Does Stan's Sealant Really Destroy Wheels?
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- Опубликовано: 15 янв 2025
- Our local bike shop has been telling us for years to stop using Stan's tire sealant in our tires because apparently it can cause corrosion and end up destroying your wheels. We decided to do some research and found that there are dozens of riders making the same claim. So does Stan's really corrode wheels, or is it all just a myth? Let's find out! 👨🔬👩🔬🔬
Do you think Stan's tire sealant corrodes wheels? 🤔
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Do you think Stan's corrodes wheels? 🤔
Rainwater, saltwater, and other stuff from the road can also get trapped on the inside of your wheel and likely cause corrosion. Ammonia by itself is technically not corrosive to aluminum. In aqueous ammonia, brass can be corroded. Although if you had bad rim tape and leaked sealant to the inside of the wheel it would either eventually seal or I would think you would know it is constantly leaking and you would have to retape it.
Interesting points! We could see how anything getting in there would be an issue. Definitely another variable to consider. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
You guys are my favorite RUclipsrs I literally watch all your vids all the time you got me in to biking now I’m hitting black trails and am going to start making RUclips videos now you guys don’t know how much you’ve impacted my life ❤️❤️❤️
That seriously made our day and is one of the nicest comments we’ve ever gotten. Thank you so much! We’re stoked to hear that you’ve gotten into mountain biking and are making MTB videos of your own! That makes us so happy! Thanks for that comment and thanks for watching our videos! 😊🤙
It does corrode over time, I just saw a rim last week that was damaged by Stan's. We also recommend Stan's to our customers.
Yikes! It’s crazy how many people who work at bike shops have experienced this. We have two shops that we go regularly. Both experienced issues with Stan’s, but the one shop doesn’t even carry Stan’s because they are suuuper convinced. Crazy. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching man! 🤙
And by recommend Stan’s I meant Orange Seal oops loo
@@kenny_kaos I kinda thought that’s what you meant haha
I had some wheels on a gravel bike that I exclusively used Stan’s on for years. Turns out the tape had been slightly damaged over time and it was leaking into the rim. It ate away at the spoke holes and made them bigger as well as corroding nipples. It was all internal so I didn’t notice until I changed tires and thought to check the rim. Damaged looked bad enough I just decided to replace the wheels.
Damn. We’re sorry to hear that! Unfortunately we’ve read this same story over and over again when looking into this topic. Even though it was a problem with the tape, we would still hope that sealant wouldn’t destroy a wheel when the tape fails! Definitely gives us anxiety as we currently have 6 wheels filled with Stan’s. Hope our tape is holding up. 😳 Thanks for your input on this, and thanks for watching!
Old sealant? I've been using Stan's for years on wheels that I built and taped myself. No corrosion whatsoever.
Not sure if old or new sealant is worse. In theory new sealant should contain more ammonia but it takes awhile for wheels to corrode which means the sealant would be old at that point. It’s hard to say. Glad to hear you haven’t had any problems!
I dunno about corrosions but stans dosen't seal up as fast or as long vs Orange and WTB for me
Interesting! We’ve not tried WTB yet but we’ve used Orange Seal. Ended up going back to Stan’s for no real reason at all. It’s just what everyone uses, so we used it as well! Haha
I havent noticed any rim damage using Stans yet but I have had a problem with it sitting in a tire in one position for a long time that it will start to eat/fuse with the rubber of the tire and deform/delaminate the tire, Ive had this happen on 2 different tires, the 1st one the rubber on the carcass just looked smeared, on the 2nd tire it happened to it had the same smeared damage but it smeared the rubber enough that it de-laminated the carcass from the outer rubber.
I think the ingredients start to separate and become caustic and eat away at the rubber
That's interesting. When we were doing research for this video we never came across anyone claiming to have had that happen. Very bizarre but not far off from some of the issues others have claimed! Thanks for the additional input and thanks for watching!
@NickandKatieMTB it's weird explaining it but it looks like if when the tire was being made and say it was still soft and plyable and you were to just press your thumb on it and smear it, thats how the damage looks, if you google stans eating tires there are other cases of people experiencing this type of damage, I have a wheelset that I hardly use because for me the freehub is too loud and it's mounted with the same brand of tires as the first case I witnessed this happen to, the front tire still has some sealant sloshing around in it but the rear sounds like its dried out. Im gonna unmount them and see if they've been damaged
As a new rider, who hasn’t switched to tubeless yet, this makes me appreciate inner tubes 😂
Tubes are not so bad after all! 😂
Running tubes is like using Windows 98. Get with the times and enjoy the benefits of modern tech!
just as a note (as someone who used to work in a plant that had its own ammonia plant on site): human sensitivity to ammonia is very high!! 5ppm you are likely going to detect. and if you get into a measurable amount (anywhere closer to 0.5/1% in air) you are going to be choking..
that said, I like the idea here.. but better condition controls would be nice: measure the same volume of each sealant, declare what alloy of aluminum you are using, and perhaps also do a control of just a piece of aluminum in an empty jar nearby (since you don't have lids, to ensure any corrosion isn't coming from the environment)
For my part, I've used stans for years and it's been the best tool for the job.. any damage I've ever had with my wheels have come from rock strikes and crashes :P
Thank you for the suggestions! 🤘 We did put Saran Wrap on the jars after we brought them inside (didn’t mention that in the video). It wouldn’t be hard to implement those suggestions so maybe we can incorporate some of those aspects for the next video! We appreciate your input on this and thanks for watching! 🤙
I was thinking this same thing. 4-5 petri dish w/ lid, with same aluminum (LBS old rim?), brass and alloy nipple, and sealant (Stan's, OS, water, and a known PH ammonia solution) as control. Do daily snap shots to build a timelapse video. thanks for doing this.
@@lars_atx those are great suggestions! Thank you! We’re excited to see what we find! 🔍
I have a 8+ year old pair of Stan’s wheels that I’ve consistently used stans sealant on and have had 0 issues. Had taping done at a bike shop and guessing you’re right that a lot of this has to do with poor taping.
Glad to hear you haven’t had any issues! Taping definitely seems to be the biggest factor here. Regardless of what sealant we use in the future, we will for sure be focusing on perfecting the tape job. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching!
Same here. Stan's since 2018, 0 issues. My LBS uses it as well (I do have carbon wheels).
Hey I just went to rock burn skills park today it was my second time are you guys ever going to go there again?
Sweet! Yes, definitely! Rockburn is one of our favorite places we’ve been actually. Can’t believe we haven’t been back, but I’m sure we will soon!
Well if you plan on going do you think the video before you could say you going if you film it if not have a good time😊
@@mhubers3 we don’t like to post online about where we are headed! If you ever run into us there though be sure to say hi! ✌️
I'm SUPER interested in this test! I've used Orange Seal since going tubeless a couple years ago (same thing, bike shop guy said not to use Stan's). But also, my tire insert I recently got said to not use amonia based sealant (online, they call out Stan's in particular).
The big reason I'm interested in the test is, because Stan's is quite a bit cheaper for more sealant. I'm looking to swap tires based on what I want to ride, and Orange Seal gets really expensive to do that.
Stoked to hear that! 🤙 It's interesting to know that your bike shop told you the same thing ours did! Stan's does seem to have the best price, so I see why a lot of people use it. That was a big factor for us as well. It's also very interesting that your tire inserts specifically say not to use Stan's! What tire inserts are you running?
@@NickandKatieMTB i recently picked up a Vitoria Air Liner. In the paper instructions it says don't use sealant with ammonia, but online somewhere it lists Stans as a no-go.
But your test here kinda already blew that up with the test strips! 🤔
The other bike shop in town sells Stan's in the 32 oz bottle... So I have no idea what to think now 🤪
@@playgroundchooser haha well according to our test Orange Seal may also contain ammonia which is what our LBS said is safe to use! Is any sealant safe? Are they all safe? Who freaking knows! We are definitely digging deeper into this conspiracy. 🕵️♀️🕵️♂️
When my daughters rim tape was leaking I had to replace spoke nipples several times that were breaking. Eventually had to just replace them all.
That's a bummer. Thanks for the additional info! 👍👍
I’ve been using Stan’s for over 10 years without issues. It’s slightly cheaper than the orange stuff too. Stan’s is also the OG when it comes to tubeless tires.
Glad to here you’ve not had any issues! You’re right, I checked Amazon earlier and Stan’s was $20 for a 16oz bottle and Orange Seal was $23. Regardless of any these claims on Stan’s, it still remains king of the tubeless game. Definitely OG.
Never had a flat with tubeless, I use Stan's but I do maintenance the tires myself and wipe away old sealant and replace it with new sealant before I buy new tires. I heard Stan's lasts longer than other brands. It's been working for me so far no corrosion
Glad to hear that! We’ve never had an issue with Stan’s either. We thought it was weird that so many claim that it can cause corrosion so we’re looking into it. Not convinced one way or the other yet, but it’s definitely interesting stuff! Thanks for the comment and thank you for watching! 🤙
What about carbon fiber rims and spokes? Has anyone had an issue they think is related to using Stan’s with this set up?
We have not heard any stories about carbon wheels but sealant or moisture could cause an issue with aluminum or steel spoke nipples. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
I use Orange Seal. Recently I replaced a used tire and threw that tire in the trash can. Very quickly my garage is full of ammonia smell. It was so strong. Not sure why the smell came out after the sealant has dried.
@@jonathanwoo6597 that is very strange! 🤔 The plot thickens! Haha
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
I got a question what do you like more rock burn or the pit I live in Maryland and it seems like you guys live in Maryland or pa area so I’m asking you guys😁
Great question! 🤙 We live in PA but go down to ride in Maryland quite a bit! We would say Rockburn if you want to practice jumps and the Pit for a variety of everything (skinnies, drops, jumps, etc.)
Thanks for the info😁
@@OnewayGarrettMTB5602 anytime! 🤙
Did you ever make a follow up video to this?
Not yet! We are planning to soon!
Did you ever do a follow up?
Not yet! But we plan to soon! Stay tuned. 👍👍
Orange seal endurance was the first tubeless sealant I tried. I found a good deal on Oko sealant and it's so much better.
Nice! Never heard of Oko. We will have to check it out!
@@NickandKatieMTB yeah, the Oko is able to be diluted with water for low pressure applications like MTB. It's nice because the life of the sealant can be stretched by just adding some water.
@@lylelengyel that sounds like some nifty stuff! Definitely going to look into that. Thanks man!
Ok. What corroes wheels?
Aluminum can corrode when exposed to moisture and oxygen. Our hypothesis is that some sealant is more corrosive than others. We are currently testing that theory.
Ive never heard of this, very interesting
We felt it was something that people needed to know about. Hard to say if it’s legit or not, but we’re looking into it!
Should have dipped your test trips into some ammonia to see the effect as a controll of sorts. Also should have gotten a few more brands and possibly rinses them in some clean water after the wait time to see how they looked without the Sealant coating them.
good thought! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
These strips are for measuring ammonia in aquarium water, in ppm. It's already way off the top of the scale with these sealants - straight ammonia would be massively more so.
@@LeifWarner interesting. We will have to address this in part two of this video. Thanks for the insight and thanks for watching!
@@NickandKatieMTB Yeah, it's for fish - where even trace amounts of ammonia can be toxic (if it detects anything but zero, you've got a problem you need to fix immediately). That scale maxes out at 6ppm. Which, for that 2oz Stans bottle, says you have at least 0.0000120 ounces of ammonia in there. So useful for telling you if it's 100% ammonia-free or not, but not so much for telling you if there's a non-trivial amount of ammonia present.
The change in the pH doesn’t mean the presence of ammonia, just a higher pH. The smell of ammonia “could” indicate ammonia, but a different scientific test would be necessary.
@@markroberts6971 hmm interesting. Thanks for the comment! What would be the best way to test for it?
Test strips designed for water can't reliably be used for other liquids. That's why you get weird colors.
and are much lees accurate than their liquid test counterpart.
Thanks for the input! Why do you think the test strips wouldn’t work on a liquid? Would you suggest another method of testing? We want to run more tests in the future so we can try something else.
@@taylorhickman84 thanks for the input! Any particular reason why?
@@NickandKatieMTBIt's not because sealant is a liquid. It's that these types of tests are calibrated for water. I suspect the ammonia in sealant is less than 1%. It prevents coagulation.
@@JamesRoth I suppose the next question would be how could we test it accurately and at what percentage does the ammonia pose a threat.
Moral of the story… tape your rims properly.
Amen!
Interesting… I use Stan’s and got a bit worried….
We still use Stan’s as well! Not 100% convinced it’s bad yet! 😄
Be careful of the valve too.
Quando a moça falou do cheiro podre do Orange , lembrei na hora das tintas elastoméricas a base de água que usava há um tempo atrás no trabalho. Geralmente essas titas têm muita amônia e se guardadas por um tempo longo depois de abertas, ficam um um cheiro muito forte de amônia e podre ao mesmo tempo. Pra quem não conhece o cheiro de amônia, é um cheiro muito similar ao do sal amoníaco, bastante usado na culinária para fermentação.
Yes, you know it when you smell it. We were pretty sure it was present in the sealant. Is it enough ammonia to cause an issue? Not sure.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! 👍
im guessing its water getting in through the nipples when riding and washing that then corrodes the rim
According to what I could find online Aluminum is very stable is neutral water; however it will corrode in either acidic or alkaline waters. So it’s possible that water could be the culprit.
Might be interesting to put a third aluminum piece in water, and a fourth in an empty jar to test.
When all the hype was going tubeless, it sounded great. But after further review and the fact of cleaning and the constant challenge of re-applying the sealant has deterred me from going tubless.. Many of my friends love tubeless, it's just not for me.
This video reminds me of the slime sealant used in atv's and off-road vehicles. Nothing worse than changing a tire that's full of slime. We would spend 10 minutes changing the tire and an hour cleaning all the goop off our clothes, shoes, and our expensive tire machine..... and not to mention the awful odor!
We started charging an extra $10.00 per wheel and tire that contained any type of sealant, hoping that would deter them.............
.....
@@lisashiela9137 it’s interesting to hear the perspective of someone in the ATV/off-road world. Tubeless is nearly unavoidable for modern mountain bike tires so it’s a necessary evil for most riders. It’s nasty stuff to work with though. I’ve changed dozens of tires and just when you think you’ve mastered it, you end up getting it everywhere haha
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! 🤙
I t does corrode aluminum and badly. I've seen Orange Seal completely eaten up Muc Off aluminum valves.
Jeez! 😮Thanks for the input and thanks for watching!
I use muc off on new one, but Giant on old bike. My LBS says Giant is the same as Stans...at any rate my old trek with Giant sealant pumped right up, my Muc off new bike wont hold air in rear tire. I have the new Stans M-pulse mk4 flow wheels on new bike, but that Assegai was a bitch to put on, so could of knicked the tape.
I always worry that I’m messing up the tape whenever I have to struggle to get the tire on as well! Haha we’ve had a few wheels/tires that for one reason or another have been difficult in the past. Could be a number of reasons!
Muc off does not work .
test muc-off sealant :)
We definitely want to test more sealants in the future. Muc-off would be a great one to test since it seems to be very popular! 👍
Yes Orange Seal is full of Ammonia.
This will kill a fish lol. That's why I only drink beer, fish F*** in that water stuff.
The only liquid that is truly safe to drink 🍻
I have a good sense of smell. Ammonia smells like a stinky sweaty dude or a dirty gym. That smell is like the scent of dirty testes that have been soaking in hot sweat in tight undies.
As for corrosion, this isn’t a problem for carbon rims right?
Well that was very descriptive 😂
Carbon rims won’t corrode, just make sure they are taped well so the nipples stay safe! 👍
Orange seal all day!
🍊🦭🤘
stans is very corrosive.... it has corroded my 2 sets of wheelsets and destroyed the anodised paints on rim beds.......
How to fix this problem , use carbon wheels 😇
That helps! Still have to wonder if the spoke nipples and spokes are in danger 🤔
@@NickandKatieMTB well the sealant doesn’t come into contact because it’s taped off.
@@wallyedmonds8199 yeah 99.9% of the time!
I destroyed nipples because à valve leaked.