Ok, so this post is mostly about two technological changes to my usual repertoire and a new one.
Historically I have used Molten Speed-wax and Orange Endurance sealant. Speed-wax was such an easy win, but darn if Tubeless sealant was a long and messy journey. 4 Generations of wheels later, and tubeless might just be mundane now.
First, the wax. Molten has been good to me over the years, but it was always slow to melt and slow to dry. During the time I was off the bike, Silca brought a wax to market; two waxes, in fact. I was always a fan of Silca.cc does and thought I'd try it.
Secret Chain Wax Blend:
https://silca.cc/collections/chain-lube-wax/products/secret-chain-wax-blend. $40
Results on four bikes have been great; the wax melts fast, dries fast, and the chain is more bike ready when it goes on. The chain is still deadly silent after 35 hours on the trainer, so I'm sold on it. Molten finally has come down in price over the years and is about the same price now, but I'm going with the new stuff this season.
I was looking for something other than a new wax. That actually was a side effect of dreading doing sealant in the tires. Right now in Texas, it's about 115 during the day in the sun and 102 in the Garage, which means the sealant will need regular replacement and periodic cleaning. That had been lamenting that no one had figured out a Sealant booster to prevent that. So I googled, and darn it if Josh at Silca didn't feel the same way.
Sealant
When sealing the largest punctures is important, you can't look further than SILCA Ultimate Tubeless Sealant w/Fiberfoam. Sealing up to 8mm punctures and lasting up to three months is the perfect match for your race season.
silca.cc
Replenisher
Installation Instructions Foaming natural latex formula, environmentally safe, contains no ammonia. Use to replenish SILCA Ultimate Sealant with Carbon Foam every 90-120 days. Use of the replenisher may extend sealant life up to 1 year! Replenisher can be used on its own down to 0F/-18C. It is...
silca.cc
So I had to try it.
After prepping the tires, I did the unthinkable by injecting the sealant with the valve core installed—blasphemy, utter Blasphemy; no clogs, not a one. So obviously, the tires would mount awful. Nope, simple and clean; they popped right on the rims. After a week, they are holding air better than any of the other sealants I have used; Stans, Bontrager, Orange, and Orange Endurance. Can't wait to try the replenisher.
So what's the third item? Well, that's all new tech for roadies at least.
With all the testing of the Tubeless tires over the last few years, we have been on the leading edge of road tubeless, and that's meant some bumps and bruises. The worst ever was the first tubeless I tested—some Bontrager aluminum carbon hybrids. I've ridden front flats on the V and S Series bikes without a problem; unless the tire comes off the rim; when that happens, I've gone for somebody surfing on asphalt and that always means three weeks off the bike, and some get back on the horse trauma if that occurred at 28mph. I believe I've done the slide-out four times, it's always a ride-home event (leverage shot before it wears off), but the road rash is unavoidable and wastes riding time. So we need a run-flat solution for our front tires for safety. I was hoping that would be just better fitting tires and sealant; watching Paris Roubaix told me we aren't there yet.
So we are going to steal from the Mountain bike space and run inserts, but these are different from your parent's inserts these are pretty cool.
Road tubeless inserts:
The general concept is that when the tire is inflated to normal pressure, this foam insert compresses against the RIM and becomes a non-factor to the ride. When you lose pressure completely, the insert expands to fill the tire void, so it holds its shape so the tire stays mounted. The result is the same as a 20psi tire that can be ridden. We all know that a V/S Series is going to be front-end squirrelly on 20 psi tire, but It will be a lot easier to ride it to a safe stop while the pressure is dropping slowly.
Going to be a mainstay of my front tires for the next while.