Should you go tubeless? Can car tyre sealants be used on bicycles?

Are you frustrated because you have to change your tube very often? 

It is hot in Malaysia, if you often park your bicycle under the sun, make sure that the material of the tube you buy is butyl rubber.  It is the material used to manufacture surgical gloves and it can withstand heat and chemical.  Should one of your tubes gets heated up and burst on you, it will also damaged your tyre.



You can also consider getting a better tyre or go tubeless. However, in Malaysia, a nice pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre with puncture protection belt, cost more than RM200.00. This is not an option that every cyclist is willing to pay for. 

Tubeless tyres are just as expensive too and they are not commonly sold yet in bikeshops here. So, there will be difficulty in finding replacement parts and sealants. Another issue is that they are extremely hard to get on and off your rims which can be a hassle if you need to change one in the middle of a ride.

If you are still into using sealant, find one that is meant for bicycle. This video will give you an idea what to expect to make the change.

Another matter you have to check is the length of your tube stem valve. You can find inner tubes sold with stem height of 48mm right up to 80mm.



If the double wall of your rim is wider, a tube with shorter stem valve will sink down the rim hole if some air is lost during a ride.




The tube can be easily damaged if you keep on cycling when the short stem valve is sitting lopsided in the rim hole.