CYKL, CZ 03.2022
Olives against defects
According to the headline, you think we're crazy, but the latest act by an anti-defect specialist, Effetto Mariposa, relies on olives. We tested their ecological and biodegradable anti-defective putty Végélatex, which is based on finely ground olive seeds, cellulose fibers and xanthan gum made from simple sugars. This is all completely different from sealants containing natural or synthetic latex or ammonia, which over time can cause damage to the aluminum rim by corrosion around the valve, but the functionality and durability are also important, so we were curious how this sweet sealant (really tastes sweet) will lead.
With regard to the composition of the sealant, the manufacturer primarily advises on a long functional life inside the casing, but at the same time encourages the application of about 20% more than in the case of conventional sealants. The liter package for 577 crowns does not lack a hose for easier application through the valve, however, with regard to the current installation of the anti-puncture pad, we applied a gray-green liquid straight into the casing before the final casting of the foot. The sealant has a thicker consistency than, for example, Café Latex, but it is not one of the densest, so it flowed relatively easily into the space between the liner and the casing. The inside of the cleaned casing received 110 ml of sealant, after all it was an enduro twenty-nine, and two months of demanding testing finally showed only two major defects, where it was necessary to use wicks to repair, because the damage to the casing was more pronounced.
The sealant sealed the small defects perfectly and basically worked as fast as regular sealants, with the only difference that thanks to the gray-green color it was not as easy to immediately detect the location of the defect as standard white sealants make it easier. If you want to rotate the mantle in the place of the larger defect to the lowest position so that as much putty as possible will flow there, the escaping Végélatex will reveal this place with a damp stain on the dry mantle, but in the wet the identification is a little worse. However, this is the only weakness we found, because otherwise the sealant worked reliably and the mentioned larger defects were healed using the wick immediately after its installation. After a two-month inspection, the liner removed from the casing revealed a greater number of its own damage, and the sealant in the casing showed no signs of drying out or any clumping, which is perfect. The manufacturer's notified working time of at least three months, given for example the high external temperature and a small amount of sealant, will be completely real and the sealant will last much longer. This was confirmed by the second test set of footwear, where we applied the sealant. Although it did not cover so many kilometers in difficult terrain and did not have an internal protective liner, after almost four months from the application, the sealant was like new inside.
If we should summarize the advantages of vegélatex, in addition to being friendly to nature and functionality, it is also its price, which is well below the amount of six hundred crowns per liter, and then its lifespan. If you still hesitate to check the sealant, or top it up or change it, often without having to check the sealant, you will extend the service interval by a lot. Also, the application of sealant and possible splashes are not as "smelly" as with some standard sealants, so even in this case, thumbs up.
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