Things to give and receive: Finish Line FiberLink Latex Sealant
Natural latex and Kevlar bits make for quick seals in tubeless tires.
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Throughout the month of December, VeloNews will be featuring lust-worthy gear that you’ll be as happy to receive as you will be to give.
While not everyone is running tubeless wheels and tires, but many riders are. Whether the attraction is lower pressure or fewer flats, you need to use sealant.
Finish Line FiberLink Latex Sealant ($13/8oz) quickly fills small punctures in tires, so there’s minimal loss of pressure, and in some instances, you can keep riding without ever knowing you’ve had a puncture.
The 8oz bottle has a squeeze tip that fits well at the top of a valve with the core removed, but sometimes the rubber bits clog up the tip. The 32oz bottle ($35) is perfect for pouring sealant into an applicator used to fill tires — 2oz is recommended for road applications, while 3-4oz is recommended for most gravel and ’cross tires.
Kevlar beads are suspended in the latex solution. When the latex rushes to fill a void in a tubeless tire, the Kevlar aids in plugging voids from the inside, providing an additional surface to which the latex bonds. The Finish Line FiberLink Latex Sealant has nearly no odor, either, which is great when filling several sets of tires at once.
While other options like Stan’s Tire Sealant ($2.99/2oz) or Orange Seal ($12/4oz) are also available, neither offer Kevlar in the formula to help with plugging holes.
After nearly four months of use in 26mm road tires, I’ve had one minor puncture that was quickly plugged thanks to the Finish Line FiberLink Sealant. And just to be sure, I pulled a tire off, and there are no signs of the latex and Kevlar sealant drying out.