Re: [CR] T A Pedals AND Tufo Sealant

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Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:36:36 -0700
From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, Donald Walter <rrt2003@juno.com>
In-Reply-To: <20090924.100503.1896.1.RRT2003@juno.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] T A Pedals AND Tufo Sealant


Anyone know who, if anyone, still sells these pedals in the US? I remember a couple of years ago, they were off the market for 8 or 9 months to correct poor finish of the bodies attributed to worn out dies. When they reappeared, finish was better, but not as good as In The Day. Are they still available in USA? Still made at all?

Now, to combine two subjects in one posting and reduce daily posting count, we had a recent thread on Tufo tires and repair thereof. I had a subsequent personal demonstration of this, as I flatted a Tufo S22 tubular on the early 80's Zunow. When I tried to repair with some Tufo Sealant I'd had perhaps 2 to 3 years, I found that in the case of both tubes I had, much of the sealant had solidified, and the amount that was liquid enough to get into the tire was not able to seal the leak at 100 psi.

I spoke to a Tufo distributor who I think has been a CR member in the past, who told me he has had similar problem with "shelf life" of Tufo sealant. He now sells "Stan's" sealant, a similar product which I think was originally targeted at the MTB market. He actually sells a kit, with a 2 oz tube of Stan's, a spare Tufo valve core, a Tufo valve core tool, and a 20ml plastic syringe. Turns out the thread on the syringe which would attach the needle for the syringe's normal use, matches quite nicely the thread on a presta valve. Using the syringe not only makes it easier to inject the sealant into the tire, but also allows one to control accurately the amount used, which for a road tubular should be 15 to 20 ml, about half a tube. I obtained such a kit and was able to repair the tire which I could not with the largely solidified Tufo sealant. Of course I don't know yet how the shelf life of the Stan's will be, but if others have had that problem with Tufo sealant, you may want to give the Stan's a try. I note that most seller of Tufo Sealant now offer much larger tubes than in the past, which means one has a greater loss if a tube solidifies and becomes unusable.

BTW, my experience with Tufo Extreme Tape is that after removing the tire from the rim, the tape is almost impossible to remove from the tire. This may be due to the hot climate in West Texas, where the tape, after installion, tends to soften somewhat and form a seal that is more like rim cement than the old double sided rim tapes. Have others observed the same thing? Is the best strategy to simply leave the layer of old tape on the tire and mount with a new Extreme Tape? If the tire is used as a spare, the old tape is probably sufficient, as it is sticky enough to hold the tire on until one gets home.

Regards,

Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA


--- On Thu, 9/24/09, Donald Walter wrote:


> From: Donald Walter <rrt2003@juno.com>

\r?\n> Subject: [CR] T A Pedals

\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

\r?\n> Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 10:05 AM

\r?\n> If anyone on this list is very

\r?\n> knowledgeable of TA pedals, would you

\r?\n> please be so kind to email me at rrt2003@juno.com   I

\r?\n> need a little

\r?\n> guidance. Thank you.

\r?\n> D. Walter

\r?\n> Findlay, Ohio