Solid Tubes and Solid Tires
 

Hello:


My problem is tires. No matter what kind of air up tires I get, they keep losing air...I am constantly pumping them up.

I've been looking for size 28 inch solid tires, but I can't find any online. I find 14 inch to 26 inch, but thats it, nothing larger, unless its a motorcycle.

I've looked at solid tires also, but don't find any solid tires for 28 inch rims.


And yes, I've taken it to a bike shop to see if there is anything wrong with the rims, and they said they didn't find anything wrong.



Is there any place that sells larger sized bike tires....specifically the solid tubes or solid tires? I spend more time airing up these tires than riding the bike!!!


Thanks!

Put the tubes in some water and find the leak. You shouldn't have to add air to non-latex tubes very often.

It would help to know exactly what size your "28 inch" rims are since there are several possibilities. If there's a metric equivalent written somewhere on the current tire that would help define it. Some 700c (622mm bead diameter) tires are labeled as 28" - in that case Tannus has a solid foam tire with widths of either 23mm or 28mm:
Tannus Tires - Solid Bicycle Tires
But be aware that most people become very dissatisfied with airless tires due to the increased rolling resistance, greater weight, and harsher ride.

How frequently do you actually need to pump up the current tires? Once every couple weeks is about normal for bicycle tires (a little more frequent for very thin tires, less frequent for fatter ones). The air inside does gradually diffuse through the thin rubber tube. If yours lose air much faster than that then you either have a small puncture in the tubes or you have unusually thin tubes (or latex ones) where the diffusion rate is higher. Get some normal tubes - or opt for the thick 'thorn resistant' ones that will have a lower diffusion rate (albeit at the cost of some extra rolling resistance and weight).

What is the exact size of tires you're using?

I've been using Tannus solid tires (700x23) on my winter commuter since mid-winter this year. I have some mixed opinions on them, but I like the idea of fewer flats, and not being stuck out in the rain. Plus no need to carry pump, spare tube, and patch kit (unless I pull my trailer).

Here is a longer thread that I've posted a few times to.
http://www.bikeforums.net/general-cy...olid-tire.html

• Slightly harsher ride (700x23) than pneumatic tires.
• Slightly higher rolling resistance than pneumatic tires
• Somewhat lower traction when wet.
  .
• A few really big gashes in them, but no "flats".
• Wear is good. I have somewhere around 1000 miles, and can barely detect wear on the rear. Still have center ridge on the front. No dry skids so far, but a few wet skids with no appreciable wear.

I typically get fewer flats during the summer, and use standard tube tires on the rest of my bikes.

Another competitor is Peram. They make a solid tube to put inside of your own tire. It looks like they now have a few up on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Peram/b/ref=bl...owse-bin=Peram

I'm also seeing, Greentyres, but the reviews I'm reading are very harsh.
Bicycle tyres cycle tyres bike tyres custom built wheels tyres

And Acme.
@cme Bike Parts | FlatFree Bicycle Wheelsets

That's the nature of tubes. They lose air. I have to top off my tires before every ride. Bicycle tires/tubes are not like car tires.

Here's what you need to do:

First, go to a good, REAL bike store, and buy some DECENT tubes (not the cheap Kenda or the junk they sell in the dime stores).

Second, you need to buy some good, puncture-resistant tires. They'll cost you about $40 each, but they are worth it.

Third, if you have rubber spoke liners, you need to replace it with a good cloth liner.

You probably have a slow leak from a tiny puncture, or maybe a leaking valve stem. I'd replace the tubes on general principle, any tubes. Also check inside the tire for a tiny wire (glass, thorn) poking through. Check the rim tape as Alex suggested.

Molded foam plastic-rubber tires are made, I have 2. for a 700c rim want them ?


Thorn resistant Tubes are Heavy because they are much thicker . but as a result, they retain air much longer.

I get the standard thick rubber bike tubes, I go through about 3 or more sets a year because they never hold air.

I have to air them up every single time I ride.

Tire size is 28 x 1 3/8 x 1 5/8....thats what is has printed on the tires.

Everytime I get another set of tubes, I change brands. And so far, not one of them has kept air.

With all the money I've spent in tubes, I could just buy a nice set of solid tires or solid tubes, but I can't find any for this size.
They aren't getting punctures, I've checked them and had them checked. They just lose air every time I ride. And I ride on flat, concrete surfaces, so I shouldn't be having issues with punctures.

Thats a bit out of my price range, but I like the looks of those.

There is a bike shop near here, I will have to go see if they have anything like this in stock.

I haven't found anything online in the city I live.

Instead of replacing the tube, reinflate it. If it's losing air quickly, it's a puncture. When repairing punctures, it's imperative that you make sure the debris puncturing the tube does not remain in the tire, or it will puncture the repaired tube.

Real bike shops often sell Kenda tubes, sometimes rebranded under a decent name. There's nothing wrong with Kenda tubes.

Some natural air loss is common. Mom's bicycle gets ridden 1x or 2x a year, and inevitably needs the tires pumped up.

I ride several times a week. I do a quick "thumb" test, and only pump up once every few weeks. Undersized tubes will lose air quicker than oversized (thicker) tubes.

Latex tubes also apparently lose air quicker than the butyl (black) tubes.
I'm seeing those are probably 700x35c which is a very common tire size. Your bike store should be able to confirm.

How old are the tires? When was the last time they've been replaced?

It is possible that if you started with brand new tires and tubes you'd do better. Otherwise, are you tracking down and figuring out what is causing the holes in your tubes? A small radial tire wire can be hard to find unless you follow a hole to the problem spot. Patches are cheap.

That Tannus Shield/Thoroki tires will probably fit.
Tannus Thoroki Aither 1.1 Solid Foam No Flat Bike Tires

Double check the rim size. Measure the inside width of the rim, bead to bead.
Tannus Aither 1.1 Tire Size Chart Tire Selection

Verify tire clearance if you're moving to the 40mm version.

The tires are a major pain to install, but you only need to do it once.

The Peram solid tubes will also probably work, but getting the right size might be trickier.
http://www.amazon.com/Peram/b/ref=bl...owse-bin=Peram

Something is wrong and probably not the tubes. I air up every week or two weeks, or sometimes months on a bike I don't mind riding at 50-60 psi. I've had the same tubes for years, and ride every day.

Do you have a patch kit, and use it?

Yea take the tire OFF you probably left a tiny bit of wire still in it, and it makes a new Hole in every new tube..

If your tires are less than 10 years old, they should have the number 622 printed on them somewhere. If they do, then you're golden. Any 700c (by 30 to 40) tire should fit on your bike depending on tire clearance.

If they are over 10 years old, buy a new set of tires anyway. Look for something with a reasonable puncture resistance rating. Schwalbe Marathon, and Panaracer Tourguard tires are good rugged tires. There are also lots of choices for lighter durable tires.

A local bike shop can help verify tire sizes.

You're wanting to turn the calendar way back before the invention of the pneumatic tire? There were big and excellent reasons why the pneumatic tire was invented. A sold rubber tire will make riding a bicycle like spending time with George Foreman or muhammad Ali in the ring- you'll be beat before yo go any great distance.

Pump up the tube (out of the tire) and make sure the tube is big. Then immerse sections of the tube into water deep enough to cover the diameter of that section of tube. Then look for bubles. If you see a bubble slowly forming wipe it with your hand and watch to see if it comes back. if it does there's your slow leak. repeat with the entire tube. Also submerge the valve to check that the valve isn't worn or loose and that air isn't coming out of it.

Once you find your leak patch it. Before you put the tube back in thetire run a cootn ball around the inside of the tire and see if it snags on anything sticking through thet ire. there might be a tiny bit of glass or a fine piece of wire in the tire. You have to remove that. Also rub that cotton ball along the inside of the rim to see if there's a nick inthe rim or a protruding spoke that's eventuallt wearing a tiny hole in the tube.

Cheers

Cheers

Solid tires are not popular, because they are heavy and nobody except you, chesterv, has this problem. I think, you should not look for the solid tires, but for the reason of your problem. If you are saying the you try to change tubes and tires, probably problem is somewhere else.
What pressure do you usually pump up to? Maybe it is something extreme? Do you have the same behavior for both wheels? Might be something is wrong with the rims and they are making small puncture in your tubes. First i think you need to make sure that there is no puncture: take the tube out, and pump it up to really big size (but avoid explosion:)) and dip it in a bath, try to see attentively for bubbles, if you see it, let me know, i will give further recommendation :). If no, the only one explanation is left is pump and valves (nipples). Maybe you pump damages nipples and they do not keep air any more. Might be, there is dust in your pump that comes into the tube and prevent nipples to work well. What kind of nipples do you have? If you have presta valve, do you do everything exactly like in this video?

As mentioned, the tire diameter marking as 28" is somewhat ambiguous and can refer to an actual bead diameter of either 622mm ("700c" size) or 635mm. You probably have the 622mm size but it would be good to check the tire carefully to see if either 622 or 635 are printed on it anywhere. If you have the 622mm size then Tannus makes their solid foam type of tire in both 32mm and 40mm widths and either of those should work with your wheels. But note the comments that I and others have already made about disadvantages of using non-pneumatic tires.

You keep saying that you need to fill them "every single time" you ride, but give no indication of how often that is. As mentioned, it's normal for air to slowly diffuse out of bicycle tubes. So if you only ride once a month it wouldn't be unusual to have to pump them up every time. OTOH, it would be unusual to have to do this if you're commuting by bike and therefore ride at least twice a day. As fietsbob and I have already said, switching to the thicker 'thorn-resistant' tubes would give you a thicker rubber wall so the air would diffuse more slowly and would only need to be pumped up every couple months instead of weeks. These also have drawbacks of greater weight and increased rolling resistance, but not to the same extent as solid foam tires. (And tubes stretch so the ones made for 622mm rims would also work ok with 635mm rims.)

I'm puzzled by your comment that "I haven't found anything online in the city I live" since a big advantage of finding things online is that they can be shipped from almost anywhere in the world.

You can Slime it too...

Won't help the slow loss of pressure over months, but some people find it helps.

The green goo is mostly non-drying, and more or less stops the holes. But isn't the best.

Latex sealants are better, and can essentially permanently plug holes, but have to be periodically renewed or otherwise maintained. I don't know how well they do with stuff like the radial tire wires or glass, if the cause of the flat (wire, glass, etc) isn't physically removed.

As I stated before, I have taken this to a bike shop and they looked it over for a long time and did all sorts of tests on it. They claim they can't find anything wrong with it.

I've had problems buying from overseas, so I don't do it unless there isn't any other choice. I don't even bother selling overseas from my ebay anymore because of all the problems.

A very small hole and leak doesn't show up in usual bike shop tests. As already mentioned you need to take the tube out, inflate it, and submerge in water a section at the time looking for bubbles. Once you find the source, match the tube hole against the corresponding spot on the tire. Most likely there's something very small embedded in the tire. Run your finger across the inside if use a cotton swab to find it.

No, I don't ride my bike everyday.

I just moved and I know my tires are flat at this point. When I do ride, it's on the weekends, weather permitting.

If I ride on Saturday, I will have to air up the tires again on Sunday when I go out.
Tires claim to hold 60 psi. I pump them to 55-60. I was always told over-inflating will wear your tires out faster.

I bought the bike new with new tires and tubes.
The tubes that came on the bike never held air. I would get about a block away and they would be flat. So I bought new tubes. They last for a ride, but the next day I have to air them up again. Got tired of that so I bought another brand of tubes....same thing happened. Took the bike to the bike shop to have it looked at. They claim they found nothing wrong. I put another brand of new tubes on the bike.....same thing happening.

As I said, I ride on flat surfaces. So the minor differences in solid tubes or tires should not affect me.

I don't want to keep wasting money buying tubes every 2 or 3 months. I might try that gel stuff for the tubes or if there are some of those super thick tubes in my price range....other than that, I will just save up for some solids.


Thanks anyway guys.

As StanSeven said usually they do not bother too much, because it is not they who suffer from that. But if you are sure that you cannot test it better, than my questions about pumping should be considered.

Another thought. Check the source of the tube flat. If the hole is away from the road surface and towards the rime itself, the problem is with the wheel. Either it's a rough edge or the rim tape isn't covering a spoke hole. Since you said this happened when new, I bet it's due to rim tape not properly applied.

I had similar problem once. And after several weeks of suffering (i ride every day), i manage to find the hole in the tube, but did not find anything wrong with the tire nor rime, a new tire did not keep pressure neither, and probably after one month of pumping every day, i found i little wire in the tire that punctured the tube very gently :).

That's correct, but first chesterv needs to find a hole :)

On the off-chance that an LBS has been replacing your tubes, and you've somehow pissed someone there off, and that someone is extremely petty, make sure your valve cores are properly tightened. We'll assume this is not the case.

Then they have a leak. If it happens with new tubes, whatever is puncturing the tube is still in the tire (or remains uncovered on the wheel).

Take note of where the tire label (or other identifiable tire marking) is relative to the valve stem. Remove tube. Pump it up enough that it's firm. Submerse it in water, such as in a sink. Locate the leak. (Remember, there could be more than one; find them all.) Is the leak on the inside (the "doughnut hole" part of the tube) or the outside (where the tire contacts the tube)? If it's on the inside, then there's something about the wheel that is causing the leak. If it's on the outside, then there's something in the tire that is puncturing the tube. Since you noted the tire position relative to the valve stem prior to removing the tire from the wheel, you can isolate the two possible areas (per each leak found) of the tire (or wheel) where the debris (or wheel "defect", probably a rim strip out of place) is located. Find and remove the debris from tire, which may require pliers, tweezers, or some other tool. If the problem is with the wheel cover it by adjusting the rim strip or adding a piece of duck tape (or duct tape, if you subscribe to the alternate origin of the product :) ). Better still, replace the rim strip with proper Velox tape.

For good measure, use the cotton ball trick to check the rest of the tire. Or just use your fingers to feel for it, carefully.

Reinstall tire and tube on wheel, lining the tire label up with the valve stem (to make future problems easier to locate).

Repeat for process for other wheel.

Consider purchasing puncture resistant pneumatic tires, such as Schwalbe Marathons.

Pneumatic tires with butyl tubes have worked reliably for many decades, for millions of riders. Tubes last for many years, and a vulcanizing patch repair is reliable and permanent. It's wholly unreasonable to believe a fault in the technology is causing your problem.