Retrorockit
Retro Guru
So what I've learned so far from this-
1- The foaming action of the Caffelatex had some value by coating the whole inside of the Latex tube every ride, air loss was at a a manageable level. I'm not aware of any other foaming sealant.
2- The Caffelatex destroyed every Latex tube I used it in. Specifically it attacks the glue joint between the Latex tube, and the Butyl stem. Often from the outside in. It also attacked the glue joint between the tread and casing of my Rene Herse handmade gravel slick. This is from inside an intact Latex tube. The fumes are seriously corrosive to glued joints. I supposed patched tubes would have this issue also.
3- While doing this test a sealant for TPU tubes became available. The easy way out- TPU tubes with TPU sealant. I tried Caffelatex in those too. It doesn't stick to them. But weight and rolling resistance still favor Latex tubes. Especially ultralight tires that can bleed sealant out the sidewalls if run as tubeless..
4- All the sealants that settle to the bottom of the tire seem to have the Latex air loss problem.
5- Glycol sealants look interesting. Non drying, long lasting, won't freeze. They tend to use higher doses than other sealants. But Latex tubes seal better than Butyl, so in my case I will go with a standard 1ml/1mm tire width ratio. I already have the tubes and the sealant so that's what happens next. Specialized specifically states for use in Latex tubes.
6- I use a Park Tool TSI-1 tire sealant injector. I discovered it won't fit down the hole in the Michelin Schrader valve. I found a Sunlite tube with the same issue. It seems some of the stems have added metal inside to make them stronger. It's not an issue with just air going in. If you use this tool check your tubes for this. A PITA to have to drill them out (#26 .147"). The Vittorio tubes were OK. No issues with Presta so far.
1- The foaming action of the Caffelatex had some value by coating the whole inside of the Latex tube every ride, air loss was at a a manageable level. I'm not aware of any other foaming sealant.
2- The Caffelatex destroyed every Latex tube I used it in. Specifically it attacks the glue joint between the Latex tube, and the Butyl stem. Often from the outside in. It also attacked the glue joint between the tread and casing of my Rene Herse handmade gravel slick. This is from inside an intact Latex tube. The fumes are seriously corrosive to glued joints. I supposed patched tubes would have this issue also.
3- While doing this test a sealant for TPU tubes became available. The easy way out- TPU tubes with TPU sealant. I tried Caffelatex in those too. It doesn't stick to them. But weight and rolling resistance still favor Latex tubes. Especially ultralight tires that can bleed sealant out the sidewalls if run as tubeless..
4- All the sealants that settle to the bottom of the tire seem to have the Latex air loss problem.
5- Glycol sealants look interesting. Non drying, long lasting, won't freeze. They tend to use higher doses than other sealants. But Latex tubes seal better than Butyl, so in my case I will go with a standard 1ml/1mm tire width ratio. I already have the tubes and the sealant so that's what happens next. Specialized specifically states for use in Latex tubes.
6- I use a Park Tool TSI-1 tire sealant injector. I discovered it won't fit down the hole in the Michelin Schrader valve. I found a Sunlite tube with the same issue. It seems some of the stems have added metal inside to make them stronger. It's not an issue with just air going in. If you use this tool check your tubes for this. A PITA to have to drill them out (#26 .147"). The Vittorio tubes were OK. No issues with Presta so far.
