Do they make solid road tires?

[Dubliner]

I have a nice bike ( I believe ) a Specialised Roubaix, & I ride primarily as an exercise method, so speed is not really a factor for me but repairing or replacing is, coz I hate to interrupt a ride. I dont keep up with the latest trends or developments in cycling, but I wondered if there is such a thing as no puncture tires or tubes? TIA Dubliner

 

[garage sale GT]

Yes but they are supposed to be much harder to pedal. I cannot recall the name right now or I would give you the link. I assume you mean those solid foam rubber tires you don't have to pump up.

Try kevlar belted tires, tire liners, or "slime". I use (or have used) each method on different bikes (you can't easily find kevlar belted 26X1-3/8 tires) and simply don't have a problem with punctures. You do have to inspect your tread from time to time due to the way a glass shard can stick in the tread and work its way through those defenses given enough time.

If you have very many flats, maybe your rim tape has slipped and your spoke ends are cutting up the tube from the inside.

 

[Camilo]

I have a nice bike ( I believe ) a Specialised Roubaix, & I ride primarily as an exercise method, so speed is not really a factor for me but repairing or replacing is, coz I hate to interrupt a ride. I dont keep up with the latest trends or developments in cycling, but I wondered if there is such a thing as no puncture tires or tubes? TIA Dubliner

How often are you getting flats? What is causing them?

 

[Dubliner]

Well, to be honest not a lot I suppose, but I live in Texas now & its about 99 already, so I want to try & ride before work, which means getting up at 5 am. I would hate to spend what short time I have fixing a flat, I know its only 5 mins, but one day I had 3 in a row so I fixed the last one, turned around & came for that day. I just figured that by now they had come up with a decent performance solid "ish" tire.

 

[Camilo]

Well, to be honest not a lot I suppose, but I live in Texas now & its about 99 already, so I want to try & ride before work, which means getting up at 5 am. I would hate to spend what short time I have fixing a flat, I know its only 5 mins, but one day I had 3 in a row so I fixed the last one, turned around & came for that day. I just figured that by now they had come up with a decent performance solid "ish" tire.

Are they punctures or pinch flats? If punctures, have you tried the super tough tires like Gatorskin or armadillo? I've heard good things about those kind of tires, but have excellent luck with "normal" good quality tires. Right now, I have Schwalbe Stelvio and they seem to be pretty tough for glass, etc. The only two flats I've had in the past two years were pinch flats, my own fault. But I've heard those others are pretty bullet proof.

 

[Russ Reynolds]

Kiss the pump and CO2 goodbye, it's only a matter of time before...............

 

[alfeng]

... I wondered if there is such a thing as no puncture tires or tubes? TIA Dubliner

check:

http://www.airfreetires.com/shopping/c-1-bicycle.aspx?pagenum=6

Read the FAQ page, too:

http://www.airfreetires.com/information/FAQ.asp

 

[threaded]

I have a nice bike ( I believe ) a Specialised Roubaix, & I ride primarily as an exercise method, so speed is not really a factor for me but repairing or replacing is, coz I hate to interrupt a ride. I dont keep up with the latest trends or developments in cycling, but I wondered if there is such a thing as no puncture tires or tubes? TIA Dubliner

I wouldn't go for solid tires on those kind of wheels, they'll shatter. Have a look at puncture protection/proof tires like "Dutch Perfect".

 

[garage sale GT]

I guess you have a lot of those stickers down there? Slime used to work pretty good on those because it's such a small pinprick.

Anyway, that's what they're called in certain parts of the south. Small, very thorny seed pod from a grass which looks like a short stalk of wheat, several of them dangling at the top.

 

[mikesbytes]

I recall seeing some 27" solid tyres in the early 80's. Heard they were **** to ride on.

 

[kdelong]

It seems like they would be a bear to install also!

 

[mikesbytes]

On Penny farthings, they get a strip of solid rubber, wrap it around and cut it to length.

 

[Bigbananabike]

Cut the beading off a same sized tyre and put it in the tyre before fitting the tube. Do the back tyre only first - almost all the flats we get are on the back tyre.
This works a treat but it does make the wheel heavier so slower. Great for training and commuting and if you want speed for a race or ? - just whip the other tyre out

 

[garage sale GT]

On Penny farthings, they get a strip of solid rubber, wrap it around and cut it to length.

That's the entire reason the front wheel had to be so big. They knew about reduction gearing before the Safety of 1886, but before the pneumatic tire, the ride and rolling resistance would have been horrendous.

A foam core tire may not bounce away your pedal effort like a solid wheel but would surely have a great deal of hysteresis.

Read sheldonbrown.com on solid tires.

I have gone entire years without flats despite commuting. It's really not an issue if you just get the regular precautions: a good tire with flat protection, some flat strips, or some sealant.

They sell tires with no protection at all, too. That is because some serious roadies ride inside the white line, where the cars keep the road surface well swept. Flat protection marginally increases rolling resistance, so they don't always use it.

 

[kdelong]

I have found that the best flat protection is to be prepared to fix one. I haven't had a flat on the road since I started carrying a spare tube, patch kit, tire levers, and inflation device over ten years ago.

 

[Russ Reynolds]

I have found that the best flat protection is to be prepared to fix one. I haven't had a flat on the road since I started carrying a spare tube, patch kit, tire levers, and inflation device over ten years ago.

Reckon your right. Same here. I had a steel Peugeot and rode around France and UK and Oz until it rusted and died. Never had a flat. Carried 16lb of tyre fix'n equipment for years for noth'n.