Amerityres

[Bikerbob]

Having had puncture problems with my lightweight bike I have been looking at the Amerityres on Hancox Ltd | Amerityre tyres stop punctures, puncture proof tyres, flat free tyres, replacement wheelbarrow tyres, bicycle tyres, all round protection from punctures They are a 'solid' tyre but full of tiny bubbles, said to give similar characteristics to ordinary tyres but with no tube, no inflating and no punctures. Seems too good to be true. If they worked well you would expect them to be in general use, and I assume they would add weight. Has anyone had any experience of them?

 

[john]

Looks interesting. Can't see any indication of weight or tyre "pressure".

 

[Bikerbob]

I've since seen another advert for them in which it is claimed that they are no heavier than a conventional tyre and inner tube. I'm guessing that they set the pressure according to the tyre size or tread type, on or off-road. Something I'd check with them before I ordered.

At £27 a tyre plus postage I think I'll need a very positive report from someone who has used them before I invest!

 

[keithhazel]

At £27 a tyre plus postage I think I'll need a very positive report from someone who has used them before I invest![/QUOTE]

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the first puncture i get as i have to call out a taxi and then take somewhere i will be thinking, i could have saved a fortune already if i only had paid out the £27

 

[keithhazel]

the first puncture i get as i have to call out a taxi and then take somewhere i will be thinking, i could have saved a fortune already if i only had paid out the £27 [/QUOTE]
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yer okay i know the reply /replies will be "learn how to change a tyre myself"...still got to get it home though and that could be 50 miles away...

 

[Bikerbob]

Repairing a puncture or replacing the tube at the roadside is no fun, particularly with very tight narrow tyres when it is difficult to get the tyre back on without causing a secondary 'pinch' puncture as the tube gets trapped between the tyre and rim. The total cost of about £60 for two tyres delivered might be OK if you knew that they work well. Problem is that they might be complete rubbish, which is why I was hoping that someone else had given them a try!

 

[flecc]

I did see an opinion on the 'net after trying them which wasn't too favourable about the stability.

There have been many attempts at this for much of the last century, but they generally fall down for the same reason. A tyre needs vertical flexibility (instability) to do it's absorption function, but has to have lateral stability for safety and positive steering. These are created by the design of the tyre structure, the way the cords are laid and the rubber compounds used.

Solid tyres use one material, so they are either too stiff and uncomfortable due to rigidity for stability, or more commonly, soft enough for bump absorption so laterally not stiff enough to make one feel secure on corners, the soft material tending to roll over on the rim.

Every test I've seen of this type of solution in the past has given a thumbs down. The solid inner "tubes" have similar problems, but can be more usable since they retain the normal tyre ability around them.
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[keithhazel]

Every test I've seen of this type of solution in the past has given a thumbs down. The solid inner "tubes" have similar problems, but can be more usable since they retain the normal tyre ability around them.
.[/QUOTE]

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this wasnt what i was hoping to hear you say Flecc...i wanted to hear "what a good thing they are" or similar.....looking at my back wheel there is no way i will be able to change that in my garage even...yer i know pathetic .....at the roadside what hope....NONE !!

 

[flecc]

You don't need to change a tyre or take a wheel out for a puncture, just release the brake cable noodle from the brake arm stirrup and take the tube out on the non-chain side with the bike upside down so it sits alongside the wheel and repair the puncture. I've never taken a bike wheel out for a puncture repair in a lifetime of punctures.

Do a practice run on your front wheel at home sometime, the whole job including sticking a patch on the tube even though there's no puncture, just to familiarise yourself for when it actually happens on the road.
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[Ian]

Like Flecc I have seen a few reports on so called air-less tyres but all the testers have found fault with ride quality or handling. For a similar or lower price it's possible to buy a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres or their Continental equivalents which are virtually punture proof and have the excellent handling, ride and rolling resistance characteristics expected from European tyres.

It is a lot easier to fix punctures by the roadside than many people imagine. As Flecc has said it is not necessary to remove the wheel as the tyre can be pulled off the rim on one side allowing enough of the tube to be extracted to effect the repair. Finding the puncture can be difficult but often the object that caused the puncture will still be in the tyre and can be located by running a finger inside the tyre. Finding the cause will stop a repeat but will also identify the area where the tube is holed.

My father is a completely non-technical person yet has never had any problem repairing bicycle punctures. He acquired the skill out of necessity, living in a rural area at a time when a second or third hand bicycle was the only affordable means of transport. Being able to fix a puncture in those days was as important as reading and writing!

 

[flecc]

Being able to fix a puncture in those days was as important as reading and writing!

How true Ian. In the 1950s when hardly anyone could either afford or obtain a car, and the majority cycled to work, most adult males in Britain were adept at repairing punctures. In the trade we only looked after the morning ones when cyclists were short of time to get to work and couldn't spare the time for a repair.
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[Bikerbob]

The general opinion among users of these lightweight bikes with quick release wheels seems to be that it is quicker and easier to take the wheel out, put in a spare tube, and repair the punctured one at leisure. Over the years I've never had any trouble repairing punctures in larger tyres but these skinny 700x25 ones are so difficult to get back on without trapping the tube, however much care you take. (Yes, I do put some air into the tube first) and that is the case whichever method you use. Maybe I just need even more practice. If necessary a slightly larger size of Marathons, which I have used in other bikes, does seem a much better bet than these solid ones. Pity though, if someone could get them right the solid ones would be a real advance.

 

[Ian]

I think the basic advantage of a pneumatic tyre is that every bump is absorbed by all of the air in the tyre, unlike a "solid" tyre where only the air pockets near the contact point absorb the bump. Small air pockets would would suffer from a rapid pressure rise when hitting a bump and in order to prevent a hard ride would need to have a low initial pressure resulting in squishy handling. It's perhaps a bit like comparing a football to a foam cushion, although there is undoubtedly a sport that does involve kicking a cushion around.

PS Does anyone else get annoyed by the forum software trying to tell them that "tyre" is spelt incorrectly.

 

[flecc]

PS Does anyone else get annoyed by the forum software trying to tell them that "tyre" is spelt incorrectly.

I did, until I turned off the spillchucker in mi Firefox browza.
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[Ian]

I did, until I turned off the spillchucker in mi Firefox browza.
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Nice one Flecc . I didn't realise it was Firefox doing the american spell check, mines off now.

 

[flecc]

Nice one Flecc . I didn't realise it was Firefox doing the american spell check, mines off now.

There's loads of extras available for Firefox, but I've never found time to research them all. There might well be an English UK dictionary available as a plug in.
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