bogydave

Went to sign up for the Tour de Palm Springs.
One booth , Tannus airless tires.

Rode the bike with them on, ride ok
No real road test though

5000 mile warrantee
3 hardness compounds
1-2% rolling resistance
About $80

Sounds good but....
Any reviews out there?

CliffordK

Here is a topic that was posted earlier...
https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...olid-tire.html

I have a pair. 700x23, I think. They are a couple of years old. Slowly wearing down through the meat of the rear. The front is still in good shape, but a few good gashes. I do wonder if the foam has uniformly crushed some all the way around the tires.

I think they do ride a little rough, and a little slow, but it is hard to quantify. I've been meaning to try a downhill test, but even that is difficult since it is a pain to mount/remove the tires.

Anyway, I have them on my main winter bike, but I'm also branching out a bit, so I've ridden other bikes when the weather hasn't been that bad.

Unfortunately, wet traction is mediocre, at best... which isn't the best for winter riding. I thought I could quantify it, but now I'm not sure, but definitely less traction than the 25mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.

I have wanted to mount a pair on my primary bike trailer, but haven't done it yet.

Anyway, for sunny weather, I'd prefer pneumatic tires. For wet, rainy, miserable weather... a little flat protection is nice.

I think Specialized may be putting them on one line of bikes now.

bogydave

Thanks
Read thru the thread

Not snake oil..

Have their uses ,but ,
still some
engineering & performance issues before they
Replace pneumatic .

No flats,
no pumps/spare tubes
....,No yet ...

CliffordK

Keep in mind that you'll hear more echoes than reports of people actually riding the tires. Lots of mixed opinions on them. Watch a few YouTube videos too. Some hate them, some love them.

dabac

Haven’t ridden Tannus, but ridden considerably on Greentyre tires.
A bit of a trade-off, but perfectly useable.

Maelochs

All my experiences with airless tires have been negative. That is why I always replace the tubes and reinflate as soon as possible.

CliffordK

bogydave

I’m slow enough now.
I don’t need any help getting slower.
&
It not like I’m getting lots of flats.

Riding the Tour de Palm Sorings today,
Will be looking for bikes with airless.

There is a small market for them,
It will grow with better performance.
Then there will be a new thread here,
With a bunch of good reviews

May see them used on Mars
LOL

Homebrew01

I can see the appeal of avoiding fixing flats in horrible weather. Perhaps on a bad weather commuting wheels/bike.

JonathanGennick 

No experience w/Tannus, but I've tried Nexo's airless tires around the block a couple times on the Priority Bicycles Neverflat model that Element Hotels is now providing for guests. My initial impression from a mix of cobble street and smooth sidewalk is that the tires work fine for casual urban riding.

I have a longer ride planned next week. I'm staying at Element Hotels in Redmond, and have time blocked in my schedule for a ride around -- I think it's going to -- Lake Sammamish. I'm as curious about airless tires as anyone, and I'm looking forward to clocking some experience on them.

ccccc

I can guarantee you can get Schwalbe Marathon's that will also last 5000 miles and have superior rolling resistance and won't make your ass as sore.

rollagain

Consider this:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_aa-l.html#airless

bogydave

Yea
Have Schwalbe Marathon Surpremes
700x35 tubeless, running 60 #
Not changing them out anytime soon.
Ride nice, good flat protection

pdoege

I've ridden with the Tannus tires. Very slow feeling, like the rear is always flat. On the plus side they never need inflation. Fine for short, slow rides around town.

I think they are fine for fleet bikes, bike shares, and the like.

bruce19

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/...g&action=click

johnje

Probably Lake Washington. The Sammamish trail starts in Redmond, goes north, around the top of the lake and down towards Seattle. Somewhere on the path I think the name changes from Sammamish to Burke-Gilman, but I don't pay much attention to the signs. Just south of the University of Washington Campus (in Seattle) you can hop on the (new!) 520 bicycle path, across the lake, back to Redmond. Wild guess, 30 mile trip, all flat, little of it in traffic.


John

fietsbob

Higher rolling resistance of them can make for a good workout.

TimothyH

I have absolutely nothing useful to add to this thread but just wanted to say how much I appreciate this kind of self-deprecating humor.

Your post is the mark of someone who does not take themselves too seriously and isn't so confident that they think they have all the answers. The word humility comes to mind.

Used on Mars. LoL. Thanks for this.

Don't ever change.


-Tim-

_ForceD_

Not for your particular brand, but...

I have used (solid) "airless" tires (airless, not tubeless)...I'm strictly a roadie, but I have a couple of sets of solid/airless tires that I used several years ago. I initially got them so that I wouldn't have to worry about flatting on my way to work when I was commuting on a road bike, or during my quick lunchtime workout rides. But, I stopped using them mostly because I just didn't like their performance. There is a weight trade-off. Solid tires are heavier. But, there's no need to carry a pump, spare tube(s), tire tools, etc. They have a much greater rolling resistance than traditional pneumatic tires...noticeably in lost MPH. But, off-road that might not be as much of an issue. However, on bumps, the solid tires don't provide the impact absorption and distribution around the wheel that pneumatic tires offer. That can result in more isolated impact on the wheel and more likelyhood for damage to the wheel. I would only use solid/airless tires if I were riding on very smooth surfaces, with no potential for bumps, where the reduced rolling resistance (i.e. speed) is not critical.

Dan

JonathanGennick 

Not Lake Washington. I'd never make it around that. There's a smaller lake just to the east called Lake Sammamish that I had been thinking to ride around. The distance is longer than I'd like though.

johnje

Ah, my bad, I assumed you weren't familiar with the area and were thinking Lake Washington. If you're looking for something shorter, you can always ride up to the Red Hook brewery in Woodinville. Not too far from Redmond, it's a common stop for cyclists.

John

JonathanGennick 

That's a pretty good assumption, actually. I'm only tenuously familiar. I've been to downtown Seattle often, but to Redmond only twice now. I take mass transit whenever feasible, which interestingly goes a long way toward building familiarity. (Getting of at the wrong bus stop helps too). Last time on a whim I took the rail from my hotel at SeaTac to U of W, and then cut over on a bus line to reach Microsoft in Redmond. Had an hour to spare to walk around the U of W campus, and that's a beautiful place. Made it as far as some sort of commons area with a Starbucks in it where I bought an umbrella because it'd begun to drizzle on me. I did notice a nice bike route passing right by the transit station. I guess that can take me to the 520, if I'm reading the map correctly.

I had in mind more of a 10-mile ride. We'll see what happens. If I can keep up a good pace, maybe 20 miles can work. OTOH, I don't want to be so focused on speed that I don't get a chance to absorb the area. I'm kind of a follow-my-nose type of person, and I'm not really as fit as I'd like. I might pick a likely destination and not worry too much about whether I actually make it that far.

bicyclridr4life

I've never had airless tires on my bikes, but I did try airless tubes for a year or so, after picking up 87 goatsheads in my front tire and 53 goatsheads in my rear tire one winter in Wichita, KS, on my commute to work.
In short, no more flats, but they did nearly double the weight of my bike.
I went back to tubes, and use both Slime and Tire Liners now.
I do like airless tubes on my bike trailers, though, especially on the curb side, since that is the side most likely to get a flat.

veganbikes

Technology from the 1800s is interesting as a history project but for bicycles I prefer something a little more modern at least 1887 (John Dunlop's tires for his son's trike)

They are a poor idea that people keep trying as the "new" and "best" thing ever. The only way I could see using an airless tire would be for the road but on a full suspension downhill bike with as much travel as possible and a Girvin (or other suspension stem) and a suspension seatpost (thudbuster or body float type deal) and those goofy suspension wheels. Basically on a ridiculous bike that isn't practical to ride in the city and wouldn't work for DH.

I have ridden Specialized's answer to a question people asked in the early 1800s while riding velocipedes and other similar machines with iron "tires" and maybe on perfectly smooth flat surfaces it is excellent or maybe on a trainer but on even a well maintained road surface you can feel everything. Every little minor vibration or imperfection is "enhanced" and even just rolling it in where we store our bikes at night at the shop you can feel everything without riding.

I am not a fan of flats but I keep my tires properly inflated, check my tires every so often and ride more carefully in situations that would likely cause flats and I rarely get them. If I am going to be commuting or riding in flat prone areas I am going to use a more puncture protecting tire like a Continental Gatorskin (or Gatorhardshell) or Travel Contact (since I wanted more width). I like the comfort that air brings to the party and wouldn't sacrifice that for anything an airless tire claims to have.

If you are worried get yourself a Topeak Road Morph (or Mountain Morph if you have an MTB), a spare tube or two (or three) and a nice tire lever (one if you are using Crank Bros Speedier Lever, two or more if another brand) and it is easy to fix. If you are in a rush get some CO2. You want to keep your hands clean, get some mechanics gloves (or surgical/medical gloves work). Watch some videos or go down to your local shop and bring the mechanic some beer (or cookies) and find a time when they can give you a quick tutorial. If you are feeling frisky you can have some patches and glue back at the house and repair the tube (or you can do it roadside but I find being at home relaxed is a better way to go). Don't stress about flats, they are super easy to fix and the more you do the easier it gets.

JonathanGennick 

So the hotel did not have the airless tire bikes built. I did get out though, on one of the pneumatic-tire bikes. Got in a couple short rides that were maybe 6 miles and 8 miles respectively. Normally I walk a lot, and the bikes let me extend my range. It was fun! Having the bikes available.

Below is a photo showing some sort of regional trail that I stumbled across on my second day here. I wish I had had more time to follow it. I went up it a little ways, but I was time-constrained that day and had to turn back.

Attachment 600634