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Silca releases premium tubeless kits with aero valve system & carbon friendly platinum tape

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Silca Tubeless

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…

Silca Tubeless combine_images

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

Silca.cc

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14 Comments
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therealgreenplease
7 years ago

Question: does this kit somehow make Zipp’s NSW rims tubeless compatible? That’s what the pictures above seem to represent…

boom
boom
7 years ago

I’d sure be leery until Zipp officially says ‘yup – you can do this”
I don’t like trying to rig my wheels and tires together and just hope nothing happens at 20+mph

Mayhem
Mayhem
7 years ago

Probably not. Aside from the tubeless valves this article is about, Silca also released valve extenders with a similar design. As they look the exact same from the outside when installed on a rim, I am going to guess Silca simply repurposed the same photos even though they’re not the same product and would a bad idea to use with a non-tubeless rim…

James
James
7 years ago

Yes, I def want to hear answer to question above…. Nice stuff indeed but I’d kinda doubting it affects the bead channel shape….

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago

What? Synthetic seals are better? It’s long been time to dump your stupid leather plunger in your pumps

Tyler Durden
Tyler Durden
7 years ago
Reply to  Veganpotter

Made me laugh.

Pit
Pit
7 years ago

I wondered the same exact thing, is the bead shelf and internal profile of that rim designed for tubeless? I know some people who setup FC 404 with double tape, etc, but it seems like a ghetto tubeless setup.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
7 years ago

Also, thin tape won’t always do it for non-tubeless wheels. You need to fill the void and tighten the bead. Some road wheels even need THREE layers of Stan’s to work. You’ll probably need three for most rims with this thinner tape and maybe even 4 for others.

Phil Jones
Phil Jones
7 years ago

0.5 Watts? If I installed every part on my bike which claimed to save X amount of Watts I’m pretty sure my bike would become a perpetual motion machine and I’d prove Newton was a clown.

Adrian
Adrian
7 years ago

Does it make any carbon wheel, such as the firecrest tubeless compatible? It isn’t clear in the post.

Patrick
Patrick
7 years ago

Honestly, those are very reasonable prices. To go tubeless with a 85mm wheel, I had to buy (and cut out the valves) on two Conti 60mm tubes with removable cores at $9 each and the overpriced Stans threaded valve extenders at $26. That’s $46 before the overpriced Stans tape and doesn’t include a cool valve holder. There was no other option until this.

Bicycle Informant
Bicycle Informant
7 years ago
Reply to  Patrick

The only Zipp wheels that are tubeless ready are the Zipp 30 Course. That is, officially.. Buy a pair of NSW wheels and try it out. You might be surprised.

Veganpotter, You post a lot of hate on here. Most of which you write about, you are uninformed about as well. The leather cup seals that Silca uses are actually more efficient and durable than rubber. Mayber you should research or contact Silca to discuss it before you slam the company. I would also presume as this is a new product that you haven’t tried the Silca tape… So how would you know how much you will need? Do your research, or stop posting on here. Nobody wants to read about you constantly bashing companies you know nothing about.

Jeff
Jeff
7 years ago

I’ve been running 303’s and 202’s tubeless since 2013 after a conversation with Stan Koziatek from NoTubes…. Road races, crits, and the Belgian Waffle Ride 3 times. No issues. Very few flats.

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