Muc-Off Tubeless Sealant review

Muc-Off tubeless sealant boasts big claims for puncture protection and longevity. It can be used in almost all bike tyres featuring a wide pressure range, a bright pink colour that makes it stand out and the potential to stick around even after months of use.

Muc-Off tubeless sealant – Technical details

The Muc-Off tubeless sealant is an ammonia-free solution and claims to seal punctures up to 6mm wide and work from 15-80psi and a huge temperature range. The bold claims continue, with six months+ longevity, and CO2 compatibility should you use it to fix a puncture. One feature that is unique to Muc-Off sealant is a UV detection system that will allow you to spot where a puncture is situated. How useful this would be is debatable and not something you are likely to attempt to use while out riding. Perhaps an easier way than using a bucket of water to find air bubbles but, in reality, if the puncture is that small you would expect the sealant to have worked.

Called a “lightweight” sealant, the liquid has no magical gravity-defying properties and it seems something of a bizarre claim. The amounts required are also similar or often higher than other brands which would make it a heavier overall sealant to use should weight be a big factor for riders. It could perhaps relate to the viscosity, although if anything it is thicker than many, especially the latex-type sealants.

The sealant has microparticles and, when in place within the tyre, you can see a mix of small white and darker particles within the pink colour of the sealant, designed to clog any puncture that happens.

Muc-Off 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.

Muc-Off tubeless sealant was effective with the puncture tests, instantly sealing the smaller 3mm hole and with the larger 5mm, there was only a small amount of air released and a small amount of liquid sprayed from the tyre. Compared to the other sealants we have tested the results are among the best, with 39.4psi remaining in the tyre.

For longer periods of riding the sealant successfully sealed two small punctures that were noted while riding, and both did seal. On one occasion there was a small amount of sealant that did spray from the tyre. The sealant has a pink colour and while it is not as luminous as the Pirelli Scorpion sealant, there is still pigment within it and Muc-Off note that it can stain clothing. Testing on a cloth and purposely allowing it to dry created a notable pink stain but it also washed off in a fast 30-degree machine wash. Muc-Off suggests that any sealant should be immediately washed off but this is not always possible as in most cases, riders are unaware of the spray. I suspect some fabrics may be worse than others but, from what I have noticed, I do not believe it will cause significant problems.

The sealant was left within the tyres for up to four months and when checked after three months there was still enough within the tyre to rotate around inside the carcass. On a separate tyre removed after four months, it was starting to dry, and despite Muc-Off claims, small clumps had formed. Temperatures while testing were all reasonably low, as testing was carried out through winter months. The claims of six months+ of longevity are perhaps too optimistic but this is still better than most sealants currently tested. When removing the sealant it can take a while clean the carcass completely but it washes away pretty easily.

Muc-Off tubeless sealant – Verdict

Muc-Off sealant is available in a smaller 140ml pouch, plus 1-litre or 5-litre bottles. With 75-100ml being the suggested amount for a gravel tyre. The size options are limited and a mid-size 500ml option would be useful for riders using road or gravel tyres and needing less per tyre. Using 75ml per tyre would be enough for 12 tyres, making the larger 1-litre bottle perhaps more than many people using smaller road or gravel tyres will need. For the same volume, the smaller 140ml pouches at £10 each would cost £20 and enough for four tyres.

The 1-litre bottle is competitively priced against other options, including Vittoria Universal sealant and Peaty’s Holeshot sealant, both at the same price point, but the excellent WTB TCS tubeless sealant is £5 less for the larger bottle.

Muc-Off sealant is effective at sealing punctures, and among the best that have been tested. There are a few small areas where it doesn’t quite match the best, with the limited size options, messy removal and potential to stain knock it back.