Went with some Vee's Speedster street friendly tires and it's been flat city ever since!

Rainman18

New Member
So I've put around 900 miles on my radrover with the original Kenda tires which I've mainly ridden on pavement. Here is a pic showing a comparison between a new Kenda tire and mine with 900 miles.

Screen Shot 2018-06-24 at 9.14.55 PM.png


They worked fine other than being pretty loud but I only had one flat in all that time and that was recently after months of riding and almost 900 miles, the culprit was a tiny sharp piece of wood. So I decided to change to some more street friendly tires since the originals were getting worn out. After reading this and other forums I decided on the Vee Speedster Folding 26x3.50 tires. Here is a pic of the tread pattern:
Screen Shot 2018-06-25 at 6.40.16 PM.png


I had my radrover in my bike shop for a tune up and had them put these on at the same time. The next day I took it for a spin and wow what a difference! They roll so smooth and they're whisper quiet. I was really please with them....until. The flats. I've had two flats in the first three days of having these on my bike! On the same roads I've been riding. The first one was the front tire the morning after that first ride that I noticed in my garage so I changed out the tube. Then today the rear went flat on a 26 mile ride. As far as I can tell these tires are prone to tiny 1mm to 2mm rocks getting lodged in the treads and I think they are getting worked in and nicking the tube. I had a spare tube but didn't want to spend the time so I put some Slime in there which I also had and made it home. I'm going to see how things go with the Slime and depending on how that goes I'll probably put some liners in there. I'd love to hear from anyone that has these tires and if you've had problems with them flatting or your experience in general.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2018-06-24 at 9.14.55 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2018-06-24 at 9.14.55 PM.png
    697.3 KB · Views: 533
I run the Origin8 version which is essentially the same tire. I think it’s called Captiv8er. After about 1000 miles, I think I’ve had more flats on them than the Schwalbe tires on my other bike. Im running tire liners and sealant in the inner tubes and still get flats on average every 200 miles. Compare this to a dedicated commuter tire like the Schwalbe Energizer Plus. They’re different types of tires but something with puncture protection has me going 1200 miles between flats.

Those tire are just too thin and I’m looking for something else once I wear out the Origin8 Captiv8ers.
 
So I've put around 900 miles on my radrover with the original Kenda tires which I've mainly ridden on pavement. Here is a pic showing a comparison between a new Kenda tire and mine with 900 miles.

View attachment 23007

They worked fine other than being pretty loud but I only had one flat in all that time and that was recently after months of riding and almost 900 miles, the culprit was a tiny sharp piece of wood. So I decided to change to some more street friendly tires since the originals were getting worn out. After reading this and other forums I decided on the Vee Speedster Folding 26x3.50 tires. Here is a pic of the tread pattern: View attachment 23008

I had my radrover in my bike shop for a tune up and had them put these on at the same time. The next day I took it for a spin and wow what a difference! They roll so smooth and they're whisper quiet. I was really please with them....until. The flats. I've had two flats in the first three days of having these on my bike! On the same roads I've been riding. The first one was the front tire the morning after that first ride that I noticed in my garage so I changed out the tube. Then today the rear went flat on a 26 mile ride. As far as I can tell these tires are prone to tiny 1mm to 2mm rocks getting lodged in the treads and I think they are getting worked in and nicking the tube. I had a spare tube but didn't want to spend the time so I put some Slime in there which I also had and made it home. I'm going to see how things go with the Slime and depending on how that goes I'll probably put some liners in there. I'd love to hear from anyone that has these tires and if you've had problems with them flatting or your experience in general.
Are they tubeless ready? Might be worth a shot. Check out this new tire insert - claim 1 hr run flat capability
 
I got around the same mileage from my Kenda on the rear of my rover also. I ended up getting a few less flats when I switched out my worn Kenda with Vee8 120tpi 26X4 tires. I had Mr. Tuffy 3XL liners along with two 2oz bottles of Stans sealant per tire with Kenda and Vee8 tires. I don't think Vee tire company makes this fat tire anymore or have plans to replace with an updated version?

Most of my flats were from goatheads and road debris (nails, screws, glass, etc...) before Mr. Tuffy+Stans. My goathead flats are nearly down to zero; but, I still get road and trail debris flats. Usually from stuff way too big for stans to seal like a 1/4 inch hole from glass or if I run over a sharp broken off tree branches on a trail.

I don't think fat tire puncture resistance tires are on the market yet like you find with thinner tires. I'm lucky to see 2-3 other fat tire bikes a year in Albuquerque area of a little less than a million folks (ride 50-75 miles a week). I've gotten really good at fixing a flat or changing out a tube on the go. I've never got a flat with Mr. Tuffy+Stans with my 700X40C bike on the same routes.
 
Back