Unlike its butyl predecessors (from other brands), Caffélatex Strip is very light, puncture-proof and transparent. It allows tubeless conversion of most standard mountain bike wheels, using Tubeless or Tubeless-Ready tires and Caffélatex sealant.
Lightweight: 30 g for a Strip S 26/27.5 make it competitive with tubeless tape (with a weight ranging between 9 and 20 g per wheel) and simply superior to old butyl liners (with limited strength and weighing over 65 g per wheel). Weights(*) for a single Strip, for each size are:
- Strip S 26/27.5: 30 g
- Strip S 29: 33 g
- Strip M 26/27.5: 36 g
- Strip M 29: 39 g
- Strip L 26/27.5: 48 g
- Strip L 29: 53 g
(*) tolerance +/- 10% on nominal weight
Highly resistant: Made using a proprietary polymer blend, Caffélatex Strip has very high mechanical strength and resistance to punctures. It s also very stable from a chemical standpoint and cannot be damaged by water or Caffélatex.
WARNING: Using sealants containing aggressive chemicals or ammonia can damage Caffélatex Strip and may represent dangers to the user. We recommend using only Caffélatex sealant or Espresso inflate & repair cartridge with Caffélatex Strip.
Easy to use: Caffélatex Strip is the ultimate tubeless solution for very difficult rims (aluminum rims with matte surface finishing or carbon rims with mould release treatment, where no tape sticks very long; rims with a very deep channel, asymmetric spoke-holes; or inexpensive pinned rims where the junction is not welded). To convert a rim to tubeless, simply remove the existing rim strip, choose the appropriate Caffélatex Tubeless Strip (see size chart above) and follow five easy steps (pictured) or watch the how-to video below:
- Insert the provided Caffélatex Tubeless Valve in the Strip, so that the rubber base is in contact with the Strip (as in picture, #1);
- Secure the Strip to the rim, tightening the nut on the valve stem. It s important to push the valve base against the rim while doing so, to achieve a better air-tightness;
- Keeping the wheel with the valve at 12 o clock, finish mounting the Strip onto the rim;
- With a screwdriver or a similar tool, center the Strip inside the rim channel;
- Look at what you did and say Wow, that was easy!
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Like all Effetto Mariposa products, it s made in Italy.
F.A.Q.:
Why introduce this strip when you already have a tubeless conversion Tape?
For most applications adhesive tubeless tape is great, and it will always be lighter than a tubeless rim strip. A layer of our Tape weights around 10 g per wheel, our Strip is around 30 (but note that a butyl rim strip is around 65g).
However, tape requires time and some basic mechanical skills to be installed properly: the Strip can be mounted in a couple of minutes and will work flawlessly even with deep-channel rims or asymmetrical rim shapes.
Unlike adhesive tapes that stay inside the rim channel, the Strip climbs on rim internal walls and in some cases can be seen from the outside, when the tire is mounted. Why?
The idea is to create air tightness between the tire and the Strip, especially useful for pinned rims: in those rims the junction is not welded, and sealing the spoke holes in the rim channel is not enough as sealant/air can seep through the rim walls at the junction. As the Strip is born to be the no problem tubeless converter, we have to cover also those rim types.
Beside being easier to use, what s the advantage of the Strip over tapes?
Something you can do with the Strip that you can t with tape is move the Strip from one rim to another. As the Strip material is very durable, its lifespan can exceed the one of the rim it s mounted on, and can be removed and mounted on another rim.
The Strip is puncture proof. Why?
Being resistant to cuts/puncture, the Strip is immune to the tire-lever damages that were so common on butyl tubeless liners. The puncture resistance becomes more relevant when using the Strip on cut-out rims.
