Does anyone do anything special to store and/or maintain their tubeless wheels and tires? I’ve just been keeping mine inflated and rotate them to spread the sealant around. I feel like I should take the tires off, clean off the old sealant from the wheels and tires, and store them apart until ready to ride outside in the spring.
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Not a terrible idea to pull em off, if for nothing other than a good cleaning and new sealant.
That said, I pretty much only take my tires off if I need to replace or repair something. Top off sealant a few times a year. It’s probably safe to assume if you’re on here, you’ll wear em out long before they dry-rot.
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This is what I do. Not sure if it really increases longevity of wheel/tire - but I like tearing everything down to inspect the tire, bead, rim tape, rim, etc. A little like cleaning your bike - makes any problems or emerging problems more apparent.
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How do you clear sealant from the tire? I usually give up after 10m and 10cm cleaned 
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I don’t think it’s necessary to fully clean the sealant off - but would get rid of any big blobs that could have formed.
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I always remove the tyres in spring and mop up the puddle of sealant and wipe around the inside of the tyre with a cloth. I leave the dried sealant around the edges of the tyre if its going on the same rim. Then just re-fit it and replace the sealant. Takes 5 mins per wheel typically.
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Tubeless tyres only come off if I need to replace them or I hear a Stans monster rattling around inside. Just keep topping the sealant up at whatever interval I feel is right or before an event or big ride. The front tyre on my hardtail has been on for nearly four years and the tyres on my fat bike nearly five.
Topping up sealant is: remove valve core; attach syringe of sealant to valve; squirt the sealant in; replace valve core; reinflate tyre.
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I find installing used tyres that have been stored off the bike a lot harder than new ones. The latex layer makes them sticky, so the bead has a harder time moving tonits place on the rim. I’d really only take them off if your switching tyres or for repairs.
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When I take the tire off, I clean up the big blobs - maybe spend 10 mins per tire.
Yep. The most time consuming part is (potentially) cleaning the bead - as the dried sealant can prevent the tire from easily seating the next time through. I only do this at the time I’m remounting the tire - and clean only if necessary to allow the tire to seat. This can be a pain in the a$$ and is probably reason enough to not take tires off - although I have found some tires are better than others. Eg Nobby Nics don’t seem to get as much sealant stick to them as other MTB tires.
I tend only to clean out tyres when I replace them and just occasionally top up the winter/summer wheels (whatever is in storage) to stop them becoming unseated and leaking.
Yeah I usually take a rag or paper towel and just run it along the inside to get the bigger stuff. But I’m not scrubbing the inside or cleaning it out with soap to get it 100% clean.
New to tubeless this year.
I have tubeless on my main road bike, which I’m essentially storing for the winter now. The only difference being that I’ll use it on the trainer over the winter. I’m guessing, based on the above comments, that it’s best to just leave it with sealant in - top up the front if necessary (rear won’t be in use) - and then check if any cleaning required and topping up for spring 2025. Does this sound about right?
I wouldn’t top it up now, just leave it and top up in spring. It’s highly unlikely you’ll puncture while the bike is on the trainer. On the other hand, the more sealant there is, there more can stick to the tyre in one spot while it dries over the winter - which brings me to another thing to do: ever so often rotate the front wheel, so the sealant isn’t just sitting in one spot.
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For the front wheel on the bike on the trainer, I spin it after every ride and ensure it lands in a different point so as to even the stresses on the spokes and rim.
For wheels not bearing any weight, either on a bike or hanging on a wall, I spin them once a week, usually after my Saturday ride. Give the wheels a good spin, then ensure they are hanging in a different orientation so that any sealant that does dry is in a different location on the tire. I use the valve stem as a reference and hang the wheels 1/8 turn clockwise from where they were the previous week.
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