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Puncture Proof Tyres vs Traditional Tyres


It’s getting cold and wet and you have just had to stop for your second puncture in as many miles. Sound familiar? Sadly, punctures are an unavoidable part of cycling life.

You can try to protect yourself with ‘puncture protection’ or inner tubes filled with sealant but at some point, the inevitable will happen and normally at the least welcome point of your ride.

Ask any cyclist to picture solid tyres and most will think of wheelchairs or children’s bikes, as not viable alternatives to the tyres on your road bike.

But now thanks to brands such as Tannus Tyres pushing the development of solid tyre technology, solid tyres could well be an option for your next tyre purchase.

Modern solid tyres are made of a micro closed cell polymer resin (MCP) manipulated to make a solid foam-like material.

With careful processing, MCP can create a durable tyre with most of the performance benefits of a standard pneumatic tyre plus the crucial advantage of never puncturing.

It’s this promise of never getting caught out with a puncture and not having to carry spare tubes or tools that Chris Proctor from Coyote Sports, the UK distributor of Tannus Tyres, cites as the reason why so many riders are using their tyres.

Currently popular with commuters, e-bike riders and the like, the zero maintenance aspect of solid tyres is also a big draw.

So solid tyres are catching up, creating a viable alternative that can appeal to a wider spectrum of riders, but they are not looking to take over from pneumatic tyres.

For a large number of cyclists, solid tyres represent a viable alternative in the war against punctures.

However, they are not without their limitations and until grip levels, road feel and fitting issues are improved they will have limited appeal to more serious riders.

The leaders in the solid-tyre field are working to improve the image and performance of the tyres but as the larger tyre brands are focusing on other pneumatic tyre technologies such as tubeless and alternative rubber compounds, solid tyres will continue to have limited appeal outside of the commuting and occasional cyclist realms.

We have customers who are using their third or fourth sets of Tannus Tyres and won’t use a bike without them.

For some cyclists, a puncture just comes with the joy of cycling, for others like me they are a pain.

We all know people who go to take their bike out for a spin on a sunny Sunday and find tyres flat or perished and then don’t bother and the bike languishes in the shed or garage never to be used again.

While in theory a solid set-up could be developed to ensure conformity with rim manufacturers and compounding produced to offer a high level of grip for regular cycling, the performance benefits of a pneumatic tyre system still outweigh the argument for solid tyres.

 

Summary


I’m really looking forward to the next time I take my eBike to London; I’m going to be wearing a big smile on my face knowing that I’ll be able to ride those awful, pitted violently undulating glass-strewn roads with total impunity from the puncture fairy. 

I find the ride very hard with puncher proof tyres when compared to traditional tyres and you will need to consider this when thinking about how you are going to use your eBike. for a leisure ride I am sure that you will love the convenience of the puncture proof tyre but for longer rides, you need to consider the benefits of a traditional tyre.