26x4 Tannus Flat

[Argyx]

Took my first flat today on the Duro Fleetwoods, with Tannus Armour inserts, mounted on an Ariel Rider Kepler today. A 9mm sliver of glass was the cause, which I wiggled back out by squeezing the tread (it was still at the tread not worked beyond and through the Tannus). Still, it punctured the tube. No additional glass was found inside. Luckily it went flat while I was racking the bike at work.

Tire was inflated to 25.1psi (Jaco Elite Tire Pressure Gauge - certified accurate to professional ANSI 2A standards (±0.50% FS)). Apparently that is enough pressure to compress the 26x4 Tannus to 6mm or so?

How thick is a standard Hershey's Chocolate bar? The Tannus might actually be thinner than others have reported.

 

[Argyx]

Here is an image of the glass and puncture.

 

[junker]

Well that sucks. The inserts did not really do much against what would be considered a minor threat. My bike is actually scheduled to arrive today and I look forward to doing some test rides on the stock tires. I've been watching BigTeedo on his YouTube channel and he has done a bunch of miles on the stock tires without incident. Sometimes you just get unlucky I suppose. Good luck fixing and I will probably order some inner tube backups so that my bike does not go out of commission when I eventually get a flat.

 

[Argyx]

Well that sucks. The inserts did not really do much against what would be considered a minor threat. My bike is actually scheduled to arrive today and I look forward to doing some test rides on the stock tires. I've been watching BigTeedo on his YouTube channel and he has done a bunch of miles on the stock tires without incident. Sometimes you just get unlucky I suppose. Good luck fixing and I will probably order some inner tube backups so that my bike does not go out of commission when I eventually get a flat.

Yeah, the stock tires might not have even taken the glass, and it's definitely all a bit of luck regarding how the object makes contact. Slicks will be more prone to glass, which was what I had hoped the Tannus Armour would help with. Just didn't happen this time, but I am concerned with how much the Tannus are compacting (in my experience and as reported by others). I've added some sealant for now. We'll see if it works with the Tannus in the mix. Next up would be adding a puncture strip, or

I will say that I fixed this flat on the bike, and the folding bead (plus higher TPI) was worlds easier than the stock wire bead would have been (even with the Tannus crammed in there - smaller tube btw, 26x3/3.5). Those wire beads are no joke. Also, pushing them to the middle of the rim to gain bead play moves the rim tape.

Checking out Bigteedo_EV now.

 

[Argyx]

Here is the the latest reply from Tannus. By the way, there is no date of manufacture I can find. I assume I have the latest compound. Have been deflating/inflating twice a day around my daily commute since we have no info regarding how quickly compression happens. In my case 2 weeks was enough to compress to under 6mm.

"As far as some reviews on the compression, we were aware of this and did an update on the compound earlier this year that has reduced compression. As far as technology, we have tested a compound that doesn't compress at all, but the ride is terrible. So, it is that fine line of finding something that resists compression and also rides nicely.

The current compound has been our best yet.

The material is similar to that of high end running shoe soles. This is what makes it light, resist puncture, and resist compression."

My testing on compression will take place this Sunday. In my reply to the above, I pointed out that the 15mm of 'protection' they promote isn't even valid before airing up (unless they included the manufactruing ridge in the center). I also reiterated that the issues appear to be on units that are not run-flat compatible.

The width seems to be a key factor here, and why some users sing Tannus praises while others find nothing but fail. The insert most likely works on narrow, super low pressure applications used offroad. On fat tire urban bikes at 20psi or more, this insert is just not ready.

 

[tomjasz]

Nice. <dripping in sarcasm>
I’ve read more negative than positive reviews.

 

[Argyx]

Nice. <dripping in sarcasm>
I’ve read more negative than positive reviews.

The original person I was exchanging emails with clearly thought there were no negative experiences with their product, and I was the lone exception. It was nice to finally get to somebody that was forthcoming with info.

 

[tomjasz]

The original person I was exchanging emails with clearly thought there were no negative experiences with their product, and I was the lone exception. It was nice to finally get to somebody that was forthcoming with info.

To me it’s kind of shocking, given the cost, that units more than a year old have essentially failed. Where’s the due diligence to properly test before releasing a product. Nuts!

 

[Alaskan]

All Tannus armour does as a matter absolute certainty is dramatically increase your rotational mass, slow you down and use more battery on ebikes. With the compression of the material they do almost nothing to reduce flats on wider tires. I have two sets of Tannus Armour gathering dust in my workshop. Free to a good home if you pay the shipping cost. PM me if interested.

I have gone to Tubeless where I can or Tubolito inner tubes which claim to be 3 times the puncture resistance of butyl rubber tubes and are 60% lighter. I rarely get flats in them but have had a few.

 

[Argyx]

Agreed. Does Tubolito make a 26 x 4 though? I can't find one on their site. Schwalbe Aerothan or Pirelli PZero either.

Any other wider suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Alaskan]

Tubolito does not make fat tire tubes that I know of. 2.5" is as wide as they make.

 

[smorgasbord]

FWIW, I just got a flat on my 27.5x3.0 tires with Tannus armour and Tubolito tubes. Don't know where the leak occurred - taking the tire off was hard due to stuck beads so I mangled the tube anyway. I was bad about deflating the tires for the past year and a half - maybe more - and the Tannus is pretty hard. Letting it sit inside the warm house overnight to see what's what.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Been running Tannus on my Fat Bike for a year and on my Luna Z1 for 2,100 miles. No problems or flats.

 

[Chargeride]

I use 19inch motorcycle inner tubes and always keep the pressure above pinch flat, been good so far, one flat in thirty rides.
They do squeak though.

 

[Chargeride]

yes, I did that, but the one puncture I got and the patch wouldn't stick, no matter how much I cleaned it

 

[m@Robertson]

^^^ this x 100!

I have found that buying Rema parts (box of 100 patches, bag o' 5 tubes of cement) and supplying my own snippets of sandpaper works better than buying the kits. I use an empty prescription pill bottle for a patch 'box'. The adult-proof lid on the pill bottle plus the bottle shape itself makes for better packaging. Also when you buy the Rema cement separately you get a larger tube in the package. And of course you can carry more patches. I buy three different sizes. Links in the article below.

Something I also do on patches is, while I am sitting on the side of the road and buttoning the wheel back up, get a bit of road dust and rub it over/around the fresh patch (I also leave the plastic backing on). The idea being you want to stop the glue surrounding the patch from creating a weld of the tube to the tire.

A Proper (e?)Bike Tool Kit

You need to carry tools as a matter of routine. Especially if you ride daily for transportation or commuting. But what do you really *need*?

talesontwowheels.com

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I was a Dedicated Road Wheeler in North San Diego in my day - and with Roadies - "Rolling Resistance" is a Thing.
I still stay in touch - this Liners Test verified Tannus RR Issue - and a member of the Ariel Facebook forum for him Tannus was reducing his range by 30-40%
This is the RR report on Liners for Roadies: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/puncture-resistant-tire-liners

Excellent article! Everything's a trade-off in cycling. Playing the trade-offs can be tricky. Hard data like this really helps. Reminding yourself that you're not a Tour de France contender also helps.

Tannus liners still make the most sense for my situation, but the rolling resistance penalty is quite clear. My roadie neighbor rides a gorgeous all-Campy road bike weighing well under 20 lbs — unmotorized, of course — on narrow 90-psi slicks.

My 65 lb ebike has 2.3" hybrid tires with Tannus inserts at 35 psi. Our body weights and drag areas (CdAs) are about the same, but he's less upright.

If we crest a hill at the same speed and coast from there, he out-rolls me all the way down, and not by a little — even at low speeds where the small difference in air resistance would be negligible.

Since I have yet to run out of charge, happy to let the battery pay the penalty for the extra puncture protection the Tannus inserts provide.