Most of the time, it’s the little things that make all the difference. With bicycle cleaning and lube company, Muc-Off entered the tubeless game this year, they got the little things right. Their tubeless valves are superb and their No Puncture Hassle Tubeless Sealant offer a great combo for road tubeless aficionados.
Muc-Off Tubeless Valves and Sealant Features
- Available in three lengths: 44, 60 and 80mm
- Includes square and round rubber base options
- Alloy endcaps and a core remover endcap
- Sealant available in an easy-to-use pouch with attached nozzle
- Measurement increments on pouch
- Available in 140ml pouch, 1 liter or 5 liter sizes
- Valves are available in 8 colors
- MSRP: $27.99 (valves), $9.99 (140ml pouch)
Go tubeless, roll out
Renowned for their bike lubricants and cleaners, Muc-Off has entered the tubeless market with a proprietary sealant and blingy tubeless valves. I installed the non-blingy black 60mm valves on a set of Bontrager Aeolus PRO 3 Disc wheels. The install process was straightforward, but I did have to fiddle with the appropriate rubber base options to get it just right.
Luckily, Muc-Off includes a variety of options to ensure the best rim/valve seal. Bontrager is unique in that they employ a plastic rim liner that snaps into place. The valve doesn’t sit on the rim bed, but instead atop a small, square platform on said liner. The rectangle block was definitely not the proper choice, but I ended up testing both the circular and conical wedges. I inflated the tire without sealant with each one and the circular wedge did the trick. The valve kit is a little more than other valves, but you get a lot of stuff that other valves don’t include.
Once that was sorted out, it was time to add sealant. Muc-Off No Puncture Hassle Sealant is available in packets that are perfect for a pair of road or gravel tires. With the 140ml packet, all that’s needed is to remove the core and slip the nozzle right onto the now-open valve.
The recommended procedure is to slip the nozzle into place at 12 o’clock position, then rotate the wheel to about the 7 o’clock position and squeeze. You can roll the packet up like a tube of toothpaste to get everything out. As far as sealants go, this stuff is rather thick (a good thing). In spite of the markings on the packet, it is still hard to meter out half of the packet. I did my best to put a little more in the rear versus the front.
Like any sealant, it’s important that it distributes along the bead. There are various methods to do this, but I typically rotate it slowly on one side, then the other. This method tends to work well, for the most part, and did do here. Throughout a few months of use, the Zipp Tangente Speed RT28 with Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3 Disc wheels maintained pressure like champs. I only had minimal leakage over the course of a couple of days between rides.
I also used the sealant on a set of WTB Venture 47’s mounted to Zipp Firecrest 303’s with similar results. They are still holding air quite well. I tried my best to meter out about 60% of the packet to the rear and 40% up front, but it’s hard to get that exact. Something that would be an improvement could be to put the valve in the corner instead of the middle. That would make it easier to squeeze every last drop of the pink stuff into my tire.
When it came time to remove the tire and send the rims back to Bontrager, I was amazed how thick the Muc-Off sealant was. I feel like that’s part of the key to it working so well. The pink color is nice as well and it actually smells quite nice. Like any sealant, be careful to clean it up quickly if it gets on your expensive carbon clinchers or frame.
The tubeless valve cores have been durable thus far and allow easy tire inflation. Most of the time, valve caps get trashed, but the alloy ones included look downright sexy. You even get one with a built-in core remover that works awesome.
8/2/2020 Update: After about 8 months, the sealant balled up inside the tires and became like a baby rattle. Once that happened, everything went downhill and the tires lost air quickly. I had to remove the tires, clean them out and add new sealant. I’ve never had that experience, usually the sealant just simply dries out and sticks to the tire, not in little clumps.
The Good
- Valves come equipped with a variety of rubber stoppers
- Proven durable so far
- Sealant packets are great for a wheelset
- Sealant is thick and seals like a champ
- Valve nut is easily twisted (way better than the standard tiny ones)
The Bad
- Nozzle should be in the corner of the pouch
- Markings still make it difficult to meter sealant output
- Wish 80mm lengths were available in the States
- Sealant clumped up into balls after about 8 months (had to remove the tires and re-seal)
The Bottom Line: Muc-Off Tubeless Valve/Sealant
Muc-Off has a winning combination with their new valves and tubeless sealant. Though I’m still unsure why the sealant has such a long name (Muc-Off No Puncture Hassle Tubeless Sealant), but it works awesome. If you’re looking for a solid set of valves and reliable sealant, have a look at the latest from Muc-Off.
Buy Now: Tubeless Valves or Tubeless Sealant
