TESTED: Joe's No Flats Podium Sealant

Words and photo: Mike Blewitt
 
Sealants aren’t all the same, and Joe’s No Flats developed the Podium Sealant with Aaron Gwin and the YT Mob as a race-day formula. What makes a sealant ‘race only’? Well this sealant has large particles to plug holes, and also once in a tyre once it is exposed to air it sets very quickly. They claim it loses effectiveness after 300km but really it’s based on time and temperature.
 
Setup is a little different as you have to squeeze it in via a removable valve core to prevent it starting to set too early. That abilty to set quickly, and the really large particles in there, means that No Flats can claim the sealant works on holes upto 10mm.

I used the sealant in race weight tyres for two weeks and had no issues. Given the tyres were so light I expected problems. But that came another week later with some thorns, and there was no sealant left. Once home after a bit of a nightmare end to the ride, I could see lots of places were the sealant had filled small holes and cuts. But after a few weeks it was dry.
 
If you’re fitting fresh tyres for a big race and want a sealant that will seal large holes, quickly, then this is worth using. But if that’s not you – stick with their regular formula. With a single 125mL bottle being suitable for one tyre, this is just for your big goals.
 
RRP: $24.95
From: kwtimports.com.au
 
Hits:
–     Seals big holes and light tyres
–     Fast acting
–     Race specific
Misses:
–     Very short active life
–     Race specific