General Cycling Discussion - Airfree tires...I'm tempted to try

Has anyone tried these? I'm so sick of flats that I'm thinking of ordering a set for my commuter road bike. Either airfree or Specialized Armadillos, I haven't tried the armadillos yet.

What I have tried:
Slime, Mr. Tuffy liners, SpinSkins, Conti Gatorskins, avoiding glass, sweeping the streets before I ride, yelling at people tossing beer bottles, praying, wiping the tire with my gloved hand while riding, losing weight, changing my route, making love to my wife in the morning,..er...sorry, too much information.

Glass is the main problem, but I also seem to have items in the road cut the sidewalls as well.

Is it just me?

okay...breath now.

If you want tyres that ride as if they are filled with concrete, then go ahead and try the airfree tyres. You may even wish to contact Vlad, our resident solid-tyre crank. Ride around on them too tong, though, and your brain may turn to mush from the vibration. They really aren't worth a d@mn.

I've had luck with 3 different brands of Tyres: Specialized Armadillos and Hemispheres, Tufo Specials, and Panaracer Pasela. I have never punctured any of these (although I haven't been riding the Paselas as long). The specialized tyres do ride a bit rough, but the Hemisphere rides considerably better than the Armadillo. I assume that the Nimbus is as good as the others. Tufo, of course, is stricly a tubular tyre.

I have found the Armadillos to be the best commuting tire. I have been using them for over a year now and have not had a flat. Previously, I was using a Michellin slick and was getting a flat every couple of weeks.

i have had great luck with armadillos. i was lured by the faster, smoother ride of conti ultra gatorskins, but i flatted second time out on my morning commute. there are few things more unpleasant than patching a flat in the dark on the side of the road at 6:30 a.m.

i'm back on armadillos and loving it.

I'd rather try attaching electorodes to my..... ooooooooh

Thanks to D*Alex I've ordered my first pair of Tufos and expect to throw them on the road bike early next week. I really like the idea of having sealant that, in small quantities, can keep most small pinch flats from ruining the ride. (Plus you can pump 'em up to 175 psi for lo-ow rolling resistance.)

all right then, the armadillos are going on my bike this weekend.

I couldn't think straight after having two flats yesterday in the ride home from a long day at work and I actually thought about airfee tires! I just needed a slap in the face.:)

thanks for the input!

Humbly, I add this, Urban:

I use plain old Conti's on my commuter. No flats lately.

As long as I ride on naked pavement, no flats.

My flats have all come from:

1) Debris: glass, wires, nails and sharp objects, usually resident in gravel, sand or other foreign road coverings that hide their evil presence.

2) Pinch flats: low tire pressure + sharp bumps in the road surface.

3) Valve leaks: wiggling the valve too much during inflation creates a crack in the rubber around the valve stem that's impossible to repair.

4) Tire imperfections: sidewall splits and other tire breeches can make room for the tube to bulge through and pop.

5) Rim imperfections: unless corrected by rim tape, these can open a hole in the tube, either through bulging (like 4 above) or abrasion (rough spots, as in older steel rims that have rusted inside.)

All are mostly avoidable.

Ride only on naked pavement. Keep your tires inflated to max. Use a floor pump, CO2 inflator, or be very careful with your frame pump.

If I've left anything out, someone will add it.

Keep on riding, Urban, my Atlanta cousin! (And keep on making love to your wife in the morning.)

naked pavement? what on earth ....

if i could find a patch of pristine asphalt i guess i'd ride it, but i'm sure it wouldn't lead any place interesting. i know for sure it wouldn't lead me to work.

don't mean to be a smart a$$ .... i'm honestly perplexed.

I've been riding the Tufo Special "tubular clincher" lately and am satisfied with the performance in regards to the "F word."

I decided to try them b/c due to a motorcycle accident sometime back mounting tires is harder than it used to be for me. I was hoping these would be easier. They let me down there as they are a true b1tch to mount but otherwise seem pretty good. My floor pump maxes out around 160-165psi but they roll pretty well.

:beer:

Why would you pump them up so hard? Are you planning to race with them? Or do you just like having a hard ride?
FWIW, I weigh about 185, ride on 21mm tubulars (Tufo S33 specials on one wheelset, and the other wheelset has a Tufo S22 front, Conti Sprinter rear), and never have the pressure higher than 125-130 psig in the rear, and I keep the fronts at 105-110 psig.

I've got about 55# on you so the extra psi isn't really hurting ride quality. I know there's a debate over the benefits of high psi but I'll take any benefit, real or imagined, that I can get.

:beer:

Originally posted by Bandit
naked pavement? what on earth ....

don't mean to be a smart a$$ .... i'm honestly perplexed.
"Naked pavement" is the part of the roadway swept clean my automobile tire-travel.

in re www.airfreetires.com

Airfreetires offers a no questions asked money back guarantee within 90 days. If you try them and don't like them - send them back.

If you commute on a mountain bike consider the Sierra UniDirectional 26x1.9 High Resilient -- zilch rolling resistance, excellent traction etc. If you weigh more than 180, IMO you should order 160 psi or 200 psi.


some airfree tires are standard foam, and some are high resilient compound.. I own both types. In my opinion high resilient is the better choice.

I am 6-3 280 lbs.

I put a set of Charleston Runabout high resilient 27x1-1/4 160 psi on a Schwinn tenspeed; and a set of Ocelot high resilient 26x1.9 160 psi on my Schwinn 18 speed in November 2001. Have about 3000 miles on the Ocelots now. I love the ride.

In my experience High Resilient 160 psi tires ride much like the IRC Road Warrior 27x1-1/4 inflated to 110 psi.



PS

who has tried airfree tires???
when did you buy them?
how long did you ride on them?
did you send them back within 90 days for a full refund, and if not, why not??

oh no, why did we open this can o worms up again :rolleyes:

Yea, Urbie, I'd try the Armadillos or another tire from a company called Schwalbe if they are in your area. I got a 1.5 schwalbe on the front of my bike and it seems to be taking lots of abuse well. Schwalbe is a german company but I saw lots of shops carrying them in the NW. I've gone through many brands on the back end and I can say Armadillos got the most mileage, even with my heavy ass and loaded up rack. Though, they are not invincable. I've had a nail penetrate a brand new one. I just wore through a Continental on the back and got about half the mileage that I expected to get. Kind of dissapointing. My next tire for the rear will either be Armadillo or Schwalbe (if I can find em).

Good luck. I enjoyed the extra bit of info about the wife. :p

Unfortunately we can't anticipate the conditions of the road ahead of us. And until dumb asses stop throwing bottles out their windows, we gotta arm our bikes with the toughest tires.

Peace and enjoy the new rubber.

Dave


PS. I also use Tuffy strips for extra protection, but some would argue they add too much weight. To them I say "I'm still faster!"

Originally posted by VegasCyclist
oh no, why did we open this can o worms up again :rolleyes:

Hahahahahahahaha...I was wondering how long it would take for Vlad to input on this thread!

Rich :D

Oy-Vlad the Thread Impaler returns!!!!
<bela lugosi accent> Come, let me spam your thread!!</bela lugosi accent>

Originally posted by D*Alex
Oy-Vlad the Thread Impaler returns!!!!
<bela lugosi accent> Come, let me spam your thread!!</bela lugosi accent>

:roflmao:

From now on, airfree tyres will become known as 'vlads'.

We'll soon be hearing people saying things like, "I got myself a new set of vlads the other day." or, "Some vlads are standard foam, and some are high resilient compound. In my opinion high resilient vlads are the better choice."

(PS: Please don't take offence Vlad. I know that airfree tyres work for you and you're very committed to letting others know about them so I'm sure you won't mind them being known as vlads.)