MarTay6

We have an Allen Sports trailer for our daughter to haul her 2 little girls in, also jogs with it with a 3rd wheel added to it... works great.
However she jogs with it where there's a lot of road debris and picked up a thorn and a sandspur the other day- I've got a tube to fix that (I'd just ordered a spare for my wife's recumbent trike), but would like to put some better tires on it (the originals look cheap and thin), looking for something that's more puncture resistant. Thinking about something like mountain bike tires with a knobby tread on them- need something in 20 x 1.75 size. Any recommendations?? Thanks in advance.

LarDasse74

Knobby treads would serve no purpose on a trailer, unless you are doing a lot of riding along the edge of steep loose surface rigdes. Knobby tires have absolutely no advantage in terms of flat protection.

Luckily, the 20" size (most likely 406 mm rims, unless the tire says 1 3/4" and you converted) is common on BMx and kids bikes, folders, and recumbents, so lots of options are available. I think Hostel Shoppe has the best selection of 20" tires I have seen.

I have used the 700c (road bikes size) version of this tire and had no flats I can recall over the life of the tire. It is pretty fast rolling, too. There are many tires available from manufacturers that have an extra added flat protection layer.

bikeman715

kenda make a tire like that , you can find it in any LBS ,if they dn't have them they can order them from QBP . they run about $ 20 each .

Lawrence08648

Install plastic tire liners between the tube and the tire.

Buy thicker tubes, thorn resistant, 1.6mm thick compared to normal .9mm

AlphaDogg

This. No reason to spend a lot of $$$ on new tires when the fix can be had for relatively cheap.

Burton

I'm thinking the cheapest fix would be just installing Stan's No Flats liquid latex or an equivalent product from Zefal.

lostbob88

Stick with a smooth path type tread (smoother ride and lower rolling resistance). Tire liners are generally sufficient and very effective. Slimed tubes are good but cannot be patched. Thorn proof tubes create a "dead" tire and harsh ride.

DannoXYZ 

As previously mentioned, use tyre-liners and thorn-resistant tubes in the existing trailer tyre and you should be fine. This will add about 5mm of extra thickness that needs to be penetrated by the thorn before you have a leak.

Also inspect your tyres often, before EVERY ride and pull out any thorns and quills. Thorns DO NOT puncture a tyre when you ride over them. They may stick on the initial impact, but requires miles and miles of riding on them to force the quill through the tyre and tube. During any tube-replacement from thorn flats, you'll want to rub your finger inside the tyre to feel for pricks from the thorn's quill. You'll find that the big head of the thorn had been completely worn away and may not even be visible on the outside of the tyre.

One practice many riders do is to rub both tyres with a gloved hand after hearing the sounds of running over glass or thorns. This pulls out any debris that may have stuck and prevents them from getting worked through the tyre. For the rear tyre, hook your thumb around the back of the seat-stay so your hand doesn't get pulled forward and caught between the tyre and seat-tube.

sonatageek

Schwalbe Marathon comes in that size and I have found them to be very flat resistant. They are a bit heavy. The Marathon Racer is lighter and has similar (or better) puncture resistance.

They cost a bit more, but I have found the peace of mind of not having to worry about flats to be well worth it.

JohnDThompson 

And/or slime tubes.

fietsbob

Thorn resistant HD tubes help a lot..
+1, on Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires..

Now that people drive with their windows open, warming and drying weather.

more broken glass appears ...

davidad

Got my vote. I have a pair of 28mm on my bike with over 2100 miles and no flats. A friend and his wife rode from Baytown, Texas to their class reunion in Michigan and then did The Dalmac with only one flat between them on Marathons. He rides a trike with 20's on it.