Halo Fibre-Tech is a synthetic, ammonia-free latex tubeless tyre sealant designed and made in the UK, that should work at a range of pressures to suit all bikes. In our tests, it has performed well but it's only available in small or giant-sized containers. Claims of six months lifespan and sealing punctures up to 6mm are impressive, and something we put to the test.
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Halo Fibre-Tech Tubeless Sealant – Technical details
Many sealant options are moving away from latex formulas, with the potential benefits of extra longevity in the tyre as well as being non-toxic and non-allergenic.
The sealant has small blue particles within the synthetic blue solution which has a thick milkshake-like consistency. Fibre-Tech is available in either a 250ml bottle or a large 5-litre container that is aimed at bike shops. The smaller container is designed to fit directly onto a Presta valve and remove the need for a syringe.
When testing, due to the thickness and also personal preference when installing tubeless tyres, I poured the sealant into the carcass before seating, removing any possibility of the sealant not passing through the valve core. It is wise to give the bottle a good shake before installing, regardless of which method, although even after letting the bottle stand for many days it is clear to see the blue sealing particles within the solution. They also don’t appear to all sink to the bottom of the bottle as tends to happen with other brands.
Halo suggests that Fibre-Tech is suitable for all forms of bike tyres from road to MTB, although no pressure limits or recommended guides are given. The suggested amounts to use are reasonably low, with just 30-50ml for road bikes and up to a suggested maximum of 140ml for downhill mountain bikes. Within our gravel tyre test, we used 70ml of the solution, which is low compared to the 75-100ml range of other sealants tested. The suggested amount for a standard 29-inch mountain bike is 100-120ml.
Halo Fibre-Tech Tubeless Sealant – Performance
To test sealant performance, we created a standardised puncture test to assess each contender. The same exact tyre on the same rim for each sealant. The tyre used was a Halo GXC, measuring 47mm. Tyre sealant was added in the amount suggested by the manufacturer, and the tyre was inflated to 40psi. This pressure was chosen to give a realistic tyre pressure for all areas of off-road riding. A digital tyre pressure gauge was used to ensure that the pressure was identical on each test. After that, the tyre was rotated sufficiently to ensure that it was distributed evenly throughout the tyre. The tyres were all punctured by driving a 3mm nail through the carcass. The wheel was rotated to assess if the sealant had successfully sealed the hole. If the sealant worked, the test was repeated using a 5mm diameter nail, and if successful on the larger hole the remaining air pressure was measured with a digital pressure gauge and the result was recorded.
The sealant performed very well, with an instant seal on the smaller 3mm puncture. On the larger 5mm puncture there was a minimal amount of air loss, but very little sealant left the tyre - the remaining pressure was 39.5 psi.
During longer-term testing, it also excelled with no punctures over four months on a gravel bike. The tyre was removed to inspect the sealant after three months and it still had a similar consistency, with some fluid still moving around the carcass. The sealant had also covered the entire inner circumference of the tyre carcass but still had a wet consistency with the particles visible throughout with no visible clumping.
A further inspection after four months was also carried out. The consistency was almost identical to the previous month but with a slightly drier consistency, which gives credibility to the six months lifespan Halo claims. Following the test, the sealant was also very easy to wash off, despite the thicker consistency.
Halo Fibre-Tech Tubeless Sealant – Verdict
Halo Fibre-Tech is only available in two sizes and only one of these is aimed towards riders, with a 250ml-sized bottle. The larger 5-litre container is aimed towards bike shops and the trade and costs £75. This represents good value against other trade-sized containers (most of which cost £100), with Peaty’s Holeshot coming in at £125. The smaller 250ml container is also well priced against the competition and even cheaper than the impressive WTB TCS sealant, which is £10 for a similar size bottle.
The only area where Halo Fibre-Tech slips up is the lack of a medium-sized 1-litre option, which is common for every other sealant tested. For riders who may use more sealant, this is an amount that usually offers the best balance of value to size. At this size WTB TCS costs £25 and is one of the best value options for the top-performing sealant, and to purchase the same amount of Fibre-Tech you would need four bottles, costing £32. Several other sealants that have performed well are priced at £30. The convenience of the smaller bottles might be handy for some but, for general use at home, a larger bottle would be great.
Despite this, the overall performance has been excellent and Halo Fibre-Tech is among the best sealants we have tested. During the puncture tests, it was among the best on both sized punctures created, and it has lasted very well inside the tyre over a long period of time.
