Strip Fat L-26/27.5” (x2)

Caffélatex Tubeless Strip Plus/Fat is a very light, puncture-proof and transparent tubeless rim strip that makes tubeless conversions quick and easy. Strip allows tubeless conversion of most Plus and Fat mountain bike wheels, using Tubeless or Tubeless-Ready tyres and Caffélatex or Végétalex sealant.

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:

• The easiest way to perform a tubeless conversion
• Very light tubeless rim strip
• Damage-resistant
• Long lasting, it can be moved from one wheel to another
• Extended range of widths, covering Plus and Fat wheel sizes

CHARACTERISTICS:

Tubeless conversion, made easy

Caffélatex Strip is the ultimate tubeless solution for very difficult rims (for example, cut-out Fat rims, aluminum rims with mat surface finishing, carbon rims with mould release treatment – where no tape sticks very long -, rims with very deep channel, pin-joined rims where the junction is not welded etc.). This because Strip isn’t adhesive: it’s made in one piece and relies on its elasticity to sit tight on the rim.

Please note: sorry, Strip won’t work on asymetric rims with off-center valve hole.

To convert a rim to tubeless, simply remove the existing rim-strip, choose the appropriate Strip size and follow the following easy steps:

1. (OPTIONAL STEP, NOT FOR CUT-OUT OR SINGLE WALL RIMS) Use a roll of electrician tape and seal the spoke holes of the rim. This just in order to create an additional protection to prevent sealant from getting inside the rim inner chamber, in the unlikely case the Strip moves and let some liquid go through.
2. Insert the provided Caffélatex Tubeless Valve in the Strip, so that the rubber base is in contact with Strip.
3. Secure Strip to the rim, tightening the nut on the valve stem. It’s important to push the valve base against the rim while doing so, to achieve a proper air-tightness.
IMPORTANT: some single wall rims (mostly aluminum, cut-out rims for fat bikes) might require fitting an additional washer under the nut, before threading it against the rim. We provide one additional washer per valve for Plus L and all Fat Strip;
4. Keeping the wheel with the valve at 12 o’ clock, finish mounting Strip onto the rim.
5. With a screwdriver or a similar tool, center Strip inside the rim channel.
6. Add tubeless tyre, Caffélatex sealant, inflate, ride.

Additional details in the tech video below.

Lightweight

Weights(*) for a single Strip are:

• Strip Plus S 26″/27,5″: 55 g
• Strip Plus S 29″: 58 g
• Strip Plus M 26″/27,5″: 68 g
• Strip Plus M 29″: 72 g
• Strip Plus L 26″/27,5″: 91 g
• Strip Plus L 29″: 95 g
• Strip Fat S 26″/27,5″: 115 g
• Strip Fat M 26″/27,5″: 122 g
• Strip Fat L 26″/27,5″: 205 g

(*) tolerance +/- 10% on nominal weight

Highly resistant to damage and puncture

The special polymer employed in its construction makes Strip highly resistant to damage and puncture. It’s also very stable from a chemical standpoint and cannot be damaged by Caffélatex or other non-chemically-aggressive tyre sealants.


WARNING: using sealants containing aggressive chemicals or ammonia, or cleaning the rim with aggressive chemical products can damage Caffélatex Tubeless Strip and may represent dangers to the user. We recommend using only Caffélatex or Végétalex sealant or Espresso / Espresso Doppio inflate & repair cartridges with Caffélatex Tubeless Strip.

Long lasting

Something you can do with Strip that you simply can’t with tubeless tapes: moving Strip from one rim to another. 
As the Strip material is very durable, its lifespan can exceed the one of the rim it’s mounted on, and can it be removed and mounted on another rim. Strip can also be removed and mounted on the same rim if a spoke needs to be replaced.

Available sizes

Caffélatex Strip Plus/Fat is available in all the needed sizes to cover most of the Plus and Fat wheels in the market. The six available widths are:

• Plus S (40 mm): for rims with internal width between 30 and 35 mm;
• Plus M (45 mm): for rims with internal width between 35 and 40 mm;
• Plus L (50 mm): for rims with internal width between 40 and 45 mm;
• Fat S (70 mm): for rims with internal width between 55 and 60 mm;
• Fat M (85 mm): for rims with internal width between 70 and 75 mm;
• Fat L (105 mm): for rims with internal width between 90 and 95 mm.

For standard size bicycle rims, see Caffélatex Tubeless Strip.

Each width (S, M, L) is available in two length options for Plus, to fit different wheel diameters (26”/27,5” or 29”), for a total of six options. 


Each width (S, M, L) is available in only one length options for Fat, to fit 26” and 27,5” wheel diameters, for a total of three options.
Strip is sold as kits containing two rim strips and two Caffélatex Tubeless Valves Black 40 mm (for rims up to 37 mm of height), 2 wheels per kit.


F.A.Q.

I’m having troubles mounting Caffélatex Strip Fat on my wheels… is there anything wrong with the product?

Caffélatex Strip Fat is not easy to stretch and mount on the rim, but with the right technique it’s surely possible. We’ve converted ClownShoe rims using the Strip Fat L and so have done many customers… here below some additional tips:

• Wear cotton gloves to protect your hands.
• Insert the valve in the Strip first, then mount Strip inserting the valve in the rim, tightening the valve with the additional washer and the nut.
• Place a cardboard sheet on the floor and position the wheel on it, keeping the valve on the highest point. Hold the Strip firmly with your hands, grabbing it 20 cm from the valve on each side. Take a breath and prepare for the effort.
• Holding Strip with your hands, use your body weight to stretch it, leaning on the wheel and pushing it hard toward the floor. Strip will stretch, and you should continue your action slowly inserting it on the wheel, sliding your hands on the Strip itself. Don’t ever release the Strip while doing this, just work hard and keep pushing it down.
• When you get closer to the floor, you should change the technique: as you’d do mounting a tubular, push your belly on the top of the rim (where the valve is) and lift the wheel so that the last part of Strip is now facing you. That is the most difficult moment, where you should make one extra effort to push the last 20 cm of Strip over the wheel and inside the wheel channel. It’s not easy and first timers might have to try several times until they master the technique and finally get the Strip on the wheel.
• Once Strip is mounted on the rim, just use a long screwdriver to correctly position it, as in the video.

Why introducing the Strip when you already have a tubeless conversion Tape?

For most applications adhesive tubeless tape is great, and it will always be lighter than a tubeless rim strip.
However, tape requires time and some basic mechanical skills to be installed properly: Strip can be mounted in a couple of minutes and will work flawlessly even with deep-channel rims or low adhesion rim finishing.

Unlike adhesive tapes that stay inside the rim channel, the Strip climbs on rim internal walls and in some cases can be seen from the outside, when the tyre is mounted. Why?

The idea is to create air tightness between the tyre and the Strip.
This is especially useful for pin-joined rims: in those, the junction is not welded, and sealing the spoke holes in the rim channel is not enough as sealant/air can seep through the rim walls at the junction. As the Strip is born to be the ‘no problem’ tubeless converter, we have to cover also those rim types.

The Strip is puncture proof. Why?

Being resistant to cuts/puncture, the Strip is immune to the tyre-lever damages that are so common on butyl tubeless liners or taped rims. The puncture resistance becomes more relevant when using the Strip on cut-out rims.

My rim has a Schrader valve hole (diam. 8,5 mm). Should I use a valve adapter?

Strip will easily convert any Schrader-drilled rim with no need for any adapter (just use the provided tubeless valve and insert it in the Strip before mounting it on the rim, as described above).

Made in Italy.