Stan's ate my rims.... WARNING

[hotshod]

I have a pair of Campag Zondas new Dec 2011 in April 2012 I decided to run them as tubeless with Hutchinson Fusion3 and Stan's sealant.

The front tire was on the rim the entire time, though I removed sealant once and topped up another time.
I decided to replace front and rear last week. Front had done over 10K ks and the rear had just hit 5K and was showing canvas.

I was really pissed off to find that Stan's had eaten through my front rim in one spot and had attacked the the rim in about 10 other spots.
The rear is not as bad but show signs of attack, I guess it was getting cleaned out more often.

Let this be a warning Stan's is not safe , ignore the ECO-FRIENDLY,.... Non-Corrosive crap on the container ....... In 10 months it ate a hole thru my rims.

So I checked the wifes' Fulcrum 3, 2-ways bought Sept 2012 same thing .... more signs of attack ,surface eaten but no holes at this stage.
Next I checked a friends Durace 9000 wheels, new in Dec'12, that I taped up and the bead hook & edge had been attacked, after Stan's had been there for 6 weeks....

I have now cleaned them and added Bontrager sealant..... But the rims are extensively damaged.

If I can suss how to post photos I will.

edit.....
I should add that the Zonda rims and the Fulcrum 3 both have a solid inner bridge and I ran them without any tape, so sealant had access to the rim.
+
I also had read that earlier brews from Stan's NoTubes sealant had caused corrosion, but I think most people are lead to believe that Stans is now a new safer formula....... I have my doubts !!!!!!!!

Greg from OZ

[mann2]

happened to my old DA-7850 C24's. corroded the bead and tubeless no longer worked. gave up on tubeless altogether as the hutchinson tires had sidewall air leak issues.

[stella-azzurra]

Interesting. Please contact Stans. Let us know what they say.

[F45]

Aluminum corrodes in the presence of pH extremes. A simple test would be a pH strip in some Stan's sealant. It would probably show base since Stans contains ammonia. This issue is why I only use "ghetto" tubeless.

[bearsdidit]

Try cafe latex

[xnavalav8r]

To be honest, I never read the label on Stan's, but I have known since I began using it (2002ish) that it is corrossive and potentially damaging to aluminum rims. (I think an early article in one of the mtn bike mags offered a warning.) Therefore, I occasionally remove the tires, clean out the old sealant, clean the rims, and reinstall with new sealant. So, after using Stan's in all my mtn bike wheels for about 10 years, I have never had a problem.

That said, if the packaging outright that it is not harmful to aluminum rims, then I think you have a legitimate complaint. But, in my opinion, there is a big difference between "eco-friendly" and "non-corrossive."

[xnavalav8r]

Quote from the Stan's website... http://www.notubes.com/FAQ.aspx

"I heard there is ammonia in your sealant and it is bad for my tire and or rim?
Any trace amount of ammonia in Stan’s sealant will evaporate soon after it is injected into the tire. We have found no damaging effects from our sealant even after years of use. Any oxidation in your rim will just as likely be caused by riding in wet conditions or the humidity in the air. Although tape may not be necessary to seal your rim, you may add one layer to protect un-anodized or scratched areas of your rim from oxidation due to moisture in the sealant."

I suspect that, unless you can prove there were no scratches or nicks in the rims before you applied the sealant, you will be out of luck trying to claim any damages.

[andyindo]

You sure its the Stans?I've never had problems like this with my mtb wheels.

[yz387]

What makes you so sure it is the Stan's causing the issue? I have a set of MTB wheels which have had that stuff in them for 8 years now and they are still just fine.

[F45]

Stan's shows their lack of knowledge in that statement. Aluminum corrosion is well understood, and if moisture stripped the protective oxide layer, millions of aluminum extension ladders laying in residential backyards would have long since turned to dust.

[Briscoelab]

I have been using stan's for YEARS in MTB and road tubeless setups on aluminum rims. I've never had an issue.

[Bukes]

I too have had this happen with a set of 7900 DuraAce C24 TL wheels. The Stans ate through the clear anodizing and created pits all over the insides of both rims after 2 months of use. Shimano will not warranty, as the documentation that came with the wheels specifically states that using sealant will void the warranty. Sigh - These have been cleaned up and relegated to trainer use only

Interestingly, I also have a set of DuraAce 7800 series tubeless that have black anodizing in the rim cavity that are still perfect after 2+ years of Stans use. My guess is that the black anodizing might be a bit tougher than the clear stuff.

[hotshod]

You sure its the Stans?I've never had problems like this with my mtb wheels.

I have been using stan's for YEARS in MTB and road tubeless setups on aluminum rims. I've never had an issue.

It is the only conclusion I can draw.Plus if you hit the forums there appears to be plenty of history about Stan's attacking rim surface and valve holes in the past.

In my case of 3 separate sets of wheels, all new and the oldest at 14 months, the Zondas.
The only thing inside the wheels were ....1. Sealant,.... 2. The Hutchinson tire bead,..... 3.Diluted soap suds,........ 4. Air (not from CO2 cartridge)
I don't think the tire bead, air or minimal soap suds would have any effect on the integrity of the rim surface.

I will contact Stan's , but I've read what the usual response is......
"Our product will not do that "..... " It is the fault of the rim maker "
"poor quality anodizing"
If I get a response I'll post here

[Briscoelab]

Really strange. All of my rims have had black anno on them. Maybe that has something to do with it?

[CerveloMikey]

Here is a photo of my DA 7850 carbon/aluminum rim. Nothing but Stan's and Hutchinson tires ever touched them. I had to use a soft wire wheel on a bench grinder to remove the dried Stan's. The aluminum bead is pitted badly from the corrosion. I have a set of DA 7850 Scandium wheels that have zero corrosion.