Tools have always been a fascination…even though I really knew very little about them. Still, they look so cool! I am talking about shiny spanners, wrenches, sockets, ratchets…heck…even the names sound cool! So I started looking seriously into the tools that I would need to have now that I am in the midst of preparations for the West Malaysia Loop Ride 2011.
Do not get me wrong. I am not looking at this from a farkles point of view…obviously! Rather, I am genuinely interested to ensure that I have the right tools on hand should a situation occur on the road. After all, there would be no ready mechanic or bike shop along Route 4 or Route 8! So this is no farkle fetish!
I stumbled upon tire punctures I was just looking around the internet as part of my tools research. I remembered how worried I was during the last ride while riding one raining (and very dark) night because I could not see the condition of the road I was riding on. I escaped without any problems that time…but I did not want to have that weight on my mind on the coming ride. After all, this time I will be riding on tubeless tires…and a much heavier bike!
I looked at tire repair kits, I looked at videos on how simple tire repairs for tubeless tires can be done, and I poked around some more. Eventually, by a stroke of luck, I stumbled upon something called Ride-On TPS (Tire Protection System). I was intrigued!
Apparently, the product is composed of fibers six times stronger than steel that will evenly coat the inside of the tires and effectively forming a protective layer. When a puncture occurs, the forces of the rotating tire will instantly force some of the substance into the resulting hole and seals it. It sounded a little too good to be true. So I looked at some video demonstrations, read some testimonials, and eventually found a local distributor (after a tip off from a biker friend)!
I went over to one of the workshops listed in the distributor’s website (San Ming Huat at 50 Bukit Batok Street 23 #02-20) and had them install the product on my bike. Installation took about 15 minutes and was essentially hassle-free. The folks in the shop was friendly enough (with the exception of one vertically challenged chap who was rather…short – pardon the pun). Eventually, all was well and my tires had the protection they needed…all for a sum of S$50. They did mention to me several times that the general feedback was that the bike would ride with a little wobble for the initial 10-15 km…and that I should go for a nice long ride (of at least 15km) for the product to evenly coat the inner surface of the tire.
I am happy to report that the bike did not feel wobbly at all for the entire 25km that I rode today. It felt perfectly balanced and I did not notice any difference in the handling. The best thing, though, is that I no longer had to worry about tire punctures…theoretically!
So does it work? I do not know yet…but I will certainly post an update after my trip and let you know how it went. Until then…ride safe!!!
