Monday, July 23, 2012

Never get a flat again?

Think about it.  You go out for all of your bike rides, not really ever worrying about getting a flat.  And even better, you get yourself all set up for race day, extremely confident that one issue you won't have on race day is a flat tire.  How is this possible?  You ride solid rubber tires!  That's how!  But that wouldn't be comfortable, or fun, or smart, or any other positive word you can think of.  However, there may be a product that is very, very close to this dream...

A couple of days ago, I was talking to a coworker, and fellow cyclist.  He made a passing comment about "no tubes".  I initially assumed he just meant tubeless.  When I said that I still use tubes, he elaborated on his "no tubes" comment.  He said that this guy created some tubeless tire goo that instantly prevents any punctures from giving you a flat tire.  I replied that I already knew about "slime" and he said, "no, this stuff is waaaaaaay better...and actually works!"  Now, in Slime's defense, I haven't used it, so I can't actually speak as to it's effectiveness.  This coworker told me to just look it up on YouTube and my mind would be blown away.  So I did, and this is what I found...


If you couldn't see the video, go here to watch it.

I will admit, I'm pretty impressed.  Unfortunately, I don't have tubeless wheels, so I can't just go and buy this stuff to stick in my tires.  There is a conversion kit available, which would allow me to convert my clinchers to tubeless wheels, but it would be really nice to try it out, or even talk to a few more people who have used this product before shelling out the $200 for the conversion kit.

It seems as if this product has been around for a while, seeing as this YouTube video was posted back in 2008.  I tried to do some Googling for reviews, and the majority of people seem to be happy.  A few customers noted that the liquid evaporates over time, so there is a need to periodically refill the tires with more sealant.  The other issue that was brought up was that the liquid, over a longer period of time, might lead to oxidization of the wheel.  This could be a problem, as it could lead to the wheel becoming less stable.  However, Stan's claims that this is not an issue with their product.  

For me, I think it would be a great product to have in your training wheels, that you use almost daily.  You would be putting in so many miles without having to worry about a flat.  The question then becomes, is Stan's better than using the thorn resistant tires/tubes?  I don't know!  I guess my main concern is, if it's so great, why hasn't it gained more popularity?

What do you think?  Have you heard of Stan's, or even tried it out before?  Is it something you'd like to try?

Thanks for reading!

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