LUGANO, SWITZERLAND
What’s not to like about the Mediterranean region, with its sunny weather and delicious, natural food? Take olives, for example: they’re good in so many ways, to produce oil, as appetiser... to fix punctures! This happens with Effetto Mariposa new Végétalex, a quickly biodegradable, plant-based tyre sealant, containing finely ground olives stones as repairing ingredients.
Why we created it
Our tyre sealant Caffélatex has a strong palmarès of victories to demonstrate its performance, together with a solid and constantly growing base of happy users, worldwide. As we should all do our best to reduce our impact on the environment, we started working on a plant-based sealant that was both good with nature and very effective – similar to Caffélatex - against punctures. It took us more than two years of development, but we can now say Végétalex has exceeded our expectations.
Plant-based puncture repairing ingredients
Most tyre sealants employ slowly biodegradable liquid polymers (like natural or synthetic latex) to repair punctures; Végétalex instead contains only plant-based particles and fibers - finely ground olive stones and cellulose fibers - to deliver a tremendous puncture clogging effect. This mix, held together by xanthan gum (produced from simple sugars), fixes punctures ranging from small tyre porosities to bigger cuts (up to 5 mm) fast and in a permanent way.
Extremely durable
Durability was one of the priorities for the “Végétalex” project. As it doesn’t rely on the solidification of a liquid polymer to fix punctures, rather on a sophisticated mix of different shapes and sizes of natural particles with xanthan gum, Végétalex has a long ‘active’ lifespan inside tyres. Starting at 3 months in worst-case scenarios (very porous tyres in hot weather and small quantity of sealant), Végétalex will keep repairing punctures for more than 6 months inside most tyres. This makes it also suitable for inner-tube applications.
Lightweight
Végétalex has been finely tuned to obtain a high mobility, so that a small quantity goes a long way in terms of coverage of the inner surface of the tyre. For Végétalex, we suggest using about 20% more than the quantities recommended by the iCaffelatex app for Caffélatex. As an example, for a 29x2.10 (54-622) tubeless-ready tyre iCaffélatex recommends a minimum of 70 ml (approx. 2 ½ oz.) of Caffélatex or 84 ml (approx. 3 oz.) of Végétalex.
Compatible with the use of CO2 cartridges
Végétalex isn’t damaged by the use of CO2 cartridges.
Biodegradable and totally plastic free
Végétalex doesn’t contain ammonia or other aggressive chemicals, nor is it toxic or corrosive. Végétalex doesn’t contain macro or micro plastics, no rubber particles (please note: recycled rubber decomposes very slowly!), no aramid fibers (that will remain in the environment for a long time...): all the ingredients of Végétalex are highly biodegradable. Végétalex doesn’t trigger allergic reactions in people who are allergic to products made with natural rubber latex. However, it may contain traces of nut.
Low maintenance
Being able to ‘forget’ about tyre sealant is the dream of tubeless tyre users. Especially those of us who don’t ride too often, wondering whether the sealant is still liquid inside our tyres (or not) is a worry that can spoil the pleasure of a ride. We say that Végétalex is ideal for e-bikes because e-bikers often have to deal with more complex machines, batteries, and electronics; a sealant that’s low maintenance is surely a welcome change. Using more structured tyres, like those specific for e-bikes, Végétalex will easily last a full season of riding, so that you can spend less time doing bicycle maintenance and more time riding.
Easy to clean
Végétalex doesn’t contain pigments or quickly solidifying polymers so it is very easy to remove from surfaces. Even when dry, Végétalex can be cleaned with soapy water and a brush.
Additional tips
It’s important to shake Végétalex bottle well before injecting the sealant into tyres. If extra protection is needed - for example taking a multiple days ride on rocky, thorny terrain – we suggest adding 30 ml of product to the recommended quantity.
Végétalex is Made in Italy
road.cc - December 2020
"During a month of testing, I've been impressed with how it's repeatedly sealed punctures quickly and easily…. it's excellent value and should be better for the environment as well."
"Most tyre sealants are made of two parts: This carrier in the case of Ve´ge´talex, it's a sugar-based Xanthan gum from eucalyptus trees. This gum degrades quickly in the environment. The clogging is done by the power of crushed olive pits, an abundant waste product of olive oil production."
"The 1L bottle comes with a tube for sending it through the valve after the core is removed. Ve´ge´talex is thinner than some other sealants I've used, which makes it easy to slosh around the tyre for even coverage… and is easy to clean up after inflation. It's worth noting that Ve´ge´talex is compatible with CO2."
"Verdict: It works well, proves excellent value and can plug holes up to at least 4mm."
FULL ARTICLE HERE