When we first tested Orange Seal’s
tire sealant, we were impressed with the
miracle goo’s ability to seal nearly any
puncture we could throw at it, including up to 1/4-inch tears in the sidewall.
Years later, the mad scientists have
refined their formula to not only improve
the performance, but also to bring down
the cost.
Tech Features: Orange Seal claims
that three particulates in their formula
make the sealant clot when the liquid
comes in contact with open air. One of
the ingredients is a “nano” particulate
taken from NASA ceramic technology.
Orange Seal claims this technology allows
them to make ultra-lightweight sealant
that’s able to seal up to 1/4-inch punctures and not clump over time like other
sealants. They also claim it is effective for
sealing sidewall cuts. On a greener note,
the sealant is also completely biodegradable. Their newest product not only
includes the sealant, but also tape, valves
and an injector tool to convert a complete
wheelset from tubes to tubeless.
Field Test Results: With any tubeless
conversion kit, the ease of setup is every
bit as important as the product’s long-
term performance. We’ve tested systems
that set up easily on the first try, and
we’ve tested others that had us cursing
their existence late into the night before
a ride, leaving a toxic waste spill on our
garage floor and no air in our tires. With
that in mind, we set out to install the
Orange Seal system on our Specialized
Enduro 29er, which uses Roval Traverse
SL carbon rims.
The Orange Seal system is a simple
solution to a difficult problem, using only
orange-colored tape, a valve stem with
removable cores and the sealant itself.
We found ourselves using two wraps
of tape on each rim, and even with the
large-diameter 29er hoops, we had
just enough to do a complete wheelset.
Be sure to take the time to thoroughly
clean the inner surface of the rim, and
be cautious when installing the tape. If
you make a mistake on this step, you
will compromise the air-sealing ability of
this system. With the rim strip installed,
we mounted the tire and sealant and
attempted to pump the tire with just a
floor pump to no avail. We resorted to
a compressor fitted with a Prestaflator
valve, and the tire snapped in without
★★★★✩
48 WWW.MBACTION.COM
ORANGE SEAL TIRE SEALANT
No seals were harmed sealing your tires
FIELD TEST
Delivers above-
average value and
performance
Perfection
Recommended
for intended
application
Shows potential
but has
drawbacks
Save your hard-
earned bucks
issue. The difficulty we experienced getting the tire to seat was likely the result
of using a halfway-shot tire with a loose-fitting bead rather than the fault of the
Orange Seal system itself. Once seated,
the tires held air remarkably well, dropping only a couple psi per week, far less
than a standard inner-tube system.
On the trail, the Orange Seal system
feels just like any other tubeless setup:
great. By not using inner tubes, the rider
can decrease tire pressure to increase
traction and ride comfort without the fear
of the dreaded “snakebite” pinch flat.
During our test, we experienced no flats,
and while we can’t say for sure our luck
on the trail was purely the doing of the
sealant, after a month of use in the hot
summer conditions of the SoCal desert,
the sealant remained effective for our
poke-the-tire-with-an-awl test.
The measure of any good sealant is
whether it can seal a puncture on any
given day. If it’s a month of peace of
mind without worrying that the stuff will
dry out and leave you stranded, all the
better. The Orange Seal proved itself in
both categories and did it without breaking the bank. Nicely done. ❏
MBA FIELD
TEST RATINGS
