fredlord

I've finally installed some solid rubber tyres on my belt-drive Marin Fairfax 4 (8-speed IGH), and have created a low-maintenance beast. The bike rides much better than I thought it would. I'm going to use it for mission-critical stuff like commuting, but I've also taken it out for a couple of hilly pleasure cruises with a (tiny) bit of gravel and mud. No problems, and the piece of mind re punctures and chain-maintenance has been great. I'm starting to toy with the idea of putting solids on one of my road bikes.

chaadster

I can’t believe that. Which solid tires, exactly?

fredlord

Tannus Aither 1.1.

The previous tyres were 32 x 700 Schwalbe Marathon Somethings (not Plus) and I'd been getting more punctures than usual (abnormally high rainfall in Sydney atm). The solid tyres are 28s.

Most of my bikes have wide-ish tyres. These tyres feel like narrow tyres that have been inflated to max pressure.

fredlord

I hasten to add that I would not race on them or tour on them (I don't think...)

livedarklions

What kind of distances are you riding?

wolfchild

My chain drive fixed gear with good quality puncture resistant tires is as low maintenance as it it gets.

fredlord

My commutes are 6km each way. I've only had the new tyres for three days. In the last two days I've done two 40km rides, both of which were no-hurry type affairs with unfit buddies.

fredlord

I love my chain-drive single-speed, but it feel like it's been raining every day for the last three months in Sydney (not quite true). Not having to worry about sorting out the chain at the end of a ride has been good. I don't have a garage, live in an apartment etc.

chaadster

Still, that’s saying a lot…more than expect someone to say, and really quite high praise! I guess I need to check into the current state of airless tires.

veganbikes

I would not want solid tires at all for any reason. Thank you Mr. John Dunlop and your pneumatic tires they are well over 100 years old now but still work great and much more pleasurable than the solid tires of yore. Belt drives are great but a properly inflated tire is less likely to have flats and if I was getting flats I would look at better tires and maybe the Tannus inserts but wouldn't want anything solid unless I was maybe riding on a nice smooth velodrome or something but there I wouldn't likely get flats unless I was pinching.

fredlord

I think it's different rubber now.

That's what I was expecting, but it hasn't been that bad for me. And many of my local roads are far from "nice smooth".

grizzly59

So how do those tires ride vs air tire? How do they stay on a rim?

fredlord

Lots and lots of little pins that hook under the rim. Once the tyre's on, that's it. Only way to get it off again is to cut it off. So it if I bust a spoke it's game over.

veganbikes

Yes there are different rubber compounds but you cannot really change it enough to make it ride really nicely without loosing massive amounts of durability. If you have a more compliant frame it can be a little better and certainly with a nice full suspension downhill set up rather softly frame for road riding it would be just fine but silly. I think just using good puncture resistant tires and if needed be something like the Tannus Armour and you will be in more comfort and if you keep things properly inflated flats don't happen much if at all. I think the idea of a solid tire is great on paper but in real world riding you feel everything at least in the ones I have ridden and that just wasn't OK for me.

phughes

Post pictures, and keep updating with detailed ride reports. I'm interested in how they ride. I have no desire for a solid tire myself, but there is no reason not to hear about it. They could be good for some people, and certain applications.

phughes

Here is a review of the tires. Tannus Airless Solid Tire Review - Aither 1.1 Road

mstateglfr 

One of the guys I ride with has Tannus tires on his main road bike and plans to put them on a new carbon wheelset that is being made right now for a different road bike he is building up.
Swears by them. In the time he has used them, I havent had a single flat on my road bikes with tubes, but he swears by those Tannus tires nonetheless.

To each their own.

fredlord

Been riding every day without a care in the world. I'm still a bit over-careful in corners when it's raining. I guess I've got to take a tumble in order to find the limitations, but I'm in no hurry to educate myself! Knowing that I don't have to care about the chain either (so much rain!!) has been great too.

randallr

Agreed about the thanks due Mr John Dunlop. I guess I'd ride a solid tire if I commuted through a police no-go zone in some fearful US city and feared for my life if stopping to patch, but otherwise . . . . .

fredlord

I'm not too snappy at fixing a flat on the back wheel of a belt-drive bike.

I'm thinking of putting another set of solid tyres on at least one of my other bikes, but I'll let this experiment continue for a while.

BlazingPedals

As I understand it, the problem with solid tires is that road shocks are transmitted directly to that portion of the rim, whereas with a pneumatic tire the shock is distributed around the wheel. Once you lose the pneumatic cushion, it's somewhat like (but not exactly like) bottoming out your tire on a pothole. Very hard on spokes and rims.

fredlord

Yeah, my only fear is that I'll bust a spoke. No kerb-hopping or sharpish edges.

tkamd73 

Sounds like a great set up for a commuter bike, especially if commuting to your livelihood. I would definitely try that for mission critical riding, but since I’m retired, thus don’t have to be anywhere at any specific time, and I enjoy wrenching on my bikes, I’ll stick with chains, and my Gatorskins, which at lower pressures, don’t find harsh at all.
Tim

Troul 

just slap in some gatorskins & go single speed.
Nothing like the dragging & spinning of a garden hose filled with cement tire!
Don't for get to wax the chain!

fredlord

Ha, it doesn't feel anything at all like that!