|   Eclipse Tubelesskits with 700C wheels | j w
Jan 27, 2003 4:45 AM | | I tried an experiment the other day fitting a tubelesskit to my cyclo-X bike with 700C wheels. I used an old strip that had been on a different wheel for a few months because they tend to get a bit more flexible after a while. The strip went on perfectly and easily which surprised me as even though it had been used it still felt really stiff. The rim is a Mavic Open 3 (I think!) and while it is narrower than the rims the kit was designed for (Mavic 317, 517, 519 etc) the fact that it was stretched made it thinner so it fitted well. I still had to be careful that it was seated very straight in the rim though.
I used a Kenda cyclo-X tyre (it came standard on my Kona JakeTheSnake) which has a kevlar bead. I also used an experimental sealant mix which I am working with. The tyre inflated readily once I had stored it rolled up for an hour or two, and used soap solution on the rim. In fact it inflated first time with no sealant when I checked it.
Once it had been inflated, sealed and spun a bit I tested the mix by inserting a thick drawing-pin. It sealed instantly on the top surface of the tyre so I tried pricking the sidewall which is always much harder to seal. The air rushed out for a moment until I quickly spun the wheel when it sealed instantly again. I was impressed with my exceptional ingenuity :-)
I have been intending to try this for some time as I am new to cyclo-x and find it difficult to control the bike at speed, particularly offroad at night, with the high pressures necessary to avoid punctures when riding rocks and drop-offs (rather more scary is the way the bars suddenly rotate when I hit something very hard if I'm on the drops, but that's another story). The tubelesskit means I should be able to run the tyres at 40-50psi with no worries.
Incidentally I will still not try Eclipse or any other method on a proper road wheel as I think the high pressures required *could* be dangerous, and it would be unlikely to work well on such a small air volum anyway. Tubeless systems including Stan's are only likely to be successful on larger volume tyres, in fact I was a little surprised it worked so very well on my cyclo-x tyre.
Note also that I've not properly tested it yet. Only time and a few rides will tell.
Also I really should try it with the standard sealant and a brand-new rimstrip.
Hope this is interesting to someone
jon webb
www.justridingalong.com |
| that`s exactly what Thomas Frischknecht uses since 2 years... | nino
Jan 27, 2003 7:28 AM | | well known swiss mountainbiker Thomas Frischknecht uses the ECLIPSE-kit on his cyclocross bikes as well since 2 years now.
the kit enables him to run his tires at 35 psi or even lower sometimes.he won nearly every CX-race he entered over here so maybe that`s the winning edge...?
he races on custom-made prototype rimstrips but as Jon found out the regular rimstrips do an equal job.the new "U" kits for UST tires come with the tinner rubber rimstrips which would work even better. |
| re: Eclipse Tubelesskits with 700C wheels | MetricEee
Jan 28, 2003 5:43 AM | | So what is this "experimental" sealant you have been working with? I only ask because I am trapped in Canada for the time being, and I can't get either stan's or eclipse's sealants without paying outlandish shipping/custom charges, and am therefore left with the DIY systems. |
| re: Eclipse Tubelesskits with 700C wheels | j w
Jan 29, 2003 2:38 AM | | nothing too radical I'm afraid, it is normal latex-based but with some different additives. Seems to work well so far.
jon |
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