Airless/solid tyres...

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gzoom

Über Member
Am getting bit fed up of rear punctures recently, 3 in 3 months, the last one yesterday had me doing a tyre change in the grass on the side of an unlit B road with cars doing 60mph going past.....and I was late for afterschool pick up.

The rear tyre is wearing so that may be a reason for increased puncture rate, but equally I was getting punctures every 1000 miles or so anyways.

All of a sudden solid tyres or 'armour' inserts from the likes of Tarnus look very tempting.....

The bike is an eBike so weight isn't an issue. Anyone got any experience of solid tyres?
 

mustang1

Guru
Location
London, UK
Sorry I won't answer your q about solild tyres as I have no experience but in case you decide to stick with regular tyres, if I get more than 2 or 3 punctures in quick succession, I just change the tyre. I do not care how much life is left in them. Once I even discarded brand new tyres*, only 2 weeks old, because the puncture performance was so poor (3 punctures in 2 weeks). I do not want that hassle, especially for school pickups where kids will be waiting around.

Anyway, good luck in your findings and ultimate choice. Keep on truckin'!


Edit: * - they were cx tyres and I thought they would somehow have better puncture protection than road tyres, considering they were for off-road use.
 
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T4tomo

Guru
Also what tyres were they in the first place? a set of good quality commuting tyres with top rate puncture protection might be a better solution.
I'm surprised @Cycleops has recommended the venerable Schwalbe Marathon plus, as that is ideal for this scenario.
 
I was getting loads of punctures at one point
Rear tyre - which said it had puncture resistance - was rather worn out - so less rubber to absorb the spiky thing before it gets to the inner tube
changed the tyre - didn;t really help - changed the inner tube and all was fine since
I also have gone for better puncture resistance - proper Marathons on the front although the rear are Continental somethingorothers

I also lob some goo inside - although I got the wrong stuff - when it said 'off orad' grade I assumed MTB - actually it meant JCBs and the like - still it was dirt cheap and seems to work
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
I don't ride an electric bike but on Schwalbe Durano Plus I got one puncture per about 4000km / 2,500 miles (rough guess). I recently switched to tubeless Pirelli Cinturato Velo. No punctures at all so far.

My point? Choose your tyres carefully.

The OP's description sounds like a job for Marathon Plus. If still getting problems with M+ then consider something like adding slime tubes. If still getting problems with M+ and slime tubes then, and only then, maybe consider oddball left field solutions like inserts or solid tyres.
 
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fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
What tyre size are you running. Durano Plus were the only tyre that coped with the glass on the Fallowfield Loop when I was commuting on 700x23c.

This year had been thorns - although the tyres were quite light XC MTB tyres. Now changed for heavier duty with added puncture resistant tape (on top of the built in protection).
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Another vote for Durano Plus.
A good mix of good puncture protection, long lasting and quick rolling.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
I don't ride an electric bike but on Schwalbe Durano Plus I got one puncture per about 4000km / 2,500 miles (rough guess). I recently switched to tubeless Pirelli Cinturato Velo. No punctures at all so far.

My point? Choose your tyres carefully.

The OP's description sounds like a job for Marathon Plus. If still getting problems with M+ then consider something like adding slime tubes. If still getting problems with M+ and slime tubes then, and only then, maybe consider oddball left field solutions like inserts or solid tyres.
I'm running the same tyres and if I go 1 month without a flat I'm doing well even with the correct pressure and checking the tyres for bits I still get problems as part of my commute the surface is dire
 

rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
I don't ride an electric bike but on Schwalbe Durano Plus I got one puncture per about 4000km / 2,500 miles (rough guess). I recently switched to tubeless Pirelli Cinturato Velo. No punctures at all so far.

My point? Choose your tyres carefully.

The OP's description sounds like a job for Marathon Plus. If still getting problems with M+ then consider something like adding slime tubes. If still getting problems with M+ and slime tubes then, and only then, maybe consider oddball left field solutions like inserts or solid tyres.

+1 on the Pirelli Cinturato Velos
Brilliant commuting tyre and come in a 35mm width for those who want something a bit wider
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
+1 on the Pirelli Cinturato Velos
Brilliant commuting tyre and come in a 35mm width for those who want something a bit wider
I had a total nightmare trying to get mine to mount. I'm putting that down be my complete inexperience with tubeless and/or my rims. But once mounted ... forgotten about. (Actually that reminds me I should top up the sealant soon)
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
I've had a quick ride on Tannus. They felt deader than even Marathon Plus and cornered differently. I've also seen too many reports of local club riders crashing on social rides with them for me to like them. I think most were cornering slides, so might be that handling difference again: it's like they corner OK until you lean too far and then they suddenly want to lean lots more.

Personally, a mix of Marathon Green and Delta Cruiser tyres and carrying a sealant/inflation repair canister in winter is good enough for me, even with all the sharp junk motorists throw into cycle ways here. My most used bikes have 37mm tyres, but the road bike has 28s. My test ride was a road bike, looked like 28s but not mine and I didn't realise then what a persistent topic of interest those tyres would be.
 
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