Three years ago I fell off the horse while the front tube (Conti Latex) exploded Any causal relationship between the two events remain purely conjectural. Nevertheless, being somewhat superstitious, I yearned for a tubeless tyre since then. A new wheel set of the quality I wanted was out of the question for lack of the ready. So I looked for alternatives, like the old Iron Lady.
My first try to set up the Eclipse tubeless system ended in disaster. For fairness sake I have to admit that I used a light tyre, a new regular Michelin XL S, and the instructions explicitly exclude light weight tyres for the Eclipse tubeless system. Accordingly, it never held air for more than 20 minutes, it was never tight (as I am, frequently). Having had enough for a year, I now tried again. Shrewd as I am, I called the customer service of Eclipse before I spilled the milk. A very friendly Mr. A. Bauer called back immediately. His tip proved valid: "you have to use a new tyre anyway, so buy a UST tubeless tyre". He spoke favourably of Schwalbe and Michelin products. So I bought two Eclipse tubeless system sets and two Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2,25 UST tubeless tyres. It was easy to install, though though I had to use a broad screwdriver to get the tyre on the rim. For the front tyre I needed a cartridge to inflate, the rear work with a regular airpump.
It worked this time. Both tyres hold air, now. Yesterday, a first outing proved that the Eclipse systems copes with a 128kg of living weight in mixed country. Definitely lower rolling resistance than with my past setup (Michelin XL S with Michelin (nono, no Conti !!!) Latex tubes, also no brake parachute). I experimented a bit with low pressure riding, too. The system seems to open endless possibilities. As to reliability, I can't say much after one trip, obviously. But I am confident. Looks and feels extremely solid.
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Submitted by
Kevin Laevers
a Cross Country Rider
from Tienen Date Reviewed: February 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Diest
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Barracuda
Strengths:
Easy installation, no more punctures/flats
Weaknesses:
The whole kit (Rim tape, valve, liquid) is expensive ($40) if you compare it to the price of the liquid only ($15).
After putting on the doublesided adhesive rimtape and the special rimstrip on my DT Swiss 4.1D rims, the wheel has a clean and professional look.
After putting on the tires, the front wheel could easily be inflated using a normal pump, for the rear wheel I had to use a compressor (tips & tricks manual). I let the wheels rest for three days before putting in the sealant, no airloss at all!
The tips and tricks pdf and a 10 minute how-to video are available from their website, make sure to check it out.
Top product!
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Submitted by
Airborne
a Cross Country Rider
from München Date Reviewed: February 10, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
light low rolling resistance
Weaknesses:
complicated to mount (i am an experienced mechanic!) NOT 'Self-repairing' -> sealing dry after 8 weeks, front tires was never good
Bike Setup:
DT Swiss XR4.1D Michelin CompS Light 2.0"
Bottom Line:
expensive experiment - did not work out. i like a bike i can drive without allways minding the tires. I will stick with light tubes.
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Submitted by
Karl
a
from York Date Reviewed: November 12, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Justridingalong.com
Strengths:
Puncture proof and very light.
Weaknesses:
Awkward to alternate between tyres.
Similar Products Used:
Tioga lights- too puncture prone.
Bottom Line:
Works great with Mavic 517 and Conti explorers (even supersonic). The trick to solve the problem of not being able to inflate with a track pump is simple. 1. Install and fill with latex. 2. Pump it up whereupon the latex will come spewing out. 3. Leave for an hour. 4. Pump up again. After an hour, the semi-dried latex on the outside will have filled the gaps between rim and tyre, so when you pump it a second time, it'll retain the air. This dispenses with the need for a compressor pump.
As a small-time XC racer, I like the drop in rotational weight.
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Submitted by
Frank Bahr
a Cross Country Rider
from Raunheim, Germany Date Reviewed: July 26, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$36.00
Purchased At:
www.hibike.de
Strengths:
Mentioned before.
Weaknesses:
The Installation Manual is not sufficient: I could not inflate my tires during installation with a usual floor pump, like shown in the Manual. The sealing liquid was spread all over the outer tire, rim and room. What a mess!!! After asking my shop for advice, they recommended to use a compressor pump. That worked out quite fine.
I contacted the manufacturer, Eclipse Switzerland, and complained about the missing hint in the Manual, asking for a free of charge-replacement sealing-liquid to finish the second tire installation.
Eclipse briefly answered, that a use of this set is not recommended for non-UST tires (but I used UST) and that they refuse any help.
What a lousy customer relationship management!!! The sealing doesn't even cost 10 bucks.
I can really not recommend anyone to use products of companies with such an inferior customer service.
Bottom Line:
Product might work fine, but it's quite expensive, and it's not possible to install it properly, if you stick to the Manual. I disadvise to contact the manufacturer, you won't get any help!!!
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Submitted by
Tim Vincent
a Racer
from Nelson, New Zealand Date Reviewed: May 6, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Devils Tail, Nelson, New Zealand
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Athleticum
Strengths:
Forget about punctures, run any pressure you want, I've raced with 2 bar (~30 psi) and trained with even less no worries.
Weaknesses:
Can't use with super-light tires, like maxis 330g. There's just not enough meat in the walls. (I have seen people do it but you lose the puncture resistance).
Bike Setup:
Price XC Race, fully. XTR, DT swiss hubs spokes and rims. Manatou SVP front and rear.
Bottom Line:
Two things will keep me using Tubeless Kit. 1. You can ride any pressure you want without risk of pinch flatting (I've had none in over two years racing and training) 2. Very small risk of puncture because of thorns etc. I've finished a race with a nail going right thru my tire but I didn't lose any air.
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Submitted by
Jean-Marc Rihs
a Cross Country Rider
from Concise Switzerland Date Reviewed: April 18, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Jura Mountain
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$36.00
Purchased At:
Wysam
Strengths:
No more flats, light weight, lower rolling resistance. Absolute trouble free for me
Weaknesses:
May not work with all tires
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Shimano XT, Magura Louise, Marzochi com ETA, Xfusion 02, DTSWiss XR4.1D
Bottom Line:
The best upgrade I did on my bike, I start last summer with some Mavic X139 and Continental Explorer Supersonic; and 2 months ago I did install my new wheels DT Swiss XR4.1d with the Eclipse system. Installation is pretty easy after the first wheel to get use to it. With this system or Stan, I don't see the reason to buy UST for tubeless, I think Eclipse (and Stan) are better. I definitively recommend Eclipse
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Submitted by
Antonio Martinez
a Cross Country Rider
from Bilabo Spain Date Reviewed: April 16, 2004
Favorite Trail:
local coast singletrack
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
www.justridingalong.com
Strengths:
No more pinchflats, you can use all the tires, UST o nor UST, it is the ligthest system.
Weaknesses:
Maintenance, it is necessary to change and clean latex every 3-6 months. Sometimes latex goes into valve and it is harder to inflate.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic UST
Bike Setup:
Intense Tracer with X517 rims, Talas fork, Romic shock, and front Enduro tyre . Cannondale F700 with Marathon fork and X517 rims
Bottom Line:
I always want to go into UST system, but due to weight and due that I have a lot of standars tires I was so reticent. I bougth and tested the Eclipse system in one wheel and I was very happy with this system, I am using also in my downhill bike (Kona Stinky) with standar tires and not more pinchflats and 1Kg less weigth. Note: It is very cheap to buy standar latex liquid in a paint shop.
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Submitted by
James Harrison
a Cross Country Rider
from Manchester, UK Date Reviewed: April 8, 2004
Favorite Trail:
cut gate
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
www.justridingalong.com
Strengths:
Easy to fit, light, effective - no punctures in last 6 months!
Weaknesses:
Not cheap, but reasonable considering the benefits
Similar Products Used:
Stan's notubes
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Blur, Fox Forx, XTR, Chris King wheelset. Used mostly Continental Vertical Pro and Schwalbe tyres with the tublesskits.
Bottom Line:
I've used tubeless conversion kits for over two years now, I started with Stan's original kit which was a pain in the butt, it kept burping air and was hard to inflate. Then I used the rimstrips which were much better, but the valves kept ripping off. So I decided to give the tubelesskits a go, and they are fantastic! The rimstrips are carefully shaped to fit the rim (Mavic 317) and installation was ridiculously easy. The tyres were quite a tight fit but not too bad, there are some hints on the website I bought the kits from about how to mount the tyres which really helped. The Schwalbe Skinny Jimmys went up instantly, I even tried them without sealant and they stayed up for ages! Adding sealant is as simple as unscrewing the valve core and pumping it in. The newer sealant bottles have a bit of a skinny nozzle, the old ones were better but it's no big deal. The contis also went up pretty much instantly, with a little more vigorous pumping. In the 6 months I've had the kits, I have had no flats. The kits are light, and there is definitely more grip with the more supple tyre. My tyres are peppered with thorns but haven't deflated!! Also riding round here there are quite a few rocks, I have bottomed out the rim a few times with no problems. It is apparently important to use tough tyres, as really lightweight ones can cut easily and create a hole the latex can't plug. Awesome, I can certainly recommend them to anyone who is willing to spend a few minutes setting them up carefully, you will be rewarded with bombproof tyres.
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