Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The tubeless problem
We just spent 2 hours wrestling with Leonard's rear Hutchinson Python tire... finding holes, patching, trying to get it to inflate, discovering new holes cleaning it, adding new sealant... you get the idea.
There were at least 4 holes in Lenny's tire. 2 of them we had to stick patches on; the other 2 were tiny enough to escape the the naked eye, but big enough for the sealant not to do its job... right up on the sidewall (one was just half a cm from the tire bead). The words 'Swiss cheese' came to my mind as we tackled the tire.
Which leads me into my latest speil on the perils of going tubeless. NEVER, EVER use crap tires! I reckon the new Hutchinson range are pretty crap. I'm still using a pair of the old version, tubeless and have yet to experience sidewall or proximal bead punctures. Scary when i think that there are a bunch of tires out there that Stan's actually discourages users from mounting, due to their poor track record with sealing problems, blow-offs, or plain old weak and leaky beads.
On the cards now are a pair of Maxxis Crosmarks. They look good, and i would appreciate them for some of the more technical stuff coming up at the Scott 24 hour in Canberra in 3 weeks' time.
I may start to do time trials of my runs, just to see how in shape i am. I reckon once a week would be good, fit in as a tempo run of sorts. Also, road rides must get longer, right now, in time for Round the Bay and WA.
There were at least 4 holes in Lenny's tire. 2 of them we had to stick patches on; the other 2 were tiny enough to escape the the naked eye, but big enough for the sealant not to do its job... right up on the sidewall (one was just half a cm from the tire bead). The words 'Swiss cheese' came to my mind as we tackled the tire.
Which leads me into my latest speil on the perils of going tubeless. NEVER, EVER use crap tires! I reckon the new Hutchinson range are pretty crap. I'm still using a pair of the old version, tubeless and have yet to experience sidewall or proximal bead punctures. Scary when i think that there are a bunch of tires out there that Stan's actually discourages users from mounting, due to their poor track record with sealing problems, blow-offs, or plain old weak and leaky beads.
On the cards now are a pair of Maxxis Crosmarks. They look good, and i would appreciate them for some of the more technical stuff coming up at the Scott 24 hour in Canberra in 3 weeks' time.
I may start to do time trials of my runs, just to see how in shape i am. I reckon once a week would be good, fit in as a tempo run of sorts. Also, road rides must get longer, right now, in time for Round the Bay and WA.
