Guide · Beginner · 15 min
Refreshing tubeless sealant
✓ Verified by Quiver · Jul 5, 2026
1. Check the level. Sealant dries out over time — faster with latex in hot, dry climates. Spin the wheel so the valve sits at 6 o'clock, remove the valve core, and dip a cable tie or dipstick through it: more than about a centimetre of wet sealant on the tie means you're fine. Silent and dry means it's overdue.
2. Remove the valve core. Deflate, then unthread the core with the core tool. Expect a little sealant on the threads — have a rag ready.
3. Clear the valve if it's clogged. Dried sealant often blocks the valve; poke it clear so air flows.
4. Add fresh sealant. Inject the amount for your tyre size through the valve — most road and gravel tyres take about 40–60 ml (check the bottle). Topping up onto still-wet sealant is fine and you don't need to break the bead. Only unseat one side if the old sealant has dried into rubbery skins that need scraping out first.
5. Reinstall and inflate. Thread the core back in and inflate with a floor pump or a booster to seat the bead — you'll hear it pop. Skip CO2 right after adding fresh sealant: it can shock latex and clump it.
6. Spread it around. Spin and bounce the wheel so the sealant coats the inside, then ride soon — it needs to slosh around to find and seal any weeps.
Refresh roughly every 3 months (your Quiver alert tracks it); standard latex formulas dry sooner, long-life "endurance" ones stretch to 4 months or more, and hot, dry climates shorten it.
What you'll need
- Fresh tubeless sealant
- Valve-core remover
- Sealant injector or bottle nozzle
- Floor pump (booster helps)
- Cable tie or dipstick
- Rag
When to hand this to a shop
One of the easiest tubeless jobs — but hand it to a shop if the bead won't seat without a booster or compressor, or if the tyre won't hold air after a refresh (that's a seating or casing problem, not a sealant one).
Sources
What you just learned
Sealant is what makes tubeless tubeless — a wet latex that plugs punctures as they happen — and it dries out on a schedule whether you ride or not. Topping it up on time is the difference between a puncture you never notice and a flat on the road.
Notes from riders
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Before you start
- How long does refreshing tubeless sealant take?
- About 15 minutes, the first time. It gets quicker once the routine is familiar.
- How difficult is it?
- We rate it beginner.
- What tools do I need?
- 6 items: Fresh tubeless sealant, Valve-core remover, Sealant injector or bottle nozzle, Floor pump (booster helps), Cable tie or dipstick, Rag.
- When should I take this to a shop instead?
- One of the easiest tubeless jobs — but hand it to a shop if the bead won't seat without a booster or compressor, or if the tyre won't hold air after a refresh (that's a seating or casing problem, not a sealant one).