Solid inner tubes?

Keiron Curtis

I see Huchison's have brought out a solid inner tube and tyre, retailing at approx. 59 euros, has anyone had any experience of solid inner tubes? I understand that various pressures can be replicated by different densities of the rubber compound used. Punctures are a constant worry on my 40 mile roundtrip commute, and glass/detritus levels are rising not decreasing, even on the country roads, even more so on dedicated cyclepaths in my area, due, no doubt, to mean minded, selfish morons. Better stop there, before I get into a rant. ANY ADVICE PLEASE?

snailracer

In comparison to pneumatic tyres, every solid tyre review I have read claims they are slippery, slow, heavy, bumpy, don’t stay on the rim, etc. so I can’t say I have high hopes for the one you are mentioning.

The theory goes that a solid tyre cannot provide even pressure over the whole contact patch, so the high-pressure portion of the contact patch tends to lift the low-pressure portion off the road surface, which reduces grip and results in uneven wear. A pneumatic tyre maintains even pressure over the whole contact patch, and maintains the same pressure even when that patch increases in size going over a bump or the weight distribution on the bike changes.

There are other ways of getting puncture resistance, I have tried them all and they work to varying degrees. You can even use them in combination for a belt-and-braces approach:
- Puncture resistant tyres, e.g. Schwalbe Marathon Plus. IMO this is all you need.
- Tyre liners (e.g. Slime brand). The caveat is that they might chafe and puncture the inner tube after prolonged use.
- Heavy duty (i.e. thicker) inner tubes.
- Sealant, e.g. “Slime”. Best to use prefilled inner tubes to avoid the mess of filling them yourself.

The Rookie

Agree with SR,
1. Good pundture proof tryes, although they are inevitably heavier are a good way
2. Liners, effective, but fiddly and can be a pain in their own right
3. Thicker tubes prevent 'chafing' type punctures, but a thorn still goes through them like a hot knife through butter
4. Sealant filled tubes (Asda now do Bell branded prefilled tubes for £4 which sounds a bargain.

Of the above, 1 is usually the best solution, although some thorns will still go through occasionally!

Simon

asprilla

Where is this solid tyre?

They do a tubeless set-up but that's still pneumatic.

Blue Meanie

Fit good tyres, replace them before they're worn out, keep them pumped up hard.
:-)

tri-sexual

i think what the OP is talking about is solid inner tubes rather than solid tyres
hutchinsons new solid inner tube and tyre combo eliminates some of the problems which were associated with solid bike tyres of the past where you get poor ride qualities together with poor tyre feel. hutchinson tried to overcome some of these issues by using a "proper" tyre and a lighter weight "aero" solid tube (as in with loads of small bubbles) to give the tyre a more pneumatic feel.
i think that this new combo is too expensive for what it is (think bike tyre with pipe insulation), it may be of use for city hire bikes where maintainence issues are more important than performance issues.
i personally cant see it catching on for the mass market or the performance market. for that it has to be made far cheaper, and to please racers they will never be as light as pneumatic tyres.
i have tried various puncture resist systems but nothing feels or rides like a proper pnematic tyre. various gel/ slime type sealants dont always seal properly and i hate the high rolling resistance these tyres have.
i now use a good quality puncture resist tyres, good inner tubes and the key is good maintainance. regularly inspect tyre conditions looking for foreign objects, splits and cracks, look for wear and replace before they get too bad. and the most important part, check pressures, correct pressure will transform your ride and will greatly reduce the number of punctures you get.