Orange Seal Tubeless Sealant Review

In the tubeless sealant market, Orange Seal is the only real competitor to Stan’s NoTubes. How do they compare? Which formula should you buy? Combining years of hands-on with third-party feedback, we’ll help you decide.

About Orange Seal Tubeless Sealant

According to Orange Seal, their premium latex tubeless sealant immediately coats the inside of your tires’ sidewalls and casing, smoothes imperfections, and creates an airtight (i.e., non-porous) bond between the bead and rim.

This way, they say it’s proven to seal large punctures up to 1/4″, while also working under a variety of temperatures, altitudes, and conditions—whether you’re working with inner tubes, tubular tires, or tubeless setups.

All Orange Seal formulas are mixable with one another, compatible with most bike tire systems, made from eco-friendly and biodegradable materials, non-corrosive to wheel components, and developed to add as little weight as possible. And unless you’re purchasing a refill, many of their formulas include an injector for easier application.

Just because Orange Seal advertises, “your tubeless wheels will benefit“ from their sealant, do their advertising claims hold up in the real world? Is there a meaningful difference between their formulas and close competitors? Let’s begin by taking a closer look at their sealant lineup.

Which Formulas Does Orange Seal Offer?

Orange Seal explains there are two primary ingredients in their sealant formulas, both of which are biodegradable and eco-friendly:

• Nanites – Tiny particles of multiple sizes and shapes that quickly clog any holes that appear in a tire’s casing.
• Latex – Creates an airtight seal that helps keep you rolling, whether you’re riding with a tube, tubular tire, or tubeless setup. We’re told Orange Seal’s formulas have been tested up to 120 PSI.

Despite its quick-sealing capabilities, the company advertises that four ounces of their sealant (enough for one mountain bike tire) weigh less than 120 grams. This compares to an average 26″ mountain bike tube at about 200 grams each.

Each Orange Seal formula has a recommended shelf life of one year, opened or unopened.

With these similarities in mind, let’s explore some of their fundamental differences.

Regular Sealant

The Regular formula is advertised as ideal for road applications, although it’s compatible with most bike tire systems. It offers the best sealing capabilities in the Orange Seal lineup, which can handle slices up to ¾”.

It continues performing under a variety of altitudes and down to 11-12°F and boasts middle-of-the-road longevity (30-45 days once added to a tire).

MSRP for the Regular formula with Orange Seal’s injection system (more soon) is $9.99, while 4 oz, 8 oz, and 16 oz refills start at $6.99.

Endurance Sealant

With an MSRP of $16+ for the injection system and $11+ for refills, Orange Seal’s Endurance formula promises to “maximize longevity” and enable “riders to go longer between top-offs.” In fact, they advertise it’s proven to quickly seal slices up to ½” and large punctures up to ¼”, while lasting up to three times longer (60-120 days).

Compared to Regular, the Endurance formula delivers middle-of-the-road sealing capabilities and longevity, with a lower temperature rating of between 0°F and 11°F.

Subzero Sealant

Available in 8 oz, 16 oz, and 32 oz refills with no injector system, Orange Seal’s Subzero formula is designed to “maximize extreme frigid temperature” performance, “enabling riders in the far North to ride with flat protection.”

Compared to the other formulas, Subzero features the best longevity (60 to 180 days), middle-of-the-road sealing capabilities for slices up to ¼” and punctures up to 1/8”, and a temperature rating down to -20°F.

Here’s a quick table outlining the differences between each Orange Seal formula:

What Are the Instructions For Adding Orange Seal Sealant to Your Tires?

Regardless of the formula, adding Orange Seal to your setup works over a six-step process:

1. Back off the valve and release the tire’s air while it’s in the three o’clock or nine o’clock position. This will help prevent any residual sealant from spraying out and making a mess.
2. Remove the core using a tool like the Park VC-1 shown below.
3. Replace the safety cap on your Orange Seal bottle with the Twist Lock Injection System. Using one finger, bend the tube over the orange endcap to temporarily plug the bottle. Shake vigorously.
4. Gently thread the opposite end of the tube onto the end of your valve, hold the bottle horizontally, and—maintaining the same three or nine o’clock position—you’ll find sealant will make its way into the tire.

If you encounter a little resistance at this point, Orange Seal recommends slightly pumping the bottle to clear any blockages. As the sealant enters your tire, the semi-clear bottle allows you to see exactly how much you’re adding. Per the comparison graphic on the Orange Seal website, you’ll use:

1. Pinch the tube at the front (the area over the valve stem) and apply slight backward pressure to remove. Based on experience, I’d strongly recommend using a damp cloth or paper towel to remove any excess sealant before reinstalling the valve core to help prevent premature clogging.
2. Reinstall the valve core, reinflate your tire, and start spinning your wheels.

As a year-round rider, I top off the sealant once every few months using this method and have experienced great results. If you plan on storing your tires for a season, though, Orange Seal recommends rinsing them out with water and hanging dry.

My Experience With Orange Seal Regular Sealant

I’ve used Orange Seal’s Regular formula in my Maxxis Ardent TR EXO tires for several years. During this time, I’ve ridden in temps ranging from less than 15°F to well over 100°F, with no noticeable freezing, hardening, odor, or other otherwise reduced performance.

Setting Up

I’ve always found the Twist Lock Injection System quick and easy to use, with 10 to 20-minute setup times depending on experience level, without having to break the bead and unseat the tire from the rim. And except when refilling mid-season or changing out a tire, I rarely have to think about the liquid, as it reliably seals small punctures and tears.

Flat Protection

In fact, outside of popping the bead off of the rim from my own lack of skill, I’ve never experienced a flat tire when equipped with Orange Seal sealant. I think this says a lot, as most of my riding occurs around the thorn-strewn Colorado Front Range.

In the video below, you can see an example of the thin layer of film created by Orange Seal’s special formula of nanites and latex, as well as the potential protection it provides.

Long-Term Use

As you continue using Orange Seal, you’ll probably notice that it becomes increasingly difficult to pump air into the valve, which will also start releasing air slowly. This is because sealant doesn’t differentiate between a hole in your tire and a hole in your valve—it’s going to block it either way. On their website, they point out:

“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to … only seal bad holes, and not the good ones.”

Furthermore, they emphasize, “there is no solvent or solution that will remove the dried sealant in your valve core.” Instead, they “recommend replacing your valve cores or purchasing [their] VersaValve, which comes with two extra valve cores.”

Are other riders experiencing anything similar?

Third-Party Online Feedback for Orange Seal Tubeless Sealant

Compliments

Between popular online retailers like Amazon and Backcountry.com, more than 100 customers had given Orange Seal’s different formulas an average rating of about 4.5 stars as of this writing.

Most compliments related to ease of setup and reapplication (specifically, their Twist Lock Injection System), effectiveness, long-lasting puncture protection, and competitive price. When it came to the rare complaint, most referenced less-than-stellar flat prevention.

Bike Magazine Gear Editor Ryan Palmer experienced many of these same benefits with Orange Seal. In fact, he explained that for their 2017 Bible of Bike Tests, they converted every model to tubeless and found the most noticeable benefit was:

“… how quickly it coated and made a tubeless-ready tire completely airtight. Due to the nature of the terrain in Northwest Arkansas, which includes the same sharp-edged stone Native Americans used for arrowheads, we had ample opportunity to test Orange Seal’s puncture-sealing effectiveness. It easily sealed small punctures as well or better than other sealants.”

Regular vs. Endurance Formulas

Singletracks’s Michael Paul rode both Regular and Endurance Orange Seal versions for hundreds of miles and only experience one catastrophic flat tire.

Comparing the two, he found that Endurance tended to ‘bead’ more than Regular inside the tire, which typically created a thin film to protect against punctures and flats. He concluded:

“Sealant is affected by where you ride, how you ride, and the climate that you live in. One thing is for sure: both of these Orange Seal versions work. What I am not convinced about, however, is if the Endurance version lasts any longer or works any better than the Regular version.”

Still, since Endurance is only $1 more than Regular, he suggested that it might be worthwhile giving both a try.

Coming to a Conclusion About Orange Seal Tubeless Tire Sealant

Not only can switching to tubeless tires and avoiding flats save you a great deal of time and frustration, but compared to traditional inner tubes, it can also save a meaningful amount of weight. And since you won’t have to purchase tubes or patch repair kits continually, you can more than make up for the cost of the sealant over time.

Is Orange Seal’s lineup necessarily the best choice for you, though? I used one popular competitor (Stan’s NoTubes) after I started mountain biking years ago, and found that it performed reasonably well, although I did experience more than one debilitating puncture.

Comparatively, I’ve found that Orange Seal is easier to apply, doesn’t smell awful, delivers more robust puncture protection, and lasts longer.

The good news is that you can try out both relatively inexpensively to see which works best for your terrain, temperatures, and altitude and other conditions.

Keep rolling: How Bike Tires Are Made