Knowing Silca doesn’t do things on the average, when we saw they are releasing their own tubeless kit for road, we knew there would be some extra attention to detail. And we were we right!
Check out how they made a better valve stem that is lighter, stronger & cheaper more aerodynamic, as well as their revolutionary rim tape…
So what makes Silca’s tubeless kit so special? Starting off with the valve stems, Silca started with their favorite shaped brass core, but then made the rest of the valve from aluminum cold drawn aluminum bar stock. Because machining them results in a higher material yield strength and increased machining accuracy, they end up 50-200% stronger than conventional aluminum stems while being half the weight of brass. They even use a premium valve core with tighter tolerances and synthetic seals to improve the longevity and resistance to sealants.
To cap it off so to speak, Silca developed the Speed Shield to not only provide a better & more protective interface with the valve nut & rim, but it provides a little additional aero-ness around the valve stem. They claim it saves 0.5 watts at 30mph which is the same as upgrading the hubs with ceramic bearings. Their Platinum rim tape that is said to work better with carbon rims. They made it 25% stronger so they could make it 25% thinner than conventional tapes so it will conform better to the shape of the rim’s cavity. They also added 15% more synthetic adhesive to better fill the gaps and imperfections in the rim for a better seal.
Stem Tech from Silca:
- Less than half the weight of brass valve stems
- 50-200% Stronger than typical aluminum valve stems
- Ultimate level, fully machined brass valve cores with improved airflow
- SpeedShield Improves wheel aerodynamics while protecting carbon rims
- Spherical nut eliminates bending forces on valve stem for improved strength
- Available 44, 60, 80, and 100mm lengths
- Kit contains 2 Valve Stems, 2 Spherical Valve Nuts and 2 SpeedShield Rim Protectors
MSRP: 44mm: $26, 60mm: $28, 80mm: $30 & 100mm: $34 (includes tape)
Tape Specs from Silca:
- 25% stronger tape material allows for 25% thinner tape for better conformability to your rim
- Full Synthetic adhesive system is stronger than traditional adhesives on aluminum and optimized to be up to 30% stronger on carbon surfaces
- 15% thicker adhesive layer better fills porosities and surface imperfections for improved sealing
- Reduced thickness improves tire installation/removal compared to thicker tapes.
- 21mm Tape Fits 15c-19c Rims, 25mm Tape Fits 21c-27c Rims
- 2 Wraps of tape for Road Wheels, 1 Wrap for Mountain and CX
- 9m Tape Per Roll will Wrap 2 Road Wheels, 4 CX/29’er Wheels or 5 26″ MTB Wheels
- 2 Wraps on Road Wheel = 9 grams, 1 Wrap CX/29’er = 4.5 grams
- Can be used as ultra-light rim tape with inner tubes (2 wraps required)
MSRP: 21mm Wide x 9m Roll: $16 & 25mm Wide x 9m Roll: $18
