'Baited' breath? Have you been eating earthworms?
Oh, boy(d)... Where do I begin?
Perhaps I can make a good start by stating that bullsh!t doesn't always baffle brains.
Allow me to present a few quotes from the manufacturer's website:
"Punctureseal cures the porosity inherent in all tyres. In doing this, it reduces tyre temperature so evident when under-inflated tyres are put under stress."
It 'cures the porosity inherent in all tyres'? That's one hell of a claim.
The Millbrook test report presented on the manufacturer's website contradicts this by stating that there was a loss of pressure from one of the two tyres punctured during the test.
'It reduces tyre temperature so evident when under-inflated tyres are put under stress'?
Oh? How does it do that? And by how much?
Does it act as a heat sink? How can it, when it's in a totally enclosed environment?
Or is this a claim that it's some kind of guarantee against a tyre overheating when it's under-inflated?
If you believe that, stick around: I've got a bridge and some snake oil to sell you.
"While Punctureseal can operate at speeds up to 160mph, we do not recommend the product for competition biking."
At least they had the honesty to say this, and it's easy to see why.
If you put any kind of fluid into a rapidly rotating wheel/tyre assembly, the fluid mass will attempt to self-stabilize as it's thrown outward by centrifugal force.
But depending on the fluid's viscosity, it may also 'pool' under gravity. A certain portion of the fluid mass is also going to be forced from side to side in the tyre carcass under aggressive manoeuvering. (And your miracle cure is now doing something even more dangerous than masking punctures - it's making the bike's handling unpredictable.)
And because you've put a dynamically-changing mass into that wheel/tyre assembly, your wheel balancing is now shot. (And because the extra load is dynamic, no matter how many times you try to get the wheel balance right, it will always change.)
But here's the clincher. While the Millbrook test report is an impressive study of before-and-after scenarios when using Punctureseal under laboratory conditions, it makes no attempt to suggest counter-measures for situations which might arise in the real world.
What might happen if a typical customer (having gained a false sense of security from all the impressive claims) neglects to check the full outer surface area of both tyres before every ride?
I said before, in reference to Tyre Weld and similar products, that their self-sealing properties make it difficult or impossible to know that there is now a foreign object lodged in your tyre.
And so, I return to your original statement:
Your supposed to forget about it and leave it in the tyre, that's what it's for!
That's a direct contradiction of the manufacturer's instructions, also found on their website:
"If you find a nail or screw in your tyre, follow this procedure:
1. If the object is in the sidewall, replace the tyre.
2. If the object is in the tread area, unscrew the screw or pull out the nail.
3. Immediately drive 3km / 2 miles.
4. Check you air pressures. You may need to top up 0.5 to 1 PSI."
Punctureseal or not, a big enough screw or piece of sharp metal which enters at the right angle will stay in the tyre tread, working back and forth like a saw. And because most riders won't follow step 4 above as conscientiously as they should, they won't know about that puncture until it catches them by surprise.
The fact is that Punctureseal is a commercial product.
Therefore, the manufacturer has incentive to sell it. And if flaws are found in the product and/or its application, the manufacturer has incentive for spin-doctoring to ensure that those flaws are down-played and that the product continues to sell.
Pro-Punctureseal evangelists like yourself are also the best free advertising there is for a company like this.
So now that the ball is well and truly back in your court, Ian, ask yourself: how many bikers are you willing to endanger in order to put a few extra Guineas in your pocket?
Stupidity is relative - wouldn't you agree?
In the final analysis, though, I've probably wasted my breath. Those who know the science of how tyres work already know the things I've just said.
The rest will believe what they want to believe, sticking their fingers in their ears and going "...Na nah nah NAH nah!..."
