Originally Posted by
Branko D
Yeah, Vittoria airliners. I've been running them for a bit less than half a year now, about the last 4500km or so.
I figured it was just the thing needed to make paperthin TT tires (which don't seal punctures very well and puncture pretty easily) a practical choice for a longer race. Predictably, I ended up using the setup for all sorts of spirited rides.
They work great both for tires which have punctured but are still holding some air (I've ridden about 70k on a punctured 23 in the rear which held maybe 60ish psi, and it didn't even feel too bad at all) where they prevent rim strikes and too much squirm when riding on a mostly deflated tire, and they work as a "run flat" option where you can keep riding on a tire which won't hold any air at all anymore (not exactly pleasant, but it works).
The downside is that it makes tire installation and removal harder (even using the clips and pliers provided with the kit, it's handy to have a tire jack in addition), and it adds 50g to the bike.
Liberating not to have to carry tubes, tire levers and the like. An alternate wheelset with those and 25mm GP5000s would be a basically bulletproof "fit and forget" option.
I keep thinking about those, but I find a good tubeless setup is pretty bombproof anyway. But then I'm not running paper thin TT tyres, so I can see the point for that case. For long rides I use either Pirelli Cinturato Velos (which are very puncture resistant anyway) or slightly faster Pirelli P-Zero Race TLRs, which give medium puncture protection. With a quality sealant I haven't had a problem with flats, even with pretty large cuts. I just carry a Dynaplug kit and 1 spare tube as a last resort.