Update.....
My post #7 here, back in December 2020 found me with a small thorn, flattening the rear tire on a road trip. This morning, going out for a 26 mile run, the rear tire was flat and the culprit was obvious; a quarter inch, arrow-shaped stone sliver that pierced the rear tire, liner and pricked the tube. No big deal, best to encounter this issues on the homefront than on the trail. Plus, it was a good time to replace the severely worn rear Schwalbe Jumbo Jim; itself replaced back in the fall of 2019. Estimated miles on the tire: 4 to 5 thousand. This summer, with the US premium fat bike tire shortage in full swing, I had to go to Euro bike parts suppliers to pick up 2 new JJ's. The front tire could use a change out as well as I see some small cracking in the sidewall casing, but the tread is good and I figure to ride this one out until late spring, 2022 or so. I was curious to see how the Tannus Armour held up for all these miles under 25 psi tire pressure, so here we go, some pics:
So this is what a Schwalbe Jumbo Jim rear fat bike tire is going to look like after some 4 or 5 thousand miles, running on predominantly asphalt road or trail surfaces at 25 psi. Pretty confidant to say I got my money's worth out of this tire and to push it further on some long distance rides away from home is just rolling the dice.
Brand new Jumbo Jim 4.0. Since Covid has disrupted the bike parts supply chain here in the US, I struck out trying to find a US seller for these tires, so I tried 2 different Euro suppliers for 2 new tires, (at separate times apart from each other this summer). I have to say, surprisingly, the price and shipping was not much different than what I paid Universal Cycles in nearby Lancaster, PA for the same tire. For this job, I will be using a new Bontrager tube, sized 2.4-2.8 inches, within the same T/A.
I was surprised to find several punctures on the T/A. In this shot, there are two, both near the centerline of the tire liner. Both about a good 1/8th inch. Nothing punctured thru on the other side as well as whatever punctured the liner, not found within the liner.
And here is another. So that is 3 in total here; not counting the actual puncture-thru into the tube as that picture was too blurry to post here. Total of 4 major punctures; one going all the way thru and into the tube. I will guess that one of these punctures I show here resulted in the fall, 2020 road-side flat.
Running my fingers inside the tire carcass found no thorns or objects stuck in the tire, so whatever caused these punctures in the T/A worked their way out of the tire during my riding.
I'm overall very pleased with the T/A's and now, with a new JJ 4.0 mounted, she'll provide another (hopefully) 5 thousand miles of service.
Current Odometer reading, 12/28/2021 at the time of this new rear tire and tube installation: 16,700 miles.
tannusamerica.com
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