Silca partnered with Vittoria to make shorter valve stems https://silca.cc/...cts/latex-inner-tube

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Thanks, thats an option.
Are michelin's not trustworthy? I think they offer a 40mm (and less expensive)?

I've never seen Michelin latex tubes for sale in the US. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

That seems off. My HED Black Disc is perfectly aligned. Who knows what HED's acceptable tolerances are for the alignment. I would pursue a quality warranty claim first.

Second, Silca just introduced new latex tubes (made by Vittoria to Silca's specs) with 41mm stems. I ordered a few of those for my disc. It makes pumping it up much easier with an old school friction pipe. I may do the jump to a Hero side lever.

I -love- my hiro (Silca version) side lever pipe. I actually just leave it on my floor pump all the time and use it for all wheels.

I contact mbs.com, they forwarded me to HED. HED replied saying that the cover must have shifted during manufacturing, but that I should be able to 'make it work', and offered to send me a normal crack pipe.........
For the record, I've owned many HED wheels over the years, and they have all been great. This is the first issue I've had...
I'm also beyond my 30 day return window for mbs as I never thought there was any urgency to install a tire... That said, I haven't tried getting on the phone with them yet. But then there would also be all the shipping involved from Canada... :(

It's junk now. You don't want it. You can give it to me at the Trident Navy race and I'll dispose of it for you ;-)

Are you doing it?

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Yup, already registered. I'm gonna beat you in the swim........................ ;)

I might shave down. Just in case. ;-)

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

If I'm plodding along for a 12:45 or so in the pool, how much time am I going to have to pull back on you on the bike?!

If I were in your shoes, I would pursue a warranty replacement from HED. Their warranty seems to explicitly covers this. Based on the wording on your exchange, it appears that someone acknowledged this as a defect. Their warranty states “HED assembled wheels...will be free from defects in materials and workmanship.” I would argue that a shift during manufacturing is a manufacturing defect.

"Making it work" is not a solution, because your Sila Hero is the bomb. That is my $0.02."

I will buy a Hero. So far, I hate my two attempts at crack pipes. I need to figure out an exchangeable head, because I routinely inflate household bikes with Shrader valves.

750m swim - I should be out of the water sub-10.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

You're aware of the mandatory 2 minute leg stretching in T1, yes? :)

Everyone will be chasing you. Have a good look at the bike course, there are about ten 90 degree turns per lap and a 180 each lap too. 4 or 5 laps I think. I preferred it when they used to use the runway. I think having a road racing background helped me on the new course....it was kind of fun sliding my zipp super 9 around the 180 turn!

Given that it is a new wheel, I'm -guessing- I could get it exchanged if I pressed, but then who handles the $80 to send this wheel back, $$ for them to ship new wheel to me, import tax if they mark a value, etc... shitty situation.

If they send you the Silca "crack pipe" disc wheel inflator, you don't have to hold them on. The air pressure makes the gasket grab the valve. It works perfectly and they fit into a much smaller space (like your offset disc hole) than a Hiro does. I have one attached to a Ryobi inflator and use it constantly. It just works.

I grabbed a pile of NOS Michelin latex tubes at a swap meet last year and the first two sprung a leak within a day (different spots, yes I know how to install latex inner tubes). The third works fine and the others are in my toolbox. I'm a little leery of them after having great luck with Vittorias in the past.

that , looks to me, like the tube was not installed correctly, ie, it is not perpendicular to the rim, I'd remove tire and reinstall, taking care to keep tube in right spot during install. that means not pulling on tube to get under tire on one side only. if I had to guess, tube was installed with no air in it at all and was pulled slightly from one side. seen it, covered it, da da da da dum da da(farmer's)

Yeah, that part sucks. HED probably will not cover that. It is a question of how much it is worth to you.

I just ordered a Hero side chuck. I cannot wait. It looks like they are on sale too, which is a huge personal win.

Pretty sure not possible as it was a narrow tube that the valve went through, couldn't tilt it either way. And when looking at the cutout without valve installed, you can see the valve hole in the inside rim is also offset to one side of the cutout.

i only commented that way, as it has happened to me on more than one occasion on more than one wheel

Your timing was good. Silca just announced their new Hiro carbon steel pump head to last week with the $65 price point. The original Hiro (v2) is made with stainless steel and sells for around $100.

Just wanted to post a follow-up to this.
So, aside from the mis-alligned valve hole, there was also a void in the textured rim surface, which would have caused some pretty bad pulsating.

HED and MBS came through though. They provided me with a return shipping slip to send them back the wheel from Canada, and sent me a brand new replacement. Very happy. These Jet Black wheels are so nice looking.

I just had a look-see at the participant's list, and David Sharpe is entered. I dunno if it is "the" David Sharpe, but if it is, I'll be well behind at least one person out of the water.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I have had no issues with Michelin latex tubes in my tubs. They go down a bit quicker than the challenge latex I had (also in tubs) so I guess they may be a little thinner.

Had some issues with Vitoria latex in dads clinchers - kind of had a strange (weak) seam running along the length of the tube in line with the valve stem.

WD :-)

I use a crack pipe with a small eraser that wedges in and holds it in place perfectly. You could use anything really, rubber, cork etc Works really well.

I wouldn't worry about it. :)