Branden Rakita is a strong American triathlete, one of those with a truly powerful physique. 1 meter and 85 cm of muscles make him a rouleur that, he declares, “the longer the race, the stronger I feel”. In 1987 he ran his first triathlon, driven by legends like Ned Overend who ran through his Colorado […]
READ ALLWe asked a few athletes, clients and friends of Effetto Mariposa to tell us everything about their love for cycling. We met 12 people, who told us about their background, experiences, skills and, most of all, how much they love bikes. Today we are introducing Jacek Berruti, one of the founders of Museo della Bicicletta […]
READ ALLWe asked some athletes, customers and friends of Effetto Mariposa to tell us how they live their passion for cycling. We will meet 12 guests who will tell us about their experiences, their skills and how much they love the two wheels world. Today it’s the turn of Nat Ross, an MTB Legend in the […]
READ ALLWe asked some athletes, customers and friends of Effetto Mariposa to tell us how they live their passion for cycling. We will meet 12 guests who will tell us about their experiences, their skills and how much they love the two wheels world. Today it’s the turn of Jérémy Marechal, Enduro and MTB specialist, who […]
READ ALLWhen you’re talking about the history of mountain biking in Europe, it’s hard not to mention the Ravanel couple: Cécile and Cédric, sporting partners who’ve been married to each other for several years, have been around since when the frames were made of steel and the “fat wheels” were not yet recognized as a professional […]
READ ALLWe asked some athletes, customers and friends of Effetto Mariposa to tell us how they live their passion for cycling. We will meet 12 guests who will tell us about their experiences, their skills and how much they love the two wheels world. Today it’s the turn of Lorenza Menapace, Elite biker from Val di […]
READ ALLWe asked a few athletes, clients and friends of Effetto Mariposa to tell us everything about their love for cycling. We met 12 people, who told us about their background, experiences, skills and, most of all, how much they love bikes. Today we are introducing Paolo Alberati, former professional road and MTB cyclist, coach, sports […]
READ ALLWe asked a few athletes, clients and friends of Effetto Mariposa to tell us everything about their love for cycling. We met 12 people, who told us about their background, experiences, skills and, most of all, how much they love bikes. Today we are introducing Leonardo Paolino, amateur cyclist part of Team Ridiculous, passionate about […]
READ ALLWe asked some Effetto Mariposa’s athletes, clients and friends to show us how they live their passion for cycling. We’re going to meet 12 personalities who are going to share with us their experiences, skills and tell us how much they love riding a bike. Today it’s Stefano Udeschini‘s turn, ICF’s (Italian cycling federation) MTB […]
READ ALLWHY TYRE INSERTS WERE CREATED IN FIRST PLACE Tubeless tyres (with sealant) are surely helping to keep punctures to a minimum, but they don’t totally eliminate them. With the right force, especially on rocky terrain, it’s possible to pinch-flat a tubeless tyre, cutting the tyre by pushing it very hard against the rim. Also rims […]
READ ALLThose who ride occasionally (less than once a week), do not cross lands infested with thorns or – simply – do not want to face the small problems and complications that tubeless involves, can continue using inner tubes and be happy like that. In off-road riding, however, the transition to tubeless and the use of […]
READ ALLIt’s great to have multiple choices, as long as we also possess enough information for a correct decision: this also applies to our Shelter family. This family of frame protections offers different sizes, different thicknesses… but we realized we hadn’t quite explained our idea behind it. Basically there are three types of Shelter: Off-Road (thickness […]
READ ALLBeing a synthetic latex, Caffélatex is not as intrinsically “sticky” as natural latex sealants, showing a lower tendency to clog valves and valve mechanisms. Still, it’s important to learn how to use it properly to take full advantage of the puncture protection, reducing the drawbacks to the minimum. General tips for long lasting valves, when […]
READ ALLBeside the use of CO2(described here) or contamination of your sealant with other products(described here), the “hair dryer” effect is a common but little-known reason for the decrease in a sealant lifespan. When does it happens? If a tubeless tyre doesn’t immediately inflate after having inserted the sealant, some people using a compressor might be […]
READ ALLTyre sealants are a must-have for the performance-oriented cyclists, to avoid the feared and annoying punctures. The big question is: how much sealant do I need? Parameters that influence the necessary quantity of sealant: Several parameters should be taken into account, for example the outside humidity, temperature and tyre inflation routine/regularity. However, the main factors […]
READ ALLThe most common reasons for polymerization of latex sealants (synthetic or natural) can be divided into two groups: physical (related to temperature changes, evaporation, etc.); chemical. Physical: a sudden temperature drop, e.g. when using CO2 cartridges, as described here; a quick evaporation, e.g. when the sealant comes out from a puncture in the tyre. In this case the […]
READ ALLWhy Caffélatex rather than other sealants? Caffélatex has some important features which make it a good choice as puncture preventative inside tubulars: non-corrosive: the complete absence of ammonia or any other aggressive chemical makes Caffélatex perfect even for very sensitive latex inner-tubes (quite common inside professional tubulars). Caffélatex is perfectly compatible also with tubulars with […]
READ ALLWhile Caffélatex resists well to both low and high temperatures (between -20 and 50°C), sudden temperature changes are not good for its stability. A strong thermal shock could be a polymerization-starter for any latex-based sealant (natural or synthetic), so we suggest to limit the use of CO2 cartridges or, if necessary, to do it with extra […]
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