Vittoria Pit Stop Inflating Sealant is a pressurized cylinder filled with compressed gas and a lightweight, polymer foam sealant. It is designed to deliver the sealant and between 80 to 90 psi of gas to inflate the tire and distribute the sealant into a 21-25c road tire. That is the ideal usage and expectation. In practice, expect less installed pressure as the tire volume increases and from any installation trouble. Pit Stop is not intended to fully inflate your tire, just get you well on your way with a puncture sealed. For those who run 85-90 psi, you may be just fine. Others will want to supplement with CO2 or a hand pump. The sealant is very effective for small punctures, less so on torn material. The polymer foam has been developed to work best with Vittoria's latex inner tubes- clincher or tubular.

When you have a flat tire you open your valve stem, push the nozzle on the Vittoria Pit Stop canister onto your valve stem, and press the canister towards the tire to release the compressed gas and the liquid foam sealant. Both substances shoot quickly into the tire under pressure. The gas inflates the tire, expanding it while allowing the foam sealant to quickly spread within the tube. Remove the canister then spin your tire for optimal distribution. The foam then dries quickly, sealing the hole and fixing the flat. Even 80 psi of air will get you rolling, making Pit Stop ideal for a racing triathlete since you can repair and inflate, quickly with no tools. In competition this may be enough to get to T2, if not a quick pop of CO2 will fill you up. For training road cyclists and triathletes, having CO2 or a small pump on hand to top off your tire is crucial, but Pit Stop saves you the hassle of removing your wheel and tire, and saves on CO2 and mini-pump strokes. There is no perfect solution, but Pit Stop can get you moving again quickly and efficiently and the sealant will help prevent further punctures.

We encourage you, despite the expense, to practice with a canister before you need to use one on the road or in an event. Variables such as rim profile, exposed valve length and space between spokes can make it tricky when you are hyped up with adrenaline, or on a narrow road on a freezing cold day. If you practice, you haven't wasted the Pit Stop, you have installed sealant. One note: the gas will likely escape faster than air overnight. If your tire seems to be flat the next day, re-inflate with air- not CO2- to normal pressure. This is actually the same process you experience when you inflate with CO2 on the road, so don't be put off by it. This is not an indication that the sealant has failed.

Initially, many thought this inflating sealant would be a single answer. But, like with many such hopes, in reality, the results seemed disappointing. However, when you take into account that Pit Stop does save you time, hassle, and seals small holes permanently, the reality is that this is a very good product that can be an event or ride saver. The sealant is light, distributes thoroughly and won't pool like a liquid product. Once sealed and inflated, your tire retains rotating balance. Pit Stop has saved many tubular tires from small puncture death. All in all, properly used and realistically approached, this is a great product that protects your investment.