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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: NOVEMBER 9th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
VITTORIA PITSTOP MAGNUM INFLATOR AND SEALANT
75ml 75g £8.99
Vittoria Pitstop Magnum combines inflator and sealant in one for convenient road/trailside rescue. Claimed universally compatible with Presta, Schrader, Woods and Dunlop valves- tubeless tyres too; theoretically, it seals holes up to 1mm in diameter- there’s no need to remove tyre, or tube either; you literally plug on and blast. A godsend on a heavily laden hub geared bike miles from home on a wild and rainy night…
On a very basic level, the pit-stop uses similar science to goo-filled tubes. Depressing the canister forces a mix of propellant and latex sealant inside the tube, whereupon it races to and ultimately plugs the hole. However, in this instance the propellant simultaneously inflates the tyre. Vittoria recommends riding and checking periodically to ensure satisfactory repair.
In practice, it all works surprisingly well, although we wouldn’t be leaving our spare tube, patch kit and pump at home…It wasn’t long before a thorn infiltrated my Pashley roadster’s Schwalbe Marathon plus. Having plucked said sharp from the casing, I gave the aerosol a seriously good shake, plugged it on the valve end and emptied the lot. Spinning the wheel to assist distribution, I was pleasantly surprised to discover my once flaccid tyre registering 60psi ; considerably better than the 21-2.3 bar suggested in the instructions. Michael’s experience with a shard of glass also suggests the quoted figure is a little on the conservative side; managing 40psi into a 26x1.5 in a few seconds. Give the valve a cursory wipe and you’re good to go.
For many roadies, this will require Co2 cartridge top-ups but racing friends suggest they appreciate its convenience and low-weight. Worse case scenario these sorts of pressures should be enough to limp home on - there's also a 100ml version, which might improve upon this. Bottom line; I’ll be adding a can to my Carradice Longflap. That said; since the cartridge has to be spent in one hit; I won’t be leaving my spare tube, pump and patch kit at home.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars; Convenient and clean, but most will want to add a bit more wind to their wheels.
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Steve Dyster and Michael Stenning
www. http://www.chickencyclekit.co.uk/show_product.php?cat=0&p=6307
PUBLISHED MAY 2016