I’ve been using Effetto Mariposa’s Caffelatex in tubular and tubeless setups for a while now and found it to be one of the best on the market, especially for latex tubed tubulars like the Vittoria Corsa. It doesn’t contain ammonia and foams up when agitated to provide protection throughout the tire. One area that it didn’t quite match up to some of the others on the market is plugging bigger holes. They intend to change this with their Vitamina-CL powder. Simply add the latex to your tubeless setup, then some of the Vitamina-CL powder and the puncture protection reaches new levels.
Vitamina-CL is a polymeric powder developed with a very precise particle size and density. This helps it easily mix with Caffelatex, while also increasing the sealant’s ability to plug larger holes and seal them quicker than Caffelatex alone. In their testing, adding 10% Vitamina-CL powder (example: 50ml of Caffelatex with 5ml of Vitamina-C powder) increased the size of the hole able to be plugged from 4-5mm to 8+mm. Repair time is also quicker, which means less air pressure loss.
Effetto Mariposa recommends mixing the solution inside of the tire to prevent the valve stem from being clogged with the larger particles. Keeping the Vitamina-CL separate also keeps the particles from settling in the bottle and ensures consistency from one application to the next. They claim that the addition of the powder doesn’t change the life or properties of the Caffelatex (other than in the positive ways we’ve already talked about), but they do recommend cleaning out the valve stem a little more often.
A 200ml jar retails for $30USD. Keep in mind, a little goes a long way, and would cover you for 2 liters of Caffelatex sealant. Considering you’ll probably be running 30-40ml per tire for road and cyclocross applications, it should last you quite some time.
https://www.effettomariposa.eu/
Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Scott joined Bike World News as the Cyclocross Editor in 2012 before taking over as Tech Editor in 2016. He has also worked as a photographer for various pro teams and shoot races along the east coast of the US, including the 2012 US MTB National Championships, 2013 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, and 2016 UCI Road World Championships. Scott has a passion for performance and technology, with 35 years of riding and mechanic experience. He also enjoys soccer, running, teaching group fitness classes, and is the founder of Lancaster Beard Company.
Discover more from Bike World News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.