Tannus tyres on a Brompton

[simon.r]

I've fitted Tannus tyres to my Brompton.

Fitting them is probably worth a thread of its own, but suffice to say it's doable at home but very difficult - and I consider myself a fairly competent home mechanic.

I've done 10 miles on them and my initial impressions are that they're absolutely horrible and very close to being dangerous.

There are 3 issues:

• The drag. It's not quite as bad as riding through sand, but it's very noticeable. I need to be in at least a gear lower (on a 6 speed) if I want to put the same effort in. Obviously this means a slower speed, which I could live with, but the feel of the tyre is horrible.
• Cornering. Taking a corner at anything over 10mph is a nightmare. The tyres feel as if they're trying to squirm off the rim. I'm an experienced cyclist and managed to control the bike, but I really think someone with little experience or poor bike handling skills would have been off.
• They track horribly along any road defects - the edges of filled in trenches, manhole covers etc.

On the positive side they were OK on a straight hard-packed gravel track and I didn't get any punctures

I've read reviews that say they get better after a few miles, so I'll give them a hundred miles or so and report back.

(TLDR - they're a nightmare to fit and ride horribly, but may improve over time - I'll update in due course).

 

[MacB]

Brave man will be interested to read your follow up

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've fitted Tannus tyres to my Brompton.

Fitting them is probably worth a thread of its own, but suffice to say it's doable at home but very difficult - and I consider myself a fairly competent home mechanic.

I've done 10 miles on them and my initial impressions are that they're absolutely horrible and very close to being dangerous.

There are 3 issues:

• The drag. It's not quite as bad as riding through sand, but it's very noticeable. I need to be in at least a gear lower (on a 6 speed) if I want to put the same effort in. Obviously this means a slower speed, which I could live with, but the feel of the tyre is horrible.
• Cornering. Taking a corner at anything over 10mph is a nightmare. The tyres feel as if they're trying to squirm off the rim. I'm an experienced cyclist and managed to control the bike, but I really think someone with little experience or poor bike handling skills would have been off.
• They track horribly along any road defects - the edges of filled in trenches, manhole covers etc.

On the positive side they were OK on a straight hard-packed gravel track and I didn't get any punctures

I've read reviews that say they get better after a few miles, so I'll give them a hundred miles or so and report back.

(TLDR - they're a nightmare to fit and ride horribly, but may improve over time - I'll update in due course).

They take some getting used to, but if you can ride a bike properly, they are fine. I've got over 1000 miles on mine, and that's on a road bike, they can be 'skittish' on poor surfaces, but if you make allowances, the disadvantages are massively outweighed by the advantages.

 

[CopperBrompton]

They are truly horrible things. Cornering on them in the dry feels like you're about to fall over at any moment. Gawd knows what they're like in the wet. Just fit Marathon Plus – I average one visit from the puncture fairy every 2000 miles.

 

[simon.r]

They take some getting used to, but if you can ride a bike properly, they are fine. I've got over 1000 miles on mine, and that's on a road bike, they can be 'skittish' on poor surfaces, but if you make allowances, the disadvantages are massively outweighed by the advantages.

View attachment 367674

Did you find they got better after a few miles?

 

[TheDoctor]

They sound awful.
I fitted Marathons to my Brommie in November 2011, and (fingers crossed) I've not had a visitation since.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I've fitted Tannus tyres to my Brompton.

Fitting them is probably worth a thread of its own, but suffice to say it's doable at home but very difficult - and I consider myself a fairly competent home mechanic.

I've done 10 miles on them and my initial impressions are that they're absolutely horrible and very close to being dangerous.

There are 3 issues:

• The drag. It's not quite as bad as riding through sand, but it's very noticeable. I need to be in at least a gear lower (on a 6 speed) if I want to put the same effort in. Obviously this means a slower speed, which I could live with, but the feel of the tyre is horrible.
• Cornering. Taking a corner at anything over 10mph is a nightmare. The tyres feel as if they're trying to squirm off the rim. I'm an experienced cyclist and managed to control the bike, but I really think someone with little experience or poor bike handling skills would have been off.
• They track horribly along any road defects - the edges of filled in trenches, manhole covers etc.

On the positive side they were OK on a straight hard-packed gravel track and I didn't get any punctures

I've read reviews that say they get better after a few miles, so I'll give them a hundred miles or so and report back.

(TLDR - they're a nightmare to fit and ride horribly, but may improve over time - I'll update in due course).

I'm happy for you that those tyres at least delivered on their primary promise.
However, the side-effects were to be expected, especially the drag. Tyre drag (also called rolling resistance) is a very well-understood science and therefore, on paper, there is no way that a solid tyre with high hysteresis will have a low RR. Some converts say they cant feel the difference but either they are post-rationalising their expensive purchase or they are mechanically naive. It is easy to display the incredibly high RR. Take two comparable wheels, say two front wheels, one shod with a pneumatic tyre and the other with that silly putty tyre of yours. Bounce them on a hard surface in front of you. Throw the wheel as if you're throwing a plate at a Greek wedding, but turned vertically. Put a little spin on it so it bounces back to you. Notice the difference in return energy between the two. That return energy is a visual report of what's happening when you ride.
They will not get better over time, you will just get (slilghtly) used to it. There is no plausible explanation of how they can get better.
There is a reason why the pneumatic tyre was invented.

 

[simon.r]

I'm happy for you that those tyres at least delivered on their primary promise.
However, the side-effects were to be expected, especially the drag. Tyre drag (also called rolling resistance) is a very well-understood science and therefore, on paper, there is no way that a solid tyre with high hysteresis will have a low RR. Some converts say they cant feel the difference but either they are post-rationalising their expensive purchase or they are mechanically naive. It is easy to display the incredibly high RR. Take two comparable wheels, say two front wheels, one shod with a pneumatic tyre and the other with that silly putty tyre of yours. Bounce them on a hard surface in front of you. Throw the wheel as if you're throwing a plate at a Greek wedding, but turned vertically. Put a little spin on it so it bounces back to you. Notice the difference in return energy between the two. That return energy is a visual report of what's happening when you ride.
They will not get better over time, you will just get (slilghtly) used to it. There is no plausible explanation of how they can get better.
There is a reason why the pneumatic tyre was invented.

You're right of course, but I wanted to try them for myself. I think it was you who used the phrase "the cost of learning" (or something similar) in a previous post about messing up when doing home mechanics. I bought these tyres prepared to treat it in that manner.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

You're right of course, but I wanted to try them for myself. I think it was you who used the phrase "the cost of learning" (or something similar) in a previous post about messing up when doing home mechanics. I bought these tyres prepared to treat it in that manner.

Please don't see my post as a criticism for buying them. I'm just appreciative of someone who is honest after throwing down good money. So often this type of thing is given a type of spin that Alistair Campbell would be jealous of. I've purchased plenty of dud products in my life. School fees, all of it.

 

[simon.r]

Please don't see my post as a criticism for buying them. I'm just appreciative of someone who is honest after throwing down good money. So often this type of thing is given a type of spin that Alistair Campbell would be jealous of. I've purchased plenty of dud products in my life. School fees, all of it.

I didn't read your post as a personal criticism.

I'll give them a few miles (though I note your comments about getting used to them*) and then, I suspect, try to remove them. If I can get them off without destroying them I'll eBay them with an honest account and see what they go for!

*At the moment I''m in the fortunate position of having two Bromptons, one with pneumatic tyres, one with Tannus tyres, so I'll be able to compare them after I've got used to them.

 

[User10571]

I'm struggling to think why one might make the already questionable handling of a bike, even more so - but I guess that comes down to how you use the bike. Mine is not my everyday ride, mostly weekends only, and not significant mileage.
My 2013 S-type came with Marathons, and until I swapped them (there's plenty of life left in them) for Kojaks earlier this year they hadn't suffered any punctures.
The Kojaks have noticeably less rolling resistance - you roll further for each push of the pedals - which is nice. So far, I've not suffered a puncture with the Kojaks. If I want to improve the handling of the bike further, 10kg of goods from Sainsburys shelves, placed in the C-bag will do that - which, I think, speaks volumes about the design of the bike.
I don't carry a pump or tools on my Brommie. Aside from the fact that the Ti rear triangle lacks the pegs for a pump, I bought the bike on the basis that if it goes wrong, I'll fold it up and put it and me in a taxi or on a bus / train. Or walk / push.
I confess it took me a while for me to get my head around the fact that the Brompton wasn't going to deliver the sort of handling that any of my four 700c - wheeled bikes do.
Since I had my lightbulb moment, I've grown to love the Brommie. I've thrown enough Ti currency at the bike (in an effort to make it lighter) that it would've been cheaper for me to buy a yacht and keep it moored in Marbella - but if there was one improvement tip I was to offer to a Brommie rider - it would be to invest in Kojaks. The effect is immediate and obvious.
But, as I said earlier, it depends very much on how you use the bike.
Like others on here, @simon.r I remain interested to hear how your your opinions of your relationship with your Tannus tyres develop.

 

[simon.r]

A few more miles this morning and I just couldn't take any more:

I don't have the Tannus removal tool and after a few minutes of trying to use a pair of grips as a substitute decided that I've wasted enough of my time on these tyres and resorted to a hacksaw and Stanley knife.

Farewell Tannus tyres, you will not be missed.

 

[User10571]

@simon.r That made oi larf biggly!
Thank you for undertaking the research on everyone's behalf.
Occasionally, I've done the same myself
ETA: Schwalbe Kojaks are your friends.

 

[simon.r]

I reckon that every other Brommie owner on here should crowd fund your experiment.

Excellent idea!

 

[ianrauk]

Pardon my ignorance. What exactly are Tannus tyres, please?

Airless Tyres.. HERE you go