How to remove sealant from tubular tire?

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wootenlakeguy
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:55 am

by wootenlakeguy

I just purchased a set of high end wheels with tubular tires. These wheels had less than 500 miles use and the condition of the tires indicates that's accurate. When the wheels were shipped, the tubular tires were deflated and apparently hadn't been used for some time.

The difficulty I'm having is one of the tires has had sealant used at some point and over time it dried and formed a plug in the valve. Consequently I'm unable to get any air into the tire. Fortunately the valve core is removable, but I'm not able to get air into the tire even with the valve core removed.

I've tried to gently remove the sealant plug from the valve, but have been unsuccessful to date. Initially I used a small flat bladed screw driver of correct diameter and tried to loosen the plug. When this didn't work I used a drill bit of the correct diameter and slowly hand twisted the drill bit through the plug into the tire. Since I don't want to puncture the opposite wall of the tubular tire, I'm afraid to go too far and am still unsuccessful.

I haven't seen this particular issue discussed before and would welcome any suggestions about how to remove the sealant plug without ruining the tubular tire. As an example, is there a solvent that will dissolve a sealant plug without damaging the latex lining?

I appreciate any responses.

by Weenie


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Bridgeman
Posts: 742
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2005 6:04 am
Location: USA
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by Bridgeman

If the wheels have been deflated for some time you may have more problems than just a plugged up valve.

It's also possible that a large clump of dried sealant in a portion on the wheel that would render it substantially unbalanced. The walls of latex tube could also be effectively glued together. Probing or trying to extract the sealant plug would be difficult as you can't really be sure you're not piercing the opposite wall of the latex tube if it's collapsed completely together.

As for your issue with the valve; I'm at a loss for any solution, as I would not want to compromise the latex tube with a solvent and have it fail at a most inopportune time.

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

you may as well use the drill bit, mark the depth on the shank to about 2mm past the visible base of the stalk, if the inner tube hasn't been stuck together there's little chance you'll damage it if you stick to this depth

once the stalk is clear, inflate slowly, maybe you'll be lucky, but if the inner tube has been glued together it may simply fail as the pressure rises

if it's an expensive tyre and of traditional construction you can replace the tube, but for a cheap one maybe not worth the hassle

eric01
Posts: 909
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:06 am

by eric01

This is precisely the reason why I don't use sealant in tubulars unless i've already punctured the tire. Yes, if I flat on the road its a pain. But that's better than the sealant drying up and rendering the tube unusable.
Specialized Tarmac Sworks SL6, Moots Compact, Carl Strong Titanium

rpenmanparker
Posts: 216
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 1:47 pm

by rpenmanparker

Depending upon how valuable the tires are, you may wish to have the tubes professionally replaced. The cost in the USA is about $40 each. The tire is opened, tube is removed and replaced, and the tire is fully re-sewed and retaped. The result is very close to a new tire. Of course that has to make economic sense against the cost of a new tire of equivalent performance capability. If you are interested, just Google "tubular tire repair". You should get the appropriate hits.
Robert

Bridgeman
Posts: 742
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2005 6:04 am
Location: USA
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by Bridgeman

I've considered tubular repair, but for around $10 more, I can purchase a new tubular. No fuss, no muss.

natefontaine
Posts: 249
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 3:37 am

by natefontaine

Plugged up valves happen with tubies and sealant. Remove valve extension/core and use the soldered end of a brake cable, and clear the valve and extender. The goal is to push the plug back into the tire, i'd avoid the drill bit with it's sharp edges things could go wrong. Go slowly and you shouldn't tear the tube from the inside. If the valve has that much buildup chances are the core needs to be cleaned or replaced. The others are correct, if it is bonded together it's done, I doubt that has happened. Contact the seller and ask what type of sealant they used so you can re-treat the tire with the same. Tirealert.com can repair but as Bridgeman suggests, new ones are not that much more. If they are new Competitions for example, might be worth to consider getting the latex tube upgrade at about 1/2 the price of a new tire.

wootenlakeguy
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:55 am

by wootenlakeguy

Thanks for your well considered replies. I really appreciate the advice.

This was a virtually new $95 tubie, so I'll look into having the latex liner replaced. If that can be done for approximately half the replacement cost, I'll consider it a win.

Thanks again!

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

you can repair yourself, it's straighforward

no need to open the entire tub, 2-3 inches next to the valve hole is enough

cut the old tube, tie a bit of string around the long end so that it gets dragged through as you pull the tube out

cut the new tube at the same place, tie string to long end, dust well with talc and draw it back around the tub, get the valve back through the hole

clean the cut ends, glue together (use the vulcanising liquid from a puncture repair kit), talc to prevent it sticking to the inside of the tub, to save time i pasted in someone else's description...

Buy this.
http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/ ... patch-glue

Cut tube to length.
Insert one end into the other, overlapping 1.5".
Insert brush wetted with glue between the layers applying glue all around the joint.
Done!

I did two today. They are installed with tires on wheels and holding pressure so far.

Larry Lem


sew, glue base tape, put on a dry rim and inflate to check

1415chris
Posts: 1433
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Surrey UK

by 1415chris

Interesting. Technique of how to glue the tube's ends would be appreciated.

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

seems to vary, but the method i quoted seems easiest

make sure the overlap parts are clean, push 2-3cm one end into the other, use a brush/swab/stirrer to (quickly) coat the overlap area with vulcanising fluid and gently squeeze to exclude air until the tube bonds (there's another method where you 'roll back' the ends, coat them, then unroll to join but i've not tried it)

you can get away with it because the tubes are so stretchy, i practised with a tube from an old tub

been a while since i did it, but thinking about it, i think i opened the tub at the valve hole so it was easy to get it in/out, you need to pull out extra tube from the tub to get a bit of slack while making the join, you can just clamp it from the outside to stop the tube creeping back into the tub

not sure, but there may be a better description in the tubular repair thread... viewtopic.php?f=113&t=70013

by Weenie


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