Sealant Corrosion?

Will the sealant corrode my rim? This is a real hot button issue among people who want to go tubeless. The big ruckus was started back in 2009 when Velonews printed these pictures, allegedly of rim corroded through use of sealants. (The picture above is not bicycle related!)

In recent months, Velonews followed up with information from Stan's saying that their is an infinitesimal amount of ammonia currently in his fluid, and that its composition has changed over the years it has been in production.

Search Amazon.com for tubeless tire sealant

While the pictures from the first Velonews article are very scary, I have been using sealant on my road tubeless rims for four years now. If there has been any corrosion, I haven't seen it.  I have mostly been using Stan's, but I am also trying the Slime Pro product on one of my bicycles.

As an early adopter of road tubeless technology, my advice is to use your favorite sealant, relax, and enjoy the ride!

 

Back On The Bike

I took some time off cycling this winter due to both weather and injuries. Now I am back on the bike and looking for tubeless news to share with both of my readers : )

First, I am doing some bicycle commuting, and I have been evaluating the Slime Pro product on my commuter bike that is equipped with Hutchinson Intensive tires.. So far so good, as I have inflated the tires without getting slimmed by green fluid that smells like Pina Coladas.

Next, I came across this article about a carbon road tubeless rim frrom ROL Wheels.  I am excited that there is progress being made here, but my dream wheelset still revolves around the Stans Alpha 340 rims.  At a smidgen over 340 grams, they are lighter than the 385g carbon rim. The ROL carbon wheel doesn't look particularly aerodynamic, so I really don't see the point of more weight and less braking quality.

So stay tuned as Spring arrives and things warm up around here.