PitStop, Espresso CafeLaywhatever, etc...Tire Sealants
Before I give my 'review', does anyone know if EN is in anyway associated with these companies? Do we have any of their folks amongst our ranks?
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Before I give my 'review', does anyone know if EN is in anyway associated with these companies? Do we have any of their folks amongst our ranks?
Comments
Not that I'm aware of.
I've been 'using' these products for 2 years now. I think I've tried every company's version. Started carrying them at the races cuz I had a spare tubular that was too thick to roll up nicely and it proved to be too bulky to hide nicely. I'm a minimalist, want the bike to look clean and simple and the tubular wasn't helping that.
So, I did my homework, studied the videos, even practiced one time....take the wheel off, roll the wheel til the valve is at 12oclock, snug this tiresealant can onto the valve and press, supposed to inject up and around the inside of the tube/tubular. Then spin the wheel for a few seconds to even it out. Theoretically, enough pressure to finish a route on. Tho, I would take an extra CO2 cartridge to top it off, cuz my practice did not impress me as far as psi's to ride on.
Some have a straight shot nipple that covers the wheel valve, some have a ~4'' flex tube that can connect to the wheel valve. I would pack the cans that had the flex tubes for the race cuz the former would be impossible to handle thru the small window on a disc or wheel cover. I used the straight shot versions on my training rides.
*Best thing about these, they hide SUPER nice in the tail of my Giro Ad2. I packed the can of sealant + CO2 with adaptor in the back of my aero helmet and only a very little bit hid out the very bottom and back of the helmet. And I never noticed anything rubbing on the back of my head nor did it add enough weight to the tail of the helmet to make it uncomfortable, at all.*
And that's about it for the good stuff.
Luckily, I have yet to flat in a race. And, I had gone several years without flatting on the roads around here. But, this year, I've flatted 4 times. (Not my wheels, def road cracks and debris) One of those flats was irreparable due to the 4'' long 1/4'' wide bolt that stuck thru my tire/tube/rim.
So, of those 3 flats, I used 5 cans of sealant. Not a single one worked. You know that worry you get when you press that CO2 cartridge and you know 'This is my only shot, don't screw it up', well, this is about 100x worse. And nothing but a big mess, like sticky shaving cream covering the valve, or it squirts between the valve and in between the rim and tube. Whatever, anywhere but where it was supposed to go. Nowhere near enough pressure to ride on.
So, after 5 tries in the field with this stuff, I give it an F.
Now, that's just my experience. But, if someone here feels like 'I use it, try it this way, it'll work if you...', I'm not buying.
After the last ride home, thanks to my IronSherpa who doubles as my wife, I went straight to the lbs and bought 6 tubes and CO2's. I'm going back to the old way. I know that way works cuz I've successfully changed and filled many tubes without a sweat.
And for the races, I'm copying Lieto. rigged up an aero bottle on the downtube that carries the junk. And when my spare tubular goes in there, he can't get out and start flailing around in the wind. Also, there's a very compliant lightweight tubular sold by by Tofu, the Elite Jet, that may be even easier to handle, has a rep of rolling up very small compared to other tubulars. I'm looking into this, soon, and if it's as good as advertised, it'll be my spare at IMFL and races after that.
Bottom line, as far as this product goes....I'm out. Done. Over it.
Enrique, good luck, it's awesome when you're looking at it on the drawing board, but, in my experience, that's where it ends. All I can say if you do go this route is practice, practice, practice. And even then, I think it's a risky endeavor.
Gotta go ride,
C
One other option is using Stan's No Tubes. But I'm on the fence about that. I'm still researching and reading reviews. Lots of good reviews but I feel like there's a catch somewhere. There usually is.
Thanks for the review!!
The future is near with the tubeless road tires. It's close.
No dice.
I'm a frame pump guy now.
I'm getting really close to trying to pre-fill some tubes with stans to see how it works. The two downsides i know is that you need removable valve cores (which I use anyway but many do not) and the stan's only lasts about 4-6 months and then dries up. I'm anal and by two new laxes tubes for racing at the beginning of each year anyway, so I figure I would just fill them once, use them for the race season, and then they become training tubes.
Flat kits for tubulars has always been more trouble to me than its worth, I'm ditching my tubies in a few weeks and going to clinchers for racing. Thank god.
hopefully this thread helps the next guy that is researching the product!
Latex tubes on race wheels + latex in a *solvent* = potential disaster
So, I took the 2 cans of pitstop and used them on training rides. Batted 0/2 and gave up on the concept, for now.
But I bet in a couple of years, when tire companies realize they can sell them for $30 a can to triathletes, there'll be more options that might actually work.