spill out.

[swnorcraft]

I have a syringe whose straw is small enough to slide inside the valve stem. I insert the straw into the sealant bottle and draw back the plunger to fill it. There is no mess using this method and no sealant gets on the threads of the valve core. Of course, breaking the bead allows a more thorough and visual indication of the condition of your tire. Thanks for sharing.

[dollfaller]

Thank you, Clint for putting this video on her so I could insert Stans tubeless sealant by myself I love going to YouTube to learn how to repair something in my home on my motorcycle & on my bicycle. Your instructional video was easy to understand and follow. I learn best by listening to verbal instructions while seeing it visually also. Your awesome!

[DaigoroToyama]

Very helpful info here. I should've watched this video before adding sealant to my tubeless tires for the frist time this morning. I used Stan's injector, but knew no better than to fill it with sealant before plugging it into the valve and positioning it like you did. Took me a bit of time to clean up the mess on the garage floor...

[garthsjaunt]

Only need to break the bead for 4 to 6 spokes worth on either side of the valve, you'll be able to see how much sealant is left easy enough, and the tire holds its shape more consistently avoiding spills. When adding from the big bottle just go direct to the tire and visually look for the puddle in the tire to be about 4 spokes wide. Also a great time to service the valve and clean out any sealant that may be coagulating on inside/bottom of the valve to keep inflating and adjusting pressure smooth and consistent. The injector/syringe seems like a good idea, but you loose the ability to visually inspect the quality of remaining sealant and amount, the remove the watery substance you mentioned, or service the valve (sticking a poky device into the valve with the core removed is a fool's errand and will only push your clog to the inside surface of the valve which in turn only builds a bigger clog faster).

[offdagrid]

Top tip. A small length of sram 1x 11 xx1 chain is the right size to use to remove a valve core.
I don’t bother with the plunger in the syringe.
Take out the valve core put on the syringe kink the tube fill syringe with sealant unkink and it flows on its own.

[pmfranke]

Thanks, this was exactly what I was looking for. Great info with no fluf, ummms or stupidity. Excellent job.

[stevencole]

Mine lasts the life of the tire or if the tire needs to be removed for some reason . I also use an off brand sealant used for motos and atvs which doesnt dry out and is cheap which is half the cost of a product like stans . I do use a bit more sealant than normal . It has sealed a separating side wall which weeps a bit and some small punctures on the tread area . The front tire is newer and is still in good shape . The rear tire is 9 months old with a lot of miles . My sealant is goopy so it will not slosh around like the thinner stans . I ride mostly in a high desert location with lots of rocky sections .

[BlackFlag]

Fantastic video! I've had my bike for 9 months and covered 1100km with numerous rim dings. I've never checked the sealant level and never had a flat! I'll be doing it imminently though as I will be getting a lot of riding in over the Christmas period!

[jp]

I use the syringe method. It was hell to get the tire seated onto the bead the first time so I didn’t want to face that nightmare again. Also, have some spare valve cores handy. I broke a valve core because I was a little ham-fisted with screwing it back on.

[bryanreeme]

I twisted my rear on my klr, stretched the stem, instant full flat.. I used what I had, basically food stuff. Used a hand sanitizer bottle to pump in my "recipe " (maybe 2 tbls) to get "home".. tire wouldn't hold air before I did it, it's now 1 year later & still fine. I'll use my recipe over ANY product sold (and I can eat it if I had to!)

[DM-hwcr]

The stans 2oz little bottle fits perfect with valve core removed. No hose needed.

[rphours]

Because it has really large spheres, Stan's says that their Race Sealant (great stuff!) cannot be added through the valve with a syringe or bottle. They also say that Race Sealant needs to be renewed/replaced every 2 months. Another way to check sealant is to pull the valve core and use a small wire tie or an Orange Seal "dipstick" to see if any liquid is present.

[Mam_]

Just want to say thank you, your video helped me a lot! Cheers from Canada

[faridmoayed]

Thank you for a great and informative video. It cleared lot of my questions.

[mancello]

I prefer not to break the bead and just inject sealant through the valve. Quicker and easier since you don't need to reseat the bead. Also you should consider drawing the sealant directly from the bottle using the syringe. It doesn't drip out due to air pressure. I do this all the time and it is a clean easy way to do it.

[MattSwain]

Very useful video thanks. I’ve tried using the syringe and ended up with as much sealant on the floor as in the tyre, think I’ll pop the tyre off next time as it looks a lot less hassle than I thought it might be.

[stevehodson]

Thanks for telling us how much fluid to install.

[LarryRichelli]

Took me almost an hour to get my gravel tire bead to seal I would never pop the bead to check my sealant so I always use the plunger.

[beucky]

Hey, thx for the video and Nice and clear instructions.
And would like to add a little something, as i am from Belgium the weather is all different here(lots of Rain) and as long as i dont have a puncture i'm good for at least 6 months and only check every 3 months or before a big event or trip, i completely clean the tyre once every year. Only used 3 brands SO far (shwalbe, stans and cactus) the cactus one drys UP the fastest