Folding Bikes - Split rims solve tiny wheel woes?

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JeffOYB
06-13-07, 04:16 PM
I've read in recent A-to-B's about the wretched difficulty of repairing flatted tiny wheels. I'm talking about the A-Bike and Strida size wheels. Probably anything under 16" and be a pain but those under 8" surely are. The tires don't stretch enough.

Is there an easy solution out there yet?

When I saw the complaints I thought about what we went through in my other hobby of XC skiing and the rollerskis we use in the offseason for training. A company came out with pneumatic wheel rollerskis, with wheels about 6" in diameter. Repairing them was insane! So the company went to SPLIT RIMS. They had plastic rims made in two halves that bolted together. To replace a tire/tube, you separate the rims and make an easy fix, then bolt them back together. Have the bike people tried this yet for tiny wheels?

I believe this rollerski company has now gone to a tubeless system but my tires/tubes are still working fine so I haven't kept up to date on their tech.

--JP

cyclistjohn
06-13-07, 04:34 PM
I've read in recent A-to-B's about the wretched difficulty of repairing flatted tiny wheels. I'm talking about the A-Bike and Strida size wheels. Probably anything under 16" and be a pain but those under 8" surely are. The tires don't stretch enough.

.... So the company went to SPLIT RIMS. They had plastic rims made in two halves that bolted together. To replace a tire/tube, you separate the rims and make an easy fix, then bolt them back together. Have the bike people tried this yet for tiny wheels?

I believe this rollerski company has now gone to a tubeless system but my tires/tubes are still working fine so I haven't kept up to date on their tech.

--JP

I only have experience with the plastic Strida 305 wheels, not the alloy ones. Depending on the tyres, they're usually straightforward to remove & refit. In fact I changed one yesterday & used no tyre levers to fit it ("ATB Duro", 37 * 305) so it only took a couple of minutes.

I have read that the A-bike *rear* tyre change isn't easy, so I suppose that's a pain if commuting.

Interesting idea on the split rims. I wonder what the cost increase is?