I've been a bit on and off with tubeless for over a decade now. It's a faff to install, but once up and running it is fine. Well until you want to swop a tyre out, and then you face it all again. But I've continued with it.
Until now. Now I'm really miffed.
Now I've had enough. Why? Well on Sunday under braking a nipple broke on the front wheel. Odd thought I, but never mind, stuff happens. Took the tyre off, bit smelly and a lot of salt around the valve. Hmm, looks like corrosion to me. Took the valve out, very smelly indeed and a chunk of metal came away with it. My heart sank as this is now a trashed rim for no other reason than being used with care and left in the Man Cave.
So. Stans' rim with Stans' tubeless solution. It contains ammonia. Ammonia rots things, like aluminium. It has, in my opinion, rotted the rim and obviously the nipple. Sure you could say I scratched the rim, got water into it, or 100 other things, but really, it's a £70 rim alone; it should be tough. Here we have the fine situation of two products meant to work in harmony from a single manufacturer that actually do the opposite. How utterly crap is that? This rim cost me £70 two years ago. OK I've had no punctures in two years, so no trailside faffage but is that worth the pain of a new wheel every two years? It's just not on is it? Luckily I've a spare wheel floating around so can swop them out, but it's not cricket is it?
Until now. Now I'm really miffed.
Now I've had enough. Why? Well on Sunday under braking a nipple broke on the front wheel. Odd thought I, but never mind, stuff happens. Took the tyre off, bit smelly and a lot of salt around the valve. Hmm, looks like corrosion to me. Took the valve out, very smelly indeed and a chunk of metal came away with it. My heart sank as this is now a trashed rim for no other reason than being used with care and left in the Man Cave.
So. Stans' rim with Stans' tubeless solution. It contains ammonia. Ammonia rots things, like aluminium. It has, in my opinion, rotted the rim and obviously the nipple. Sure you could say I scratched the rim, got water into it, or 100 other things, but really, it's a £70 rim alone; it should be tough. Here we have the fine situation of two products meant to work in harmony from a single manufacturer that actually do the opposite. How utterly crap is that? This rim cost me £70 two years ago. OK I've had no punctures in two years, so no trailside faffage but is that worth the pain of a new wheel every two years? It's just not on is it? Luckily I've a spare wheel floating around so can swop them out, but it's not cricket is it?
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