Flat tires

[Dalecv]

So with all of the additional weigh that motor and batteries add who has had a flat tire lately. I had mine first one on Wednesday, a nice little cut through the rear tire and tube about 1.5 miles from home. Luckily I was able to call a friend and get a ride. I don't know where all of the glass along the road comes from because it seems everything we drink out of now is made of aluminum or plastic.

Okay, time for a new tube and tire, so down to the bike shop I went. I had already replace the weird Chinese tube with the presta like valve stem with a thorn resistant tube that had a schrader valve stem. So I bought another of these and a $7 tire. The $7 tire was a mistake, it could only be inflated to 35 PSI and was out of round. At 35 PSI the tire look half flat when I was on the bike and it felt half flat. Two bicycle shops later and no one had any 20 inch tires that would take more than 35 PSI. I guess only kids who don't need good tires ride bikes with 20 inch rims.

Since my Bike Friday is made here in Eugene I called them and asked if they had any quality 20 inch tires for sale, which of course they did. I ended up buying a Schwalbe Marathon Plus, which the people at Bike Friday said was the best they knew of and for $42 it had better be.

Now I have the thorn resistant tube inside the Marathon Plus tire with the SmartGuard belt. Hopefully I won't have any more flats on that wheel. I am too cheap to do the front tire right now, I will just wait until it strands me somewhere.

http://schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/flatless/marathon_plus_details

In the weight gain thread, paulb said he is thinking about the Air Free tire. I don't have any experience with that kind of tire. I just wonder how it could handle different weight conditions without being like solid rubber. Getting one on and off the rim also raises some questions. I did find some disparaging comments on the web about them. The sites that sell them seem to have a lot of positive testimonials.

[mustangman]

 The company I posted, nu-teck, http://www.nu-teck.com/index.html can make any tire to custom PSI feel the customer wants for an additional $5 per tire, from stock to high pressure to take additional loads.

[myelectricbike]

There are lots of little companies springing up all over the place to perform this process primarily on heavy loaders and fork lifts but can do it for bicycles too. There is no need for shipping but only to dismount the wheel. A 26" x 1.95 to 2.0 runs about $12.

[erdurbin]

I had 3 flat tires in one month. This forced me to purchase some air free tires from this website

www.airfreetires.com

I purchased this model since I have a mountain bike that I ride on/off road.
http://www.airfreetires.com/Bicycle/Legacy/26x20.html

I have not received them yet, but will post results once mounted.

I cannot endorse these yet, I am just giving them a try. With a lifetime warranty, they have to be decent.

[pdonahue]

I like either the "Travel Contact" or "Pasela" tires.  TC is more rugged but also slightly more rolling resistance.  Pasela is a thin, lightweight tire with excellent puncture resistance. 

Pete

[myelectricbike]

You might like these too from AMERITYRE CORPORATION

[erdurbin]

The tires arrived on Friday and were installed Friday night. I have to say that they sucked. Sorry guys, but if you have a mountain bike, regular tires are the only way to go.  I just went to Walmart last night and picked up 2 of the Bell comfort tires with kevlar lining. I wished I would of changed out for these a long time ago. They are a very smooth ride compared to my factory Mongoose tires.

Back to the air free. They were very wobbly. The tire is made in two sections like a hamburger bun with the middle cut out. They put these two pieces together to form the finished tire. The only problem was that the two pieces did not meet up exactly right all the way around. This was unacceptable and I have requested an RMA from airfreetires.com

The second issue with them is that they came off the rim twice within the first few minutes of riding. They were a workout to get on initially with the tool provided. I figured they would stay. Nope. First time I went from sidewalk to grass (only about a 1-2 inch difference) it slipped right off. I got off and walked my bike back home. Very disappointing.

Third issue. Increased rolling resistance dramatically. It probably had to do with the wobble in the tire. Usually I have no problem going up the hill next to my house without pedaling. First time with the new tires, my motor was pulsating from low current. It was just begging for less resistance. After I took the air full of crap tires off and put on my old ones, I zoom right back up the hill.

However, if you have a street bike, they may actually be ok according to this guy.
http://felixwong.com/news/2006/12/air-free-tires/

It seems that if you have a smaller rim they may stay on better. My 26x2.0 rim did not match up very well their air free tire. Oh well, hopefully the kevlar tires hold up ok.

[myelectricbike]

endurbin

Interesting. I had the exact same experience with the Wal-Mart tires and a foam tube. The Kevlar tire would not stay on the rim. I have never had that problem with any other tire and the foam NO-More-Flats tube. However, Bell bought the guy out and Wal-Mart has not started selling them again. There is, however, a local shop that can fill a regular tube and tire with a two part foam to any pressure desired (possible) for about $12. I have an MTB ready for the process but need to do a little more research before I commit. Thanks for the warning. I'll stay away from the solid tires until I've given this process a try. I had enough disappointment when the Kevlars failed.

[mustangman]

 I would thank eurbin for the post. I will try the foam in place routine myself.

[sandmanhi]

I was just at Walmart and all their no-more-flats tires were branded Bell...  Or were you talking about the tire itself?

[myelectricbike]

Okay, its good to know they are going to stock them again. For awhile there they had all their No-More-Flats foam tubes on major discount sale. Haven't been to the "new" Wal-Mart yet since the last time I went about a week ago when they were still doing a make over on the store.

[erdurbin]

When my tires go bald again (or I have numerous flats) I might purchase Armadillo tires.
For now, my $13 Bell tires with Kevlar will have to do. If I do not have any more flats with these cheapo, I may not purchase the Armadillo.

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqSection.jsp?a=b&minisite=10029&sid=EquipTiresArmadillo&language=US

Here is a video review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKCSGbWbPyE

Another couple review sites
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Tire/product_72447.shtml
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/adventures/1276791.html

[pdonahue]

Get a set of Travel Contact tires or Pasela if you want lower roling resistance.  Both are relatively cheap ($30 - $40 at MEC) and are quite resistant to flats.  (Note:  The Travel Contacts have a slightly hight roling resistance, but they are much more durable)

Pete

[erdurbin]

Thanks for the info, but I actually received another flat this morning on the way to work. My bike shop across from where I work stocked the Armadillo tires and I have read on other forums that they are just about the best for puncture resistance. $35 a piece for the 26" Nimbus. I will keep everyone up to date on how they work. I installed them this afternoon in my office and they feel very solid.

[Dalecv]

I haven't had any problems with my Bike Friday since I put the schwalbe tire on it. It sits there holding air while the bike leans against the wall and I ride my other electric bike. LOL