I have a nifty little singlespeed commuter, I only really ride it for may-sept to get to work, as long as its dry.
The issue is over winter hung up in my garage they tyres tend to perish, I dunno why by roadie tyres seems to be crummy.
So, crazy idea, I came across these solid tyres.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174288844614
Any good? Am I mental?

I’d be asking why are they perishing are they cheap rubbish? I have a road bike which I use very very very infrequently.

The tyres are fine (Continentals) they’ve been on it for years just stored in my garage, pump up and ride no problems.

Last ones were vittoria, cost me 30 quid each…

Why would solid tyres be less likely to perish than pneumatic ones? Something is degrading the rubber – that’s the problem you need to fix. Tyres should not perish over a winter.

Are you on the coast or is your bike exposed to direct sunlight? Do you wash your bike with MucOff or an aggressive detergent? These are all good reasons for why tyres degrade quickly, but have nothing to do with why you’d want to run heavy, energy absorbing, dead-feeling solid tyres.

If you’re old enough you’ll remember the solid tyres that were around in the early 90s. They had two pretty significant flaws.

One was that because they were made of all foam rather than a layer of tough rubber, when they wore they actually wore away completely, rapidly through the tread then on to the carcass, your wheels got smaller and smaller.

The other funnier but more alarming issue was that they weren’t that right on the rim because there was no air pressure to hold them in place. My mate has a pair, and when it rained he would apply the brakes, the rims would stop but the tyres kept on freely turning.

I’ve got solid tyres on my commuter, they do give a whole new appreciation for rolling resistance! It’s like a Maxxis supertacky and a boat anchor had a kid.

Sounds like something is killing your tyres though. I’ve got a Victoria vs tyre on the front of my gravel bike, I’d guess it’s been there on and off 2.5 years without issues.

IME sunlight is the killer. My other commuter lives outside too and it kills tyres. I’d just stick some cheap tyres on it each spring. There’s usually some schwalbe or other on offer for £22/pair.

Wasn’t there a thread on here a few months ago about rapidly degrading tyres?

IIRC stored in a room with a central heating heating boiler kicking out ozone or something. Can’t find it, maybe someone can remember and hit you up with better search terms.

mate had them on his bike, we did skids with it as you do.

turns out you can flatspot them quite badly, so don’t do that!

Just bought a wheelbarrow with a fancy yellow solid tyre. Haven’t tested it under load yet, but it appears to manage to be both too firm and too draggy.

In 1978 I was at the forefront of solid tyre technology on my Noddy bike. They were so solid I rode down a kerb and my bike snapped in half.

Sometimes tyres just go off fast and tbh I don’t know if you ever get to know why. Had a set of Michelin Pro 3s absolutely covered in cracks after no more than 9 months. My best guesses are either I rode through something orrible, or, they were defective but either way they went in the bin.

The ofo bikes we had in Sheffield for a while had solid tyres and they were perfectly fine for a simple commute into town and back.

I wonder how solid they are. Wouldn’t use one on the road but keep thinking they would be ideal for the front wheel of my turbo bike.

Tried Schwalbe Marathon+? I fully expect that come the nuclear apocalypse those things will still be rolling.

I would definitely look at the solid tyres if it was short commute and puncture protection was also of upmost importance. Otherwise I’d defo go for either cheap and replace or get something bombproof but pneumatic.

Don’t these need a special way of mounting them (doesn’t mention in listing?)

I would just get some Marathon Plus for commuting and I have a pair that are over 5 years old and only changed them as riding off road has chewed up and removed some of the tread.
Replace them with Continental Touring Plus which are very similar but slightly lighter.

I don’t even take puncture repair kit with me as never had a puncture in 5 years on Marathon Plus.

Decent solid tyres,Tannus, don’t get brilliant reviews so I’m not sure I’d take a punt on unknown eBay jobs.

https://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/car/all-about-tyres/tyre-care-maintenance/storing-tyres

Summer only SS commuter?

I’d just be fitting gatorskins or marathons whichever was cheaper when I was shopping…