etane

Hello:

Just installed Hutchinson Atom tubeless tires onto Ultegra 6700 wheels. I didn't pour any sealant into the tires. So, I am waiting to see how much air is left in the tire by morning. I pumped the tires up to 95psi just now.

Now, I am a sealant virgin. Never used it before and never wanted to pour it into my tires. However, since I can't replace tubes in the Atoms, I guess it is safer to go with sealant.

I narrowed down my sealant to the Caffelatex Espresso as it seems to be more effective than its competitors, and I can spray it directly into the Presta valve which is very convenient. The instructions for the Espresso explains that one can inflates one tire only.

My question is since I am not using the Espresso to inflate but only to inject the sealant, can I get away with using only 1 can on two tires? This is cheaper but also I don't want to put in too much sealant per tire. I like to be at the minimum threshold if possible because I still feel a bit weird about injecting sealant into my tires.

Of course, there is the matter of how can I tell when the Espresso canister is half empty...

Also, who sells that in Orange County? I checked the dealer locator but just guessing that there's more dealers that are not on that list. There's only one dealer near me on their dealer list and it doesn't seem to be a store but only a repair shop, so need to ask.

Thanks!

pmt

Be sure to read all the threads on "Road Tubeless" before you continue. There's a lot of info already discussed here on BF.

The short answer is that you really don't need much; I use about 10mL. Neither have I ever put it in the valve; I just hang the wheel and push the bead aside to inject it. Easy as pie; sometimes a little comes out when inflating but not too much.

I've also only used Stan's, and done many 200k rides on all Road Tubeless with only a few flats. Nothing weird about it; sealant saves the day and can get you home without stopping to deal with minor punctures.

etane

Well, it turns out Espresso is the wrong product for my purpose. Espresso is not an initial tire installation sealant. Rather, it is for fixing flat tires. As I understand it, the latex formula in Espresso quickly congeals with the CO2 mixture once it is released from its can. So, it's not a good product for preventing slow leaks and probably not to be used as a sealant to prevent future leaks.

I purchased a bottle of Caffelatex sealant yesterday and injected it into my tires via the presta valve (I can't get the tires off my wheel). After installation, I inflated the tires up to 100psi and road it for a few miles around the neighborhood to make sure the sealant foams up for a good seal job. I checked the tires this morning and they are still as hard as it was yesterday.

I thought it would be impossible to locate Caffelatex at local stores. Turns out, they are available at REI.

etane

It's been almost a week, and my tires are just as hard now as it was a week ago. The sealant works well.