Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - solid tyres- do they exist?

hello
i weigh in a 336 and am using armadilloes on a giant terrago..i have heard there are solid tyres which theoretically should not puncture..do they exist ..where can i buy them
cheers
mark
uk

Here's some info on airless tires:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_aa-l.html#airless (http://www.bikeforums.net/Here%27s%20some%20info%20on%20airless%20tires:%20http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_aa-l.html#airless)

And Nu-Teck has some solid tires here (http://www.nu-teck.com/product.html).
Some airless (but maybe not solid) here (http://www.airfreetires.com/Bicycle/) and here (http://www.greentyre.co.uk/bike.html).

many thanks

Do some searching, there have been previous posts. Maybe "airless tires"?

It seems there is a fairly small minority that likes them.

Note that one of the consequences of solid tires seems to be higher stresses in the wheel itself. So a heavy rider is not necessarily an ideal candidate for them, contrary to what you might expect.

hello
i weigh in a 336 and am using armadilloes on a giant terrago..i have heard there are solid tyres which theoretically should not puncture..do they exist ..where can i buy them
cheers
mark
uk

There are 2 kinds of solid tires, a solid rubber tire, like on a childs tricycle, this will offer an extremely rough ride, it will be tough on the bike and very tiring for the rider.

The other kind contains a closed cell foam, the problem here is that the harder the tire, the harder it is to get on, so they tend to have the opposite problem, they are much too soft, probably okay on an off-road bike where you tend to run low pressures anyway, but on the road, the tyres will be so soft that it feel like your riding through molasses in January, in Alaska.

If your afraid of punctures, you want a nice thick tire, and puncture resistant tubes, although once you have dealt with a few punctures, you get better at changing the tube, and it becomes just a part of riding. BTW I keep at least 3 spare tubes, when one gets punctured, I swap it for another one, patch the punctured one at my earliest convenience, and after verifying that it is fully repaired, use a bucket of water the next day to make sure there are no leaks. I let the air out, roll it up and add it to the spare pile again. When I change a tire, I replace the tube, the old one gets added to the spare pile. After a while you have enough spares that you can have several that need patching, between patching sessions. If there are more then 3 patches, it's time to retire the tube......

Best thing to do about punctures is.... learn to repair a tire. If you can repair a tire without problem than buying tires aren't an issue.

Key is inflating the tire properly BEFORE EACH RIDE. I am currently riding on some Continental Gatorskins I bought in 2007 to tour Montana. Knock wood, no flat yet and the tires have at least a 3000 miles on them. But if I get one, no problems, I can usually repair one in 5 minutes. More if I want to sit down and take a break! ;)

Also let me tell you a story of my buddy who purchased tubeless tires. Theoretically not suppose to flat either. They were very expensive ($75 a piece). Out on a ride my buddy rolls over glass. =POW= the tire blows. I turn back and start getting out my pump and a new tube... and then realize huh, oh, that's not going to work. We couldn't even "boot" the tire. One blow out and expensive tire was done. Thank goodness we weren't far from home. I rode, picked up my truck and came back for my buddy who was still staring disgustingly at his tire! We still laugh about it (OK I still laugh about it!).

They do exist, and they do suck. Pump your tires up to the max and learn to fix a flat, then HTFU!

I bought a set of the foam type from Wally world and thought they would be great. I went riding with some friends and they were kicking my butt everywhere. We started on a downhill and when I would try and coast I was slowing down:notamused: That was the last I used them. They will give the tire a feel of about 40psi.
You will be better off learning the right way to change and install a new tube than buying some of those. I have some armadillos I just replaced. 2000 miles no flats they were 700 x 25 110 psi (I'm at 250#) the rubber tread was splitting in the middle of the tire but the liner still protected the tube. I went to a 700 x 35 for comfort but still have the same tubes that have over 2000 miles on them.
Any bike shop will be happy to show you the correct way to change a flat.

thanks for all your advice..point taken will learn to change tube...lol..will i be ok at my weight to put 110psi in my armadilloes?
cheers
Mark

You should be fine as long as your tires are not too narrow. I agree with the above sentiment. Use good quality tires with puncture protection and learn how to change a tire. Practice at home taking tires on and off. I have not had a single flat since I started riding last spring, but I upgraded tires on all my bikes before riding. I think it makes sense for heavy riders to use an extra wide tire, same as people who are setting up a bike for touring. A wider tire soaks up the bumps better and is easier on the wheel.

You should be fine. I think us big folk worried too much about breaking stuff. Despite how it may appear to a newbie, your bike, the wheels, and the tires will hold up just fine as long as they are properly cared for!