Run flat bicycle tires

[dnix71]

Is there a simple way to convert normal pneumatic tires into run flats? I was on my ebike this morning and had to walk home to fix a flat. I didn't have a patch kit with me, and even after I got home to all my tools it still took 45 minutes to find both holes and properly patch them. Not easy walking home with a flat rear tire, either.

Police Harleys come with run flats, but they don't sell those to civilians. Wheelchairs come with solid sponge tires sometimes, but those are not intended for bicycle speeds. 

If a car tire goes flat it's not that big of a deal since you have room for tools and a spare.

[Tritium]

Google is your friend.

Look here.

http://www.airfreetires.com/shopping/c-6-airless-bicycle-tires.aspx

Thurmond

[dnix71]

I saw those, but don't know anyone who uses them or if they stay on the rim properly. My ebike is very heavy, so a soft tire might damage the rim. I bottomed out on the rim once and dinged it. I don't want to do that again. It would be a LOT of work to restring a replacement back rim on a rear wheel drive ebike.

[DamonHD]

They claim to have a denser grade for heavier users/bikes: maybe that would be good for you?

Rgds

Damon

[dave ames]

 hey guys,

 not exactly on topic but maybe close.

i swear by these "fix a flat" type emergency tire repair cans. (some goop in a pressurized can), they have saved my Bacon more than once when stuck somewhere. they are for a temporary plug but i have used 'em with some tires and never went and got a permanent repair! did a snowblower tire as well as a few bike tires with them.

cheers, dave

[zap]

Over 30 years ago I used my 10-speed for everything and rode it anywhere.  I got tired of always repairing flats and installed the solid tubes and they worked like a charm but I haven't had any experience with them lately.

I run Slime in all my bikes now.
After somewhere around 2500 miles, the only puncture the Slime hasn't sealed was from a 3/8" hardened tack like the type used to fasten carpet tack strip to concrete.
The tack entered between the tread and side wall and then got twisted/bent and caused a "V" type cut that the Slime couldn't seal.  This was Slime designed for bicycles, the Slime designed for autos or ATVs might have sealed it up.

You could try tire liners but they can be problematic and if not correctly installed can cause more flats.
You can make liners out of old tires and/or old tubes... similar concept to thorn proof tubes... they're thicker

Any solution will most likely add some weight 

[dualsport54]

You might look at these. Little hard to install, but works very well for my dirtbikes.

http://www.tireballs.com/index.php

[ghurd]

Only ran a hybred with Slime.
Only had one flat... not sure if it would have had a flat but the Slime sealed it.  How can you know?

The flat was not a big hole.
It looked like a fluorescent green pinwheel.  Slime went everywhere.
G-

[hydrosun]

I rode a bike from coast to coast and back in 1980 with flat free inner tubes. The ride was a bit harder than with normal tubes and I broke a few spokes.  I don't know how well the newer airfree tubes work.
. On my bike now I bought a self sealing tube that has a product similar to slime but the bike store claimed was better. I have replaced it once when a large hole caused a continued slow leak.  I thought I had a problem last summer but found the filler valve wasn't screwed on tight enough.  I've got a 1 hp gas motor on the bike with an extra chain that makes it a lot harder to take the wheel off to repair a flat.  Trying to find the leak and repair along the road one night motivated me to find a way to decrease the times it goes flat.
Chris

[dnix71]

DualSport, that looks interesting. I have a coworker who raced dirt bikes and still would except his spine just can't take the beating anymore. I'll ask him.

I had another blowout today. I had just done some wash when I heard a BANG and a loud hissssss. This time it was the front tube. Just sitting there and bang.
The valve core assembly itself actually blew out. The tube was molded with a nipple and the core assembly inserted into that. At least it's the front tire. That's not so much work to remove.

I also had the controller get weird on me Saturday. One the way home from the bank it just quit. The lights on the handlebar control showed full voltage, but nothing worked. After removing and reseating the battery pack a few times it seems to work again. I have to ride off road and off sidewalk a lot and the pounding may just be too much.

I have bought Slime before but was afraid to use it. If I got a big hole it would just make a bright green mess.

Sometimes I wonder if it's just me. I had a new bike at home and popped a wheelie and the rear axle snapped right there. I was skinny way back them. In college I went off a curb one time too many and had the front forks shear off. Another bike in college (French made, I blame them) broke off at the crank assembly swage and had to be discarded.

[Bruce S]

The slime for bikes will make it a little heavier, but it is what we outfitted for our long distance traveler who used it for riding his bent from St.L to Oregan.
Had no problems with the tires.
I would recommend it but make sure and get the stuff for bikes.
The fix-flat aerosol stuff can be bad for tires. I quit even carrying it when most repair shops refused to repair tires that had it in them, said it messes with the inside and flats that need internal patches didn't stick.
Not sure if they have changed to formula or not , but I carry the Slime for cars and motorcycles in all our vehicles.

Cheers
Bruce S

[dnix71]

Success on the second try. The tube came in today. The tube insert fit the rim okay, but the tire was to small (26 x 2.00 in my case).  A trip to Wallyworld got me a 26 x 2.25 Bell brand tire since they didn't have the 26 x 2.125 that was recommended. It fit perfectly. The toy department manager said he had spent 4 hours that day trying to get a Bell brand rubber tube no-flat on a customer's mountain bike. I checked the bike on display and it had 26 x 1.95 tires, which are obviously too small.

The guy who sold me my tube inserts was very insistent that there were 2 things that had to match and he was right. The inner tube must bridge the rim without quite touching bottom (the spoke caps). AND the tire must be just large enough to seat both beads. If the tire is too small and you succeed in seating only one bead you'll have to cut the tire off and start over, like I did.

[dnix71]

Here's some pix. I'm off to Walmart to buy a proper size tire for the back.

 This is the front with the tube inserted. It rides fine so far. I took it out this morning.

 This is what the tube looks like next to the tire I had to cut off.

[Norm]

Tires look good....just noticied the motor....what size ,watts and voltage battery size?
Norm.

[dnix71]

It's "450" watts if you believe Walmart and Currie. 24v. I took the tube out of the back tire and put a special thick no flat pneumatic tube in it and the original tire back. The wider tread required for the tube I bought had a lot higher rolling resistance than the original and it wasn't worth the extra work pedaling or the loss of range on batteries.

There is something not quite right about the wiring. If I full throttle the battery gauge drops way off. There is something limiting current to the controller. As soon as I back off on the throttle the gauge pops right back up to green. I have 3 battery packs in parallel, 2 two-packs of sla's and Bruce's nicads so it can't be for lack of battery current.

[Bruce S]

It's "450" watts if you believe Walmart and Currie. 24v. I took the tube out of the back tire and put a special thick no flat pneumatic tube in it and the original tire back. The wider tread required for the tube I bought had a lot higher rolling resistance than the original and it wasn't worth the extra work pedaling or the loss of range on batteries.

There is something not quite right about the wiring. If I full throttle the battery gauge drops way off. There is something limiting current to the controller. As soon as I back off on the throttle the gauge pops right back up to green. I have 3 battery packs in parallel, 2 two-packs of sla's and Bruce's nicads so it can't be for lack of battery current.

dniz71,
That gauge is working correctly . Our 48Vdc 550 watt e-bike's gauge works the very same way.
That's what i like about the NiCds, the ability to dump their current to the controller at a higher rate than the SLA's

Currie is very well known for a good consistent product and at 450 watts that's about 19Amps your dumping to it right off the batt, so your gauge is working perfect.
I know doesn't seem right but I did a whole bunch of testing with the watt's up meter when we switched to the NiCds, to ease my mind.

Now of course you may need to invert in a watt's up type meter while staying with the NiCds as the gauge will not be accurate due to their holding the voltage until the bitter end 
The gauge uses the voltage difference for Lead-Acid based batteries to give you its fuel type readings.
Have fun!!
Bruce S

 

[ghurd]

The gauge is reading voltage.
The current causes voltage loss in the wires.
The gauge sees less voltage, so it shows low.
G-

[Norm]

Yes tire tread and width sure makes a difference.....I was used to an old ten speed with nearly bald
tires pumped up hard as a rock.
Then I got a mountain type 21 speed ....tires twice as wide and snow tire tread....
even in one of the lower speeds ....it's quite an effort in comparison.

What a neat thing it would be to have variable ratio for speed control
where the motor would be full on but the lowest ratio at 5mph....not needing
much torque the current drain would be quite small .

I think back to the old days ( Barely before my time....I'm not quite that old) when car
tires weren't quite as tough and they carried 2 or 3 spares?? LOL !

Norm.

[Norm]

 
 I know doesn't seem right but I did a whole bunch of testing with the watt's up meter when we switched to the NiCds, to ease my mind.

Now of course you may need to invert in a watt's up type meter while staying with the NiCds as the gauge will not be accurate due to their holding the voltage until the bitter end 
The gauge uses the voltage difference for Lead-Acid based batteries to give you its fuel type readings.
Have fun!!
Bruce S 

 Ah yes if you have a what's up type meter and done a whole bunch of testing....
you would have known....

 so Bruce ?....Ghurd ?   is there a what's up type meter?.....Mainly my concern is that actual WattsUp meters
seem to cost so much! for a little gizmo the size of my digital BELL speedometer/odometer/average speed/trip meter/clock/ etc.
they both display eqivalent information on about the same size screen.
 I could get by with just a multimeter if the dang thing while charging a battery.....even at a steady
rate of pedaling ....the amperage jumps all over in a range of .8 to 3.8 and sometimes even 4.2
not even steady enough to figure an average.

Excuse me if I seem to be hi-jacking this thread.
Norm

[Bruce S]

 
 I know doesn't seem right but I did a whole bunch of testing with the watt's up meter when we switched to the NiCds, to ease my mind.

Now of course you may need to invert in a watt's up type meter while staying with the NiCds as the gauge will not be accurate due to their holding the voltage until the bitter end 
The gauge uses the voltage difference for Lead-Acid based batteries to give you its fuel type readings.
Have fun!!
Bruce S 

 Ah yes if you have a what's up type meter and done a whole bunch of testing....
you would have known....

 so Bruce ?....Ghurd ?   is there a what's up type meter?.....Mainly my concern is that actual WattsUp meters
seem to cost so much! for a little gizmo the size of my digital BELL speedometer/odometer/average speed/trip meter/clock/ etc.
they both display eqivalent information on about the same size screen.
 I could get by with just a multimeter if the dang thing while charging a battery.....even at a steady
rate of pedaling ....the amperage jumps all over in a range of .8 to 3.8 and sometimes even 4.2
not even steady enough to figure an average.

Excuse me if I seem to be hi-jacking this thread.
Norm

Norm;
 For me these take the place of needing multiple meters. They do cost, but I get so much fun out of working with it . The cost was worth it's ability to store the history of both voltage and current used and incoming at a glance.
The one I saw posted in another thread from AU is a better price for basically the same, but I think shipping would eat the savings.

Amy's e-bike got stuck several times while I worked out the kinks  the little meter doesn't care what battery type you use. Plus digital is Soooo much cooler to look at  .
Did make an adapter for 4V input.

Cheers
Bruce S

 

[WindriderNM]

A capacitor and resister across the meter would average the readings

[WindriderNM]

I installed these tubes for wheelchairs, it was hard to find the right size. I got larger circumference tubes then cut then to the right size and super glued the ends together.
As i recall, it was several year ago, I made some tools to make mounting the tires easier.