Product Review: Vittoria Pit Stop

For the past 4 yrs I've carried a spare tubular, CO2, and my inflator through all of my races. I even place an extra spare in special needs at IM's just incase.

This past weekend I decided to try a new bit of "magic," the Vittoria Pit Stop. This stuff seemed too good to be true, less than 1 min and you'll be on your bike after gettting a flat. Merely place the Pit Stop against your valve stem and the magic foam will inflate your wheel and seal the leak. Although I hadn't seen the Pit Stop in action I attached it to my frame and began my race.

At mile 41 my rear wheel flatted. I hopped off my bike, pulled out the small metal culprit, and grabbed my Pit Stop. The pictures on the canister don't explain everything and the directions are in Italian. Low and behold, I made a mess and the tire did not hold.

Lucky for me, my husband started in the wave behind me and his canister of Pit Stop was only a few minutes away. We used his and it appeared to be working. Off I went... 50 ft... it was flat again.

Long story short, I got to cheer for some friends and ended my day with a DNF.

Apparently I am not alone, there are mixed reviews of Pit Stop all over the internet. Some of said you need to give it more time, rotate the wheel, or shake the canister first. I plan to grab another canister of the Pit Stop and figure it out for myself.

Here's my humble advice, in hopes that some of you can benefit from my mistake.
- If you plan to use the Pit Stop be sure you've tested it out first. One wasted canister is a lot easier to justify when it prevents a DNF
- Consider bringing extra tire / tube incase the Pit Stop doesn't work (Note: does not apply if you are planning to lead the bike for a large supported race)
- Befriend people who will be 4-5 minutes behind you throughout the bike just in case you need some illegal help during the race

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Michelle Garel

Product Review: Vittoria Pit Stop