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How do Staun Beadlocks Work?
By Harry
Lewellyn -
Summary: At 48 PSI, your tires do not have bead
problems! You may have traction problems, but the tire,
bead wise, is perfectly happy with 48 PSI. Our tests
proved it (see tests).
How: As the Bead Lock's inner tube inflates
through its own valve stem (not shown), it expands until
it reaches the limits of the polyester profiling Cap.
This is like a mini-tire. That's why we gave the parts
tire names. The hefty polyester Cap "tread" keeps the
tube close to the rim thereby dictating a very low
profile. The Cap sidewalls, in turn, keep it from
touching the remaining portion of the tire. This
eliminates scuffing and rubbing, hence no Bead
Lock-to-tire heat or wear is produced (details). The
remainder of the tire's air chamber is available to
deflated to your desired pressure through the special
valve stem (details).
Tests: Our tests were run at flat! In other
words, the space above the bead lock accommodates low
pressure flex down to zero PSI . Our test tires, flat,
both knowingly and unknowingly, did not come off the
rims. This gave us "low pressure" peace of mind, because
1 1/2 or 2 PSI is legitimately questionable for most
folks. When properly installed and inflated to 48 PSI,
our internal dual bead locks kept the tires on the rims
and prevented rim spin. This was for all test cases so
far (March-2-05), regardless of the pressure in the main
air chamber. You can personally flirt with your own low
"pressure poison," but we recommend carefully, and we're
anxious to hear of your results!
Strap effect: The force arrows above show how the
tube securely "straps" both tire beads firmly against
the rim.
Extra force: A conventional tubeless tire secures
the beads against the rim in the same way - air
pressure, but surprisingly enough, the Staun BeadLock™
provides more holding force. The tube, in conjunction
with the Cap, adds additional holding force below the
tire bead not just at and above the bead. The air
pressure in the tube acts like/is a "strap." This puts
additional bead holding force against the rim that is
beyond just the bead lock bumps. This is exactly why
some tire experts recommend that you run tubes in
tubeless tires if you air down. They can see that a
tubeless tire with no tube does not have this lower
strap. The top part of the strap is there by virtue of
the tire, but there is nothing beneath the bead to
complete the strap effect. The Staun Bead Lock™ straps
the tire to the rim better than a tubeless tire alone.
Conclusion: The 48 PSI "strap" produces a massive
holding force that firmly secures both tire beads to the
rim bead seating area.
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