Folding Bikes - Best 16" tyre for Strida

Recommendations?

Avoid Schwalbe Marathon. Very nice tire, but I can't get them to seat right on the plastic wheels.

you could go marathon and upgrade to the metal strida wheels though...

If flats are the issue try Mr Tuffy tire liners.

Kenda K-West's 40-305's still going strong on plastic wheels (best at, or near max pressure: 65psi).

Avoid Schwalbe Marathon. Very nice tire, but I can't get them to seat right on the plastic wheels.

Interesting... Can you expand on that please?

I bought 2 Big Apples, fitted them both, then took the rear one off, as it fouls the belt at a decent pressure. I'd like to see if I can get "Hookworms" in the UK, as they are supposedly (conflicting info' on the web site) a tad smaller.

I'm now looking for a suitable mudguard for the front.

So, I refitted the Marathon (was tricky I recall) which has now been on for > 100 miles (no flats, but wait untill Summer ;-) )

My wife's bike has a Primo on the back which has also amazingly had no flats recently.

The original tyres seem like puncture magnets :-)

If flats are the issue try Mr Tuffy tire liners.

So you've had good results with those on your Strida?

Are they easy to fit?

you could go marathon and upgrade to the metal strida wheels though...

Definitely good advice.

I haven't had any issues since I upgraded to the Marathons, zero deflation issues. First time in over a month that I actually checked the tyre pressure at weekend, and they'd dropped 20psi, down to just over 50 from the previous 70+ that I had them running at.

I was under the impression that the Marathons were a recommended tyre for the Strida though?

Interesting... Can you expand on that please?

Okay, but forgive me if I'm longwinded.

I got 18 months of use on the original Kendas that came on my Strida, but toward the end they were getting a lot of flats. So I got two Schwalbe Marathons.

I have been working on bikes since the 70's and even worked as a mechanic for a while in the 80's, so I have changed a lot of tires in my time. I know the techniques; I know what a properly seated tire looks like, and I know what a poorly seated tire looks like. And I know that creaking sound that comes from the spokes for a short while before the bead blows off the rim. That said, I am no magician; I don't have a foolproof method for making a tire sit right, and sometimes I just can't make it happen. I have tried the talcum powder method, and don't like it. I have tried the soapy water method, and don't like that either. I put tires on without lubricants or tools. I use my thumbs, no matter how much it hurts, no matter how long it takes.

In the case of the Marathons, I got both new tires onto the plastic rims easily, but when I inflated them they became lopsided. By reducing pressure, and pushing and pulling on the tires, and by repeatedly checking to make sure the tube wasn't stuck between the rim and the bead, I eventually got the tires seated right, or so I thought. I did not notice any difference between the front and back tires. Then I inflated the tires to 80 psi and left the bike leaning on the fence behind my house while I started a charcoal fire to make dinner. A few minutes later ... I was standing about ten feet from the bike ... there was this awesome deafening BANG! It was one of the loudest sounds I have ever heard, and there was no audible warning since there are no spokes to creak. Anyway, it was the front tire. I immediately checked the back wheel; it seemed okay, so I put in a new tube in the front, reseated the tire, and inflated to 45 psi. I also reduced the air in the back to 45 psi.

I was able to ride that front tire for a while without problems, but after a month or two it started working its way off the rim while I was riding; despite all efforts I was never able to make it stay seated. I eventually got another Marathon and put that on. I can't make this one seat very well either, but as long as I keep the pressure low it stays on the wheel. I don't know whether the first front tire was defective or got damaged by being blown off the rim; it is certainly damaged now, though; I can't make it seat on any rim at all.

Anyway, being dissatisfied with the Marathons, I have been looking for better tires since September, but in the mean time I keep riding them even though they are not seated properly. When riding the bike on a smooth road, there is a constant shimmy, as if the wheels are out of true, though that is obviously is not the case. The reason there is a shimmy is that the wheels are not perfectly round, and that's because the tires don't fit right. I have not had any flat tires, even at the comparatively low pressure I've been using, which is a testament to the quality of the tire, but I prefer round wheels! So I am hoping someone can suggest something better.

Cheers!

I was able to ride that front tire for a while without problems, but after a month or two it started working its way off the rim while I was riding; despite all efforts I was never able to make it stay seated. I eventually got another Marathon and put that on. I can't make this one seat very well either, but as long as I keep the pressure low it stays on the wheel. I don't know whether the first front tire was defective or got damaged by being blown off the rim; it is certainly damaged now, though; I can't make it seat on any rim at all.


I wonder if there are subtle differences in manufacturing batches?



Anyway, being dissatisfied with the Marathons, I have been looking for better tires since September, but in the mean time I keep riding them even though they are not seated properly.


I'm not a cycle engineer, so I'm now wondering if mine is ok after all :-)



When riding the bike on a smooth road, there is a constant shimmy, as if the wheels are out of true, though that is obviously is not the case. The reason there is a shimmy is that the wheels are not perfectly round, and that's because the tires don't fit right. I have not had any flat tires, even at the comparatively low pressure I've been using, which is a testament to the quality of the tire, but I prefer round wheels! So I am hoping someone can suggest something better.
Cheers!

I'm not sure I know what "shimmy" is like, but maybe as I only have a Marathon on the back, it wouldn't be so obvious?

Like you. I'd like to find alternatives.

The front Big Apple does seem to help smooth out pot holes, & I like strolling the bike without the pedal cranks rotating.

It looks slightly odd when folded though ;-)

I upgraded to 100 psi Kenda Kwests. But there isn't enough of a bead on the inside of the plastic rims to keep any tire on at above 60-65 psi, so that's the pressure I run them at. Not sure why Strida can't mold a better bead on the inside of the rim? Maxxis Hookworms at 1.95 are fatter than the Kwests at 1.50 or 1.75, a Hookworm might rub on the belt in the rear.