RacerX

ProLink (by ProGold) - nothing better, believe me, I've been racing mountain bikes since 1989, I've tried them all. Not too wet, not too dry, lasts for days (no more mid-race lubes). Use on both road and MTB. Bowmans stocks it. Get some. http://www.progoldmfr.com/products/prolink.html

Sacrilege putting SRAM on a Colnago - Campy only! Beaut of a bike, though. I still ride my 1998 Colnago Technos with Campag Chorus (all original).

Not sure what the "the bmx inner tube method" is but I have run the same tyres tubeless with Stans for 3 years. If you follow Stan's instructions to the letter it will work fine, there was some initial loss of air but after a few rides the tyres held pressure well.

Cool story on biking in New York - same challenges everywhere! "Meanwhile, another biker was about to pass him, and pedestrians in the intersection now scattered like deer. And I was thinking, ?No wonder they hate us.? Because they do hate us, they being nonbikers and us being bikers." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/nyregion/thecity/08bike.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Go Stans, it works. Not a single puncture in 3 years on two bikes with Stans. If you fit the kit yourself you MUST watch the installation movies on the notubes.com site and do EXACTLY what Stan says. Yes, the soap and the brush, the swishing back and forth, banging the tyre, EVERYTHING! Otherwise you will get goo in your hair and be swearing at everything in sight! A floor pump is fine if you take out the valve core to do the initial inflation. Also in almost all cases, leave your old rim strip in place and put the Stans strip over it. Use the tyres you have unless they're on Stan's blacklist (http://www.notubes.com/support_tire.php). Good luck!RacerX2009-02-04 14:09:31

I would argue that having a light is better than wearing a helmet (if you're only going to do one of them). Better to be seen and avoided than surviving an accident because of your fancy helmet. Sure, it's best to have both, but I see more helmeted riders without lights in the dark than the other way round - which is more sensible? Wearing a helmet is only one of a whole bunch of things we need to do to stay safe on a bike. Fixating on wearing helmets takes away from the other more sensible things you should be doing first, like being visible, anticipating traffic, learning good handling skills, etc etc. In many cases, wearing a helmet will just keep you pretty for your funeral if you neglect more important basic safety measures. Humans have been cycling for more than 100 years but only wearing helmets for the last 20-odd. We seem to have done pretty well without them on the whole. (I always wear my helmet, if you were wondering, except when cruising to the coffee shop on my SS. I like to hedge my bets.)

I use Nevegal 2.1s with Stans on my training wheelset and have had issues with two rear tires - in both cases the tyre seems to delaminate internally somehow and the sealant gets between the layers, causing bubbles (little balloons) on the surface of the tyre. The first time this happened, the tyre was pretty worn anyway, so I replaced it. I'm now riding the second tyre with a tube. After putting the tube in, it still made bubbles for a while that would pop every now and then during a ride - kinda cool. But the tyre holds the tube well and still seems sound and I've had no further problems. I've had no issues with the front tire that has now seen more than two years of (ab)use. Perhaps the rear tire delaminates because of the continuous pedalling torque. By the way, be sure not to use tyres that old Stan says should not be used - see http://www.notubes.com/support_tire.php. I've read some horror stories about these tyres popping off the rim after the bead breaks.RacerX2009-01-19 06:25:22

Titus! Titus! Titus! There's a lovely blue RacerX (L) hanging up at Bowmans looking for a good home...

Another cyclist mugged at gunpoint ... http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=iol1188381838480X000 Maybe it's safer in the traffic!?