timmhaan

so, i got them and took a test spin. seems pretty good. i got the 700x20 at 120PSI.

the first thing i noticed was a little bit more road noise than normal. it felt similar to riding an overinflated tire...perhaps a normal tire pumped up to more than 130PSI. i have an aluminum bike so i'm used to a little bit of a rougher ride so it didn't bother me at all. i got used to it in about 20 minutes.

the other thing is that they feel a little wobbly when i'm coasting downhill. i think this is due to the seam in the middle of the tires - since they are brand new i hope they wear down a little. i think i'll get used to it, but a little unnerving to have any wobble at high speed. maybe i should sand them down?

it was nice to take the pump off the frame and not carry a bag with a spare tube and patches and all that. and it felt great to know that it would be impossible to puncture. i actually rode in some areas with a bunch of glass on purpose. felt awesome!


[edit] oh, forgot to mention... i don't notice any sluggish feeling or less rolling resistance. they seem just as fast as any road tire i've owned.

timmhaan

alright, so i have about a dozen rides or so on the new tires. i think they're pretty damn good. a little hard, i think i would go a little lighter on the PSI next time, but i cannot tell you how nice it is to just ride without worry of flats. no pumping up of tires before rides, no checking for glass, none of that. it's refreshing in a way.

EricJ

I never did get mine that I ordered in 2005. They were charged to my credit card right away, but several emails, phone calls and letters were ignored. Fortunately, I only ordered one to try. I didn't know they were even still around.

I'm VERY happy with Specialized Armadillo tires. My MTB is mostly a work bike used in the research orchards of a local university. In late summer, I usually have a solid row of goathead stickers around both sides of the front tire (can't see the rear) all day long. I have never had a flat with the Armadillo tires and I put around 3500 miles a year on them under those conditions.

Eric

timmhaan

damn, that sucks Eric! the company definitely needs to improve it's business\customer service skills. totally unacceptable to just "lose" an order like that.

Taur

Why not save your time and possibly your money and order these tires directly from the factory?

https://www.nu-teck.com/
I also like the Made in the USA stamp on these tires.

It is amazing how many people are complaing about ordering from some guy selling things out of the back of his car and getting ripped off.

nashcommguy

Yeah, I've stopped recommending 'Airfree Tires' at all. Nu-Teck is the way to go. Ron Matusak(Matusek?) is the order manager and he, get this...CALLED ME BACK ON A SATURDAY AND TOOK MY ORDER, PERSONALLY!! My wife and I were shocked, to say the least.

Airfree has better prices on certain tires and often has 'special deals', but dealing directly w/t manufacturer is always better.

timmhaan

i didn't even know you could order from the manufacturer. i'm definitely doing that next time.

however, i got two tires for $50 from 'air free'. it looks like that'll cost more than $80 from the manufacturer.

ACH57

Is anyone that had positive feedback initially on the Nu-teck tires still using them? Any further updates/impressions? I'm looking at them for a commuter with 27" wheels.

timmhaan

i'm still using mine. after riding them most of the season so far, i feel i can make the following statements based on my experience:

1. they are okay.
2. i miss the smoother feel of an air tire.
3. i don't like how they behave in wet conditions, or during emergency stops.
4. the peace of mind of never going flat makes up for some of these flaws.

that said, i'm actually thinking of going back to regular tires and tubes. there is a section that i ride most days that just vibrates the living stuff out of me on the airless tires. the vibration damping is not very good to say the least (although, i do have the 120 PSI road tires... so that may be why).

nashcommguy

Just bought a set of 700x28mm 130 psi rated touring tires. The ride is ok, though slow and tough. But, that's the trade off. I use them on my Fuji conversion single speed. The tread width is the same as the 35mm hybrids at 110 psi I got last year. Over 7000 miles on them w/no probs. Same for the 700x20mm 105 psi road tires. 2000 miles on them w/no probs. The 28mms have caused some spoke breakage. Were I to order again I would order 130 psi 35mm hybrids as there would be more cushion effect w/a thicker tire.

Nu-Tecks are on 3 of my 4 bikes. I purchased a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus from AEBike.com for my primary commuter. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about re them. I run a Kenda Kwest w/a Stop Flats 2 liner on the front and a SMP on the rear w/no liner. The pneumatics are much faster as expected, but I STILL like using the airless for commuting. The purpose of running the SMP on my primary commuter is to see how long I go before a REAR flat, which are the most difficult and time consuming to change. 90% of all my flats ever have been on the rear tire. I WAS going to run SMPs on the front and rear, but thought the KK w/a liner would be cheaper in the long run as I'd have a SMP extra for the rear.

BTW, Nu-Teck DOES offer a 27" version of their product.

apricissimus 

Sheldon Brown says "no" on the airless tire.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#airless

I've never tried them, but I'm going to take his advice.

nashcommguy

Sheldon Brown(RIP) was a brilliant, kindly, opinionated, caring, selfless, cultured, funny and subversive man. He did more for cycling in America than anyone else I can think of including Lance Armstrong. My regard for him is of the highest order. I ignored his advice, disregarded his opinion and decided to find out for myself re airless tires. Independent thought is a wonderful thing...try it.

apricissimus 

Well, I'm happy with my pneumatic tires and don't feel a pressing need to make a change. But I do appreciate your independent thought. Never a bad thing.

timmhaan

his advice on this is poor and outdated, and i think lazily researched. the newer versions are not at all as bad as he would make them out to be.

huhenio

more local lbs has lost my business than any online trader has

huhenio

mmhm ... I would try them on a winter beater commuter.

Fixing flat in the summer is one thing ...

EliteTempleton

I think that's a trade off that simply depends on the scenario you find yourself in. For instance: Someone who is simply going camping via a base camp scenario has far less weight concerns and may fare really well carrying some extra stuff to help others or even for trade. Yet someone who is backpacking through the wilderness will doubtfully see any benefit from carrying unnecessary extra supplies, as it is unlikely they will even encounter another traveler, especially one who has come unprepared into the wilderness.

The flaw in that logic is circular. Nothing personal, just saying; If nobody tries the new/different thing simply because nobody else is doing it, who will?

As an example here is an edited version of your statement: I say if bicycle commuting were so great, everybody would be doing it.

I do see your point, and in many cases it can apply. A couple of possible examples that come to mind are electric toothbrushes and electric knives.

In this case however, you might consider some other points of view that might be controlling the market. Like when an oil company buys a patent for an alternative energy source.
A.) They are not stocked, from what I have seen, locally at any source, LBS or others. Therefore many people do not even know of their existence. Also, there are still a large number of folks who refuse to order anything online.
B.) A LBS has very little incentive to stock or recommend a product that requires zero maintenance once installed and lasts 5x as long. This would encourage a revenue loss.

No. They have different levels of air bubbles within them. Variance depending upon the PSI requirement.

Thanks!

Seems AirFreeTires reputation precedes them: https://www.orlando.bbb.org/newsearch...07330024000243

While https://www.nu-teck.com/ does not return any results. I'll take the company that does not have any complaints filed against them yet.