Dynabeads!!

[cobrafreak]

Motorized bikes have to deal with something that bicycles don't really need to worry about, tire balance. Our wheels spin faster than a bicycles and therefore we need balanced wheels like an automobile or motorcycle. I discovered Dynabeads on the web and it is a way for us to dynamically balance our wheels without ugly weights or special equipment. it's really a cool system. They are ceramic granular balls small enough to go down the valve stem of your bicycle tube and they instantly balance your tire when you hit about 10 mph. And it is a perfect balance. No kidding, I put one ounce in each of my tubes and rode down my street to my Parents house about a quarter of a mile away and right away noticed a HUGE difference! It is amazing how smooth and stable it makes your bike. I have this link for how it works. You need to see this video! You cannot use this product in conjunction with slime as it will prevent the beads from getting to where they need to move freely to.

DynaBeads demo video - YouTube

It's not a gimmick as it really works and will make your bike feel like you are rolling on glass! It is not expensive at all. I bought enough to do five tubes for about $20 online and you can cut the tube open if you need to replace the tube and reuse the beads for another tube, so it will last a long time. Trust me when I say this is the biggest gain in ride quality for the least amount of money you will spend. Simply awsome!

 

[Allen_Wrench]

From a scientific standpoint, I could see where this would really work.

But I'm cracking up over here, because it brought back memories. Anybody here remember being a kid back in the day, and putting stones inside people's hubcaps as a joke. With the baby moons and a couple good-sized river rocks, a hot-rodder would get quite a chorus.

 

[leadfarmer]

I have heard of these before, and have heard good things about them. Has anybody heard any bad things about them, or potential problems?

 

[cobrafreak]

From a scientific standpoint, I could see where this would really work.

But I'm cracking up over here, because it brought back memories. Anybody here remember being a kid back in the day, and putting stones inside people's hubcaps as a joke. With the baby moons and a couple good-sized river rocks, a hot-rodder would get quite a chorus.

I have done that joke too. Received it also. Nothing a gob of Petroleum Jelly under a car handle can't fix

 

[richirich]

After reading this i went ahead and ordered 2oz. it couldnt hurt, it was only 11.00 shipped for the beads and fill aplicator. They did not have a listing for the amount to use in a bicycle tire but ive e-mailed the company with my tire size so hopefully they will get back to me with the amount. i dont know how long it will take to get them but i will post my results after i get them in and running.

 

[Goat Herder]

I just use an ample amount of slime myself that has always worked for me. Never tried the Dynobeads.

 

[cobrafreak]

After reading this i went ahead and ordered 2oz. it couldnt hurt, it was only 11.00 shipped for the beads and fill aplicator. They did not have a listing for the amount to use in a bicycle tire but ive e-mailed the company with my tire size so hopefully they will get back to me with the amount. i dont know how long it will take to get them but i will post my results after i get them in and running.

On the motorcycle dynabead site
( Dyna Beads for Motorcycle Riders and Dealers ) the skinny tires take one ounce and the larger tires take two ounces. I put one OZ. in each tire and it works really good. Remember, anything over what your wheel actually needs gets balanced anyway up to a point. The Water bottle test in the video on the first post used one full OZ. A little bit goes a long way. After you take the valve stem out and the air leaves the tube you have to squeeze the bottle in and out basically blowing the little beads into the tube a little bit at a time. They don't just pour in because they will clump together at the stem. It took me about five minutes to do one OZ. for each wheel.

 

[richirich]

yea i looked at the motorcycle specs, but even the small motorcycle tire is still way bigger than my skinny bike tire. i figure it would probably only need a half ounce. ill see what the company says.
i still have to wait till they get here, anyway thanks for the info

 

[cobrafreak]

Here is a good video of a guy using compressed air to quickly put the dynabeads in the tire of his motorcycle.
Easy Install of Dynabeads in A Motorcycle Tire - YouTube

 

[Velodrome]

I just use an ample amount of slime myself that has always worked for me. Never tried the Dynobeads.

GH. Do you find lots O Slime helps with tire ballence?

 

[Goat Herder]

Been to speeds of around 50 MPH and never had any apprehension about tire balance. I normally go up to about 40 mph max as these are just bicycles after all. But I run thick tubes with as much as 8 to 10 ounces of the stuff. I use way more of the stuff than most folks prolly do? Depends on the size of the tire.

Those Dynabeeds sound like they prolly work great tho!

 

[NunyaBidness]

Yeah, they may work great at balancing you tire but do they seal an air leak like Slime does?

 

[whitey]

wow thats a pretty convincing video.

 

[cobrafreak]

Yeah, they may work great at balancing you tire but do they seal an air leak like Slime does?

No they don't temporarily slow down a leak and make a big mess like Slime does. Just perfectly balances a wheel.

 

[Goat Herder]

That's weird my leaks always seal permanently with no mess. They really do! Found this video a long time ago. I think it sums things up nicely . http://youtu.be/-8KXFW201nM

 

[cobrafreak]

Then I would run with it and be appreciative of that fact. I never had good luck with Slime except for the small thorn sized holes. It would get me home for the small stuff. The big stuff just caused the entire load of Slime to blurt out and I would need to wash the tire and tube so it would be clean enough to be able to be patched on the hole or tear. The edge of roads around parts here are terrible. I get a lot more large air leaking holes than small ones, that is for sure. But that was when I rode on the side of the road where the street sweeper put all the crud that was on the main road. Now that my bike rides in traffic I haven't had any flats at all. So my cure for no more flats is more horsepower

 

[Goat Herder]

I love passing traffic in the gutter

 

[stickerbush]

I own a couple of motorcycles and Dynabeads have been the subject of much discussion between members of the respective forums for those bikes. It's become a religious topic with people who love them and people who say they are snake oil. I tried them out and decided I'd rather balance my own wheels the old fashioned way than use the beads. I've yet to see any quantitative evidence that they work or don't work in a real world environment. The lab experiments are neat but don't prove that they will work as advertised.

 

[joabthebugman]

Wouldn't they be effectively bead blasting the inside of the tube?

 

[silverbear]

What are the beads made of? Why wouldn't something like BBs work (assuming they would fit through the valve stem)? What is special about the dyna beads, aside from the price?
SB