Had a flat on my Cervelo on the rear, and of course the Orange Seal spewed all over the frame. Since I was running a 50 on there (super tight, I know, Cervelo needs to up their game on tire clearance), I didn't notice the dried on sealant until I had the wheel off the bike a few weeks later. I had just added more sealant at the time of the flat and that had fixed it at that time. Ordered this stuff, and lo and behold, it managed to get it all off, not instantly, but it wasn't that long to get it all off. Impressive stuff, and it smells pretty good!
When Silca first release this it was met with some blowback based on the price, especially compared to brand x options at roughly 20% the price. Might as well compare Dura Ace to Sora. This is priced at the higher end of any TPU tube but there are design/quality/performance benefits and you may appreciate or discount those values accordingly.
I've tried TPU tubes over the years and generally found found issues that prevent me from being comfortable using them. #1 is flimsy/cheap plastic valve, poorly bonded to the tube. This makes them prone to to leaks and without a retaining nut even the simple act of pressing on a pump head to top off before a ride stresses that valve/tube and can lead to failure. #2 is that the valve itself is often bonded instead of threaded and therefore opening/closing can break that bond.
The Silca design addresses every issue I've ever had (and they have a nifty intro video on YouTube covering this). The valve stem is full metal, threaded. If you're familiar with tubeless, you realize that itself is roughly half the selling price of this tube. It's also got a metal reinforcement plate against the inside of the rim and a retaining nut for the outside to secure the tube. Silca additionally uses a special (patented) welding process for the tube seam that appears to be more reliable than competitor's designs.
There's also one "marginal gain" aspect of the design I was not aware of until I researched it more - the tube color (or lack thereof). Those low price brand-x tubes come in varying bright/obnoxious colors, which I'd considered harmless since the tube is hidden inside the tire. That color comes by adding powder to the TPU mix (which is, at base, colorless). That additive actually reduces the performance of the TPU, making it stiffer, less expansive when inflating, and adds rolling resistance. You'll likely never notice the difference, but it does make one wonder why the manufacturer would be adding cost to the product and process that serves no functional purpose and actually hurts performance a bit.
So haters can hate, but I've finally found a TPU tube that's high performance, high quality, easy/reliable, and I'm actually converting all my bikes BACK from tubeless to using these TPU tubes. The higher price, to me, is consistent with the higher quality and performance that I consider necessary. I will concede, though, that I think these may be overkill/overpriced for carrying as a spare tube whose primary purpose is to get me back home, which seems like a perfectly fine scenario for those brand-x options (even if it means I carry 2 in order to be assured that one will hopefully work).
One I highly recommend switching to hot wax. Yeah it's more time consuming but it's superior to any kind of oil and even drip wax. Either way the Silca StripChip makes waxing a factory chain insanely easy especially if you have the Silca hotpot to dial in the temps. I have used the a StripChip on three different chains and they have come out perfect each time. No need for stripping the chain and then cleaning it off. Just bump the chain in with one chip and just left the wax permeate the rollers and then dry. Not the cheapest product but unless you are stripping a new chain every other weekend, than one pack should last a good while.
This is a game-changer. I've been using it for a few weeks and have only been happy with it. For the first few uses I checked it with my old, reliable analog gauge and always found it exactly right. It's so nice to get those few pounds in to make my ride perfect. I still carry a manual pump and CO2 on my ride, but am considering switching to one of these for on-bike usage, too.
