Bike tires? Puncture proof? Skid proof?

[sc00ter]

But the fact remains that flats are inevitable, and when they happen you have to be ready. With my good quality puncture "resistant" tires, Slime inner tubes and Mr. Tuffy liners I greatly reduced the flat event. I did get a flat on my ebike leaving work one night. I did a thread with a picture of this blow-out on this site but anyways. The tire instantly lost air, around 10pm, on a warm night, 12 miles from home. I called my truck driving co-worker and he was still in the area. He picked me up and dropped me and my ebike off at my home. I also have a small truck but my wife was at work that night.

You can usually patch a tube with the wheel still on the bike. I've fixed a few flats on fat tire bikes like this. But you have to make sure the offending item is not still sticking in the tire. A good patch kit (I like the Slime Scabs), a good pair of small needle nose pliers for offending item removal in the tire and either a hand pump/air cartridge/battery powered pump and some good quality tire levers. I've also locked the bike up, called a cab for a ride home (been riding well before Uber) and came back for the bike later. My wife is now retired but I hate bothering her at night because her night vision isn't that great.

 

[steve mercier]

the problem I found with tubes and sealant was first pressure you really need lower pressure like below 50 or 60 pis for best effect. but the second is fining what's in the tire. usually I could never find anything on the outside and only found it when I took the tire off and felt and found it on the inside. if yo cant get it out then it wont seal.

Or if the gash is too large it will also not seal. If you ride enough you are going to experience flats. Acceptance is the final stage...

 

[mrgold35]

I have two Radrovers since 2016, 2018 Radcity, and 2023 Radcity. Added Mr. Tuffy liners and Stan tire sealant to the tubes on all the ebikes. We have a ton on goat head stickers or various cactus plants in NM. My flats on my Rover mostly were 1-2 per month before Tuffy/Stans to 1-2 per year after. Using Tuffy/Stans not much help with road debris that cause +1/8" or larger holes. It is easier to carry and replace the tube for those types of flats.

Just purchased a Himiway Cobra Pro with 4.8" fat tires. Giving Tannus liners+Stans tire sealant a try. Too early to tell after a month if that is a better overall compared to Mr. Tuffy+Stans.

Side Note: I keep my PSI on my 4" fat tire Radrover around 19-22 psi with Mr. Tuffy+Stans. I would get the dreaded fat tire tq self steer with PSI lower than 16. I have to up the PSI to 28-30 psi on my 4.8" Himiway Cobra Pro with Tannus+Stans to avoid the tq self steer (it was really bad at 20-22 PSI). I purchased the Himiway with the Tannus liners already installed and don't know if that is the reason.

 

[EMGX]

Or if the gash is too large it will also not seal. If you ride enough you are going to experience flats. Acceptance is the final stage...

Or, accept the compromises that Tannus airless tires introduce but in return never experience a flat, nor even have to think about it. Choice is yours.

 

[steve mercier]

Or, accept the compromises that Tannus airless tires introduce but in return never experience a flat, nor even have to think about it. Choice is yours.

Well the last time I looked they did not make them in 27.5" which I have on one bike so there is no choice there.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

1. If your bike has rims that can accept tubeless tires, and you can find a suitable tire for the kind of riding that you do that is compatible with that rim, then tubeless would probably be a good choice. Especially in the relatively mild climate of the Bay Area.
2. Always check your tire pressure before every ride. It is easier to air up a tire at the start of a ride, and an underinflated tire is more likely to suffer additional damage during a ride. You can often get by for weeks with a slow leak if you just air up your tires before every ride. This goes for tubes or tubeless tires.
3. All other things being equal, higher-quality tires and tubes will have fewer flats.
4. All other things being equal, newer tires and tubes will have fewer flats. Be a bit proactive and replace tires (especially tires) early. Depending on where and what you ride on that might be every 1500 miles or less.
5. Solutions like tire sealant and good tire liners, varying from a simple Mr. Tuffy to Tannus Armor may or may not help you, depending on the kind of riding you do. Although if they help you they will likely help you a lot.
6. Acquire basic tools and skills to be able to field repair problems that might arise on a ride. This includes repairing flat tires. Things like a cell phone and AAA might be good solutions, but the very best solutions will be ones where you rely on yourself and what you can carry. Also focus on acquiring the skill to fix the problem just enough to get you someplace where you can make a better, more permanent fix.
7. Learn where flats happen where you ride and perhaps change your preferred routes to avoid high-risk areas like hardware store parking lots and badly contaminated highway shoulders.

I typically have 2-3 flats a year, mostly from the tiny little wires from radial tire belts. Those are extremely vexing because there is never just one wire and they can take time to work their way through the tire. So usually an encounter with them means I will often get at least two flats in the coming days.

If tubeless tires can work for you, that is probably the very best compromise between easy field repairs and ride quality (the ride quality of tubeless tires is arguably better than with tubes). For ninety percent of flats on tubeless tires, all you need to do is air up the tire and spin it a little. In practice what I usually do is air up the tire, spin it, ride for a couple of minutes, check the tire pressure, and possibly air it up some more.

 

[steve mercier]

1. If your bike has rims that can accept tubeless tires, and you can find a suitable tire for the kind of riding that you do that is compatible with that rim, then tubeless would probably be a good choice. Especially in the relatively mild climate of the Bay Area.
2. Always check your tire pressure before every ride. It is easier to air up a tire at the start of a ride, and an underinflated tire is more likely to suffer additional damage during a ride. You can often get by for weeks with a slow leak if you just air up your tires before every ride. This goes for tubes or tubeless tires.
3. All other things being equal, higher-quality tires and tubes will have fewer flats.
4. All other things being equal, newer tires and tubes will have fewer flats. Be a bit proactive and replace tires (especially tires) early. Depending on where and what you ride on that might be every 1500 miles or less.
5. Solutions like tire sealant and good tire liners, varying from a simple Mr. Tuffy to Tannus Armor may or may not help you, depending on the kind of riding you do. Although if they help you they will likely help you a lot.
6. Acquire basic tools and skills to be able to field repair problems that might arise on a ride. This includes repairing flat tires. Things like a cell phone and AAA might be good solutions, but the very best solutions will be ones where you rely on yourself and what you can carry. Also focus on acquiring the skill to fix the problem just enough to get you someplace where you can make a better, more permanent fix.
7. Learn where flats happen where you ride and perhaps change your preferred routes to avoid high-risk areas like hardware store parking lots and badly contaminated highway shoulders.

I typically have 2-3 flats a year, mostly from the tiny little wires from radial tire belts. Those are extremely vexing because there is never just one wire and they can take time to work their way through the tire. So usually an encounter with them means I will often get at least two flats in the coming days.

If tubeless tires can work for you, that is probably the very best compromise between easy field repairs and ride quality (the ride quality of tubeless tires is arguably better than with tubes). For ninety percent of flats on tubeless tires, all you need to do is air up the tire and spin it a little. In practice what I usually do is air up the tire, spin it, ride for a couple of minutes, check the tire pressure, and possibly air it up some more.

Yup my last flat was a wire !

 

[Wes Turner]

I typically have 2-3 flats a year, mostly from the tiny little wires from radial tire belts. Those are extremely vexing because there is never just one wire and they can take time to work their way through the tire. So usually an encounter with them means I will often get at least two flats in the coming days.

When I first read your comment about the "tiny little wires from radial tire belts", I thought you were talking about tiny wires in the road that had come out of car tires. Silly me. A quick search taught me that they are from your own bike tires as they wear out. If these wires are showing, doesn't that mean that the tire needs to be replaced? Actually, doesn't it mean that the tire should have been replaced some time ago?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

When I first read your comment about the "tiny little wires from radial tire belts", I thought you were talking about tiny wires in the road that had come out of car tires. Silly me. I quick search taught me that they are from your own bike tires as they wear out. If these wires are showing, doesn't that mean that the tire needs to be replaced? Actually, doesn't it mean that the tire should have been replaced some time ago?

My experience is that they are from blown out truck tires and fragments that find their way onto the highway shoulder.

 

[Wes Turner]

My experience is that they are from blown out truck tires and fragments that find their way onto the highway shoulder.

I am very surprised that tiny wires really work their way into bike tires.

In any case, this is probably much less likely on neighborhood streets, especially those suggested by Google Maps for cycling routes. Since I have been using Google Maps to choose my routes, I actually see much less traffic and almost no trucks.

 

[indianajo]

When I first read your comment about the "tiny little wires from radial tire belts", I thought you were talking about tiny wires in the road that had come out of car tires.

Read post # 3 again. Third sentence. Those truck tire shards are taller than the knobs on my tire.
If you don't ride on roads that take trucks you don't get to cross rivers. I actually travel sometimes. Not all bridges have sidewalks.

 

[m@Robertson]

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?

No its not true . Short answer given to a question that can be very involved to answer.

The Schwalbe Marathon Plus line is advertised as 'flatless' and they essentially are that. They also wear like iron and give good traction. The Marathon Plus Tour is the rough road/gravel version and thats what I use as a back tire year round. Its smooth rolling enough I don't begrudge the tread articulation, and if you read the reviews on it, it can be a 10,000-mile tire. My original one is pushing 4000 miles and it only has minimal wear so far.

Also nearly if not flat free is the Continental Contact Plus City. Often sold into ebike rental fleets. It also wears like iron and is effectively flatless.

Tubeless is a deterrent to flats, but only to tiny punctures like goathead thorns. Its just as vulnerable to things like road glass and metal bits in urban settings. Tubeless becomes mostly flatless on wilderness trails, not on the street. Tubeless is also more of a fiddly thing that cyclists who want to work on their bikes should be taking on. If you want a set-it-and-forget-it solution, buy belted tires, with sealant inside of heavier-duty (not necessarily thornproof) tubes.

And I used the weasel words "effectively" and "essentially" on purpose. Nothing is a perfect solution. Even flat free solid tires... which may be good after rolling over a nail, but they suck for every minute of your ride other than that.

But if you want to ride day in, day out, in the city where all manner of broken things litter the ground, belted tires and sealant-treated tubes are the best bet for a bike that has to be relied upon to do a job.

 

[m@Robertson]

Here's a good look at what you are in for with a Tannus install. This guy is a pro, and the video makes liberal use of fast-forward.

Worth mentioning: When this video came out, Tannus said the tire was good for 5000 miles. Now they say its good for 3000. For those who have been following Tannus' claims vs. reality with their tire liners, doesn't this sound awfully familiar? Sold as one thing, then the real world weighs in and expectations start getting rolled back.

For my money, Schwalbe Marathon Plus is so effective I don't need to look any further. The Tour version has extra tread and extra comfort to boot.

 

[EMGX]

Here's a good look at what you are in for with a Tannus install. This guy is a pro, and the video makes liberal use of fast-forward.

Worth mentioning: When this video came out, Tannus said the tire was good for 5000 miles. Now they say its good for 3000. For those who have been following Tannus' claims vs. reality with their tire liners, doesn't this sound awfully familiar? Sold as one thing, then the real world weighs in and expectations start getting rolled back.

For my money, Schwalbe Marathon Plus is so effective I don't need to look any further. The Tour version has extra tread and extra comfort to boot.

I already posted that video on this thread. The 3 tires I mounted were every bit as difficult. It'd probably have been easier if I had installed them on a 100 degree day and left them sitting in the sun for a couple hours (works with difficult to mount motorcycle tires). Also once installed it's not a tire that you'd be able to casually switch back and forth with another tire. The online product description is lacking, mine came with a list of caveats including wt limitations which I don't recall mentioned on their web site. Still, all in all, I'm pleased with them and don't have any intention of swapping them out for other tires on the bikes they are currently on. I've had flats with everything else I've tried including Tannus Armor, Tuffy tire liners, Slime tubes, Slime thorn resistant tubes and probably a couple others that I've forgotten about. Definitely not for everyone or every bike but again, I'm happy with mine. Oh, and the ride is significantly better than what I experienced with Gatorskin 700x32c at 100 psi and not much worse than Marathons or Armadillos at 100psi although, of course, the rolling friction was worse particularly compared with the Gatorskins, less difference compared to the Marathons.

Addendum: if I recall correctly the 5000 mile mention is for regular pedal bikes, 3000 miles for ebikes (I might have that wrong but that is what I recall anyway).

 

[steve mercier]

When I first read your comment about the "tiny little wires from radial tire belts", I thought you were talking about tiny wires in the road that had come out of car tires. Silly me. A quick search taught me that they are from your own bike tires as they wear out. If these wires are showing, doesn't that mean that the tire needs to be replaced? Actually, doesn't it mean that the tire should have been replaced some time ago?

No not from our own tires. I would never let my tires wear down that far before chainging them.

 

[John from Connecticut]

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.

Hello,
I have two e-bikes, a mountain and a commuter. I run Schwalbe Flatless for ebikes on both. The Marathon Plus
for my commuter and the Marathon MTB on my mountain bike. 12,000 miles combined total and no flats.
I ride rail trails and some road on my mtb, no real mountain biking.

Flat-less | Schwalbe Tires North America – schwalbetires.com

Schwalbe North America: Best driving comfort ✓ Latest technology ✓ Discover the range of Schwalbe North America online now!

www.schwalbetires.com

Goog luck,
John

 

[steve mercier]

Hello,
I have two e-bikes, a mountain and a commuter. I run Schwalbe Flatless for ebikes on both. The Marathon Plus
for my commuter and the Marathon MTB on my mountain bike. 12,000 miles combined total and no flats.
I ride rail trails and some road on my mtb, no real mountain biking.

Flat-less | Schwalbe Tires North America – schwalbetires.com

Schwalbe North America: Best driving comfort ✓ Latest technology ✓ Discover the range of Schwalbe North America online now!

www.schwalbetires.com

Goog luck,
John

John I use both those same tires. They are great tires. I still get flats. Methinks you have put the whammy on yourself with that post. (-:

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Also, if you encounter any debris that is big enough to rip your tire you are in a world of hurt, pretty much no matter what flat defense technology you are using.

Sharp rocks, pungi sticks, big gnarly pieces of metal on road shoulders, and sometimes nasty surprises like a sheet metal or drywall screw that gets caught in your fender can do a lot of damage.

Field repairs are problematic: best bet is to carry a tire boot, maybe some shoe goo, and perhaps a curved sewing awl with heavy thread (kite string is good). Either way you will be spending some time getting your bike ridable enough to limp to a bike shop and buy a new tire. I'm doubtful that your situation would be improved a lot in such a worst-case scenario by anything you can ride on.

Fortunately such problems are very rare.

 

[Djangodog]

Tire quality is not just about wear, traction and puncture resistance. A supple tire will make the ride much more comfortable and improve handling over any irregularities. A stiff tire will be deflected by irregularities which causes discomfort and can even cause loss of control.

I ride both my conventional road bike and my ebike over rough roads and in the case of the ebike, over gravel and the occasional single track. I haven’t had a puncture since I stopped using 23mm racing tires about fifteen years ago. I maintain proper inflation to avoid pinch flats, watch where I am going and always use a fresh, Continental tube when I replace a tire.

I don’t worry about punctures, but part of that is because I can easily deal with a puncture while on the road. I carry a patch kit, spare tube, tire irons and a CO2 inflator with three cartridges. I like to be prepared and I am not willing to give up ride quality, performance and handling for fear of a flat tire.

Tubeless tires pretty much eliminate the possibility of becoming stranded due to a pinch flat or a small puncture, but a tear will still ruin your ride. Being self sufficient is your best defense against becoming stranded. A phone with good coverage is probably second best. Stiff, highly puncture resistant tires will provide a harsh ride while compromising handling. Airless tires will limit your choices of tread and ride feel. A good tubeless setup is probably your best bet and it will give you good ride quality, improved handling and greatly reduced risk of a puncture.

 

[Wes Turner]

Tubeless tires pretty much eliminate the possibility of becoming stranded due to a pinch flat or a small puncture,

What exact;y is a "pinch flat"?