Last summer, we tried out the CaffeLatex CO2-inflator-with-sealant combo unit to great effect. Now, they’ve added another easy to transport option to their line with the new 60ml pouch.
Each one is good for a single mountain bike tire or two road tires and comes with a soft hose so you can squeeze it into the tire through the valve stem without breaking the bead’s seal. The pouch design is just a bit lighter than the baby bottles commonly used by other brands, and it’s more flexible as to where it can be stashed. Plus, once it’s used, it takes up virtually no room in your pack or pocket.
Clever as it is, they had plenty more nifty items to make lots of tire setup issues easier and less annoying…
Their new CaffeLatex rim strip stretches around the rim to create an airtight seal. Used in lieu of rim tape, it should cut the time to set up a new wheelset tubeless by, like, 95%. It’s intentionally very tight…
…but it’s also extremely tough. That puncture and stretch resistance means it works great for…
…fat bikes, whose rims are often perforated with massive holes. There’s no adhesive on the strip, it’s all held in place by stretch.
Effetto Mariposa’s offered their Shelter frame protection material for years, but now the kits will come with pre-cut valve stem donuts to quiet any stem rattling. The holes for the stem is slightly smaller than the stem itself, so you’ve got to stretch it through, which holds it firmly in place.
The rest of the kit has shaped pieces for chainstays and spots where cables and hoses may rub the frame for road. Mountain bike kits add downtube protection, or just buy a roll of it and cut to suit.
Their Corogna tubular tape has a soft structure that squishes the glue out as the tire is inflated to provide full, uniform coverage. We covered it in greater detail here.
For it (or any tape/glue) to work best, though, the rim needs to be perfectly clean. For that, they have their Carogna Remover to wipe old glue, mastic and tape off the rim.
