tubeless tires, orange seal and goathead strategies
 

Those who live in the Southwest US have become aware of the goat head or puncture vine. For those not blessed with these, the seeds, which look like tiny goat heads, have 2 thorns (horns) which always seem to point up. They are long enough to penetrate most tires, if not all, and thrive on dry ground next to bike paths. Since fixing a Brompton is a bit involved, especially the rear tire, I was wondering if any one has developed a reliable strategy for these? I have heard that tubeless tires with Stan sealant or Orange Seal work really well, at least on mtn bikes. Does anyone have first hand experience with these solutions?

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Why don't you see these used more? Are they heavy and clunky?

If you Ride for a 'Workout', then you will get that ..

It's the way you get wheelchair tires to never be flat Too . They are used a Lot There..

I have read reviews of tannus that indicate the absence of air stresses the spokes a lot. I haven't heard of these others. Also heard that fitting the tannus tires ain't all that easy either. An Albuquerque LBS owner told me he likes tires, Mr. Tuffys, thorn proof tubes, and Slime.
Sounds really slow and heavy.

I used to run routinely through areas with goats head thorns on 406 tires .. the tire that was amazing was Schwalbe Marathon Plus .. it ended my flats due to the goats heads ... they should ride better than air free tires also ..

I have marathon plusses too, and I haven't ridden them in goat head season. I know they have a super thick center section but I was wondering about the sides of the tire not protected by the thick part. You don't get anything in the side part then? They would be better than solid tires and multiple layers of other protection.

I had a Plus on my Birdy rear wheel. I didn't like the way it squirmed going around corners if pumped anything below rock hard. But I had at least 2 punctures from pieces of glass that got in past the side of the thick strip.

Goatheads are common in our area. Our experience has been that puncture-resistant (aka thorn-resistant) tubes won't provide adequate protection for goatheads. A properly installed tire liner (we use RhinoDillo and Mr. Tuffy) is our initial recommendation for goathead protection for those who are budget minded. Otherwise, Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires have, so far, always resolved this issue for our customers. Most of our customers are bicycle riders rather than cyclists. For them, puncture resistance is usually their highest priority for tires (followed by price ;) ). Also, FWIW, Schwalbe makes a Marathon Plus for Bromptons.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA