KidWok
Member
Hey all,
All the flat tires I've had so far have been on the rear tire. I suspect that is due to the weight of the motor and cargo on the rear rack making it easier for sharp debris to cut through the tire tread and penetrate the casing. A couple of years ago, I tried using Slime tubes and that worked once for a small hole, but then large holes would just end up having sealant squirting all over the place. Then I tried Orange Seal in tubes and that had a similar effect. Because the tubes had sealant in them, I couldn't reliably patch them up, especially on the side of the road. In the last year, I've given up on sealant and just ran the rear tire with a standard tube. If I got a flat, at least I could patch it up.
As mentioned in another post, another drawback to changing a rear tire flat on the side of the road is the risk of accidentally overtightening the rear drive-side nut on the ST1 and cracking the TMM4 torque sensor plate. For anyone who has had to change a rear flat on a Stromer, you've probably found that it's a real hassle trying to get the really heavy wheel out and then find a safe place to lean or lay down the really heavy bike. So I got pretty excited when I heard about the Tannus Armour and the ability to pretty much eliminate the risk of a flat rear tire.
I found a dealer near my house yesterday that stocks the product and installed it when I got home. Installation wasn't too hard. I'll confirm what other reviews online have noted, that it is a bit tricky to get the product in the first time because it is smaller in diameter than the tire and will need to be expanded into place by the tube. I used two tire levers to get it in without too much difficulty. Whereas I normally run my rear tire (Maxxis Gypsy) at 50-55 psi, the tire felt really firm by the time the pressure gauge read 35 psi so I stopped there. I later saw an FAQ video that confirmed the equivalent pressure with the insert is about 2/3 of the regular pressure with tube.
Ride quality: I took it out last night to grab drinks with some friends and also again this morning for work. I'd say this is about 15 miles so far. The ride quality is noticeably different. FYI...I'm still running a standard tube with Orange Seal on the front and the difference is especially noticeable in real time between the front and rear. The most obvious is that the front tire still has the springy/bouncy ride of an air filled tire, but the rear now has a much muted feel. I don't really know how else to explain it. It's not spongy. The buzziness of riding on rough/broken pavement (we have a lot of that in Seattle) is much duller. Bigger bumps (a lot of those too) feel much less edgy.
This impression from the first ride last night caused me some concern about whether the tire was slower (or just slower feeling) and would drain my battery faster. I had some errands to run this morning and took a roundabout way to work that I am very familiar with. In spite of the rear tire feeling much more dampened, the speedometer said I was still easily maintaining the same speeds I would normally expect. When I got to the office, it also didn't seem like I had used more battery than expected.
My first impression is that this is a really good product. Time will tell how long it lasts (guaranteed for 5,000 miles or 7,000 km) and whether it really is the case that it doesn't cause me to slow down and/or use more battery. Ideally, having this product installed means that I won't have to take that rear wheel off again until I need to switch out that tire, which I expect to be many thousands of miles from now.
I'll update this thread with more feedback in the future. Odometer currently reads 11,960 miles for reference.
Tai
All the flat tires I've had so far have been on the rear tire. I suspect that is due to the weight of the motor and cargo on the rear rack making it easier for sharp debris to cut through the tire tread and penetrate the casing. A couple of years ago, I tried using Slime tubes and that worked once for a small hole, but then large holes would just end up having sealant squirting all over the place. Then I tried Orange Seal in tubes and that had a similar effect. Because the tubes had sealant in them, I couldn't reliably patch them up, especially on the side of the road. In the last year, I've given up on sealant and just ran the rear tire with a standard tube. If I got a flat, at least I could patch it up.
As mentioned in another post, another drawback to changing a rear tire flat on the side of the road is the risk of accidentally overtightening the rear drive-side nut on the ST1 and cracking the TMM4 torque sensor plate. For anyone who has had to change a rear flat on a Stromer, you've probably found that it's a real hassle trying to get the really heavy wheel out and then find a safe place to lean or lay down the really heavy bike. So I got pretty excited when I heard about the Tannus Armour and the ability to pretty much eliminate the risk of a flat rear tire.
I found a dealer near my house yesterday that stocks the product and installed it when I got home. Installation wasn't too hard. I'll confirm what other reviews online have noted, that it is a bit tricky to get the product in the first time because it is smaller in diameter than the tire and will need to be expanded into place by the tube. I used two tire levers to get it in without too much difficulty. Whereas I normally run my rear tire (Maxxis Gypsy) at 50-55 psi, the tire felt really firm by the time the pressure gauge read 35 psi so I stopped there. I later saw an FAQ video that confirmed the equivalent pressure with the insert is about 2/3 of the regular pressure with tube.
Ride quality: I took it out last night to grab drinks with some friends and also again this morning for work. I'd say this is about 15 miles so far. The ride quality is noticeably different. FYI...I'm still running a standard tube with Orange Seal on the front and the difference is especially noticeable in real time between the front and rear. The most obvious is that the front tire still has the springy/bouncy ride of an air filled tire, but the rear now has a much muted feel. I don't really know how else to explain it. It's not spongy. The buzziness of riding on rough/broken pavement (we have a lot of that in Seattle) is much duller. Bigger bumps (a lot of those too) feel much less edgy.
This impression from the first ride last night caused me some concern about whether the tire was slower (or just slower feeling) and would drain my battery faster. I had some errands to run this morning and took a roundabout way to work that I am very familiar with. In spite of the rear tire feeling much more dampened, the speedometer said I was still easily maintaining the same speeds I would normally expect. When I got to the office, it also didn't seem like I had used more battery than expected.
My first impression is that this is a really good product. Time will tell how long it lasts (guaranteed for 5,000 miles or 7,000 km) and whether it really is the case that it doesn't cause me to slow down and/or use more battery. Ideally, having this product installed means that I won't have to take that rear wheel off again until I need to switch out that tire, which I expect to be many thousands of miles from now.
I'll update this thread with more feedback in the future. Odometer currently reads 11,960 miles for reference.
Tai
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