I was at Walmart today an saw 26' solid tube an they also have numerous Kevlar tire options. I was reading that Kevlar are good for going fast an not going flat as easily as other tires on a motorized bike. I also read that having a solid tube will insure no flats an good for motor bikes. Would it be over kill to combine the two?
26' Kevlar tire with solid state tube??
- Thread starter mikeab13
- Start date
There has been a lot of discussion here about solid, (airless) innertubes. It looks like the general consensus is they don't work well on a motorized bicycle.
Many of us prefer the thick, thorn-proof tubes and tire liners. You'll need to do some reading and decide for yourself > http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partne...Search#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=solid tubes&gsc.page=1 Good luck
Tom
Many of us prefer the thick, thorn-proof tubes and tire liners. You'll need to do some reading and decide for yourself > http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partne...Search#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=solid tubes&gsc.page=1 Good luck
Tom
I am one, I have what I call 'bullet proofing' wheels as an option I recommend for every new build.
~$25 a wheel for a quality tube and liner local retail per wheel.
I have pictures somewhere, but an HD tube is like 4x thicker than typical retail bicycle stock tubes.
Just a note about tubes..
Like a balloon, they all loose air through permeation, the thicker the tube the less air it will leak just sitting there.
And just for giggles and grins...
You can fill your tubes with nitrogen.
It is a denser non volatile molecule that doesn't permeate through rubber as fast.
Liners are king in my book.
They won't prevent a sidewall puncture but will sure stop any of the usual things we encounter.
Tires wear out, good tires count at the speeds we ride but paying more for them to be supposedly 'tougher' sounds like marketing to me.
All I know is I occasionally refit a customers bike with new tires and with the 'bullet proof' wheel builds the worn out tires are filled with nasty's you can feel inside the tire but didn't cause a flat and I can reuse the HD tube and liner with the new tire.
It's a reusable $25 investment I highly recommend for at least your back wheel as it really sucks to have to repair a back flat on the road.
mikeab13- I've successfully used cheap kevlar tires with thorn proof tubes, there's some tire discussion here that may interest you.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=49097
Hope this helps.
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=49097
Hope this helps.
Thank you everyone. KC if I search bullet proof tire. I'm sorry for this noob question but what is HD tube? Do they sell these at Walmart? If not we have a couple of pretty good bike shops in town. Fort myers shwhien shop has been around for years as a trusted bike seller. If I were to ask them for 26' HD tubes for a motorized bike do you think they would understand? Also is tread pattern important? I will be riding mostly roads with no hills or major turns? Would you reccomend a tire with more grip/tread on back an maybe smooth in front? What is ur alls setup? This is so exciting tommrrow s my day off an I can barely contain myself thinking bout CRUISING AROUND!!!! I know their will be some work to do b4 I get were I wanna be but hey theirs nothing good in life that's not worth working for alil bit!!!
KC & TREY. So the thorn proof tubes with Kevlar tires is smart? I'm not gonna go cheap on tires brakes and lights. Everything else as I've seen on the boards is easy to tweak an mod. This place is absoutlry amazing. Whatever u think of or heard of to do to our bikes is on here with easy steps,pics, an even diffrentbways of doing things or new ideas. God I can't wait to pick a motor an get it. I wanna ride my setup with stock motor then do my tweeks an do a full report. I have been trying to find a build with bike I'm going to use but could only find one random pic. Gosh I can't wait. Thanks everyone for the info. 2door,KC,and trey.
The majority of my builds do 30+, a flat at those speeds really puts a damper on your day, just ask my mechanic Cole, he missed a few days of work last week after a front flat at 30.
Well, there are better tires than the kevlars. Looking around this site will get you many recommendations on types. They have worked for me with the HD tubes and a liner, but if you've got the cash you could probably do better. How much better is open to debate. If you were riding a 50mph+ bike, you'd NEED something rated for that, but the average MAB (27mph) will do fine with this set up.Do your best to seat the bead properly in the rim, but as it said in the link I sent you, I hardly ever get them as perfect as I would like- but no problems... yet
These are the typical tubes and liners I get around the corner at the bike shop, just picked these up yesterday.
$47.65 with tax for 2 HD tubes, and a liner package that contains 2 rolls to do 2 wheels.
Note that the tubes are Shrader valve stems, there is another type for really skinny rims, you don't want those POS's, you need a special tool just to put air in the things.
$47.65 with tax for 2 HD tubes, and a liner package that contains 2 rolls to do 2 wheels.
Note that the tubes are Shrader valve stems, there is another type for really skinny rims, you don't want those POS's, you need a special tool just to put air in the things.
Kevlar tires with regular tubes should be fine. or, regular cruiser tires with tire liners and slime in your tubes should be fine. or, you could just carry a can of fix a flat and do a little prayer never hurts. I had some of those solid tubes before and they have serious issues. save your money
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I'm going to be the odd one out here. Mine is a daily driver, she does about 30 miles 3 or 4 times a week. Too and from work, when I was doing that on the inflatable tubes I was buying tubes every 2 or 3 months. Getting a flat 10 miles from home after a long day of work in the rain blows... hard. Espesily if its getting dark.
I run a bell solid core with a Kevlar combination street/dirt tread, I change the core every 6 months because they loose stiffness over time. I spend the same amount of money, but I get home on time and I don't have to change tires road side.
I run a bell solid core with a Kevlar combination street/dirt tread, I change the core every 6 months because they loose stiffness over time. I spend the same amount of money, but I get home on time and I don't have to change tires road side.
In my opinion solid tubes are great/SUCK. Bell, despite what you may hear, actually make fairly good tires for our purposes. The rubber compound seems significantly harder than most brands. The maxxis hookworm is a good tire, and I know lots of folks are running them, personally, I can't get more than about 400 miles on them before the pavement eats them up.
Solid tubes never need air, and your nephews will $#!& a brick when you stab your tire just before you take off. But...
Rim maintenance can be a pain, and changing out the tube without ruining the tire or rim in the process. After 200 miles my 160lbs starts breaking down the foam.
There is a wonderful substance, a green liquid called Slime. It rocks. It says it will plug an 1/8in hole. I've seen it seal a .22 caliber bullet hole. Killed the skunk and my tire with one shot lol.
Bell Kevlar tires, HD- TP tubes and slime... Its been awhile since I've dealt with a flat. I ride some pretty rough trails, and I've got some huge goatheads and LOTS of cactus.
Solid tubes never need air, and your nephews will $#!& a brick when you stab your tire just before you take off. But...
Rim maintenance can be a pain, and changing out the tube without ruining the tire or rim in the process. After 200 miles my 160lbs starts breaking down the foam.
There is a wonderful substance, a green liquid called Slime. It rocks. It says it will plug an 1/8in hole. I've seen it seal a .22 caliber bullet hole. Killed the skunk and my tire with one shot lol.
Bell Kevlar tires, HD- TP tubes and slime... Its been awhile since I've dealt with a flat. I ride some pretty rough trails, and I've got some huge goatheads and LOTS of cactus.
