Tubeless technology has undoubtedly made mountain biking even more fun. But only if everything works like it’s meant to. We have done a lot of riding over the summer and besides our own bikes, have been riding test bikes and test tyres. We have used only Safe Seal sealant throughout the past eight months and here’s what we experienced…
Its consistency is good: Some sealants are dense and difficult to pour, while others are too thin and almost ‘watery’. But Safe Seal has what seems to be the right consistency.
It’s easy to apply: The 125ml bottle comes with a plastic tube which you fit over the nozzle and your valve for mess-free application. We kept the small bottle and decanted into it from the 1 -litre bottle for subsequent applications. Note: The 125ml bottle has recently been done away with in favour of the 250ml bottle, which should give you two tyres worth (freshly fitted) or four 60ml top-ups.
It seals well on application: We didn’t have any challenges getting tyres to seat and seal quickly. And we had no deflated tyres the following day. One bike with Safe Seal in both tyres hasn’t been ridden in seven weeks. We checked the tyres this week and they are only slightly softer than the regular pressure, which confirms they’re well sealed despite hanging on a wall for almost two months.
Safe Seal is a latex-based sealant, which contains less than 5% ammonia and which is largely biodegradable, except for the tiny fibres. We used between 100ml and 125ml per tyre – all 29er tyres.
It’s easy to clean: Residual product that’s not liquid forms a thin layer on the inside of the tyre, which peels off easily (like dried wood glue).
It seals fast and firmly while riding: The Safe Seal has been called into riding action a few times on different bikes with different tyres. Each time it has sealed the hole quite swiftly and securely. We have had small and medium sized holes filled only. We haven’t experienced any tears or large holes yet.
Like many tyre sealants available locally, Safe Seal is made in South Africa which is probably the best testing ground for tyre sealant consider our range of rugged surfaces and thorn-heavy riding regions in some parts of the country.
With a tyre sealant, you want it to be hassle free to apply, work well when you’re riding and be long lasting. Safe Seal has shown itself to be all of that.
Available: Most bike shops
Price: 250ml – R110; 1-litre – R350
Contact: LMJ Bicycle Spares 0794914343
