PSA: Vittoria Pit Stop Does Not Work

[weaponsgrade]

I got a flat in my tubular. Emptied a can of Pit Stop and the stuff just oozed out of the cut. It wasn't a very big cut either. I know people have had mixed results, but I figured I'd give it a try.

[christian]

It works for me for any cut I'd expect it to work for - eg pinhole punctures, not long cuts.

[MattTuck]

When you say 'cut', what do you mean? Was it a puncture or a linear cut?

Did you have a spare with you? What other options are there for tubular flat repair?

[dd74]

+1. I'd like to know more specifics about the cut. If it's really big, I would think you're only option is a spare tire, which you would need to carry with you and mount on the wheel.

[christian]

Whenever I ride tubs, I carry a spare. Just part of the deal. Though a Vitt XM does take up a ton of room under the seat.

[dd74]

Whenever I ride tubs, I carry a spare. Just part of the deal. Though a Vitt XM does take up a ton of room under the seat.
Do you carry levers to take the punctured tubular off? If so, where do you keep the levers? In your jersey pocket?

[christian]

My multitool has vestigial levers. They work fine for getting a tub off.

On my Merckx the tool goes in a Jif can in a bottle cage with some other crap. On my cx bike, I shove it in my jersey pocket (no cages or cage bosses).

I run Conti Comps on my Merckx and Vitt XMs on the Zanc.

[witcombusa]

Do you carry levers to take the punctured tubular off? If so, where do you keep the levers? In your jersey pocket?

levers?

I've never used anything but fingers to remove tubs...

[dekindy]

I researched Stan's and Caffelatex for road tubeless. It seemed an equal number of people found Stan's to be effective and Caffelatex not versus the other half found Caffelatex to be effective and Stan's not.

My point is that it is amazing how different folks can have such opposite experiences with quality products. I do not doubt you had did not have success with Pit Stop and others might swear by the product's effectiveness.

I did not have success with Stan's and did with Caffelatex. Go figure.

[cmg]

send the tire to "Tire Alert" if the cut isn't too big. they can replace the tube, resew and reglue the base tape. cheap solution.

[Jaq]

I've had mixed luck with Pit Stop. The danger is in carrying it as a "one shot" fix, i.e., a can of PS and no CO2 or pump. The pressure in the PS will only last so long, and if the hole's big enough, you'll run out of air before the hole's sealed.

Then again, if you're riding a tubular, the good news is that you can ride a flat (or semi-flat) tubular for quite a while; at least till the nearest shop or gas station. Of course, you'll need an adapter for the valve head (at a station).

I've switched (back) to Vittorias; with the extended valves, it's hard to get latex into a flat tire (the valve cores don't come out), so I usually run half a (small) bottle of latex in the tire to begin with. In the back pocket I carry a cartridge, the rest of the bottle, a valve-core remover, and a roll of Tufo tape. I keep a spare under the seat rails.

[thegunner]

i've actually found pit stop to work relatively well -- if i'm lazy and don't want to carry a pump i'll stuff 2x in my pocket. yeah, sometimes the first can runs out of 'gas' before the hole is sealed -- so you need a second to actually inflate, but it does work pretty well (all things considered)

[tuscanyswe]

Whats the experience with the ride quality after you have used a full tube of pit stop in a tire?

Is it just to get you home and then its on with a new tube or is it still a nice tire to ride for its lifespan with the stuff in it?

[thegunner]

Whats the experience with the ride quality after you have used a full tube of pit stop in a tire?

Is it just to get you home and then its on with a new tube or is it still a nice tire to ride for its lifespan with the stuff in it?

you'll have to repump since it's not air in the cannister -- but the tube itself feels fine to use afterward

[Jaq]

The gas used is propane. One would think that, being a relatively "large" molecule, it would stay in your tire longer than regular air, but it doesn't. It lasts about 10-12 hours at pressure. In a perfect world, a can gets a tire up to 95 lbs (if you like that much pressure) but no higher.

Since it's propane, btw, it's flammable and can't be taken on airlines. It has to be shipped by ground as well.

[weaponsgrade]

The cut on the tread measured about 3 mm. I'd imagine the cut on the tube itself is smaller. I had a spare, but since I was only about 15 minutes into the ride, I turned around and took the mtn bike out instead. The sealant plugged up the cut enough so that it was just a slow leak. We've had a lot of rain and this was the first clear day. I think the rain causes little debris particles to float from the cracks in the road to the surface. The last two flats I got happened after it rained.

[fogrider]

sealants are designed to work for small holes, and I would use low pressure when refilling the tube. so it's good for getting you home, but then it's time to pull the tire. with the low miles you got on the tire, send it to tire alert.

[gearguywb]

Mixed results here as well. Now I just carry a spare tubie, mini pump and tire lever.

[ultraman6970]

My experience with that products is bad... specially if the good thing gets stuck somewhere inside of the tube, you get a ball inside that there is no way to fix sometimes.

Depending on the hole, sometimes put water inside of the tubular helps... if you have a pump just put some water inside and pump it, that will help you to get home if the hole is small.

Sometimes carry electrical tape works aswell.

[oldpotatoe]

I got a flat in my tubular. Emptied a can of Pit Stop and the stuff just oozed out of the cut. It wasn't a very big cut either. I know people have had mixed results, but I figured I'd give it a try.

WEll, it's for fairly small cuts, but primarily holes, like goatheads.

Not surprized it didn't work but it does 'work' for what it is intended for.

I carry a spare, preglued, tubular, $5 and a metal tire lever, under the seat, with a Campagnolo toe strap(of course). I also put stan's in all my tubulars.

If ya can get the tubular tire off with your fingers only, I'd say they need to be glued better, IMHO-

[Auk]

Did you use firm pressure of your finger on the cut while the sealant had time to work? If not, yes, it will leak right out. Hold finger over the area for about 30 seconds after using the sealant.

I've had good luck with it, but some repairs are too big, just as it would be on a clincher. After all, there is a limit to how big of a boot that is able to be used.

[giverdada]

i tried pit stop too, but didn't put my finger over the punctured area. it was a cut about 2mm long, and didn't seal much at all. that finger idea sounds like a good one. and i would second old potatoe regarding the fingers to get off a tubular - i needed about twenty minutes and 2 tire levers (that won't break, like a pedro's big one instead of the park small ones) and a lot of beer and choice language to get my tubular off. made me pretty happy with my glue job, and gave me blisters on both hands. i'll be putting stan's in my new cx tubie. give'r.