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Drilling a tire.

Old 12-31-22, 12:45 PM
  #1  
car5car
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Drilling a tire.

Solid tires feel like 110 PSI, it is too hard, I am going to drill it after installation
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Old 12-31-22, 12:50 PM
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Might make your worn tire disintegrate in a turn, or make the tire vibrate as it rolls over the stiff spots between the holes.

Sounds like a terrible idea, so I hope you do it and report back.
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Old 12-31-22, 01:22 PM
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Maybe solid tires just suck ?. Best option is new tubeless wheels and tires, you could likely run 70-80 psi and be super comfortable.

If not just get some tubed clinchers in a 28-32 and run less air.
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Old 12-31-22, 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted by car5car View Post
Solid tires feel like 110 PSI, it is too hard, I am going to drill it after installation
For best responses, please be specific -
How many holes?
What size drill bit?
All the way through - or just drillium dents?
Are you going to do the contact surface or just the sidewalls?
What about from underneath? You could kind of hollow out the inside for some kind of air chamber in there!
Have you considered HTFU?
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Old 12-31-22, 01:52 PM
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Old 12-31-22, 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott View Post
For best responses, please be specific -
How many holes?
What size drill bit?
All the way through - or just drillium dents?
Are you going to do the contact surface or just the sidewalls?
What about from underneath? You could kind of hollow out the inside for some kind of air chamber in there!
Have you considered HTFU?
Do you have some data that will determine which size and number of holes are acceptable/unacceptable?
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Old 12-31-22, 01:56 PM
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I believe that the OP is talking about drilling the rim so as to accept a schrader valve
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Old 12-31-22, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by alcjphil View Post
I believe that the OP is talking about drilling the rim so as to accept a schrader valve
His attached image clearly shows that he intends to drill into the sidewalls.
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Old 12-31-22, 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott View Post
For best responses, please be specific -
How many holes?
What size drill bit?
All the way through - or just drillium dents?
Are you going to do the contact surface or just the sidewalls?
What about from underneath? You could kind of hollow out the inside for some kind of air chamber in there!
Have you considered HTFU?
I ordered solid tire from ebay and wanted to cancel it next day, but it was shipped already. My rear tire is cracked. I have youtube channel, so I'll install it, ride it and, if it is hard, like people say, I'll drill it and post video on youtube. I don't know drill bit size, which I'll use, probably I should start with small, maybe 1/8". Let us say, I invested $19 in youtube video.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/125643061126?var=426672946793
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Old 12-31-22, 02:19 PM
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Originally Posted by smd4 View Post
His attached image clearly shows that he intends to drill into the sidewalls.
The tire in the picture is clearly a pneumatic tire. Would like to be there during the drilling of the first hole
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Old 12-31-22, 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by car5car View Post
I ordered solid tire from ebay and wanted to cancel it next day, but it was shipped already. My rear tire is cracked. I have youtube channel, so I'll install it, ride it and, if it is hard, like people say, I'll drill it and post video on youtube. I don't know drill bit size, which I'll use, probably I should start with small, maybe 1/8". Let us say, I invested $19 in youtube video.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/125643061126?var=426672946793
You can probably re-sell it on ebay pretty easily just keep it in the package and re-sell and probably make your money back. Drilling it out is not a great idea if they didn't drill it out there is probably a reason. Nobody will want a used solid tire but someone would want a brand new one because they keep making them so someone is buying them.

Solid tires are great for extremely infrequent riding for very short distances on really good pavement like say at the beach on a beach bike at a house I am at for like a week or less. Like I have said they are probably a huge massive improvement over iron tires but you cannot beat pneumatic at least not with todays technology.
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Old 12-31-22, 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Kontact View Post
Do you have some data that will determine which size and number of holes are acceptable/unacceptable?
No, but I have an approach ("you" means "OP" here, not you):
Start with four equi-distant holes, 1/16 bit. Ride and evaluate.
If you want softer and lighter, add more holes of the same size and same pattern. Ride and re-evaluate.
When you get up to the same number of holes as you have spokes, start reaming out the 1/16 holes with 1/8" holes.
Also - keep the crumbs from the drilling because if you decide you did too much you can superglue the crumbs back in place.
You should be aware though, that holey tires aren't very aerodynamic - way too much turbulence and you might not like the way your bike handles.
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Old 12-31-22, 03:02 PM
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Solid tires seem like a lot of trouble in the few threads I've just recently read about them.
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Old 12-31-22, 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by alcjphil View Post
The tire in the picture is clearly a pneumatic tire. Would like to be there during the drilling of the first hole
Are you sure? Really? Thanks!
Read previous post!
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Old 12-31-22, 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott View Post
No, but I have an approach ("you" means "OP" here, not you):
Start with four equi-distant holes, 1/16 bit. Ride and evaluate.
If you want softer and lighter, add more holes of the same size and same pattern. Ride and re-evaluate.
When you get up to the same number of holes as you have spokes, start reaming out the 1/16 holes with 1/8" holes.
Also - keep the crumbs from the drilling because if you decide you did too much you can superglue the crumbs back in place.
You should be aware though, that holey tires aren't very aerodynamic - way too much turbulence and you might not like the way your bike handles.
And if you drill different size holes front and rear they will whistle at two different pitches.
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Old 12-31-22, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott View Post
No, but I have an approach ("you" means "OP" here, not you):
Start with four equi-distant holes, 1/16 bit. Ride and evaluate.
If you want softer and lighter, add more holes of the same size and same pattern. Ride and re-evaluate.
When you get up to the same number of holes as you have spokes, start reaming out the 1/16 holes with 1/8" holes.
Also - keep the crumbs from the drilling because if you decide you did too much you can superglue the crumbs back in place.
You should be aware though, that holey tires aren't very aerodynamic - way too much turbulence and you might not like the way your bike handles.
Sure, that's a methodology. But that suggests that you know drilling holes in the OP's tires isn't going to lead to a serious accident.
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Old 12-31-22, 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by alcjphil View Post
The tire in the picture is clearly a pneumatic tire. Would like to be there during the drilling of the first hole
He didn’t say he was going to drill THAT tire. He said it wasn’t even mounted yet.
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Old 12-31-22, 03:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Kontact View Post
Sure, that's a methodology. But that suggests that you know drilling holes in the OP's tires isn't going to lead to a serious accident.
Well no, it suggests that since it's obviously a potential problem, best to start with the minimum and go from there. And as a corollary, I think this whole thread is a joke anyway.

Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart View Post
And if you drill different size holes front and rear they will whistle at two different pitches.
Now we're talking! I suggest aiming for a perfect 5th to avoid a disharmonious cacophony that might frighten children... unnecessarily.
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Old 12-31-22, 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott View Post
Well no, it suggests that since it's obviously a potential problem, best to start with the minimum and go from there. And as a corollary, I think this whole thread is a joke anyway.



Now we're talking! I suggest aiming for a perfect 5th to avoid a disharmonious cacophony that might frighten children... unnecessarily.
Maybe giving dangerous advice isn't a great joke.
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Old 12-31-22, 04:47 PM
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My 2 cents is this. First off, drilling fairly small holes most likely will not have much of an effect. If you drill large enough holes to affect the ride, the ride will most likely then be rougher, since part of the tire will be hard, until you get to a section with a hole, then it will be softer. The net effect will be, bump, bump, bump, bump. I say ride it the way it comes, and use it as intended.
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Old 12-31-22, 04:50 PM
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There is a reason people don't use solid tires, they ride hard, don't corner and in general are not suitable for any thing than a toddler tri-cycle or red wagon.

I will be direct: IMHO this is a dumb idea. any amount of drilling that will make a difference in ride will involve large holes into what is clearly cheap material, risking failure (23mm tires probably would need almost probably 15 mm or large holes all the way around the tire to make any difference (base on recent flat proof tire concepts in news)

doing in and promoting for sake of youtube channel just adds to the dumbness.


P.S 110 psi can be a super smooth ride, depending on the bike, the person, the rim and the buil
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Old 12-31-22, 04:57 PM
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Assuming the solid tire is to prevent flats, maybe something intermediate like THIS might be suitable.
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Old 12-31-22, 04:58 PM
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Any chance this entire thread was started as a joke?
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Old 12-31-22, 07:30 PM
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Originally Posted by alcjphil View Post
I believe that the OP is talking about drilling the rim so as to accept a schrader valve
Originally Posted by smd4 View Post
His attached image clearly shows that he intends to drill into the sidewalls.
Not to mention, he explicitly states it is a solid tire:

Originally Posted by car5car View Post
Solid tires feel like 110 PSI, it is too hard, I am going to drill it after installation
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Old 12-31-22, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott View Post
Now we're talking! I suggest aiming for a perfect 5th to avoid a disharmonious cacophony that might frighten children... unnecessarily.
Based on your handle, I would have guessed you would go with the diminished 5th? but that would scare the children . . .
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