I’ve got a CX bike that has slick tubeless tyres on, the goo has been in there for about a year. As the weather starts to deteriorate I’m going to swap the wheels for an older pair with more nobly tyres on. What is the best thing to do with the wheels I take off?
Should I take the tyres off and clean out the goo, should I just leave them and add more goo next year or should I leave them and clean them out just before I put them back on? Or something else?
Take the tyres off and clean them ASAP. Different sealant dies different things over time. If it’s one that has stayed relatively liquid then you’re laughing … Jose it off and hopefully not much other stuff to remove. Leave tyres for next year.
Some sealants will have already dried up and they can be a pest. You might have a dried latex coat half way round/in sections … I personally spend a bit of time removing that as otherwise it’s just another mess 6m later when I start again.
You can of course just leave them with the dried sealant in and out more in next year. I don’t but it’s a choice I guess
I assume there is nothing bad about leaving the sealant in except that it is extra stuff in there that isn’t needed and so adding weight and mess.
Without sticking a spike in to the tyre and looking for a spray, is there an easy way to tell if it has already set before I take it off?
I’d take them off and at least clean out anything that’s still liquid, you’re going to want to replace that anyway. I personally don’t worry so much about cleaning dried stuff off the carcass but tidying up the bead is worthwhile or they can be a right pain to get resealed when they go back on. Oh and no need to spike the tyre to check, just unmount it and pour off anything that still moves (just not straight down a drain!)
If you decide to leave them mounted on the stored wheels then just be sure to rotate them occasionally or you’ll likely end up with a congealed mess at the bottom that’ll need sorting out later. I know that from past experience!
I think it will be easier to just clean them out when I take them off, I’d rather have a one off job than to try to remember to rotate them and still potentially have the job to do later.
Expect questions about refitting them again next spring as I got the local bike shop to fit this set for me.