Switching tubeless tires?

Pouring it is pretty hard, but a syringe can suck it back up.

Sealant isn't expensive. Buy a liter and it'll take you many swaps to consume it. Sealant can be poured from tire to tire without too much trouble, (or transferred by syringe as suggested) but you'll won't get 100% out, and quite a bit will be adhered to the original tire, so you'll still need to add more to the new tire.

I avoid swapping tires until it's absolutely necessary, especially since I have Cush Cores. What a hassle. I bought a second set of (heavy duty) wheels for park days then eventually just went all-in and bought a DH bike.

I really don't enjoy switching tires especially tubeless ones. The problem isn't adding sealant, but rather that older tires can collapse and stick together because of the sealant. And they can occasionally be difficult to seat on the rim. Having tires full of sealant blow off the rim at 40 psi isn't a lot of fun.

Twice a year I need to switch between summer and winter (studded) tires. My solution is to run tubeless on my summer tires, and tubes in winter. And then save up to buy two sets of wheels for each bike.

Sucking up and reusing the sealant is pretty easy and works well though.

Years ago, I swapped tubeless a few times a season. An extra wheelset is the way to go. Reusing sealant from tire one to another is a no brainer. Where's the challenge?

I know a guy who swaps tires frequently. He'll even do it the night before a race. His advantage is that he never leaves his tires on long enough to accumulate dried sealant.

If, like me, you swap tires once/year, then re-seating the "other" tires can be a PITA, due to dried sealant on the bead or rim. Many people seat the new tire using a tube, pop one bead, remove the tube, then add sealant and inflate. It works pretty good on brand new stuff, but if you have dried sealant on your sealing surfaces, again, it's a PITA. You can re-use sealant forever. I think it even seals better when it gets a little dirt in it. YMMV
Clean the old tires immediately after removal.


-F