Solid tyres review…

After suffering yet another pinch flat from an unavoidable source (smallish stone on the footpath in the dark), I decided to give solid tyres a try. I ride to work and don’t really have time to be replacing tubes on my rear wheel, so it’s always a big issue. I bought a set of Tannus tyres, which were the Aither 1.1 model for my 700x28c wheels.

Fitting the tyres was the hardest, most physically demanding thing I have ever done and I’ve worked construction. The rep assured me that these tyres would fit my Alex Rims AT470 tubeless rims and he wasn’t wrong but I perhaps wouldn’t have made it sound so cut and dry.

Well, I rode on them for the first time this morning and I must immediately dispel all reports of them being slow, sluggish and by some accounts, dangerous. I made a record time getting to work, they didn’t slip on the wet pavements and paths despite my heroic speed and cornering and I rode over something in the dark that would have punctured both tyres. I’m not sure what it was but it was…exciting to run over. My morning commute takes 1hr 15min on my plus hardtail, 1hr 10min on my road bike and this morning took me 48min on the road bike with solid tyres despite being particularly tired. I wouldn’t say these tyres are faster – I think the time saved has more to do with confidence and not having to steer round small imperfections on the road/path and gravel etc.

One negative I’ll mention is that these tyres are HARD. There’s seemingly no give in them when compared to pneumatic tyres and although my puncture anxiety was gone, I did have ‘is this going to rattle parts loose, crack my forks, smash my wheels’ anxiety. I checked my bike on arrival and there wasn’t a thing wrong. Hopefully, this will continue to be the case. It used to be that you could select S or H when choosing solid tyres to match the pressure you run your tyres at but the rep told me that they now only come in R, which is apparently optimal.

I understand that a good rider can shift their weight in order to lessen the impact of obstacles and poor road conditions and this is something I do myself when able but when riding in the dark or paying close attention to cars, you’re not going to see the odd stone and pothole. The solid tyres I have weigh less than my old Continental Race tyres and tubes, and when you add to that the extra weight of a spare tub, levers and a pump, there’s no reason not to give these a go for commuting.

I’m not surprised they feel hard if you were previously getting pinch flats from small stones… 😉

Have you tried Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres?

They’re some of the most puncture proof around.

1hr 10min on my road bike and this morning took me 48min on the road bike with solid tyres

What tyres were you running before? I don’t have that much difference between commuting on my fat bike vs fast road bike!

they didn’t slip on the wet pavements and paths

Eh? Where are you?

OP do you work in marketing ?

Fitting the tyres was the hardest, most physically demanding thing I have ever done and I’ve worked construction.

What were you constructing, balsa wood airplanes?

If only someone invented a way to see these small stones in the dark ,?and perhaps something that lets you adjust direction of the vehicle to avoid them.  It’s tomorrow’s world ,!

Fwiw having ridden runs at 130 psi on the road I doubt I’ll be bothering with solid tires with no give in them .

Fitting the tyres was the hardest, most physically demanding thing I have ever done

…

One negative I’ll mention is that these tyres are HARD. There’s seemingly no give in them when compared to pneumatic tyres

…

there’s no reason not to give these a go for commuting.

Nah, I’m good thanks.

Also, what pressures were you running before that pinch flats were such an issue?! I’d suggest you may not have found the easiest, cheapest solution to your problems.

Eh? Where are you?

You do know the news focuses on South East, yeah?

Half the country had some rain yesterday, heavy rain if you were in Grampians to Central Belt…

Fitting the tyres was the hardest, most physically demanding thing I have ever done and I’ve worked construction.

Which one of these two are you ?

What tyres and pressures were you running before?

I had set of solid inner tube thingies from the 80’s on my inherited commuter. Initially I didn’t know that they were practically solid rubber, just wondered why the rolling resistance was so hid on smooth tyres and the ride so bumpy.

They must have been difficult to install as only way remove them was to cut the tyre and even then it was hard work. A mate who had been working in bike shop installing those things told me that they used half a jar of Swarfega soap to install each tyre and even then it was miserable job for experienced mechanics.

They have a big contraption for “high quantities of installations”:

Had you considered tubeless or even tyre protector inserts.  Sounds like much easier options.

I installed some of these on my commuter bike.

They are barstewards to fit – probably easier when you have the knack and the second tyre only took my 1 hour 15 to fit – but probably due to my hands being very tired from fighting with the first tyre.

They have semicircular holes through the base of the tyre through which go these little plastic semi-circular pins that lock under the edges of the inside of the rims and keep the tyre in place. There is the difficult and tricky bit and the advice in the videos didn’t seem to work too well.

You put one side of the plastic doo-hicky under the rim on one side and then use a large tyre lever type thing that they provide to push the other side down into the rim, bending it a bit until it ‘snaps’ back and locks the tyre in place.

One issue is the width of the tyre gets in the way, so I eventually settled on using a screwdriver to push on the plastic tab, whilst using the screwdriver blade to actually push back on the tyre and compress it out of the way so it fits within the rim. Then I had to go round again addressing pins that weren’t actually locked down.

The tyre is hard although maybe not much harder than a road tyre at 110 or 120.

One non-issue is the tyre surface is initially a little slick and so not confidence inspiring for wet handling, although they haven’t slipped on me. After a while the surface matts up more and they ‘look’ safer.

They roll fine.

The biggest issue is that, because they are not pnuematic and have little give, they tend to follow any road features, like cobbles, lines, etc. This is a bit off putting. I had a fall where the rear tyre slipped down an edge on the canal path and it caught me out as it slid away on the gravel.

But there is no having to occasionally check tyre pressures, you know that you are not going to have to stop to fix a puncture and so don’t have to carry tools, riding over glass that you accidently come across is not stressful, etc.

I have commuted before with armadillos, and other protected tyres, but these are an extra degree of protection and I think worth it.

After several years of not fixing punctures I should have got back the time I spent fitting them ! And next fitting should be easier as I have worked out a knack now.

I’ve got no problem fixing punctures, using my thumbs to avoid using tyre levers, fiting and fixing tubeless, etc, before anyone accusses me of incompetance…

Had you considered tubeless or even tyre protector inserts.

tubeless requires checking tyre pressures, carry repair kit, etc. Inserts add rolling resistence.

interesting.

Maybe the roads here are not so bad – but I had good results on my road bike with:

Schwalbe Marathon Plus AND sealant in the tubes. Flat tyres at night time are no fun. But the recipe “Marathon Plus and sealant” worked for me. Added a bit of sealant after half a year and scrapped the tubes after one year.

My lbs got these in for a customer. He investeded in the special tool that made it much easier to install.

They say they roll and feel like gator skins at 100 psi. I wasn’t convinced by this.

As above, once they are worn the shine goes and they look safer.

I had a go on them, my 5 minute test was good but not sure I’d want to commute long distances on them.

They are perfect for commuting where you don’t want to be late, get dirty and the weight you save not carrying spares is a bonus.

Make sure you keep checking your spares and good luck if you brake a spoke.

A 30% increase in speed is appealing, but think I’ll swerve them.

Good to know that they’re at least reasonable nowadays, and I’ve used them fine on city hire bikes and the like, but you can’t be putting these on any serious bicycle. I know the commuter is the workhorse, it’s hardly the Sunday-best road bike, but you ride it every day. Need to show it a bit of love and respect IMHO.

The tyre surface is initially a little slick and so not confidence inspiring for wet handling

Tread doesn’t help bike tyres in the wet, they are narrow enough not to need it (except file tread makes a small difference IIRC)

Random question – if these tyres are so hard to fit… how do you get them off again when they wear? How long do they last?

I remember the green tyres from way back in the day & the knobbles on those just tore off. & they were utterly, utterly crap.

They sound fine for commuting, but then so does a Marathon Plus.

have to cut them off I think. I reckon they will last a long though, probably see me to retirement…

do they do them in 26 x 1/ 3/8″ be good for the pub 3 speed bike.

Can you bend a spoke into the nipple without taking the tyre off, in the case of snapping one? Wondering if you could manipulate the nipple or if it would sort of sink into the rim and you’d need to bin the tyre.

A 30% increase in speed is appealing

Uh huh… How about the 46% increase in speed that the OP is claiming, though? 😉

doubt it is any faster than a skinny tyre at high pressure, maybe less so because of worries over grip if it catches a road feature

They sound fine for commuting, but then so does a Marathon Plus.

I think a marathon plus is heavier though.

the spoke issue is a good one though, and straightening a wheel, must be done with tyre on.

if the spoke snaps at the elbow rather than the thread root , there will be no issues replacing a spoke or truing a wheel with the tire in place.

I think you’re all missing the big picture here….that Lego builder appears to have his Lego cck out!

Put a set of the on my Muddy Fox in the 90s, they were a lot more expensive than normal tyres and I’d begged my dad to help/let me purchase a set after a number of punctures.

They came with a huge tyre lever to help fitting them but remember how much of a fight my dad had with them after I’d tried and failed.

Knew on my first ride they were absolutely awful, getting on to a pavement was painful. They were horrible, horrible tyres.

Had to leave it for a few weeks of riding on them before I admitted to my old man how bad they were and he eventually had to cut them off after another battle with the tyre lever.

They’ve probably moved on a lot since then but the memory of them means I’ll never to try them again!

OP do you work in marketing ?

This

trail_rat

do they do them in 26 x 1/ 3/8″ be good for the pub 3 speed bike.

That’s probably the perfect use for them.

Anyone who has had to repair a puncture on a rod brake full chaincase British tourer in the rain at night would jump at these. 🙂

So two people since 1953, then 🙂

4130s0ul – Member
I think you’re all missing the big picture here….that Lego builder appears to have his Lego cck out!

Thanks for that, I’ve now got tea everywhere!

Fitting the tyres was the hardest, most physically demanding thing I have ever done and I’ve worked construction.

🙂 This has really cheered up my morning

While your right Brian.

I looked them up they are 60 quid so can get in the sea. 😉

A friend of mine fitted them for his commute (c25 miles each way on a road bike), he said they were the worst things he’s ever ridden on. He likes higher pressures (too high IMO) but said the Tannus tyres were immeasurably harsher, he found them incredibly slow and not at all grippy.

Ended up taking them back for a refund, although the shop said they’d not had anyone be so dissatisfied with them, so can’t rule out user error.

I’m not keen to try though!

trail_rat
While your right Brian.

I looked them up they are 60 quid so can get in the sea.

After my latest ride, I’m not so worried about puncturing the tyres on my 26×1⅜″ bike. They’re tougher than a tough thing. 🙂

(Several rim contacts and general rough usage in Strath Vaich and Glen Calvie)