Bike tires? Puncture proof? Skid proof?

[Wes Turner]

One of the main reasons that I have not bought a bike before now is the fear of a flat tire while far from home. That happened to me many years ago and it was a major pain in the a$$. I looked into the most flat-resistant tires that were available at that time. There really weren't any.

As I have been visiting local bike shops looking for an e-bike, I have asked about puncture-proof tires. Most said there aren't any. Several recommended Tannus Armour, an insert. But the tire can still go flat. I see several others available. The one with the best rating on Amazon seems to be Bell. Others recommended adding a sealant inside the tire. I think one is called Slime.

Do any of these come close to being puncture proof? I will only be riding on city streets and will do my best to avoid anything that looks like a problem.

I also asked about solid tires (no air, not inflatable). No one recommended them. One person said they are not available yet. I just did a search and found that there are flat-free tires available. Here's one:

https://www.northerntool.com/produc...steel-spoke-rim-3-4in-bore-26-x-2-125in-50852

Any comments on this one or others? Please note that one of the main reasons that I am looking into e-bikes is to get more exercise. I would be more than happy to trade a ride that is a bit more difficult for one that is puncture proof.

All comments and suggestions appreciated.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The matter is very sensitive, and always generates a lot of response. The best way to reduce the chance of catching a flat is the tubeless setup. Unfortunately, most of e-bike wheels are not tubeless ready.

Tannus Armor gets mixed opinions. It is hard to install, it makes the wheels heavy and stiff, it gets compressed over the time, and still does not prevents the flats.

Many users pour sealant into their tubes. Not bad idea at all, and it often helps sealing the tube after the puncture as long as the object had been removed from the tyre.

The most practical approach is using possibly puncture resistant tyres. The stock tyres of Gazelle C380 are puncture resistant. However, sometimes a flat is something you cannot avoid. Carrying a portable bicycle pump is recommended. The best is to learn how to remove the wheel and replace the inner tube. I can do it and carry necessary tools, a pump, and a spare tube with me but would hate making the field repair...

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

I got lots of flat's while riding on dirt trails in the desert. I've been lucky and almost none on the roads. I did get the Tannus Armour inserts for $100 or so and have found they give great peace of mind. I'm 2 years in on them and no flats. They definitely add a little weight and a little softness to the ride but I've found the peace of mind to be worth it.

I have also found the stock e-bike tires to be a little more substantial than standard road bike tires and they claim to be "puncture resistant" but if you hit a large piece of glass or sharp metal I suspect any tire will give.

 

[Wes Turner]

I meant to add that I also want tires that are as skid resistant as possible. I see big fat tires on some mountain bikes with deep treads. They look to me like they would be more puncture resistant and provide better traction. Is that true? But I don't think they will fit on the C380.

Maybe I should be looking at mountain bikes?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I meant to add that I also want tires that are as skid resistant as possible. I see big fat tires on some mountain bikes with deep treads. They look to me like they would be more puncture resistant and provide better traction. Is that true? But I don't think they will fit on the C380.

Each bike type is using specific type and size of tyres for the purpose; usually, the manufacturer provides the widest tyres that would fit the frame for good ride cushioning. No, you wouldn't be able to fit more aggressive tyres than 47-622 (700x47) on the Gazelle, and these tyres are already pretty wide!

You do not need to demonize the skidding of the tyres. If you are not riding trails full of mud or in the winter (ice & snow), the stock tyres would not be exposed to skidding unless you would like to stop on wet Autumn leaves I do not use any aggressive tyres on my both e-bikes. It used to happen not once and not twice a kid ran into the front of my e-bike. The regular tyres will stop the e-bike almost to a dead stop if you pull both brake levers energetically at the same time. It is not a car!

Maybe I should be looking at mountain bikes?

It is one of the worst ideas for the city. MTBs are designed for off-road use only. These are for zooming singletracks between the trees, in the mud, on the rocks downhill at a crazy speed, and for jumps. You would hate an e-MTB in the city. e-MTBs are slow. The MTB tyres are deadly noisy. You need to put more effort in pedalling an e-MTB on its wide aggresive tyres that it happens for your usual city e-bike. You would hate the extremely wide handlebars, etc. I used to own a classy e-MTB and it was the e-bike for which I felt a buyer's remorse...

If you need an all-rounder e-bike (city and off-road):

• Comfortable with full suspension
• With great traction because of wide tyres and the suspension
• With a dropper seat-post to be planted with both feet on the stops, to get on and off the e-bike easier, and ride on somewhat dropped seat in the situations you do not feel secure...

...Demo ride one of these SUV e-bikes:
Specialized Turbo Tero X

The only thing you would be missing is the carbon drive belt with the IGH gearbox.

P.S. MTB tyres are soft and wear out quickly. The added benefit of an e-bike such as Tero X is you can ask the LBS to install the tyres as tubeless, which will solve your puncture anxiety, as small punctures self-heal with the sealant in the tubeless setup.

 

[Chibbie]

I’ve found the Schwalbe’s Marathon E-Plus and Smart Sam tires to be quite puncture resistant. They have a variety of tires with a variety of levels of (at least claimed) puncture protection.

SCHWALBE PROTECTION. Benchmark of puncture protection

For many years Schwalbe has set the technological benchmark of puncture protection for bicycles.

www.schwalbe.com

Probably easiest to call them to ask specific questions/discuss your specific needs. They do have actual humans who answer, and I’ve found them very helpful.

 

[fooferdoggie]

if he has a fat tire bike with odd sized wheels he very limited. then about all you have is flat out and maybe liners. or sign up with AAA for a bike tow if you get a flat.

 

[indianajo]

I meant to add that I also want tires that are as skid resistant as possible. I see big fat tires on some mountain bikes with deep treads. They look to me like they would be more puncture resistant and provide better traction. Is that true?

I ride 2.1" knobby tires from Kenda Giant or Continental. $26 apiece. I go 3000-4000 miles between flats. The knobs roll right over most trash. What can get me is enormous truck tire shards with wires sticking out, which come in patterns of a thousand all over he road. In the midwest we do not have goathead thorns. I've nearly as many tires slashed with a knife as flats. My bike is difficult to steal, so thieves or vandals slash the tire. Knobbies grip quite well climbing driveway entrances at 20 degrees, that the city has decided may be 2" high.
I can flip the bike upside down on handlebars & seat and change either tube or tire in 20 minutes. I have put extra cable on the hub motor so I can remove it from the frame by just cutting a couple of ty-wraps. I carry a complete set of tools (except chain tools) and 3 tubes. I carry a lyzene pump. I also care a fold up tire, a Panaracer, in case of major sidewall damage. I go off cell phone coverage, so AAA could not help me, even if the driver could find those roads with no street signs. AAA has delayed help for the wife up to several days.
The disadvantage of sealant is that it plugs up the valve in a year or so. I do have to add air every 8 weeks or so, it oozes out. Slime can require a tube change in a tire that is not punctured.
I have deleted any display on my bike so there is no danger of flipping it over. Other people may take more time to remove the display or fiddle with handlebar jacks. I don't need any ****ing statistics. I have a voltmeter in my throttle, that is what matters.
One advantage of a stretch frame cargo bike like the blix packa is that weight on the back, like 20 lb tools tubes tires rain cold gear and 40 oz water, does not lift weight off the front wheel. Cruisers like the gazelle c380 are subject to weight in the back lifting the front tire. With 40 lb groceries I measured my Pacific Quantum MTB at 120 lb rear, 20 lb front, without me on it. 70% of rider's weight goes on the back tire on a cruiser frame. One time a dog butting the front wheel while I was carrying groceries on a MTB knocked me over.

 

[Wes Turner]

One advantage of a stretch frame cargo bike like the blix packa is that weight on the back, like 20 lb tools tubes tires rain cold gear and 40 oz water, does not lift weight off the front wheel. Cruisers like the gazelle c380 are subject to weight in the back lifting the front tire. With 40 lb groceries I measured my Pacific Quantum MTB at 120 lb rear, 20 lb front, without me on it. 70% of rider's weight goes on the back tire on a cruiser frame. One time a dog butting the front wheel while I was carrying groceries on a MTB knocked me over.

I am 6' 2" and over 200 lbs. I doubt that I would ever need to carry a 40 lb load, but even that weight should not be a problem when I am on the bike. No?

 

[indianajo]

I was 213-190 lb when several times the front wheel of the MTB & cruiser snapped sideways and threw me on my chin. I've lost 58 lb, but I don't think that is why the front wheel stays forwards. I think is the the stretch frame cargo bike does it with my weight on the front wheel. Thrice when I was thrown the MTB & cruiser had nothing but baskets, tools, tubes & water on the back. More trail (caster) would solve the problem but I checked trail for 26" bikes 2017 on ~200 frames in a database and all had exactly the same trail. In 2017 I asked two custom frame builders to build me a frame with more trail, and they refused. My Mother's 1946 Firestone safety bike with 26"x2" tires (same as today) was as stable as a rock. Frame was longer so front wheel could be set back more than today.
Take a couple of platform scales and see what the weight distribution is on the C380 with you sitting on it.
The other solution to more weight on the front wheel is the drop frame road bike. I refuse to flex my neck that much. Plus I know a lady that pitched off a road bike into a culvert & was comatose for days. Was wearing a helmet.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I am 5'8", 211 lbs in cycling clothing, 62 yo, and have no issues riding any e-bike or carry up to 50 lbs of groceries on any e-bike.

October 26th, 2023. A heavy rainfall and me bringing groceries on a superlightweight Vado SL at temperature below 50 F.

 

[sc00ter]

Mr. Tuffy tire liners. Best liners out there.

 

[EMGX]

Overall I like my Tannus airless tires 700x40c which is the widest 28" tire that they sell

Airless Tires Support Home

Answers to Questions What are Tannus Airless Tires? Tannus Airless Tires are made of a patented material called Aither. It’s a high quality foam-like polymer that allows them to be completely solid but ride like normal bike tires. Why get Airless Tires? You will never get a flat tire again. Are...

tannusamerica.com

What I love about them:
-Never have to check tire pressure, just grab the bike and go. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to check tire pressure and pump up but it makes a positive difference to never have to check that box.
-Never have to be concerned about getting a flat tire, ever.
-Never have to carry patches or a spare tube or pump or inflator or mess with tire sealant. Besides not having to even think about having all of these things (and in functional condition) as well as a way to carry them you lighten your bike by not having to carry them.
- besides the weight savings noted above the tubeless tires weigh less than inflatable tire/tube or tire/sealant combination. I don't recall exactly but I did weigh the tannus airless tires vs schwalbe marathon tires and standard thickness tubes. If I recall correctly it saved a pound (both front and rear tires), maybe more but not less wt savings.

Negatives:
-Ride is somewhat harsher than the Schwalbe marathons but not objectionable to me.
-They seem to have more rolling friction.
-Handling/traction doesn't seem as good (especially before they are broken in) but not a deal breaker for me.

Big negative:
They were very (as in "extremely") difficult to install. Besides the 700c airless tires I also installed a 26" Tannus airless on different bike - it was just as miserable to install.

 

[Wes Turner]

Overall I like my Tannus airless tires 700x40c which is the widest 28" tire that they sell

Airless Tires Support Home

Answers to Questions What are Tannus Airless Tires? Tannus Airless Tires are made of a patented material called Aither. It’s a high quality foam-like polymer that allows them to be completely solid but ride like normal bike tires. Why get Airless Tires? You will never get a flat tire again. Are...

tannusamerica.com

What I love about them:
-Never have to check tire pressure, just grab the bike and go. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to check tire pressure and pump up but it makes a positive difference to never have to check that box.
-Never have to be concerned about getting a flat tire, ever.
-Never have to carry patches or a spare tube or pump or inflator or mess with tire sealant. Besides not having to even think about having all of these things (and in functional condition) as well as a way to carry them you lighten your bike by not having to carry them.
- besides the weight savings noted above the tubeless tires weigh less than inflatable tire/tube or tire/sealant combination. I don't recall exactly but I did weigh the tannus airless tires vs schwalbe marathon tires and standard thickness tubes. If I recall correctly it saved a pound (both front and rear tires), maybe more but not less wt savings.

Negatives:
-Ride is somewhat harsher than the Schwalbe marathons but not objectionable to me.
-They seem to have more rolling friction.
-Handling/traction doesn't seem as good (especially before they are broken in) but not a deal breaker for me.

Big negative:
They were very (as in "extremely") difficult to install. Besides the 700c airless tires I also installed a 26" Tannus airless on different bike - it was just as miserable to install.

This looks like exactly what I want. Thank you.

 

[sc00ter]

My faith i Tannus faded when I installed Tannus liners on a friends bike and he still got a flat. I looked like a piece of steel belting from a car tire. What was super funny was the Tannus were compressed paper thin! I didn't read the care page and was unaware you were supposed to lower the tire pressure if the bike sits. Well, this bike my friend owns never sits, it was his only transportation.I guess if you have easy access to a air pump every time you want to ride your bike and don't put 100% faith in not getting a flat (Yes, I've had flats with Mr. Tuffys as well.) spend the extra on the Tannus.

Side notes:
Ride felt slight jarring. Hard to explain but the Tannus somehow altered the ride quality slightly.
Installing the Tannus are kinda annoying. I recall busting a knuckle and bleeding. Oh, and breaking a cheap tire lever.
Use baby powder during install and if you ever have to remove the Tannus liners you'll find a weird black dust between the liners and tires that will get on and stain everything.
The using different size inner tubes with Tannus can be annoying if the "new" tubes are a weird size.

 

[fooferdoggie]

My faith i Tannus faded when I installed Tannus liners on a friends bike and he still got a flat. I looked like a piece of steel belting from a car tire. What was super funny was the Tannus were compressed paper thin! I didn't read the care page and was unaware you were supposed to lower the tire pressure if the bike sits. Well, this bike my friend owns never sits, it was his only transportation.I guess if you have easy access to a air pump every time you want to ride your bike and don't put 100% faith in not getting a flat (Yes, I've had flats with Mr. Tuffys as well.) spend the extra on the Tannus.

Side notes:
Ride felt slight jarring. Hard to explain but the Tannus somehow altered the ride quality slightly.
Installing the Tannus are kinda annoying. I recall busting a knuckle and bleeding. Oh, and breaking a cheap tire lever.
Use baby powder during install and if you ever have to remove the Tannus liners you'll find a weird black dust between the liners and tires that will get on and stain everything.
The using different size inner tubes with Tannus can be annoying if the "new" tubes are a weird size.

yes thats what kept me going that way. I ride every day so they would be so thin.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

My opinion, and not what you want to hear, but learn how to deal with a flat. Carry the tools and a spare tube. Learning to fix a flat ought to be a standard part of the standard learning to ride a bike curriculum. It just isn't that big a deal.

Use Tannus Armor if you want, use a sealant like Slime or FlatOut or Stans, but there is no guarantee that almost no matter what you do you won't have a flat. You can mitigate the risk but you can't eliminate it.

I'm not saying fixing a flat is ever fun, but it just isn't that difficult that it should keep you from riding.

TT

 

[Wes Turner]

My opinion, and not what you want to hear, but learn how to deal with a flat.

I want to hear the truth. The truth may be that what I think is the best solution is not available, but I still want to hear it. And I want to hear as many options as I can.

Carry the tools and a spare tube. Learning to fix a flat ought to be a standard part of the standard learning to ride a bike curriculum. It just isn't that big a deal.

It also is not that small a deal. When the first cars were built, car owners pretty much had to be mechanics. Today, they almost cannot be.

Use Tannus Armor if you want, use a sealant like Slime or FlatOut or Stans, but there is no guarantee that almost no matter what you do you won't have a flat. You can mitigate the risk but you can't eliminate it.

So you think I will get a flat if my bike has Tannus airless tires?

I'm not saying fixing a flat is ever fun, but it just isn't that difficult that it should keep you from riding.

What is not difficult for one person might be very difficult for another. Or just more hassle that they are willing to put up with. I prefer my Lexus to a Model T.

Different strokes for different folks.

Cheers

 

[steve mercier]

As long as there is air inside it can always find a way out. I use Schwalbe Marathon plus and inside I have Tannus Armors and finally Slime tubes. The slime tubes will only work sometimes but when they do work if you carry a small hand pump you can get rolling again with no fuss. The Tannus armors real strength is that you can continue to pedal the bike ( albeit in limp mode) with a flat as I have done on a few occasions to get to the 5 kms to a bike shop or home to fix that flat ,without damaging the rim. I ride a lot and get a lot of flats even with these precautions so I also carry a repair kit but if I am close to a bike shop or it is foul weather I will ride there and let them do it. They will usually fix it quickly . Nothing short of airless tires will protect you from a 4 inch wood screw or a long thin piece of wire. The Schwalbes are good against blackberry thorns.

 

[Wes Turner]

As long as there is air inside it can always find a way out.
. . .
Nothing short of airless tires will protect you from a 4 inch wood screw or a long thin piece of wire.

Which is why I am liking the Tannus airless tires!