Stan's Rolled Gold Sealant Review: Introduction

Stan's Rolled Gold is optimized for higher pressure set ups. 

Rolled Gold For Higher Pressure Tubeless Set-ups:

Today Stan's has introduced a new sealant for riders using higher pressure tubeless tires. Dubbed "Rolled Gold", it is designed to work between 35psi and 100psi. 

It also is designed to seal up to a 7.8mm hole at 100psi.  The sealant also allows you to use less sealant than the competing brand's sealant with Stan's claiming a 28mm tire will seal with as little as 35ml of sealant in the tire. Stan's claims this is 35% less than the average of the competition. 

What It Is:

Stan's Rolled Gold is a high-pressure use sealant which is a water based formula, using natural latex and optimized particle technology. Stan's natural, high-latex formula has improved adhesion to rubber and textile casings which make up bicycle tires. Stan's claims synthetic latex sealants cannot match Rolled Gold's abilities in this area. Furthermore; natural latex is not as brittle once a plug is formed in a tire compared to synthetic latex. This helps to insure a long-lasting repair. 

The high-particle formula also lends speed to the sealing process, in concert with the natural latex, this combination seals punctures more quickly. Both characteristics allow a rider to use less sealant in the tire. 

"Rolled Gold is a high-performance road and gravel sealant requiring less material to seal at a faster rate, making Rolled Gold the lightest, fastest sealant ever,” said Stan’s Mike Bush. “From our experience in this market and from listening to Stan’s riders, we realized we could deliver a superior product for road cyclists, that required less sealant –thus saving weight –yet with the same reliability as our Race Day product, plus you can inject this through the valve. So there are no sacrifices.”

Stan's Rolled Gold sealant is formulated, processed,and bottled in the USA by Stan's.

Prices:  500ml –$27.00 / €27.00 / £27.00125ml –$10.00 / €10.00 / £10.0060ml –$5.00 / €5.00 / £5.50

UPDATED 8/25/2026 @ 3:43 pm CST - 500ml – $29.50, 125ml – $11.00, 60ml – $5.50

How We Are Testing This Sealant: 

Since Stan's is pushing this more toward the road riding segment of riders, I have sent a bottle of this sealant over to N.Y. Roll who is using it on a wheel set with road tires. I will allow him to ride this sealant for a while, get his take on it, and report back. 

As for me, I decided to put Rolled Gold in some 45mm gravel tires and run those at 35psi -40psi. Admittedly, the lower end of the recommended range. 

I did use less sealant in my tires. A LOT less than I typically do. For instance, I would normally run around 100ml of sealant in a typical 700 x 45mm - 50mm gravel tire. I only used one 125ml bottle of Rolled Gold for both tires. So a little over half of what I'd normally use in each tire. 

I'll also admit that I rarely have a puncture here in Iowa. In fact, I do not expect to have one during my part of the test. However; N.Y. Roll is prone to having tubeless tire issues, so my hope is that he will have some valuable feedback on Rolled Gold in the near future. 

My aim is to see how long this sealant lasts compared to the competitor's products. This will take a while, so I do not expect to have any results until later on into the Fall of this year. Meanwhile, I do have some initial impressions to share. 

Impressions:

Rolled Gold is indeed less viscous than many other sealants, but not by a lot. I was able to pour it through a valve with the core removed, but this is not necessarily a rare thing. What I did notice was how fast Rolled Gold coagulates. While attempting to inject the sealant straight from the tip of the bottle, I allowed some air to be sucked backward into the bottle and the bottle's nipple was almost instantaneously blocked! 

I also noted the particle content was rather settled in the bottle and a vigorous shaking of this product is recommended before installing it in a tire. This is much like Stan's Race Day sealant in this manner, so if you've experienced this, you know what I am trying to convey here. I think a similar issue was experienced with WTB's most recent sealant as well. 

N.Y. Roll reported he felt the need to inject a bit more sealant in his tires after his first ride or so because he couldn't hear any sloshing of sealant after his initial installation.  Other than this, I haven't heard anything else from him so far. 

Okay, with that we will have a long wait until we get some miles on this product. Stay tuned for a final verdict in the Fall.  

Maintenance Of Fat Bike Tubeless Tire - A Pictorial

 CAUTION! If you are easily offended by gross images or scared of seeing "intestinal" type images, do not read further. You've been warned! 

Today I am going to share what it took to check and clean out the old sealant in my front wheel of my Ti Muk 2 fat bike. The detail most important to know here is the sealant has never been cleaned out of this tire since 2019. So, after around six years, I would imagine it would be time to do this job, wouldn't you think? Ha!

Secondly, you may wonder how I dealt with sealant for this tire, (and the rear, by the way). I simply added about 100ml of sealant every Fall for the past five years. yep! I never did anything else. Now, I will also add here the rear wheel was done several weeks ago, and due to the laborious, time consuming peeling of sealant, I wasn't in any big hurry to do the front wheel. So, this was why I waited a while longer, in case any of you regular readers were wondering. 

 

The front wheel of my Ti Muk 2 consistes of a SON dynamo hub laced to a carbon Whisky Co. rim. These were rims which came stock on Beargrease fat bikes circa 2016 or so. The previous owner had these wheels laced up, so as far as any other details of these wheels goes, I am unaware of those. I mounted the Terrene Cake Eater 26" x 4.0" tires in about 2019 or so. These wheels originally had 45NRTH Van Helga tires which I found to be too slow and clunky for my uses. 

Removal of the wheel requires careful disconnection of the two spade connectors near the drop out so the wiring for the dynamo hub can be separated to get the wheel out. Then the Maxle through axle is utilized to release the wheel from the fork. The next step is to break the tire bead from its place on the carbon rim. 

 The first order of business is to remove as much air as you can from the tire. I usually don't take the core out, and in fact, I close the valve when I am finished pushing out air. I cannot say this is an aid, or cool trick to use, but I've always done it this way with fat bike tires. 

To break the bead from its place on the rim I lay the rim against the bench at a slight angle, not allowing a lot of the rim to overhang the bench. This is important for leverage. You want the rim supported at two points closer together so you won't damage the rim. 

Next I use the butt of each hand to apply pressure right at the point where the tire meets the rim at the sidewall facing upward at me. (See where I have my thumb in the image. This is where you want to apply pressure)

Using a downward force at a right angle to the rim, (essentially pushing 'sideways' across the rim), I carefully apply pressure until the tire breaks free. I use my finger to grasp the tire in this process, but I am not really doing anything with force at the fingers. The force is concentrated at the butt end of my hands. Think of how an automobile tire machine works, if you are at all familiar with this type of machine. 

Once the bead breaks free the rest generally will come apart with little effort. When you have pushed the bead on one side all the way around away from the rim edge, flip the wheel and repeat the above process

Next, you will need a tire lever to peel off one bead from the rim. Now in my case, here is where I found a big surprise. The sealant had formed a sort of 'tube' which was acting much like a butyl rubber tube in that it wanted to come out in one piece. So, I went with this situation. 

Here you can see what this looked like. I simply started to look at this as I would a tube replacement. The sealant slipped right out of the tire with little effort. 

Now I know some of you will want to know what I used for sealant for the past five-plus years. The answer to this question is a little complicated and murky. 

I'm pretty sure most of the sealant was WTB sealant. Some of it was Finish Line sealant, because I could see the black additive particles they used as an extra measure to seal up punctures. I am certain the last sealant I put in was Orange Seal for cold weather, and I may have used my own home-brew sealant which is a recipe I have shared here several times and which I call "MG's Sealant". 

Yeah.... I realize many say do not mix sealants. But to my mind, most sealants are more similar than dissimilar, and in practice, mixing sealants has never caused me any negative effects. So, you probably should not do what I did, but also - I am not at all concerned about mixing sealants. So, take all this under advisement and consider what you do carefully in regard to your own sealant use practices. 

After peeling out the sealant I simply remounted the tire, introduced 300ml of new sealant, and aired up the tire again with no further issues. For the record, I used some mixed up sealants again. So, I cannot tell you exactly what I used because I don't even know for certain. But before I discarded the old sealant "tube" I thought I'd weigh it for fun. 

Not bad, eh? I think this is in the range of TPU fat bike tubes, maybe a touch heavier. But I thought it was interesting the sealant did not accumulate to a weight  which was more than it turned out to be. Obviously, this was still far less than a butyl tube would weigh in at for a 26" x 4.0" tire. 

So, there you have it. My maintenance of my front wheel is finished and I am ready for Winter. Also, this might be the bike I end up using for the Virtual Turkey Burn Ride, since we may be getting blasted with Arctic air right around that time. I'd rather ride this bike when, or if, it gets windy and cold. 

WTB Sealant Update

About a year and a half ago now I received WTB sealant to review for Riding Gravel. (Standard Disclaimer) As with most sealants, it initially worked quite well and I liked its life span in my tires. WTB also has seen fit to supply me with their sealant back then, enough so that I still have plenty of it around. 

So, it has found its way into every tubeless tire I have around here by this point. Now, typically we don't see a lot of issues with sidewall cuts, big punctures, or the like, especially with gravel riding. But I've had valve failures, punctures from glass that would not seal up, and sealant that dried up quickly and gave me issues. (Looking at the color "orange" here.) 

So, the other day when I was in my shop I discovered something that is highly unusual and impressive. I was looking for something entirely unrelated to tires and wheels down there when an odd looking feature jumped out at me and caused me to pause my search for the other thing. It was a wet spot on an otherwise dry, dusty tire sidewall. 

This was on the 700c X 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tire I just reviewed recently. My first inclination was to think that the sealant had started to weep through the sidewall, but in one spot? No.... Then I saw spattered bits of sealant on the carbon rim. Could it be that I punctured?

That wet spot sure was unusual.

Upon closer inspection I saw that the tire sidewall had been cut and that the sealant was actually coagulated outside of the tire casing. It must have sealed up almost instantaneously, because there wasn't much residue on the tire and rim. Then I recalled a moment during the last ride on this bike where I was kicked sideways a bit off a rock, or was it something else sharper than that? 

I am guessing that is when the puncture/cut occurred. So, this is really impressive to me. A sidewall cut is not easily sealed as that is the part of the tire that flexes on every rotation the most. That makes sealant "plugs" want to blow out, but this WTB sealant not only sealed up quickly, but stayed that way for the duration of my ride with no indication that anything had happened while I was riding. 

A close-up of the damage and the sealant poking out there.

Well, I suppose I should take the tire off and boot it from the inside with a patch and then I probably could continue to use this tire, but that puts the wheel set out of commission until I do that, and this was the bike I was going to take to Emporia. 

Hey! It isn't as if I don't have other choices and wheel sets! So, no worries. I found a way around this. But yeah...I am impressed. Now there are a couple of things I don't like about this sealant and chief of those is that it is darn near impossible to keep a smaller syringe clear when setting up a tire with this sealant or when recovering sealant after dismounting a tire. And this sealant needs to be thoroughly shaken before use because if you don't those additional particles settle to the bottom of the container and are a real tough deal to get mixed into the sealant when that happens. It also isn't recommended for really cold usage so fat bikes and Winter commuting may not work with this stuff.

But yeah, this has been an enlightening experience, and it gives me a reason to recommend this sealant if you are searching for a new sealant product.

WTB Sealant Update

About a year and a half ago now I received WTB sealant to review for Riding Gravel. (Standard Disclaimer) As with most sealants, it initially worked quite well and I liked its life span in my tires. WTB also has seen fit to supply me with their sealant back then, enough so that I still have plenty of it around. 

So, it has found its way into every tubeless tire I have around here by this point. Now, typically we don't see a lot of issues with sidewall cuts, big punctures, or the like, especially with gravel riding. But I've had valve failures, punctures from glass that would not seal up, and sealant that dried up quickly and gave me issues. (Looking at the color "orange" here.) 

So, the other day when I was in my shop I discovered something that is highly unusual and impressive. I was looking for something entirely unrelated to tires and wheels down there when an odd looking feature jumped out at me and caused me to pause my search for the other thing. It was a wet spot on an otherwise dry, dusty tire sidewall. 

This was on the 700c X 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tire I just reviewed recently. My first inclination was to think that the sealant had started to weep through the sidewall, but in one spot? No.... Then I saw spattered bits of sealant on the carbon rim. Could it be that I punctured?

That wet spot sure was unusual.

Upon closer inspection I saw that the tire sidewall had been cut and that the sealant was actually coagulated outside of the tire casing. It must have sealed up almost instantaneously, because there wasn't much residue on the tire and rim. Then I recalled a moment during the last ride on this bike where I was kicked sideways a bit off a rock, or was it something else sharper than that? 

I am guessing that is when the puncture/cut occurred. So, this is really impressive to me. A sidewall cut is not easily sealed as that is the part of the tire that flexes on every rotation the most. That makes sealant "plugs" want to blow out, but this WTB sealant not only sealed up quickly, but stayed that way for the duration of my ride with no indication that anything had happened while I was riding. 

A close-up of the damage and the sealant poking out there.

Well, I suppose I should take the tire off and boot it from the inside with a patch and then I probably could continue to use this tire, but that puts the wheel set out of commission until I do that, and this was the bike I was going to take to Emporia. 

Hey! It isn't as if I don't have other choices and wheel sets! So, no worries. I found a way around this. But yeah...I am impressed. Now there are a couple of things I don't like about this sealant and chief of those is that it is darn near impossible to keep a smaller syringe clear when setting up a tire with this sealant or when recovering sealant after dismounting a tire. And this sealant needs to be thoroughly shaken before use because if you don't those additional particles settle to the bottom of the container and are a real tough deal to get mixed into the sealant when that happens. It also isn't recommended for really cold usage so fat bikes and Winter commuting may not work with this stuff.

But yeah, this has been an enlightening experience, and it gives me a reason to recommend this sealant if you are searching for a new sealant product.

Friday News And Views

 A "Trans Iowa" On Foot?

The online news source, "Axios Des Moines" reported Monday concerning a runner's attempt to beat the FKT across the state of Iowa. The runner, Paul Noble, started in Muscatine, Iowa last Sunday and was hoping to reach Sigourney that day. His itinerary from there: Sigourney to Indianola, Indianola to Messena, Messena to Council Bluffs. 

The route followed Highway 92, for the most part. Noble hoped to be done sometime on Wednesday. The time to beat? His friend, Taylor Ross holds the record to beat at 4 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes, and 41 seconds.

And Paul Noble pulled it off. "Axios Des Moines" reported yesterday that Noble made it to Council Bluffs with a total time of 94 hours and 50 minutes. Congratulations Paul Noble!

From Cannondale/CX World's social media feed.

Cannondale/CX World Ends Cyclo Cross Efforts:

On Monday a bombshell was dropped by Cannondale/CX World Team that they were ceasing operations immediately. The team had contested cyclo cross races in North America and Europe for 16 years. 

Comments: Pretty stunning news when you consider that this team was a stalwart of the North American scene and was the last big outfit doing cyclo cross in North America. 

One has to wonder if the gravel scene's rise to prestige in North America, the UCI recognizing gravel with a series, and the series like Life Time's Grand Prix are taking away riders and focus from cyclo cross now to the point that marketing is switching gears to gravel. 

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that this has something to do with it, but there probably is more to it than just that. Supply chain shortages generally mean that niche, low selling items get cut to make way for higher value production. (Noticed a Twitter pole asking when CX riders last bought a complete CX bike at a shop. Average answer? Five years ago, and most said they never had, preferring to build up their own from frames or they bought used) Inflation pressures certainly have to be considered here. Travel and staffing costs for the team have probably been a heavy burden of late. 

But a lot of athletes are turning to the gravel scene now. So, you have to think that this- especially here in North America- is a really big issue for cyclo cross.

State Bicycle's 4130 Alouette is a fixed gear gravel bike.

Would You? Could You? Go Fixed?

State Bicycle announced this past week that they have a new fixed gear gravel bike called the 4130 Alouette. It is steel, (natch!) and can take up to a 42mm tire, comes in four color schemes, and in either a flat bar or drop bar configuration for sub-600 bucks. 

Comments: Fixed gear gravel riders are nothing new. Rare- yes - but the fixed gear gravel rider has existed for a long time. I came into contact with fixed gear via gravel during Trans Iowa. In fact, it was a bicycle you probably would never have pegged for an appearance at Trans Iowa. It was a fixed gear Rivendell with a rack and panniers ridden by Ken Yokanovich. And he finished the 300+ mile T.I.v3 course in 15th place out of the 24 official finishers that year.  

That was back in 2007. We had another fixed gear finisher in Ben Shockey two years later, and finally, the last guy to pull off the feat on a fixie in Trans Iowa was Jay Barre in T.I.v10. All did 300+ miles fixed in less than 34 hours. 

And fixed gear riders have appeared in several other gravel events as well. So, while it may seem really crazy and odd, I get it, and it is not a new thing. That State Bicycle has come out with this should only help propel the idea and I expect at least a few more folks will take up fixed gear gravel riding. 

As far as the bike- it's good enough,but the geometry they chose is just too steep and high for my liking. Too 'track-ish', if you will. I still want a fixed gear gravel bike, but it would have to be done in the geometry I prefer: Low bottom bracket (I don't lean in corners enough to worry about clipping pedals) and a slacker head tube angle. The State 4130 Alouette has a 65mm bottom bracket drop. No thank you! I'd have to have at least a 70mm drop for my way of riding, but that's just me. 

Mid-South overall winner Cole Paton (L) with Bobby Wintle (Image courtesy of Orange Seal)

Mid-South Goes Off With Dry-ish Year:

Uncharacteristically cold morning temperatures gave way to warmer, but windier weather for the Mid-South 2022 event which led to a dry-ish course for the assembled riders. Cole Paton, of the Orange Seal Off Road Team won the event overall.

Comments: Two years ago the Mid-South event marked the end of "normal affairs" for quite some time. With the COVID-19 virus moving from 'pandemic' status to 'endemic' status, the return of the Mid-South was welcomed by many gravel riders and I could sense a joy and happiness from social media posts I saw over that weekend which communicated somewhat of the atmosphere surrounding the event. 

Oddly enough, or maybe not...Mid-South doesn't crack the door open much in the endemic cycling media. Mid-South, for as 'big' as it has gotten, still seems to carry that stigma of being a 'not-a-race' race where there is certainly worthy competition for media coverage but it gets either zero (Velo News) or it gets pushed down the page in a hurry. 

Whatever. I'm here for it and I hope that Mid-South keeps it real. If anything, I think it would be great to see that event take an even more focused slant toward the 'everyman' riders and the Pro teams and riders can go do those other fancy-pants events. But I know that is probably a very unrealistic viewpoint these days. And furthermore- It isn't my event. So, my opinion here- that's all....... But I do appreciate Bobby Wintle's efforts to celebrate everyone and not just focus on the prestigious front runners.

SILCA Tubeless Tire Sealant Announced:

Sporting a foaming latex formula laced with 6mm, 9mm, and 12mm carbon fibers reclaimed from carbon wheels, F-1 racing parts, and airplane carbon fiber, SILCA Ultimate Tubeless Sealant claims to easily seal up to a "6+mm" puncture. 

The sealant is so effective at coagulating that it must be introduced to the tire by pouring the sealant in at the time of tire mounting. SILCA claims it will easily plug up any injector or valve stem.

Comments: Hmm.... " Must be poured into the tire during tire install!" (Copy quoted directly from marketing material provided by SILCA) Okay, well that means that I'd have to crack open a bead after the claimed wet period for this sealant which is 160-180 days to reintroduce more sealant? That is about six months, which I would be surprised to find to be true, but let's say that pans out. Well, can you wear out your tire in six months? Maybe some of you would,but for those that would not, then you have to go through the hassle of remounting a bead, and sometimes that can be a crap shoot. Tires stretch, and sometimes rim to tire fit is loose anyway. Sometimes you have a puncture protected belt that makes mounting a nightmare anyway. 

If you could just crack open that valve stem and reintroduce sealant, it would alleviate any potential headaches. But if you buy into the SILCA Ultimate sealant, well, sorry..... Now you have that trade off. Maybe for some it will be worth it. And one has to wonder- Will this clog my valve stem more easily anyway? I'd recommend airing up with your valve stem at 10 o'clock or two o'clock to help prevent just that.

Meanwhile, there are at least six other really good sealants that you don't have that compromise to deal with. That leaves me to think that this is for that person that wants to feel like they have the ultimate sealing sealant, and the marketing guys at SILCA made sure you will with the name. (See what they did there?)

Hmm.... As for me? I just don't see the advantage for my riding here. 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

 A "Trans Iowa" On Foot?

The online news source, "Axios Des Moines" reported Monday concerning a runner's attempt to beat the FKT across the state of Iowa. The runner, Paul Noble, started in Muscatine, Iowa last Sunday and was hoping to reach Sigourney that day. His itinerary from there: Sigourney to Indianola, Indianola to Messena, Messena to Council Bluffs. 

The route followed Highway 92, for the most part. Noble hoped to be done sometime on Wednesday. The time to beat? His friend, Taylor Ross holds the record to beat at 4 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes, and 41 seconds.

And Paul Noble pulled it off. "Axios Des Moines" reported yesterday that Noble made it to Council Bluffs with a total time of 94 hours and 50 minutes. Congratulations Paul Noble!

From Cannondale/CX World's social media feed.

Cannondale/CX World Ends Cyclo Cross Efforts:

On Monday a bombshell was dropped by Cannondale/CX World Team that they were ceasing operations immediately. The team had contested cyclo cross races in North America and Europe for 16 years. 

Comments: Pretty stunning news when you consider that this team was a stalwart of the North American scene and was the last big outfit doing cyclo cross in North America. 

One has to wonder if the gravel scene's rise to prestige in North America, the UCI recognizing gravel with a series, and the series like Life Time's Grand Prix are taking away riders and focus from cyclo cross now to the point that marketing is switching gears to gravel. 

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that this has something to do with it, but there probably is more to it than just that. Supply chain shortages generally mean that niche, low selling items get cut to make way for higher value production. (Noticed a Twitter pole asking when CX riders last bought a complete CX bike at a shop. Average answer? Five years ago, and most said they never had, preferring to build up their own from frames or they bought used) Inflation pressures certainly have to be considered here. Travel and staffing costs for the team have probably been a heavy burden of late. 

But a lot of athletes are turning to the gravel scene now. So, you have to think that this- especially here in North America- is a really big issue for cyclo cross.

State Bicycle's 4130 Alouette is a fixed gear gravel bike.

Would You? Could You? Go Fixed?

State Bicycle announced this past week that they have a new fixed gear gravel bike called the 4130 Alouette. It is steel, (natch!) and can take up to a 42mm tire, comes in four color schemes, and in either a flat bar or drop bar configuration for sub-600 bucks. 

Comments: Fixed gear gravel riders are nothing new. Rare- yes - but the fixed gear gravel rider has existed for a long time. I came into contact with fixed gear via gravel during Trans Iowa. In fact, it was a bicycle you probably would never have pegged for an appearance at Trans Iowa. It was a fixed gear Rivendell with a rack and panniers ridden by Ken Yokanovich. And he finished the 300+ mile T.I.v3 course in 15th place out of the 24 official finishers that year.  

That was back in 2007. We had another fixed gear finisher in Ben Shockey two years later, and finally, the last guy to pull off the feat on a fixie in Trans Iowa was Jay Barre in T.I.v10. All did 300+ miles fixed in less than 34 hours. 

And fixed gear riders have appeared in several other gravel events as well. So, while it may seem really crazy and odd, I get it, and it is not a new thing. That State Bicycle has come out with this should only help propel the idea and I expect at least a few more folks will take up fixed gear gravel riding. 

As far as the bike- it's good enough,but the geometry they chose is just too steep and high for my liking. Too 'track-ish', if you will. I still want a fixed gear gravel bike, but it would have to be done in the geometry I prefer: Low bottom bracket (I don't lean in corners enough to worry about clipping pedals) and a slacker head tube angle. The State 4130 Alouette has a 65mm bottom bracket drop. No thank you! I'd have to have at least a 70mm drop for my way of riding, but that's just me. 

Mid-South overall winner Cole Paton (L) with Bobby Wintle (Image courtesy of Orange Seal)

Mid-South Goes Off With Dry-ish Year:

Uncharacteristically cold morning temperatures gave way to warmer, but windier weather for the Mid-South 2022 event which led to a dry-ish course for the assembled riders. Cole Paton, of the Orange Seal Off Road Team won the event overall.

Comments: Two years ago the Mid-South event marked the end of "normal affairs" for quite some time. With the COVID-19 virus moving from 'pandemic' status to 'endemic' status, the return of the Mid-South was welcomed by many gravel riders and I could sense a joy and happiness from social media posts I saw over that weekend which communicated somewhat of the atmosphere surrounding the event. 

Oddly enough, or maybe not...Mid-South doesn't crack the door open much in the endemic cycling media. Mid-South, for as 'big' as it has gotten, still seems to carry that stigma of being a 'not-a-race' race where there is certainly worthy competition for media coverage but it gets either zero (Velo News) or it gets pushed down the page in a hurry. 

Whatever. I'm here for it and I hope that Mid-South keeps it real. If anything, I think it would be great to see that event take an even more focused slant toward the 'everyman' riders and the Pro teams and riders can go do those other fancy-pants events. But I know that is probably a very unrealistic viewpoint these days. And furthermore- It isn't my event. So, my opinion here- that's all....... But I do appreciate Bobby Wintle's efforts to celebrate everyone and not just focus on the prestigious front runners.

SILCA Tubeless Tire Sealant Announced:

Sporting a foaming latex formula laced with 6mm, 9mm, and 12mm carbon fibers reclaimed from carbon wheels, F-1 racing parts, and airplane carbon fiber, SILCA Ultimate Tubeless Sealant claims to easily seal up to a "6+mm" puncture. 

The sealant is so effective at coagulating that it must be introduced to the tire by pouring the sealant in at the time of tire mounting. SILCA claims it will easily plug up any injector or valve stem.

Comments: Hmm.... " Must be poured into the tire during tire install!" (Copy quoted directly from marketing material provided by SILCA) Okay, well that means that I'd have to crack open a bead after the claimed wet period for this sealant which is 160-180 days to reintroduce more sealant? That is about six months, which I would be surprised to find to be true, but let's say that pans out. Well, can you wear out your tire in six months? Maybe some of you would,but for those that would not, then you have to go through the hassle of remounting a bead, and sometimes that can be a crap shoot. Tires stretch, and sometimes rim to tire fit is loose anyway. Sometimes you have a puncture protected belt that makes mounting a nightmare anyway. 

If you could just crack open that valve stem and reintroduce sealant, it would alleviate any potential headaches. But if you buy into the SILCA Ultimate sealant, well, sorry..... Now you have that trade off. Maybe for some it will be worth it. And one has to wonder- Will this clog my valve stem more easily anyway? I'd recommend airing up with your valve stem at 10 o'clock or two o'clock to help prevent just that.

Meanwhile, there are at least six other really good sealants that you don't have that compromise to deal with. That leaves me to think that this is for that person that wants to feel like they have the ultimate sealing sealant, and the marketing guys at SILCA made sure you will with the name. (See what they did there?)

Hmm.... As for me? I just don't see the advantage for my riding here. 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

A bare Zipp 101 XPLR rim: Image courtesy of SRAM

 On Wednesday I gave my rundown of opinions on the new SRAM XPLR group. (Read that here if you missed it) Today I want to comment specifically on the rim design for the XPLR 101 wheel from Zipp.

This struck me as odd, but the design has merits which I understand as valid in gravel design. That said, the results- spec-wise and pricing-wise- are puzzling. Let's take a look...

The design for the rim is, basically, a carbon fat bike rim design shrunk down to fit a gravel bike. It has single wall construction which does a couple of things here that make a bit of sense for a gravel road rider. 

First, that single wall construction, theoretically speaking, should be able to flex a bit more freely in a vertical plane than a box section rim, or a triangulated, shallow section rim. There is a reinforced ridge for the spoke beds, and other than that, one might expect a bit less impact resistance, but here we are speaking of gravel riding- not MTB. So Zipp maybe saw this as a way to introduce some rider comfort.  

The second thing a single wall rim does is that it presents - most likely- the least amount of side drag from cross winds that is possible without doing super-aero stuff with the rim design. But if there are any cross-wind benefits, this is probably secondary to this design. 

A possible third benefit might be light weight, but curiously this complete wheel set weighs in at 1665 grams for the pair. That's kinda heavy, and many aluminum wheel sets weigh similarly, cost less, and have similar comfort claims. Add in the asking price of $1800.00 USD and that value prospect seems to go up in a puff of smoked credit card plastic. 

I like that they dared to go to a 27mm wide inner width here, but I'll have a lot more to say to this feature once I get my Project Wide Gravel Wheels going after Gravel Worlds is over. Stay tuned for that...

Remember this? Well- that didn't work out so well!

Finish Line Introduces FiberLink Sealant:

Back in 2018 I noted on another "FN&V" that Finish Line had introduced a sealant which they said would "..last the usable lifetime of the tire". While I did not say exactly what I thought was going on there in that 2018 post, I had serious misgivings about this new 'wonder sealant', and as it turned out, my instincts about it were largely correct. 

Finish Line sealant quickly became a byword amongst mechanics who tried it out as it became known that by using it the tires would not seal up correctly and it made servicing new tubeless set-ups a total nightmare. Riders found that it sealed punctures poorly as well. So, the sealant was quickly dismissed by the consumer and the industry. It wasn't long before Finish Line started looking into its replacement. By 2019 they were already working on that.

Well, after two years, Finish Line have come out with what they are calling "FiberLink" sealant. As you might suspect, it is now a latex based sealant but it is infused with Kevlar® fibers which, as Finish Line claims, should seal punctures more quickly and with a longer lasting effect. My 'instincts' tell me that -this time- this stuff should work pretty well. 

There is only one real question I have, and that is how well will this work with valve stems, (will it clog them more easily because of the fibers?) and how long will it last before it coagulates and becomes ineffective? Typically, any coagulant enhancing substance in a latex based sealant tends to clog valve stems and/or does not last a long time at all in a tire before it needs to be serviced. If Finish Line dodges those pitfalls with its new FiberLink sealant, then this could be a big deal in sealants. We'll see......

My Adidas!- Got No Stones In 'Em! 

Adidas Shoes just announced a new gravel cycling shoe which is brilliantly named. You won't believe what the name they chose for it is! Check it out:

Introducing, the new "Gravel Cycling Shoe"! 

The name just blows me away it is sooo good! Ahem......right then, so really Adidas? Wow... Okay, let's move on.... 

Yeah, so it is a $170.00 shoe with a 'sock' dealio around the ankle to keep dust and small stones out. Hmm.....okay...I can see that. I mean, I do get stones of the smaller size inside my shoes at times. So, that cuff may not be as goofy as it seems at first glance. However; I would say that as of right now, in this air we have had that is so thick and juicy that you feel like you are being enveloped in a warm blanket, in 90°F weather, that a neoprene cuff is not exactly what I would want sealing off my Earth pads from air flow. 

I could be 100% wrong here though. Maybe there is great air-flow around the feet with these... what is the name again? It's so unique and different that you'd think I'd remember....oh yes! The Gravel Cycling Shoe! Yes! That's it.... 

Anyway, there is supposedly a variant on the black theme with some outlandish, 80's inspired brightness. Now those would get you noticed at the local small village convenience store! Thankfully the basic black is much more fitting in rural conservative America. Hey! I own a pink bicycle, I should know! 

The bottoms look like they took scraps of Schwalbe G-One tires and used them for the walkable soles. I would be slipping like a farm animal on ice if I wore those on a soft or wet Level B Road around here. But for dry gravel travel? That's probably okay. Gotta wonder how long those little nubbins would last though. But you know what? If these made your toes happy, who am I to say? Shoes are highly personal fit items and these look okay to me. Price is fair if they perform and last a decent amount of time.  (All images courtesy of Adidas)

Update: New Riding Gravel radio ranch Podcast Out!

The latest gab-fest between myself and Andy of Andy's Bike shop is live now. Check out the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch here or look for it n your favorite podcast feed. 

We typically get 2-3 episodes out a month and sometimes 4! I'm pretty pumped that this has been a steady flow of content now for about two years straight. You can thank, (or blame- however you feel about this), Andy. He was pretty adamant that we get the ball rolling more often with the podcast and for us to make sure we have a constant flow of content there. 

Andy does provide much of the equipment and the space for recording is his office, so he is a big reason why the streak of content has been fairly steady since early 2020. Thank you Andy for that! Of course, it was a goal of mine, as well, to reinvigorate the podcast and get it coming more consistently as it had kind of petered out there in 2019. Or was that 2018? I can't remember... Time flies! 

There is another podcast in the can which should be published really soon and then we have a special guest coming up which I am excited about. Check out tomorrow's post for more on who that is and why I am stoked. Until then.....
 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

A bare Zipp 101 XPLR rim: Image courtesy of SRAM

 On Wednesday I gave my rundown of opinions on the new SRAM XPLR group. (Read that here if you missed it) Today I want to comment specifically on the rim design for the XPLR 101 wheel from Zipp.

This struck me as odd, but the design has merits which I understand as valid in gravel design. That said, the results- spec-wise and pricing-wise- are puzzling. Let's take a look...

The design for the rim is, basically, a carbon fat bike rim design shrunk down to fit a gravel bike. It has single wall construction which does a couple of things here that make a bit of sense for a gravel road rider. 

First, that single wall construction, theoretically speaking, should be able to flex a bit more freely in a vertical plane than a box section rim, or a triangulated, shallow section rim. There is a reinforced ridge for the spoke beds, and other than that, one might expect a bit less impact resistance, but here we are speaking of gravel riding- not MTB. So Zipp maybe saw this as a way to introduce some rider comfort.  

The second thing a single wall rim does is that it presents - most likely- the least amount of side drag from cross winds that is possible without doing super-aero stuff with the rim design. But if there are any cross-wind benefits, this is probably secondary to this design. 

A possible third benefit might be light weight, but curiously this complete wheel set weighs in at 1665 grams for the pair. That's kinda heavy, and many aluminum wheel sets weigh similarly, cost less, and have similar comfort claims. Add in the asking price of $1800.00 USD and that value prospect seems to go up in a puff of smoked credit card plastic. 

I like that they dared to go to a 27mm wide inner width here, but I'll have a lot more to say to this feature once I get my Project Wide Gravel Wheels going after Gravel Worlds is over. Stay tuned for that...

Remember this? Well- that didn't work out so well!

Finish Line Introduces FiberLink Sealant:

Back in 2018 I noted on another "FN&V" that Finish Line had introduced a sealant which they said would "..last the usable lifetime of the tire". While I did not say exactly what I thought was going on there in that 2018 post, I had serious misgivings about this new 'wonder sealant', and as it turned out, my instincts about it were largely correct. 

Finish Line sealant quickly became a byword amongst mechanics who tried it out as it became known that by using it the tires would not seal up correctly and it made servicing new tubeless set-ups a total nightmare. Riders found that it sealed punctures poorly as well. So, the sealant was quickly dismissed by the consumer and the industry. It wasn't long before Finish Line started looking into its replacement. By 2019 they were already working on that.

Well, after two years, Finish Line have come out with what they are calling "FiberLink" sealant. As you might suspect, it is now a latex based sealant but it is infused with Kevlar® fibers which, as Finish Line claims, should seal punctures more quickly and with a longer lasting effect. My 'instincts' tell me that -this time- this stuff should work pretty well. 

There is only one real question I have, and that is how well will this work with valve stems, (will it clog them more easily because of the fibers?) and how long will it last before it coagulates and becomes ineffective? Typically, any coagulant enhancing substance in a latex based sealant tends to clog valve stems and/or does not last a long time at all in a tire before it needs to be serviced. If Finish Line dodges those pitfalls with its new FiberLink sealant, then this could be a big deal in sealants. We'll see......

My Adidas!- Got No Stones In 'Em! 

Adidas Shoes just announced a new gravel cycling shoe which is brilliantly named. You won't believe what the name they chose for it is! Check it out:

Introducing, the new "Gravel Cycling Shoe"! 

The name just blows me away it is sooo good! Ahem......right then, so really Adidas? Wow... Okay, let's move on.... 

Yeah, so it is a $170.00 shoe with a 'sock' dealio around the ankle to keep dust and small stones out. Hmm.....okay...I can see that. I mean, I do get stones of the smaller size inside my shoes at times. So, that cuff may not be as goofy as it seems at first glance. However; I would say that as of right now, in this air we have had that is so thick and juicy that you feel like you are being enveloped in a warm blanket, in 90°F weather, that a neoprene cuff is not exactly what I would want sealing off my Earth pads from air flow. 

I could be 100% wrong here though. Maybe there is great air-flow around the feet with these... what is the name again? It's so unique and different that you'd think I'd remember....oh yes! The Gravel Cycling Shoe! Yes! That's it.... 

Anyway, there is supposedly a variant on the black theme with some outlandish, 80's inspired brightness. Now those would get you noticed at the local small village convenience store! Thankfully the basic black is much more fitting in rural conservative America. Hey! I own a pink bicycle, I should know! 

The bottoms look like they took scraps of Schwalbe G-One tires and used them for the walkable soles. I would be slipping like a farm animal on ice if I wore those on a soft or wet Level B Road around here. But for dry gravel travel? That's probably okay. Gotta wonder how long those little nubbins would last though. But you know what? If these made your toes happy, who am I to say? Shoes are highly personal fit items and these look okay to me. Price is fair if they perform and last a decent amount of time.  (All images courtesy of Adidas)

Update: New Riding Gravel radio ranch Podcast Out!

The latest gab-fest between myself and Andy of Andy's Bike shop is live now. Check out the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch here or look for it n your favorite podcast feed. 

We typically get 2-3 episodes out a month and sometimes 4! I'm pretty pumped that this has been a steady flow of content now for about two years straight. You can thank, (or blame- however you feel about this), Andy. He was pretty adamant that we get the ball rolling more often with the podcast and for us to make sure we have a constant flow of content there. 

Andy does provide much of the equipment and the space for recording is his office, so he is a big reason why the streak of content has been fairly steady since early 2020. Thank you Andy for that! Of course, it was a goal of mine, as well, to reinvigorate the podcast and get it coming more consistently as it had kind of petered out there in 2019. Or was that 2018? I can't remember... Time flies! 

There is another podcast in the can which should be published really soon and then we have a special guest coming up which I am excited about. Check out tomorrow's post for more on who that is and why I am stoked. Until then.....
 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Vegelatex sealant from Effetto Mariposa (Image courtesy of Cantitoe Road)

 Plant Based Sealant?

I have used Caffe Latex sealant off and on throughout the years. The sealant foams up while riding and seals punctures in a bit different fashion due to the foaming action. I always thought it worked pretty well. It is otherwise a fairly typical sealant formula using latex and a carrier, which is not ammonia in this case, by the way.

Now Effetto Mariposa, the company that makes this product, has a new sealant called "Vegelatex". Yes.....it is plant based. Here is what Effetto Mariposa has to say about this product.

"Most tire sealants employ slowly biodegradable liquid polymers (like natural or synthetic latex) to repair punctures; Végétalex instead contains only plant-based particles and fibers – finely ground olive stones and cellulose fibers – to deliver a tremendous puncture clogging effect. This mix, held together by xanthan gum (produced from simple sugars), fixes punctures ranging from small tire porosities to bigger cuts (up to 5 mm) fast and in a permanent way."

Huh. If it works, then I'm all for it. Effetto Mariposa says this sealant is longer lasting- up to a whole season of use- but they also said that about Caffe Latex, if I recall correctly and ah......not so much. It lasted a long time, but not a year. Anyway, it's an interesting product that - if it is even nearly as good as they say- is something to consider. 

If you want to learn more the site page is here. 

Image courtesy of WTB

WTB Announces Proterra Wheels:

WTB is now offering gravel and trail wheels built in California by hand called Proterra. They have models in inner rim widths for gravel at 23mm and 25mm. A trail offering comes in at 26mm inner width while a wider 30mm inner rim width 'Proterra Tough' wheel is offered as well. 

Proterra wheels in the other widths are designated 'Proterra Light'. The gravel wheels are all 28 hole drillings and the 27mm and 30mm MTB wheels are 32 hole. All are laced to WTB's Proterra hubs using "J" bend spokes and all hubs use easy, no tool maintenance. The gravel wheels are 12mm through axle 100 mm front/142 mm rear spaced while the MTB wheels are 110mm/148mm Boost spaced. 

Wheels will be available individually or as sets. A set cost is $649.90 no matter which model you get. Fronts are $294.95 and rears are $354.95 each. All wheels are going to be available via WTB.com at first since WTB wants to get there wheel building facility going so they can optimize and adapt their systems before going full-tilt and supplying vendors. 

Learn more at WTB.com

Fargo Apex 1. The only complete model for '21 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Reveals 2021 Fargo Model, Frame Sets:

The pandemic has thrown a wrench in a lot of plans and so you may not be very surprised to learn that Salsa Cycles has one- yes one- complete model of the Fargo on offer for 2021.Also not surprisingly, it is a SRAM Apex model. basically 2020 with a color change. The last time Salsa had more than one complete Fargo on offer was 2019.

Other than this abbreviated range, there are no other big changes for '21. You still will be able to get a titanium Fargo frame set, and the steel frame set, but that's all. Prices have inched upward as well. The Apex 1 complete bike is $2399.00, the Ti Fargo frame w/carbon fork is $2999.00, and the steel frame with carbon fork is  $1099.00, All prices are USD. 

Comments: The Fargo is the longest running model in Salsa Cycles range and it is a model that hasn't changed since 2017's Fargos debuted as they are now, pretty much. The only notable change being the carbon fork which is now Boost spaced. So, with one complete, and only a color change, what does this say about the future?

Of course, this can only be speculated on, but there are certainly two things at play here. One- The pandemic brought a renewed vigor to sales of all bikes, but touring/bike packing bikes were a segment that saw significant interest. The Fargo fits right into that scene. However; how much longer will that last? Once things go back to 'normal', and the pandemic is declared over, what will the Fargo's appeal be then? 

It's old in the tooth, and there isn't a whole lot more Salsa can do with the current platform. It's tweaked out about as far as it can go. That is one thing. The other is that Salsa Cycles does not have an electrified mountain bike, or any model with a motor at all. With electrified HPC's all the rage, it wouldn't be a big surprise to me to see the Fargo give way to something full suspension for their MTB range. It could be a bike packing bike, but I doubt it would carry the Fargo name. 

At any rate, good things come to an end, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see the end of the line for the venerable Fargo come in 2022 or '23.

 That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

Vegelatex sealant from Effetto Mariposa (Image courtesy of Cantitoe Road)

 Plant Based Sealant?

I have used Caffe Latex sealant off and on throughout the years. The sealant foams up while riding and seals punctures in a bit different fashion due to the foaming action. I always thought it worked pretty well. It is otherwise a fairly typical sealant formula using latex and a carrier, which is not ammonia in this case, by the way.

Now Effetto Mariposa, the company that makes this product, has a new sealant called "Vegelatex". Yes.....it is plant based. Here is what Effetto Mariposa has to say about this product.

"Most tire sealants employ slowly biodegradable liquid polymers (like natural or synthetic latex) to repair punctures; Végétalex instead contains only plant-based particles and fibers – finely ground olive stones and cellulose fibers – to deliver a tremendous puncture clogging effect. This mix, held together by xanthan gum (produced from simple sugars), fixes punctures ranging from small tire porosities to bigger cuts (up to 5 mm) fast and in a permanent way."

Huh. If it works, then I'm all for it. Effetto Mariposa says this sealant is longer lasting- up to a whole season of use- but they also said that about Caffe Latex, if I recall correctly and ah......not so much. It lasted a long time, but not a year. Anyway, it's an interesting product that - if it is even nearly as good as they say- is something to consider. 

If you want to learn more the site page is here. 

Image courtesy of WTB

WTB Announces Proterra Wheels:

WTB is now offering gravel and trail wheels built in California by hand called Proterra. They have models in inner rim widths for gravel at 23mm and 25mm. A trail offering comes in at 26mm inner width while a wider 30mm inner rim width 'Proterra Tough' wheel is offered as well. 

Proterra wheels in the other widths are designated 'Proterra Light'. The gravel wheels are all 28 hole drillings and the 27mm and 30mm MTB wheels are 32 hole. All are laced to WTB's Proterra hubs using "J" bend spokes and all hubs use easy, no tool maintenance. The gravel wheels are 12mm through axle 100 mm front/142 mm rear spaced while the MTB wheels are 110mm/148mm Boost spaced. 

Wheels will be available individually or as sets. A set cost is $649.90 no matter which model you get. Fronts are $294.95 and rears are $354.95 each. All wheels are going to be available via WTB.com at first since WTB wants to get there wheel building facility going so they can optimize and adapt their systems before going full-tilt and supplying vendors. 

Learn more at WTB.com

Fargo Apex 1. The only complete model for '21 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Reveals 2021 Fargo Model, Frame Sets:

The pandemic has thrown a wrench in a lot of plans and so you may not be very surprised to learn that Salsa Cycles has one- yes one- complete model of the Fargo on offer for 2021.Also not surprisingly, it is a SRAM Apex model. basically 2020 with a color change. The last time Salsa had more than one complete Fargo on offer was 2019.

Other than this abbreviated range, there are no other big changes for '21. You still will be able to get a titanium Fargo frame set, and the steel frame set, but that's all. Prices have inched upward as well. The Apex 1 complete bike is $2399.00, the Ti Fargo frame w/carbon fork is $2999.00, and the steel frame with carbon fork is  $1099.00, All prices are USD. 

Comments: The Fargo is the longest running model in Salsa Cycles range and it is a model that hasn't changed since 2017's Fargos debuted as they are now, pretty much. The only notable change being the carbon fork which is now Boost spaced. So, with one complete, and only a color change, what does this say about the future?

Of course, this can only be speculated on, but there are certainly two things at play here. One- The pandemic brought a renewed vigor to sales of all bikes, but touring/bike packing bikes were a segment that saw significant interest. The Fargo fits right into that scene. However; how much longer will that last? Once things go back to 'normal', and the pandemic is declared over, what will the Fargo's appeal be then? 

It's old in the tooth, and there isn't a whole lot more Salsa can do with the current platform. It's tweaked out about as far as it can go. That is one thing. The other is that Salsa Cycles does not have an electrified mountain bike, or any model with a motor at all. With electrified HPC's all the rage, it wouldn't be a big surprise to me to see the Fargo give way to something full suspension for their MTB range. It could be a bike packing bike, but I doubt it would carry the Fargo name. 

At any rate, good things come to an end, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see the end of the line for the venerable Fargo come in 2022 or '23.

 That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend!